Haven't touched a drop in...

realdanbreen · 25-09-2019 8:42am

Etc wrote: »

I'm off it 38 days now and have been doing great, but for various reasons I have the house to myself for the next 4 days and I'm sitting here tonight fighting with myself about opening a bottle of white wine.

I've been keeping myself busy but I'm feeling very anxious. I'm aiming to go to bed soon hoping that I'll sleep and wake up and the craving will be gone.

This is the first bad craving I've had since I stopped.

Hope you got through the night OK. Just remember that you don't deserve to have your life dominated by booze, you're better than that.

Etc · 25-09-2019 10:30am

realdanbreen wrote: »

Hope you got through the night OK. Just remember that you don't deserve to have your life dominated by booze, you're better than that.

I did get through it white wine free, but I was miserable all evening, miserable that I'd let myself get to that point when I've been really positive and happy with my progress over the last 5 weeks.

Thanks to you for your comment, it really means a lot. I know today will be better.

drydub · 25-09-2019 12:07pm

Etc wrote: »

I did get through it white wine free, but I was miserable all evening, miserable that I'd let myself get to that point when I've been really positive and happy with my progress over the last 5 weeks.

Thanks to you for your comment, it really means a lot. I know today will be better.

You need to formulate a plan. Have the void or gap filled with something else. Recognise whwn you will feel like this again and then put your plan in action.
Go for a walk
Go to the gym
Cinema
Friends

Put yourself in the best position to not drink. Drive yourself to distraction
You're doing great, keep it up

drydub · 25-09-2019 12:11pm

19 months today.
Alcohol aside I am in a good spot. I've gotten back to exercise and yoga. Using my time better to incorporate running and reflection.

I have been drinking more 0% beer than I had previously so I am acknowledging that and want to make a definite effort to kerb that as much as possible

Etc · 25-09-2019 1:17pm

drydub wrote: »

You need to formulate a plan. Have the void or gap filled with something else. Recognise whwn you will feel like this again and then put your plan in action.
Go for a walk
Go to the gym
Cinema
Friends

Put yourself in the best position to not drink. Drive yourself to distraction
You're doing great, keep it up

Thanks for replying, I've this evening mapped out already so I know that will help, and I feel better in myself I talked myself out of it last night. It's just reminding me not to be complacent.

realdanbreen · 25-09-2019 1:55pm

Etc wrote: »

I did get through it white wine free, but I was miserable all evening, miserable that I'd let myself get to that point when I've been really positive and happy with my progress over the last 5 weeks.

Thanks to you for your comment, it really means a lot. I know today will be better.

Of course you were miserable, and you will be sad and you will be happy and you will be romantic and you will be angry. In fact you will be all the things that we humans are from time to time but by jesus you won't be out of it pissed and wondering what did I do last night. You are making great progress fair play to you, just keep at it.

Etc · 25-09-2019 5:27pm

realdanbreen wrote: »

Of course you were miserable, and you will be sad and you will be happy and you will be romantic and you will be angry. In fact you will be all the things that we humans are from time to time but by jesus you won't be out of it pissed and wondering what did I do last night. You are making great progress fair play to you, just keep at it.

Thanks so much for taking the time to post, it's really helped.

tinpib · 25-09-2019 7:03pm

In my early stages I filled my time with the TV show Intervention (the ones on alcohol) watched docs on alcohol/alcoholism on Youtube and as always spent a lot of tiem on the the Stop Drinking subreddit.

https://www.reddit.com/r/stopdrinking/

Now watching/reading about the thing you want to avoid might be the last thing you want to do but it helped reinforce why I was stopping and confirming I was making the right decision even though it might be difficult at the time.

But you have to do what works for you and having a plan is very important as Drydub said and realdanbreen makes a good point as well is that you were just experiencing every day life in a way.

Glad you got another day sober under your belt.

Sandor Clegane · 26-09-2019 12:37am

Talking about documentaries this is the best one ive seen:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwv7Utcf-gM&t=180s

It follows the story of four people going through the various stages of addiction and the damage that comes with it.

