Time to change my life around for the better minus drink.

draiochtanois

This post has been deleted.

Carpet diem

Work is very good at the moment. I'm chilling bit more doing stuff more slowly but correctly.

I'm doing weights in the gym and and it's actually great for the confidence. Relationship with girlfriend is great. Only thing is I'm having trouble with the acceptance part of the steps. My head is wrecked with it and I'm constantly thinking of drinking and then it goes away and comes back again.

Carpet diem

KeefF wrote: »

Deadly!! Well Done!!!!

How you getting on KeefF?

beano345

Carpet diem wrote: »

Work is very good at the moment. I'm chilling bit more doing stuff more slowly but correctly.

I'm doing weights in the gym and and it's actually great for the confidence. Relationship with girlfriend is great. Only thing is I'm having trouble with the acceptance part of the steps. My head is wrecked with it and I'm constantly thinking of drinking and then it goes away and comes back again.

I get this urge now and again if only for a moment,it passes thankfully,I think its just from the habit of drinking not actually physical urges.weights are brilliant just for the feel good factor I've only recently picked them up again after two years and losing a lot of mass from the beer.the thing with me is I know I can never drink safely again once I got to the stage I was at with it. I think we all like to believe that maybe someday or after a length of time we can drink in moderation again but come to think of it I never drank moderately it was always foot to the floor roaring drunk,I'm actually ashamed thinking about it! Keep up the good work you've come along way so far!

cometogether

Just feel like ranting, twenty years old here in second year of college and I realise now just how rubbish the whole scene is. Went out last night and it is just not worth a whole day being sick and depressed. And the worst bit is I'll do it all again. What's it all about?

KeefF

Carpet diem wrote: »

How you getting on KeefF?

Hi,
Good, back on track this week. Just want to keep my head down and get some time under my belt again. I'm lashing the meetings in.
Going to try to have a sponsor in place by the end of the month if I can. I think I really need to work those steps but they seem pretty daunting and the whole idea of being completely honest about defects and resentments is very scary.
Anyway, it is all better than being on the p*ss.
You are doing really well - keep it up.

Thanks

marienbad

KeefF wrote: »

Hi,
Good, back on track this week. Just want to keep my head down and get some time under my belt again. I'm lashing the meetings in.
Going to try to have a sponsor in place by the end of the month if I can. I think I really need to work those steps but they seem pretty daunting and the whole idea of being completely honest about defects and resentments is very scary.
Anyway, it is all better than being on the p*ss.
You are doing really well - keep it up.

Thanks

Hang in there, as for the steps ,for a long long time I just hung on to step one ,Certainly until my head had cleared. That and the slogans - a day at a time/this too shall pass/ etc. I was so punch drunk I couldn't do much else.

And most of all -keep an open mind and keep banging in the meetings .

What a life a sober life is - just marvellous .

KeefF

Carpet diem wrote: »

How you getting on KeefF?

How's it going?
How did this weekend work out for you?

Amazingfun

Hmmmm, this thread is a little quiet.....

How are you guys doing?

KeefF

Amazingfun wrote: »

Hmmmm, this thread is a little quiet.....

How are you guys doing?

Ye - I had noticed that myself.
I had a tough 1/2 hour or so Sat night with urges/self-pity etc etc. But I took some action and was so glad I did.
Sun = Gym/Painting & Decorating at Home/Meeting/Getting ready for the week ahead. None of the above would have happended if I didn't resist those urges.

KeefF

Carpet diem wrote: »

6 weeks sober today!

How are you getting on?
Hope it's all good!

_lietome_

This post has been deleted.

Amazingfun

Hopefully......

mickydoomsux

Decided that i need to stop drinking. Been on a year long tear since my 30th last year.

I usually have 4-6 cans/bottles at home most nights of the week regardless of whether i'm working the next day or not and more if i was off the next day. I have broken sleep most nights and wake up feeling ****e most mornings. I'm constantly in a kind of "fog" and my memory has become terrible, i can barely remember stuff that happened earlier this week.

That and the utter exhaustion is part of my reason for quitting along with the fact that i've gained about a stone through both the drinking and the not being arsed exercising the next day because of feeling rough.

