Haven't touched a drop in...

JonBon27

593;)

Orlaw3136

Carpet diem wrote: »

Sweet tooth is a disaster alright - body is craving sugar that you used to get from the drink. It's something I need to get hold off - I'm gona start running properly again this week and that should do the job.

They say in meetings to eat bit of chocolate for the cravings

Trick with sugar is to go cold turkey.

If you have a healthy and varied enough diet you're going to be getting it in natural forms via fruit & veggies.

As regards the processed 'treats', if you ditch them you'll have a few days of cravings and then given a week or 10 days your body will actually stop looking for it - exactly the same as certain other substances, the first effect sugar has on your body is to make you want more of it, immediately.

Anyway - ditch it, snack on apples, carrots and what not. Given a short period of time you will be free of the cravings for the sweets.

Sounds extreme to say, but I genuinely think crap sugary 'food' could well be this generations tobacco (as in, kids can buy it in corner shops, but in 25 years time we'll look back and wonder what the **** we were thinking).

Bench Press

Bench Press wrote: »

doing another 70 days now is my next goal, have some big changes coming up in my life as it will difficult, moving to the UK, So I hope all goes well

144 days sober. Very easy to do it here I must say, so much to do.

Roger00

I'll be 5 years dry on 2nd January When I gave it up I poured six cans heineken down the sink & never looked back.

Roger00

I'll be 5 years dry on 2nd January When I gave it up I poured six cans heineken down the sink & never looked back.

Aotearoa

well done to all involved

JohnMartyn

21 days today.

Have tried (and failed) many times before. Hopefully this time. It feels different.

When I'd give up before I'd always tell myself I would have the odd one so as not to be putting myself under pressure to tell people I'm "off the beer"

Nine nights out of ten I'm okay. Have the few pints, no shots etc and tip away home. Then, I don't know whether its complacency or what but I always go overboard. Ah shur, one or two shots won't kill me. Usual story, pissed drunk, obnoxious, all night parties, bed wetting etc.

I have to give it up. It's hard on your own though.

I stumbled across this section of boards that I never knew existed. It's fantastic. Really good.

Reading the success stories gives us newbies inspiration.

Well done to all the great people here who have turned their lives around. You are as I said an inspiration and can be proud of yourselves.

John.

perfectisthe

JohnMartyn wrote: »

21 days today.

Have tried (and failed) many times before. Hopefully this time. It feels different.

When I'd give up before I'd always tell myself I would have the odd one so as not to be putting myself under pressure to tell people I'm "off the beer"

Nine nights out of ten I'm okay. Have the few pints, no shots etc and tip away home. Then, I don't know whether its complacency or what but I always go overboard. Ah shur, one or two shots won't kill me. Usual story, pissed drunk, obnoxious, all night parties, bed wetting etc.

I have to give it up. It's hard on your own though.

I stumbled across this section of boards that I never knew existed. It's fantastic. Really good.

Reading the success stories gives us newbies inspiration.

Well done to all the great people here who have turned their lives around. You are as I said an inspiration and can be proud of yourselves.

John.

Well done on the 21 days John.

Your drinking habits sound very similar to the way my own were. It really is worth your while sticking with it; I can say with total conviction that giving up drink has changed my life for the better in every way. Well done again!

JohnMartyn

Thank you perfectisthe.

Bench Press

I must say I am starting to think about drink again, the voice in my head is starting to tell me its ok to have a few pints, that it was just a bad patch of my life I was going through, deep down though I know I have got where I am now by not drinking, most days I don't think about drinking, but some days I do. I haven't socialised in any way in nearly 6 months off it, as I can't go into pubs yet and feel comfortable not drinking

Amazingfun

Bench Press wrote: »

I must say I am starting to think about drink again, the voice in my head is starting to tell me its ok to have a few pints, that it was just a bad patch of my life I was going through, deep down though I know I have got where I am now by not drinking, most days I don't think about drinking, but some days I do. I haven't socialised in any way in nearly 6 months off it, as I can't go into pubs yet and feel comfortable not drinking

That's what's commonly referred to in AA as "stinkin thinkin" and "that strange mental obsession", "peculiar mental twist", etc. That process you describe, the inability to leave it alone, no matter how many problems it has caused us in the past, is why we are persuaded to admit absolute powerlessness in relation to it.
"No human power could relieve us of this obsession", etc.