Its a pretty harrowing watch though, no frills, very bleak, very realistic.

angeleyes · 26-09-2019 11:21am

I'm on Day 26 - and it's going well. Started to go back doing Couch to 5K but not been as good as I should.

I also went out last weekend to a quiz night and wasn't tempted or bothered. I did have one Heineken zero. I do also enjoy Heineken Zero at home on weekend evenings. I put lots of diet 7 up into it.

I am giving myself an aim to be able to do a 5K run on St. Stephen's Day - our community has a 10K every year but I'm just aiming for 5. Good to have a goal.

Sigma Force · 29-09-2019 10:42pm

tinpib wrote: »

In my early stages I filled my time with the TV show Intervention (the ones on alcohol) watched docs on alcohol/alcoholism on Youtube and as always spent a lot of tiem on the the Stop Drinking subreddit.

https://www.reddit.com/r/stopdrinking/

Now watching/reading about the thing you want to avoid might be the last thing you want to do but it helped reinforce why I was stopping and confirming I was making the right decision even though it might be difficult at the time.

But you have to do what works for you and having a plan is very important as Drydub said and realdanbreen makes a good point as well is that you were just experiencing every day life in a way.

Glad you got another day sober under your belt.

I recently watched the first eoisode of intervention. It was good they showed the realities of addiction. But they never really got to the bottom of it, she obviously needed a lot more therapy etc. And wasn't ready to be out of rehab. I haven't watched the other episodes yet but hoping they show the realities of life after rehab, and not just some guy telling someone to go to rehab. They have to wantbto go, being forced or 'talked into it' doesn't work most of the time.

Furryglove · 29-09-2019 10:46pm

10 years since August, not a drop

Likeabossboss · 30-09-2019 6:06pm

38 years of age now. Been a pretty heavy drinker for the last seven years. Six to eight pints Most nights and then probably 12 pints on a Friday and Another 12 on a Saturday. Sunday I was usually so ****ed I spent the day in the bed with severe anxiety

I got into a bad rut and it was the anxiety The next day that was killing me and led me to drinking. Another issue was that all my friends were heavy drinkers luring me out. I was fair bad in work a lot of days and didn’t remember driving to work a lot of mornings. Yes stupid I know. Also a toxic family members were bringing me down.

I did go off it around two years ago for around five weeks and decided to go down to the pub to watch a arsenal match and ordered a lucozade. Sure what did my “friends” and bar man do? They lined pints in front of me even though they do knew I had a problem with alcohol due to my mental health. I hated myself the next day and the rut started again.

So decided to make a change. I had to get out of hometown. Went abroad, got a new job and now off it for the last three months, the first month I expierenced fatigue like I never had before, sleeping 11 hours a day but waking every two hours but Was back to normal after the first month.

My anxiety is down to about 20% of what it was while I was drinking and still working on this. It’s amazing what a change of environment can do to someone’s mental health. I don’t miss alcohol whatsoever but do need to stay away from the friends and family who caused me to drink but think I’ll leave it a year before I go to home to visit. I have been out with work colleagues and just have a coke or non alcoholic cocktail . Love my sober life and getting rid of people who just want me to suffer

Moving country was the best thing I ever did. If I do move home it will be well away from my home place.

I have put on a stone since I have given it up due to not eating properly from been sick and also just joined the gym two Weeks ago

Bassfish · 30-09-2019 7:30pm

Likeabossboss wrote: »

Wow fair play man. A friend of mine who is in recovery says staying Sober is 1% abstinence and 99% change. Can I ask did you just come off it cold turkey and then make changes or did you go to AA or whatever? Also how are you spending your evenings now, particularly the weekend evenings?

tinpib · 30-09-2019 7:45pm

Nice one. I got sober abroad too, it definitely helped, made things a lot easier. No explanations to anyone, no dreading weddings/christenings/Christmas/birthdays etc. I just did my own thing and let the days tick by.