Plus i never get anything done when i'm drinking. I just sit at my computer doing nothing in particular or go to bed early because i'm half cut.

I keep sort of quitting for a few days and i do feel better but then i just backslide and i'm back in my pattern. I'm finishing for good this time i think. I just don't even want to drink anymore and it's sheer habit at this stage.

I take it that it's generally not advisable to drink non-alcoholic beers or soft drinks as a replacement while you're trying to quit?

Sunnyisland

mickydoomsux wrote: »

Decided that i need to stop drinking. Been on a year long tear since my 30th last year.

I usually have 4-6 cans/bottles at home most nights of the week regardless of whether i'm working the next day or not and more if i was off the next day. I have broken sleep most nights and wake up feeling ****e most mornings. I'm constantly in a kind of "fog" and my memory has become terrible, i can barely remember stuff that happened earlier this week.

That and the utter exhaustion is part of my reason for quitting along with the fact that i've gained about a stone through both the drinking and the not being arsed exercising the next day because of feeling rough.

Plus i never get anything done when i'm drinking. I just sit at my computer doing nothing in particular or go to bed early because i'm half cut.

I keep sort of quitting for a few days and i do feel better but then i just backslide and i'm back in my pattern. I'm finishing for good this time i think. I just don't even want to drink anymore and it's sheer habit at this stage.

I take it that it's generally not advisable to drink non-alcoholic beers or soft drinks as a replacement while you're trying to quit?

What's your plan OP ? Everyone has to have one, something has to replace the time that you have spent drinking,


A sheet I picked up that I thought maybe helpfull to others.

Sobriety, the magnificent obsession, is the most important thing in your life, without exception. You may believe your job, or your home life, or one of many other things come first. But consider if you dont get sober, and stay sober, chances are you wont have a job, a family, sanity or even a life. If you are convinced that everything in life depends on your sobriety, you have just so much more chance of getting sober and staying sober. If you put other things first you are only hurting your chances.

1. Cultivate continued acceptance of the fact that your choice is between unhappy drunken drinking and doing without just 1 small drink.

2. Cultivate enthusiastic gratitude that you have had the good fortune of finding out what was wrong before it was too late.

3. Expect as being normal, that for a time, perhaps a long time, you will recurringly experience:
a. The nagging craving for a drink
b. The sudden impulse to just take a drink.
c. The craving, not for a drink as such, but for the soothing glow and warmth a drink or 2 once gave you.

4. Remember that the times when you dont want a drink are the times in which to build up the strength not to take one when you do want it.

5. Develop and rehearse a daily plan of thinking and acting by which you will live that day without taking a drink, regardless of what may upset you or how hard the old urge for a drink may hit you.

6. Dont for a split second allow yourself to think: 'Isnt it a pity or a mean injustice that I cant take a drink like so called normal people'

7. Dont allow yourself to either think about or talk about any real or imagined pleasure you once had from drinking.

8. Dont permit yourself to think a drink or 2 would make some bad situation better, or at least easier to live with. Substitute the thought: 'One drink will make it worse, one drink will mean a drunk'

9. Minimise your situation. Others have greater problems, how joyful such people would be if their problem could be solved by just not taking one little drink today. Think gratefully of how lucky you are to have so simple and small a problem.

10. Cultivate and woo enjoyment of sobriety.
a. How good it is to be free of shame and guilt.
b. How good it is to be free of the consequences of a drunk just ended, or of a coming drunk you have never before been able to prevent.
c. How good it is to be free of what people have been thinking and whispering about you, and of their mingled pity and contempt.
d. How good it is to be free of fear.

11. Catalougue and re catalouge the positive enjoyments of sobriety, such as:
a. The simple ability to eat and sleep normally, and wake up glad you are alive; glad you were sober yesterday, and glad you have the priviledge of staying sober today.
b. The ability to face whatever life may dish out, with peace of mind, self respect and full possesion of all your faculties.

12. Cultivate a helpful association of ideas:
a. Associate a drink as being the single cause of all the misery, shame and fear you have ever known.
b. Associate a drink as being the only thing that can destroy your newfound happiness, and take from you your self respect and peace of mind.

