Coping with alcoholism.

reply to post by llmacgregor


your more than half way there in beating your addiction
just by admitting your addiction

good for you

i was addicted to to the go faster stuff (speed) sorry MODS

i have been clean for 5 years march the 10th just gone

and i quit smoking 5 years ago on march 13th just gone too

take each day as it comes my friend

I am a former addict myself, and have battled for a very very long time, the troubles it brings, I have been "clean" for almost a year slipping up three times, as other posters have said it's very important that you don't beat yourself up when you do slip it can just push you into going further from the path.


Also you have done well to catch it now, just remember you have to want to quit for you, no one else. I'm not going to lie not a day goes past where I don't wish I could relax or chill with a nice shot. I miss it, but my quality of life now is overall better than before.



Its not easy ! It will most likely get a lot harder before it gets easier !

I started meditating, got into yoga, started doing martial arts again, and just found things for myself to do sports I used to play as a child, hobbies I once had that I lost intrest in so on and so forth

Originally posted by llmacgregor
Hey guys, this isn't something I am particularly proud of, so hold back your insults and unconstructive criticisim please.


I believe I have become an alcoholic. It has effected my job, love life, social life, health, and mental health, among other things.

I have an alcoholism history in my family and I'm afraid I have inherited it..... unfortunately. in the past year it has gotten worse than ever, my cravings are getting stronger, and the amount I drink is increasing. I will go a week or so without drinking, but then I find a trigger and I binge for four or five days drinking no less than a 12 pack every day. then I catch myself and quit for another week or so, in that time I commonly attend AA meetings. but I always seem to find myself drinking again after being triggered by almost anything really, mostly stress I have to say. it has become an addiction I am sorry to say. I thought I was stronger than this but I guess I'm not.

So I have come here to ask any of you how you cope with this, because I know I'm not alone. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I have the desire to quit, but I didn't think it would be this difficult.

I've scanned the whole thread in order try not to repeat a bunch of what's been said already.

First, give yourself some credit. You know you have a problem. The fact that you aren't in denial shows you can still make some changes.

Back when I played clubs on the weekend, the owners always gave the band free drinks because it helps sales when you mingle with the crowd at break. There came a point where I realized that I had become an alcohol abuser. If you can go from 12 a day to 0 without getting physically sick, you are still in the abuse stage. Now is the time to start working on the problem before it gets worse.

Do you just drink beer? A friend of mine had court ordered rehab and one of the "counselors" there claimed that nobody actually likes the taste of beer. That's why they chug the first one after work, to get past the taste. To that I say, "Total BS!". I've always enjoyed a cold beer.

The majority of the low/no alcohol beers are crap, but you might want to see if they have O'Doul's Amber in your area. I can't stand the original O'Doul's but the Amber actually has the hops taste of a fine light beer. One strategy that might help would be a six pack of each one night. Try alternating (or pouring one of each in a cold stein).

Another strategy is the stressors you mention. It might take a while to start working for you, but try reminding yourself that any time you catch yourself thinking "I need a beer", that's almost always the time when a beer is the last thing you need.

Natural supplements are fine by me, but I would make prescriptions for anything my very last resort.

It takes about 30 days for the body to stabilize. If you can make it past that, the physical side of the equation can be put on the back burner while you work on whatever other issues there are that might be adding to the problem.

As a former abuser who can now keep beer in the fridge without burning through it in one night, I am cheering you on. Good Luck. I hope things are better for you soon.

To the OP..Just know your not alone in this world my friend.I too am a binge drinker.I still am to this day.

I can go weeks with out a drop,but I have so much as a drop of the stuff,and I have to drink until I black out. "one is too many,and 1000's not enough" is exactly my issue.

I never took the whole god thing too serious in AA,for ME,its about venting and talking about my drinking problem with others who have walked in my shoes.Learn to filter out the BS

I wish you the best!

I always feared becoming like my "Fathers side of the family" I was once a prominent athlete in High School, I vowed I wouldnt end up like my "Father" Then one day what do you know, I started drinking, smoking weed, and smoking cigarettes on the same day, I have battled the bottle since I was sixteen, I am now 25. However I used to get drunk every single day, I mean every single day for yearsI didnt help that all my friends were old time
'alcoholics" However for some reason I only drink once a week if that now a days, It has been like that for about 3 years now.I still drink a lot when I do choose to drink, but to me thats better than being constantly drunk all the time. You just have to have it in your self to want something better. I know things are easier said than done, but I know you can accomplish this. I wish you the best of luck my ATS friend. Keep us posted if you so choose to do so.

Best Regards
Gorgon

if drinking = no fun, quit

just like that.

If you're a man, don't listen to any self-pity BS. Drinking is a social thing, and if you gather enough strength, you can quit any time you want.

reply to post by llmacgregor



Substance abuse is a symptom. Address the cause of your symptom. Simply deciding not to drink and going to AA will do you no good in the long run as you will still be left thinking you are defective. Go talk to someone who can help you get to heart of the matter.

Been there, done that. In fact, I'm not sure a 12 pack a day counts. I was a liter of Southern Comfort a day for two years. So I'll give you some advice. Find a reason to stop or I can pretty much guarantee you will hit bottom...and you have no idea how bad bottom can be. Then you will have no choice but to quit. But it will likely be too late. You may go on but it will never be the same. The world will look at you differently and you will feel it an know why.

Find a reason to give it up. Do what I did and replace a bad addiction with a good one. Mine was work. Yours will be different. You are an addict, but the choice is yours what you are addicted to. Get addicted to something better. And that may be the best you can hope for...something better...not perfect.