Likeabossboss · 30-09-2019 9:15pm

Bassfish wrote: »

Wow fair play man. A friend of mine who is in recovery says staying Sober is 1% abstinence and 99% change. Can I ask did you just come off it cold turkey and then make changes or did you go to AA or whatever? Also how are you spending your evenings now, particularly the weekend evenings?

This is at Tinb as well can’t double quote on phone.

Went off it cold turkey. The only withdrawal I got was fatigue for a month, probably down to calories I was missing out on from beer. I don’t think I was drinking enough to get proper withdrawals Where people are drinking bottles of spirits daily or waking up and immediately drinking. Don’t think I was addicted enough to go to AA really.

I never drank on my own or anything like that. What happens me is I get such anxiety after drinking I can’t actually sit still and need to go for pints again. I would be counting down the minutes in work to get to the pub. Also the sickness would go away after two pints. I loved the craic as well of course drinking with people and my friends are great people but their main interest is boozing and nothing else, they dragged me down to their level.

My evenings now involve TV, Gaming ,gym and cooking great meals for myself. Weekends generally involve the same but drive to a nice location to do a 8-12KM walk.

Really having no one to answer to abroad and the temptation of friends hounding me to go for pints is a huge bonus in not drinking.

My Head is a great place lately and that’s because I had alcohol induced anxiety when drinking which is nearly gone. I can still go out with work colleagues and just order soft drinks or non alcoholic cocktails.

It’s amazing how easy you can get in a rut. If I ever do move back home it will be well away from my home place and not in a walking distance to a pub. You would think peer pressure would go away with age but I know my friends would drag me back into drinking. I think it makes them feel better about themselves when someone else is wasting their money on booze and doing the same thing they are so it doesn’t look as big of a deal of them drinking themselves away every day in the pub. They all work as well and some in very high paid jobs

SnrInfant · 18-10-2019 1:02pm

the evasion_kid wrote: »

Are you still on the selincro?

Can anyone recommend Selincro? After yet another relapse, I am going to my doctor today to ask for this.

SnrInfant · 18-10-2019 1:05pm

I've been off it for almost three months with nothing but optimism and scoffing at the thought I was ever addicted.
It hit me full force a couple of weeks ago and I'm back to stage friggin one.
I'm heading back to my doctor and back to AA this evening.
Funnily enough, my addiction counsellor warned me this would happen and I didn't believe him. The ironic thing is now I'm too down to see him. I was fine when I was happy :rolleyes:

Sigma Force · 27-10-2019 11:40pm

Furryglove wrote: »

10 years since August, not a drop

Brilliant! And encouraging for other too

Sigma Force · 27-10-2019 11:56pm

Likeabossboss wrote: »

This is at Tinb as well can’t double quote on phone.

Went off it cold turkey. The only withdrawal I got was fatigue for a month, probably down to calories I was missing out on from beer. I don’t think I was drinking enough to get proper withdrawals Where people are drinking bottles of spirits daily or waking up and immediately drinking. Don’t think I was addicted enough to go to AA really.

I never drank on my own or anything like that. What happens me is I get such anxiety after drinking I can’t actually sit still and need to go for pints again. I would be counting down the minutes in work to get to the pub. Also the sickness would go away after two pints. I loved the craic as well of course drinking with people and my friends are great people but their main interest is boozing and nothing else, they dragged me down to their level.

My evenings now involve TV, Gaming ,gym and cooking great meals for myself. Weekends generally involve the same but drive to a nice location to do a 8-12KM walk.

Really having no one to answer to abroad and the temptation of friends hounding me to go for pints is a huge bonus in not drinking.

My Head is a great place lately and that’s because I had alcohol induced anxiety when drinking which is nearly gone. I can still go out with work colleagues and just order soft drinks or non alcoholic cocktails.

