Last week I went three days without alcohol. Every morning I woke up refreshed and encouraged. I also started intermittent fasting and working out. However, once the weekend came around I couldn’t help myself… so I drank the entire weekend, ate junk and didn’t exercise… needless to say I’m feeling bloated and awful… I’m disgusted with myself!
I’ve reset my goal this morning AGAIN… I just don’t understand WHY DO I KEEP doing this to myself knowing the HUGE difference in how I feel without alcohol and with alcohol…
2 Likes
One thing to consider is keeping the same schedule every day. Get up at the same time, work out at the same time. Be doing stuff either working your paying job, or working a second job/volunteering or something enriching like a class or sober group activity, during the same period. Maybe work a regular meeting, in person or online into the schedule.
And slavishly adhere to this schedule. Make no room for boredom, or unbudgeted time.
Hope it helps.
5 Likes
You’re on the right path love! You changed your routine in your work days, now you need to change your routines on the weekends and that was hardest for me so I get it. Do things totally differently for a different result, whatever it takes to be sober! 
5 Likes
Do you think it’s possible you tried too much at once? All the things you did are very good things but maybe it was too much right off the bat to maintain. Maybe just start with one small thing and each week add something new.
You can do this but you need to be kind to yourself too.
4 Likes
Maybe try a meeting. AA and my higher power keep me sober on a daily basis. Wish you well.
4 Likes
One thing I’ve realized is that there is a difference between wanting to quit and deciding to quit. It’s like laying in bed on a Saturday morning, you want to get up and be productive, you got things to do and you know it will be good for you, but you end up laying there until you decide it’s time to get up, usually at the point when your tired of wasting the day away.
That pretty much described my 30’s. I wanted to quit, but I didn’t. My “quit” was always one weekend away, or one last “summer of fun”. But then I couldn’t quit during the holidays, and then my birthday was coming up, and then one last summer of fun… and repeat for 10 years.
I finally got tired of laying in bed wasting my time. I laid there so long my body hurt, it was time to get up.
When you decide to quit, it makes quitting so much easier. You aren’t forcing it or fighting it, your choosing it. You let go of who you used to be and allow yourself to become reborn. Making that choice is probably the hardest part, or it was for me, becuase of the unknown. I’ll tell you though, in hindsight, I wish I had gotten out of bed a lot sooner than I did.
Good luck.
10 Likes
So, the first thing is ,why was the weekend any different to the week days?
We have been conditioned throughout our life’s to think that the weekend is “party time” . Change that thought. Dont be in the " hey it’s the weekend!" Line of thinking. Be in the " hey it’s another day of not drinking" mind set.
Well done for starting on your new path in life. But you have to mean it 7 days a week.
4 Likes
I was trying to make my day as busy as possible. I have to learn how to get thru the weekend
Being busy isn’t a recovery plan. It’s a distraction from the real issues. Similar to the affect drugs and alcohol have. To stop drinking we have to address our alcoholism, not ignore it. Try a meeting or some counseling.
4 Likes
Thank you! That’s where I am at… one week I want to quit for good another week I want to only drink on weekends.
I looked into AA classes as you suggested before… I’ll try to go this weekend.
1 Like
Start meetings today. No time like the present. It was said best that being busy is a distraction you do have to work out the issue on a deeper level of you really feel there is one. Either you want to quit or you don’t just don’t let it come down to you not having a choice anymore and you are forced to quit.
2 Likes
Boy oh boy did I ever want to quit for YEARS!! Sadly, as they say, I still had some drinking to do.
4 Likes
Sadly enough people who keep relapsing aren’t done experimenting. They may think they can control their amount, behavior, outcome, etc. Sometimes it isn’t a bad time, sometimes it is, but ultimately they feel regret and remorse. I think AA is a great start to change. Saved my life.
5 Likes
Experimenting and negotiating. For years I tried negotiating with my addiction, trying to find a way that would allow me to indulge, with minimal or acceptable negative effects on my life. I eventually concluded there was no way I could peacefully coexist with alcohol. I had to defeat my desire for it, and banish it from my life totally and completely.
4 Likes