13. Cultivate gratitude:
a. Gratitude that so much can be yours for so small a price.
b. Gratitude that you can trade just one drink for all the hapiness sobriety gives you.
c. Gratitude that you are an alcoholic- you are not a bad or wicked person, but you have been in the grip of convulsion.
d. Gratitude that since others have done it, you can in time bring it to pass that you will not want or miss the drink you are doing without.

14. Seek out ways to help other alcoholics/problem drinkers/bingers and remember the first way to help others is to stay sober yourself.

15. And dont forget that when the heart is heavy and resistance is low and the mind is troubled and confused, there is much comfort in a true and understanding friend standing by.

mickydoomsux

realies wrote: »

What's your plan OP ? Everyone has to have one, something has to replace the time that you have spent drinking,

Going to get back into exercising regularly and start cycling again after years since i last did it. Hopefully get in shape

Always got a great buzz out of exercising but it sort of fell by the wayside recently pretty much because i always felt a bit crap because of the drinking.

KeefF

realies wrote: »

What's your plan OP ? Everyone has to have one, something has to replace the time that you have spent drinking,


A sheet I picked up that I thought maybe helpfull to others.

Sobriety, the magnificent obsession, is the most important thing in your life, without exception. You may believe your job, or your home life, or one of many other things come first. But consider if you dont get sober, and stay sober, chances are you wont have a job, a family, sanity or even a life. If you are convinced that everything in life depends on your sobriety, you have just so much more chance of getting sober and staying sober. If you put other things first you are only hurting your chances.

1. Cultivate continued acceptance of the fact that your choice is between unhappy drunken drinking and doing without just 1 small drink.

2. Cultivate enthusiastic gratitude that you have had the good fortune of finding out what was wrong before it was too late.

3. Expect as being normal, that for a time, perhaps a long time, you will recurringly experience:
a. The nagging craving for a drink
b. The sudden impulse to just take a drink.
c. The craving, not for a drink as such, but for the soothing glow and warmth a drink or 2 once gave you.

4. Remember that the times when you dont want a drink are the times in which to build up the strength not to take one when you do want it.

5. Develop and rehearse a daily plan of thinking and acting by which you will live that day without taking a drink, regardless of what may upset you or how hard the old urge for a drink may hit you.

6. Dont for a split second allow yourself to think: 'Isnt it a pity or a mean injustice that I cant take a drink like so called normal people'

7. Dont allow yourself to either think about or talk about any real or imagined pleasure you once had from drinking.

8. Dont permit yourself to think a drink or 2 would make some bad situation better, or at least easier to live with. Substitute the thought: 'One drink will make it worse, one drink will mean a drunk'

9. Minimise your situation. Others have greater problems, how joyful such people would be if their problem could be solved by just not taking one little drink today. Think gratefully of how lucky you are to have so simple and small a problem.

10. Cultivate and woo enjoyment of sobriety.
a. How good it is to be free of shame and guilt.
b. How good it is to be free of the consequences of a drunk just ended, or of a coming drunk you have never before been able to prevent.
c. How good it is to be free of what people have been thinking and whispering about you, and of their mingled pity and contempt.
d. How good it is to be free of fear.

11. Catalougue and re catalouge the positive enjoyments of sobriety, such as:
a. The simple ability to eat and sleep normally, and wake up glad you are alive; glad you were sober yesterday, and glad you have the priviledge of staying sober today.
b. The ability to face whatever life may dish out, with peace of mind, self respect and full possesion of all your faculties.

12. Cultivate a helpful association of ideas:
a. Associate a drink as being the single cause of all the misery, shame and fear you have ever known.
b. Associate a drink as being the only thing that can destroy your newfound happiness, and take from you your self respect and peace of mind.

13. Cultivate gratitude:
a. Gratitude that so much can be yours for so small a price.
b. Gratitude that you can trade just one drink for all the hapiness sobriety gives you.
c. Gratitude that you are an alcoholic- you are not a bad or wicked person, but you have been in the grip of convulsion.
d. Gratitude that since others have done it, you can in time bring it to pass that you will not want or miss the drink you are doing without.