It’s amazing how easy you can get in a rut. If I ever do move back home it will be well away from my home place and not in a walking distance to a pub. You would think peer pressure would go away with age but I know my friends would drag me back into drinking. I think it makes them feel better about themselves when someone else is wasting their money on booze and doing the same thing they are so it doesn’t look as big of a deal of them drinking themselves away every day in the pub. They all work as well and some in very high paid jobs

You're doing great! The fact you recognise what the issue was as well is great. Anxiety is underrated it can ruin lives and drinking is a really common way to deal with it. It was one of the main reasons my bf drank heavily for 30 years and it progressed slowly which makes it harder to recognise and give up. It nearly killed him. He's still anxious but is under the care of his gp and on mild medication for it. Depression follows anxiety and they feed off each other. It's managing his anxiety now that he has to keep on top of, it's so easy to stop working on yourself when things are going well but that's when it's the most important. As his partner I have my ups and downs too, I have to keep working on myself and trust issues etc. Because of his drinking but because of my own insecurities too. He is sober two years and works hard but he still needs to learn about self care. He doesn't go to the pub he still sees his drinking buddies as mates but not one of them visited him in rehab and it wouldn't take long for them to try and talk him back to drinking because they miss their drinking buddy. He spends a lot of time at mine now, pubs are not far away from anywhere but at mine it's peaceful and quiet and I was never a big drinker so I think all that helps. But at the end of the day it's up to him to manage his sobriety. I do tend to remind him now and then when he seems low, to go to his gp. He won't go to meetings or anything and this worries me. But I was just watching a Ted talk and the guy on it said relying on higher powers etc. Isn't much use if you can't trust in yourself. Anxiety is awful to deal with, hitting the gym will really help. It gives you structure, discipline and routine but also helps get rid of any pent up stress.

emmabrighton · 13-12-2019 11:48pm

8 days... this time last week was my Xmas party. A night of making a show of myself followed by the horrors and the fear and a general slow brain week.

I remembered telling myself last Saturday that I’ve never woken up the next day wishing I had drank more.

I’ll be proud of myself tomorrow

Fingers Mcginty · 26-12-2019 12:55am

Almost 7 weeks. 1st time waking up hangxiety free on a Christmas day in 30 years!!!

Chopinlist66 · 31-12-2019 1:55pm

Dear All, New year's greetings, and hope you are all doing well.

It's been a long time since I posted here, fighting the good fight against the booze.
Update: Have developed a major allergy to wine, which is all I drank anway, but I could go into the second bottle quite easily, with all the complications the following day that this brings with it.

Had started coming out in hives all over after the day I drank, didn't think there was a connection between it and the hives, thought it was something else, some other trigger.

Anyway, i gave up wine for a week, and no hives. Visited my GP who knows of my struggle with the vino, and said he thought it might be the sulfites in wine. Fast forward to the family gathering day before yesterday. Decided to have wine with dinner, and lost count. Fell into bed, don't remember much. On the journey home I became covered with the worst rash from head to toe, was just like my body/skin had been stung by bees. My voice went, started having trouble breathing, was beginning to wheeze, and was not feeling at all well. Went straight into AE, said it was the worst rash they had ever seen, and whilst they couldn't precisely pinpoint the wine, they said it certainly must have been, given my history. Apparently you can suddenly develop an allergy at any point in your life. I post this as a warning, as I prob had warning signs all along and ignored them, such as stuffy nose, chest wheeze ( I do have mild asthma) and a burning sensation under my skin. I see this as my breakthrough, as my experience yesterday was a life-threatening allergic reaction. I also see it as a blessing in disguise. It was only a matter of time before something majorly serious went wrong. So, it looks as though this is the end of the line with me and alcohol. And I am relieved. Next time, it could be a full blown anaphylactic reaction.
Wishing you all well, wherever you are on your journey x

tinpib · 31-12-2019 10:09pm

4 years today.

I know I have missed out on nothing by not drinking and even after all this time I am still amazed at how refreshed I feel every morning.

I don't think we are designed to have a hangover of some description nearly every morning of our adult lives like I had for too many years.