At three years of sobriety (my first time round) I succumbed to this insidious idea that "this time it will be different", much like you have described.
I picked up a drink, stone cold sober, and that set me off again on a nightmare journey that was very difficult to come back from.
I haven't had a drink now since 2002, thank God, but I am always aware that if I were to drift too far from meetings, or from sober friends, that baffling and insane idea could return again.
*shudders*

I hope you try some meetings, get yourself connected into a good group where there will be lots of socializing, believe me

Ps: I hope you don't have to learn the hard way, as so many of us have. It's not only not worth it, it's not guaranteed you will even make it back for another shot at sobriety at all. I've attended many funerals over the years and know this is the fate of many who allow that idea to take over once again.


http://www.alcoholicsanonymous.ie/Information-on-AA/Find-a-Meeting

Sorry for the long reply, but I have to include one more thing, it's a passage from "There is a Solution" in the Big Book of AA:

Why does he behave like this? If hundreds of experiences have shown him that one drink means another debacle with all its attendant suffering and humiliation, why is it he takes that one drink? Why can't he stay on the water wagon? What has become of the common sense and will power that he still sometimes displays with respect to other matters?

Perhaps there never will be a full answer to these questions. Opinions vary considerably as to why the alcoholic reacts differently from normal people. We are not sure why, once a certain point is reached, little can be done for him. We cannot answer the riddle.

We know that while the alcoholic keeps away from drink, as he may do for months or years, he reacts much like other men. We are equally positive that once he takes any alcohol whatever into his system, something happens, both in the bodily and mental sense, which makes it virtually impossible for him to
stop. The experience of any alcoholic will abundantly confirm this.

These observations would be academic and pointless if our friend never took the first drink, thereby setting the terrible cycle in motion. Therefore, the main problem of the alcoholic centers in his mind, rather than in his body. If you ask him why he started on that last bender, the chances are he will offer you any one of a hundred alibis. Sometimes these excuses have a certain plausibility, but none of them really makes sense in the light of the havoc an alcoholic's drinking bout creates. They sound like the philosophy of the man who, having a headache, beats himself on the head with a hammer so that he can't feel the ache. If you draw this fallacious reasoning to the attention of an alcoholic, he will laugh it off, or become irritated and refuse to talk.

Once in a while he may tell the truth. And the truth, strange to say, is usually that he has no more idea why he took that first drink than you have. Some drinkers have excuses with which they are satisfied part of the time. But in their hearts they really do not know why they do it. Once this malady has a real hold, they are a baffled lot. There is the obsession that somehow, someday, they will beat the game. But they often suspect they are down for the count.

xzanti

Bench Press.. if you haven't already.. please give the Allen Carr book a try.. it doesn't work for everyone.. but it worked very well for me.

It's worth a shot! Just to gain a different perspective on it if nothing else.. I found it great for removing those feelings of deprivation or missing out.. I think you would benefit from it.

I hope you get through this.

stefan idiot jones

xzanti wrote: »

Bench Press.. if you haven't already.. please give the Allen Carr book a try.. it doesn't work for everyone.. but it worked very well for me.
I
It's worth a shot! Just to gain a different perspective on it if nothing else.. I found it great for removing those feelings of deprivation or missing out.. I think you would benefit from it.

I hope you get through this.

Great advice. Best eight quid I ever spent.

If I wasn't the other side of the world I'd give you my copy of the greatest book in the world.

Don't beat yourself up, you'll soon realise that most drinkers are bores anyway. Stick with it and treat yourself to a nice curry or cheesecake to congratulate yourself on your sobriety. I congratulate myself a bit too much though.