14. Seek out ways to help other alcoholics/problem drinkers/bingers and remember the first way to help others is to stay sober yourself.

15. And dont forget that when the heart is heavy and resistance is low and the mind is troubled and confused, there is much comfort in a true and understanding friend standing by.

Great Stuff - Thanks

mickydoomsux

So, been off drink for a week and i'm really loving it.

I have far more energy and i'm getting stuff done for a change. I'm waking up early and getting out for a nice long walk every day and really feeling the benefits. Still have a touch of brain-fog but that is clearing up a little bit more every day and overall i'm feeling much happier than usual.

I was going to get a few Becks Non-Alcoholic beers tonight in my local Centra just to see how i got on with them but once i actually got to the shop i just paid for my diesel and left because i realize i just couldn't be arsed drinking any kind of beer at all anymore

Had a little bit of craving the first couple of nights and i've had fleeting thoughts of getting a few cans after work during the week once or twice but it passed. I'm very pleased with how it's going so far and it's made me realise how much of a (negative) hold daily drinking had on the way i lived my life.

jinkybhoy

Gone very quiet from Carpet diem - you ok?

souls

realies wrote: »

What's your plan OP ? Everyone has to have one, something has to replace the time that you have spent drinking,


A sheet I picked up that I thought maybe helpfull to others.

Sobriety, the magnificent obsession, is the most important thing in your life, without exception. You may believe your job, or your home life, or one of many other things come first. But consider if you dont get sober, and stay sober, chances are you wont have a job, a family, sanity or even a life. If you are convinced that everything in life depends on your sobriety, you have just so much more chance of getting sober and staying sober. If you put other things first you are only hurting your chances.

1. Cultivate continued acceptance of the fact that your choice is between unhappy drunken drinking and doing without just 1 small drink.

2. Cultivate enthusiastic gratitude that you have had the good fortune of finding out what was wrong before it was too late.

3. Expect as being normal, that for a time, perhaps a long time, you will recurringly experience:
a. The nagging craving for a drink
b. The sudden impulse to just take a drink.
c. The craving, not for a drink as such, but for the soothing glow and warmth a drink or 2 once gave you.

4. Remember that the times when you dont want a drink are the times in which to build up the strength not to take one when you do want it.

5. Develop and rehearse a daily plan of thinking and acting by which you will live that day without taking a drink, regardless of what may upset you or how hard the old urge for a drink may hit you.

6. Dont for a split second allow yourself to think: 'Isnt it a pity or a mean injustice that I cant take a drink like so called normal people'

7. Dont allow yourself to either think about or talk about any real or imagined pleasure you once had from drinking.

8. Dont permit yourself to think a drink or 2 would make some bad situation better, or at least easier to live with. Substitute the thought: 'One drink will make it worse, one drink will mean a drunk'

9. Minimise your situation. Others have greater problems, how joyful such people would be if their problem could be solved by just not taking one little drink today. Think gratefully of how lucky you are to have so simple and small a problem.

10. Cultivate and woo enjoyment of sobriety.
a. How good it is to be free of shame and guilt.
b. How good it is to be free of the consequences of a drunk just ended, or of a coming drunk you have never before been able to prevent.
c. How good it is to be free of what people have been thinking and whispering about you, and of their mingled pity and contempt.
d. How good it is to be free of fear.

11. Catalougue and re catalouge the positive enjoyments of sobriety, such as:
a. The simple ability to eat and sleep normally, and wake up glad you are alive; glad you were sober yesterday, and glad you have the priviledge of staying sober today.
b. The ability to face whatever life may dish out, with peace of mind, self respect and full possesion of all your faculties.

12. Cultivate a helpful association of ideas:
a. Associate a drink as being the single cause of all the misery, shame and fear you have ever known.
b. Associate a drink as being the only thing that can destroy your newfound happiness, and take from you your self respect and peace of mind.

13. Cultivate gratitude:
a. Gratitude that so much can be yours for so small a price.
b. Gratitude that you can trade just one drink for all the hapiness sobriety gives you.
c. Gratitude that you are an alcoholic- you are not a bad or wicked person, but you have been in the grip of convulsion.
d. Gratitude that since others have done it, you can in time bring it to pass that you will not want or miss the drink you are doing without.