Good luck...you will need it.

reply to post by llmacgregor


I have dealt with many alcoholics in my family. Both my parents and stepfather were alcoholics. Some wanted to quit, others didn't care. Some were functioning, others weren't.

The mere fact you are aware of a struggle is great.

Do some research on Kudzu. No kidding. It's suppose to have properties that reduce the cravings as well as the body's need for alcohol. I myself have struggled with my own addictions. When one is aware there is a problem and wants to quit but at the same time, just wants more, I know that struggle. It's a hard struggle. You can overcome it. I've seen it done. It takes a lot of power. We all have that power within us we just feel defeated at times. My best advice is to not let others convince you that you are a victim. Instead, taking responsibility and not letting the addiction overpower you at all times is a better way to fight (I know, easier said than done, but at least we are able to have this thought process.)

There were days I would wake up and say "not today" but spend the rest of the day planning how I would fulfill my addiction/cravings.

Good luck to you. Know there is a lot of love out there for you. You are stronger than that addiction. The habit can be broken. You have the power to heal yourself. We all do. I'm still working on my own healing. Yes, I still struggle at times. Sometimes more often than I like to admit. But we can do it. I know we can.

Love and Light.

Originally posted by JeffreyCH


One thing I see here is that you feel you failed because you drink, that in itself can make it worse. A few others have touched on this, looking at the reason you drink, I don't mean the little surface things that trigger a binge. Like you at one point my drinking progressed, went from a 6pk and a couple shots to eventually a quart of vodka a night. That's when things started slipping for me, I woke up feeling like cr@p everyday, my job performance was going downhill, and the last straw was a DUI. I was court ordered to AA and counseling, I hated it, maybe because I have issues with authority and HAD to be there, I don't know, just couldn't handle it at all. I violated my probation on purpose after about 3 months, 30 days in jail was way better to me then 2 years of listening to everyone tell me how screwed up I was. It was like the more they would talk about it, the more I wanted to drink. While I was in jail, I had a very deep long talk with myself, once I came to the conclusion that quitting wasn't an option, I set some very hard rules for myself.

1. never start drinking at the beginning of the day
2. never ever under any circumstances get behind the wheel
3. if things are stressful don't drink, use a clear mind to work through the stress, if something is messed up in your life it doesn't matter how long you stay drunk it will still be there and probably be worse. This one is very important, because it can cause an endless loop that progresses your drinking. Let's say it's a bad day at work, you come home stressed out and start drinking. Sure it goes away for a few hours, but you didn't really deal with it, so it's still there the next day, but it's worse. It's like a snowball rolling downhill just keeps getting bigger and bigger. Instead, get home, and think through what it was that stressed you out, formulate a plan to avoid/alleviate that stress the next day.
4. don't get blackout drunk, I use alcohol to relax, not forget anything
5. Don't let it control you, you control how much, when, and where you drink.
6. Don't stockpile alcohol. It may be cheaper to grab a case and say it will last 4 days, but it won't. I drink till the booze is gone so I grab a 6pk and 2 airline sized bottles of bourbon every night on my way home from work.

I have those days when a 6 and a couple shots don't do it for me also. I'm one of those people that after a hard days work I have a hard time coming down from it. On those occasions I'll walk a mile to the store, get 1 beer and 1 shot, that walk plus the night cap always does me in. This is what's worked for me for the better part of 20 years, however it may not work for you.

edit on 29-5-2013 by JeffreyCH because: (no reason given)

Reading your two posts, I feel like you're a long lost twin brother.

I too am a "functioning" alcoholic. Alcoholism runs in my family (we are of German, and Danish descent). My uncle died of cirrhosis at the age of 60, my mom died of addiction related illnesses (alcohol, pills and cigarettes) at 63 and two other relatives have had liver cancer. I've always have been able to hold a job but alcoholism has made it difficult in the past. Been drinking since I was 16....countless drunken nights, irresponsible behavior, wrecked relationships, etc. When I was 27, I got hammered on tequila and passed out on the beach....I woke up in some guy's car with him sexually assaulting me (giving me a BJ - I'm a straight guy ). Had to be interviewed by the police, go to a rape clinic to see if I was anally raped (I wasn't thank God but I had bite marks on my inner thighs), and put on medication for STD prevention. Even that didn't stop the drinking though - I Got a DUI about 10 years ago when I was 31 and that was a turning point. I've been on a path away from it but I still drink almost every night.

I couldn't agree more with your points above. Set limits and abide by them and then try to work on lowering those. I still drink about a six-pack a night but that's much better than I used to be. In the past, I would drink Crown Royal or Vodka every night.....now, I only drink light beer (Coors Light) and I might have an airline size bottle of hard liquor on holidays or special times only. Definitely DO NOT stockpile alcohol thinking it will be cheaper or last longer....all your doing is opening up the door to drink more.

If you won't or can't quit, moderate as much as you can and then attempt to eliminate.

reply to post by llmacgregor
Have your Doctor precribe you Librium 10 to 25 Mg., take in morning you will not need frist drink.
Is none addicting, can quit once your off the booze, can have some effect on Liver, but the booze can also.
I would suggest taking Herb Milk Thistle, for protection of liver , or beet juice, artichoke's.

This works .

I recommend you read this book. It changed my life and I hope it can help you too. It teaches you how to correct your body chemistry through nutrition, making it so you don't need the alcohol anymore.

Seven Weeks to Sobriety
www.healthrecovery.com...

If you aren't sure, read the reviews on Amazon, people tell their stories and you can see if it resonates with you.
www.amazon.com...

Best of luck, you can recover.