Good luck.

Wattle

Bench Press wrote: »

I must say I am starting to think about drink again, the voice in my head is starting to tell me its ok to have a few pints, that it was just a bad patch of my life I was going through, deep down though I know I have got where I am now by not drinking, most days I don't think about drinking, but some days I do. I haven't socialised in any way in nearly 6 months off it, as I can't go into pubs yet and feel comfortable not drinking

I gave up for three years in the early 90's and eventually like you I convinced myself that I was missing out on something. Cue 9 more years of very unhappy drinking and a depression that I could never shake. Don't let that delusion fool you it doesn't get any better. If we were problem drinkers before we will be again. Do you want that back in your life?

I'm not in AA myself and I don't know if you are but when we're tempted to go back to our old ways it can help to have a supportive group around us. Works for some people anyway.

beano345

3 days off it after a month long bender of a relapse was off it 3 months before that,anything like the withdrawals i went through shakes,cold hot sweats flashes nausea eventually was put on librium and b1 vitamin plus lots of sugary drinks,it really is a demon on your back especially when you have to look at it everyday in work, i do hope it gets easier with time....never thought id see myself in this place.

Anotherreg

Anotherreg wrote: »

33 Days now.

I'm very happy with my efforts to date, but I have a feeling the next five weeks are make or break. Between now and mid October I have a number of functions that I'm expected to attend, and if the truth is told would be expected to get pissed at. There's a family wedding, an office booze up, a stag night and a school reunion (not in that order).

In all cases I'd be normally hammered and at the centre of any messing. I've told my siblings that I'm currently off the beer as part of a health kick, but haven't really discussed it with anyone else other than Mrs Reg (and you guys)

I've only had one evening of missing beer, and that wasn't on a night out, it was just myself and the Mrs having a late dinner by ourselves, which previously would have involved one or two bottles of beer. I'd love to be able to have a beer or two, but I'm past the kidding myself stage.

Putting my thoughts in print helps.

My main question is how did most of you tell people that you no longer drank? Was there a grand announcement, or was it just a question of ordering a 7up, and people eventually getting used to the idea.

I posted the above in September 2012. From memory I think I lasted another ten days after that post. I had a couple of social beers I think with a client. I went (and drank) to the four functions I was concerned about. It was ok. It was the new controlled me. A few beers, no major loss of control.

Had a complete blowout at the Christmas party. Took a few days to recover from that. Out every weekend and the odd midweek. Very few major sessions (5/6 pints - no shorts). Went to a stag in February and the related wedding the following month. Pissed at both functions.

No other major blowouts during the 12 months. Just a lot of constant and consistent drinking.

I had lost almost two stone up to February of this year and was fitter then I had been for 15 years. Most of the weight is back. The fitness is back where I started.

I'm lying in bed with the edge of a hangover again. Probably for the sixth time this month. Drink is a leech on life. And I allow it to bleed me dry. Financially, physically, mentally, in my relationship with my wife and kids.

I took a huge amount of encouragement from these threads last year. I've avoided reading this section since then.

I'm back now and I hope that I'm here to stay.

I haven't touched a drop of alcohol in eight hours.

xzanti

Anotherreg wrote: »

I haven't touched a drop of alcohol in eight hours.

The first eight hours of the rest of your life!

You already see alcohol for what it really is.. that's half the battle! You are further up that hill than you think.

Best of luck!

Taxburden carrier

"Drink is a leech on life and I allow it to bleed me dry." Talk about hitting the nail on the head Anotherreg !

Amazingfun

Welcome back, Another Reg. Your post reminded me of how I felt coming back that last time, almost 12 years ago now, and it almost made me tear up tbh!
You will rise again, no matter how ****e you might feel now and for the first little while, it will pass. Hang in there.

lizwex88

Any help here would be appreciated....I have a very dear friend that thinks he among many things, is an down and out alcoholic. He would love to change but has tried and failed several times and I would like some information/places/numbers anything to try get him on the right track.