Fingers Mcginty · 01-01-2020 12:51am

tinpib wrote: »

4 years today.

I know I have missed out on nothing by not drinking and even after all this time I am still amazed at how refreshed I feel every morning.

I don't think we are designed to have a hangover of some description nearly every morning of our adult lives like I had for too many years.

Well done.
I'd say this thread will be hopping the next few days.
New beginnings and all.

hubba · 05-01-2020 1:08pm

Over 8 years off it. My only regret is I didn't do it sooner, I would have saved a lot of money, been a better friend and not lived my best years in a cloud.

I don't miss it but I do miss the opportunity a night out gives to bond with people. It shouldn't be like that but it is in Ireland and it seems you only really get to know someone over a few beers. So in that way i miss it but otherwise I can't stand the thought of it. My friends have had a lot of hangovers over the past few weeks and I almost feel sick in sympathy, I can still remember how awful they were.

I encourage anyone who's thinking about it to do it. Make a plan, try to remove yourself from your trigger friends, occasions and places then go for it. I went cold turkey but I had a mega plan - spreadsheets, motivational reminders, timelines, a list of 'go to' activities to keep me busy. And thankfully it all worked. But if you think you might need outside help, then ask for it, whether it's from your GP, a loved one or your mates. And put yourself first for a change.

Best wishes everyone for 2020.

Sigma Force · 10-01-2020 10:51pm

hubba wrote: »

Over 8 years off it. My only regret is I didn't do it sooner, I would have saved a lot of money, been a better friend and not lived my best years in a cloud.

I don't miss it but I do miss the opportunity a night out gives to bond with people. It shouldn't be like that but it is in Ireland and it seems you only really get to know someone over a few beers. So in that way i miss it but otherwise I can't stand the thought of it. My friends have had a lot of hangovers over the past few weeks and I almost feel sick in sympathy, I can still remember how awful they were.

I encourage anyone who's thinking about it to do it. Make a plan, try to remove yourself from your trigger friends, occasions and places then go for it. I went cold turkey but I had a mega plan - spreadsheets, motivational reminders, timelines, a list of 'go to' activities to keep me busy. And thankfully it all worked. But if you think you might need outside help, then ask for it, whether it's from your GP, a loved one or your mates. And put yourself first for a change.

Best wishes everyone for 2020.

You did amazing! Definitely very strong willed when you put your mind to it. Although it’s my bf that was the drinker (sober just over two years now) I feel at times I miss out now on having a night life, the social side not the drinking ..was never that bothered. Went out New Years with a friend and tbh we both weren’t bothered we had a lovely meal had a few drinks and a stroll. I think it’s the thought of it that’s nice but then after a few people get stupid and annoying ..I even annoy myself if I drink lol or maybe I’m just getting too old and stuck in my ways. He isn’t getting any support or going to meetings he works hard and I think that’s his way of coping right now but when I’m not too knackered I go to classes or work out in the evenings there are more and more things to do in the evenings but I can see how it can get tedious and lonely for people if they’ve been used to sitting at a bar.

zerosugarbuzz · 11-01-2020 9:17am

Fingers Mcginty wrote: »

Well done.
I'd say this thread will be hopping the next few days.
New beginnings and all.

I wonder if your post put them off....

Fingers Mcginty · 11-01-2020 9:33am

zerosugarbuzz wrote: »

I wonder if your post put them off....

Must have

JupiterKid · 14-01-2020 12:51am

Coming up on one full year of complete unbroken sobriety and just over two years since I began to turn a corner from being mired in my alcoholic hell and starting out on the right road to recovery.

I would be lying to you all if I told you that I don’t occasionally miss the odd boozing session or think of drink now and again, but the memory of how 7 years of my life was a virtual write-off thanks to the demon drink and how it controlled every facet of my life - is enough for me to be determined to stay on the course of sobriety and be thankful for the happiness and peace of mind I enjoy today.

Happy New Decade all!

Haven't touched a drop in...

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