I just joined today, made the decision when I woke up that enough is enough. . It’s time I admit that I am currently out of control. . I keep saying “I’ll stop tomorrow, or I’ll stop next week” well it’s time I say I’ll stop today. Once I moved into my own place after ending a long relationship I found myself drinking every night after work. . Excuses/reasons being “it was a tough day I need a drink” to “that was an awesome meeting, or presentation, or goal achieved, or promotion- I need to celebrate and have a drink!” I always found a reason. Then it came to be the weekends and at first I wouldn’t drink until night time but then gradually I ended up drinking in the afternoon, “just because it was the weekend and I had had a hard week, I needed to relax.” Any of these excuses or reasons sound familiar to any of you? Well, I need to reverse this and start thinking of reasons NOT to have a drink, I’m sick of waking up hung over, I’m sick of not living life because I want to stay home and drink, I’m sick of wasting money on booze that does nothing but hurt my body and cause problems in my life. . So I need to get this under control and I’m hoping you all can help me and I can help you.
@Determined2018 all of those sound very familiar! Welcome to the group and congrats on your choice to have a better life. There will be some good and bad days, but everyone here has been in the same place you are today, and we understand. So just stay connected with us. Happy Sunday!
Thank you so much for the warm welcome and I’m glad you relate to my experience. . I’m scared and excited at the same time. . I’m scared of the detox process and I’m not sure what to expect, do you have any insight or advice for that?
Thank you, it’s going to be a scary few days for me as I’m not sure what to expect with the detox process. . Any tips or ways to make it a little easier? I’m glad everyone can relate to my experience, makes me feel like I’m in the right place
Regarding detox, don’t hesitate to get medical help if you need it. Use everything at your disposal (this forum, various meetings, church, whatever you have going on) because, in my experience, we cannot recover from alcoholism on our own. I needed help and I still need help. And I love needing help, since I am no longer required to come up with all the right answers my own self. Blessings on your house.
So I was just in a meeting with a really cool guy from North Carolina who made a lot of sense to me.
It doesn’t matter why we became alcoholics bc we all treat the disease the same way. Obviously this is directed to AAers bc it was an AA meeting, but I think the message holds true. It doesn’t matter why we drank, what matters is what we want to do about it (borrowed from NA lol).
I’m almost 18 mos now and this forum is one of a few powerful tools in my toolbox. To get and stay sober you’ll want to find your tools to establish your new way of life. Ya there are challenging moments as you recover but the other side of this - the sober side- is so very wonderful that it makes it all worth it. I never knew how much better life is WITHOUT booze and drugs. I wonder what you’ll discover??!!
Welcome! You are definitely in the right place. I found this app right before I decided to stop drinking, and it has been invaluable.
In terms of detox - I think it’s different for everyone, based on what and how much you have been drinking and your physical condition.
I was a daily wine drinker - most days 4 or 5 drinks, some days 8 or more. Toward the end I added liquor to that equation. When I stopped, I had a low grade headache for five days and felt really tired. I was also wickedly irritable. But even then, it felt great to wake up without a hangover and to feel like the fog had lifted from my brain.
And good lord - the sugar cravings! I’ve never before had a sweet tooth, but I have been eating my damn weight in Moose Tracks ice cream. Fortinately, my weight hasn’t changed as I ditched all the wine calories.
Keep checking in. You are certainly not alone in this!
Congratulations and welcome. You should be proud of your decision it is a really hard one to be that honest with yourself. And Yes. I have all of those thoughts and problems. Just remember alcohol isn’t doing anything positive for you. It plays a significant self destructive role. I’m only 5 days sober and I can tell you it’s already worth it. I went golfing today instead of drinking. I took my dog to the park yesterday instead of drinking. I actually spent time with my parents, instead of drinking. These are all things i sacrificed in the past for lonely shots of alcohol. You are not alone, together we can do this! Live for today, live for right now.