Also....any info for me on what is the best way to help him.

emmabrighton

Anotherreg wrote: »

I had lost almost two stone up to February of this year and was fitter then I had been for 15 years. Most of the weight is back. The fitness is back where I started.

I'm lying in bed with the edge of a hangover again. Probably for the sixth time this month. Drink is a leech on life. And I allow it to bleed me dry. Financially, physically, mentally, in my relationship with my wife and kids.

I took a huge amount of encouragement from these threads last year. I've avoided reading this section since then.

I'm back now and I hope that I'm here to stay.

I haven't touched a drop of alcohol in eight hours.

Hold onto this feeling anotherreg, it is what kept me going for the first few months.

I left my house with a banging headache this morning and drove to work. Stepped out of my car and there was an empty beer bottle at the driver side.

That would have been my bottle 2 years ago. And the headache would have been a hangover. I used to discard the previous nights binge on the way to work so as not to feel so bad about the amount I drank when I got home and cracked open a bottle of wine. I felt relieved that the headache could be cured with a couple of paracetamol, and that it wasn't my empty bottle. I felt sorry for the person who had left it there, thinking they are in the horrors today.

Fair play to ya for coming back and think how good life will be without the drink. Days out with your kids will be so much more fun without a thumping headache and churning stomach. Dinner out with the mrs will taste so much better rather than just an accompaniment with the bottle of Chateau Neuf de Rippoff. And what about those checkpoints on the way home from a night out? No fear that you will be over the limit! Happy days!

Amazingfun

lizwex88 wrote: »

Any help here would be appreciated....I have a very dear friend that thinks he among many things, is an down and out alcoholic. He would love to change but has tried and failed several times and I would like some information/places/numbers anything to try get him on the right track.

Also....any info for me on what is the best way to help him.

AA is what worked for me, as is obvious now by way of my posts.
Meetings are everywhere, sometimes many times per day.

http://www.alcoholicsanonymous.ie/Information-on-AA/Find-a-Meeting

hubba

lizwex88 wrote: »

Any help here would be appreciated....I have a very dear friend that thinks he among many things, is an down and out alcoholic. He would love to change but has tried and failed several times and I would like some information/places/numbers anything to try get him on the right track.

Also....any info for me on what is the best way to help him.

He is very lucky to have a friend who cares but in my experience, no amount of getting information on behalf of someone with such a problem, helps. He needs to be the one seeking the help.

But to answer your question, as you ask it sincerely, a good first step would be to have him come on Boards and read through all the invaluable posts here in the Non Drinkers Group. There is a huge amount of practical, emtional and spiritual advice here on books to read, support groups and how to get through the bad times. It's a very supportive group here and I really think it would be a great place for him to start.

xzanti

14 months today!

Only dawned on me this evening

I'm sitting here enjoying a big mug of camomile tea and watching the clock for Love/Hate.. and I just feel fcuking great.

Sunnyisland

Well done Xzanti, great work :-)

25 months tomorrow now that you mention it mrs

Well done!

emmabrighton

coming up on 2 years for me... 16 days until the new fitter, healthier me begins... give me strength!

Sunnyisland

Deleted User wrote: »

25 months tomorrow now that you mention it mrs

Well done!

emmabrighton wrote: »

coming up on 2 years for me... 16 days until the new fitter, healthier me begins... give me strength!

looking good people well done, be five years in jan myself

Show off

Cushtie

Just passed the 1000 day mark over the weekend there. Delighted.

1000 days was always a kind of goal for me. 3 years is the next target.

Life has changed so much in so many ways in that time, gone back to college by night and everything.

Only downside is social life is practically zero, but that is by choice, I dont bother with the pub anymore at all and dont have alot of other interests.

keep up the good work everyone.

I always keep a check in on this thread and it is great so see when someone reached a milestone. For those that give in to temptation, try again, tis only a wobble on the road.