14. Seek out ways to help other alcoholics/problem drinkers/bingers and remember the first way to help others is to stay sober yourself.

15. And dont forget that when the heart is heavy and resistance is low and the mind is troubled and confused, there is much comfort in a true and understanding friend standing by.

Wow!words of wisdom right there!Thanks for that Realies!

Carpet diem

I feel like a traitor being back again and not replying in all this time. Sorry.

Anyways gona give it a go again probably with less updates but more the odd comments.

Amazingfun

Glad yer alive

We've been saving your seat, lol.

Sunnyisland

Carpet diem wrote: »

I feel like a traitor being back again and not replying in all this time. Sorry.

Anyways gona give it a go again probably with less updates but more the odd comments.

Welcome back and it's good to see you back, I don't know how many times I stopped drinking before I stopped drinking :-) Start again and learn from your mistakes from last time.

iusedtoknow

realies wrote: »

Welcome back and it's good to see you back, I don't know how many times I stopped drinking before I stopped drinking :-) Start again and learn from your mistakes from last time.

Three and half times for me - the half was when I bought a beer, and put it down.

That was the last time for me - however EVERYONE has a fall, it's how you pick yourself back up that counts.

Comment away!

Carpet diem

KeefF wrote: »

How are you getting on?
Hope it's all good!

Back again and I hope I can learn from it.
I feel a certain level of maturity in my approach this time I.e I cleared up my head and come to the conclusion that I should not give a Sh*t what others think of me being of the drink.It's my life, only get one go at it and it's up to me and me only. No one else will change it.

That issue really caused me a lot of grief last time and ultimately lead to my downfall. Every day I was thinking what will I do at this b'day, how will I manage this event. It became exhausting. It really was.

All the while I checked this forum every day but didn't have the courage to reply back more out of shame.

Hope all is well with you KeefF? You seem to be flying it fair play

KeefF

Carpet diem wrote: »

Back again and I hope I can learn from it.
I feel a certain level of maturity in my approach this time I.e I cleared up my head and come to the conclusion that I should not give a Sh*t what others think of me being of the drink.It's my life, only get one go at it and it's up to me and me only. No one else will change it.

That issue really caused me a lot of grief last time and ultimately lead to my downfall. Every day I was thinking what will I do at this b'day, how will I manage this event. It became exhausting. It really was.

All the while I checked this forum every day but didn't have the courage to reply back more out of shame.

Hope all is well with you KeefF? You seem to be flying it fair play

Great to have you back. No shame at all - we all have our own paths &what is meant for you will be. keep posting no matter what happens.

Kunkka

One day at a time. Don't be worrying about the past or future, just deal with today's stuff today.

enoughalready

Welcome back Carpe Diem, no judgments here and I hope you are well.

Carpet diem

Thanks for all the kind words guys!

Very content and I've set myself a lot of goals both personally and professionally to keep me busy and most importantly to improve.

Lots of running to be done to get fit and not half fit kind of thing but proper fit.

I need to loook into why mind goes on s high when I achieve somwting and vice versa . Would prefer something in between ans more consistent.

Sunnyisland

I have posted this a few times, I thing its brilliant.

There are 2 days in every week about which we should not worry

2 days which should be kept free from fear and apprehension.



One of the days is YESTERDAY,with all its mistakes and cares,

its faults and blunders and its aches and pains.



Yesterday has passed forever beyond our control

All the money in the world cannot bring back yesterday,

We cannot undo a single act performed,we cannot erase

a single word said.

YESTERDAY IS GONE



The other day we should not worry about is Tomorrow.



Tomorrow is beyond our control,it has not arrived.......yet,

Tomorrow,s sun will rise,whether in splendour or behind a

mask of clouds,but it will rise,until it does,we have no stake

in Tomorrow.

THIS LEAVES ONLY ONE DAY



TODAY

Anyone can fight the battles of just one-day, It is when you add the

burdens of those two awful days together

YESTERDAY & TOMORROW

That we break down.

LET US THEREFORE LIVE ONE DAY AT A TIME.



hope it helps.