Night One ~ No Beer!!

[kimmiek]

Hi I have been around here for a while, but not very active.  I have cronic pain and I struggle with taking my prescribed medicine in a responsible way; sometimes take it too fast.  I have been doing good this month with taking it properly.

However, I drink way too much.  I drink beer usually every single night.  I usually have between 5 - 8 beers a night.  NOT GOOD!! Esp cuz I take time released hydrocodone.  

Last night was my first night without it.  I want so badly to rid myself of that beer monkey thats on my back!  I have a book called 90 Days One Day At A Time.  By John Behnke.  Im gonna read that each day. I am going to change my evening routine.  I am going to read or watch something on TV that I like.  Im usually in a rush to get my kids to bed so I can start my beers, but instead Im going to cherish the time with them before bed time.  Im feeling very thankful and very hopeful!  I know its only one night, but I already feel great and I know Im just gonna keep feeling better and better. I want so badly to get 30 days no beer.  I dont think Ive had 30 days no beer since 1993!!!  

There are so many things about doing that that I hate.  One I hate the taste the next day.  I hate the hang over.  I hate all those extra calories.  I hate that I stay up half the night numbing myself, when I could be sleeping and not feeling anything anyway!! I wrote all the reasons to quit down on paper, so when Im tempted I'll read it.  I hope that making some of these changes will keep me on the right path!!  

Well, I just wanted to post this cuz I thought it might do some good for me and maybe someone else struggles with this same thing.  

[kimmiek]

Thank you all so much for the great support and advise!  I appreciate it.

R2R - about the dinner~ I do the exact same thing.  I dont eat dinner til after I done with my beers.  Which is usually late at night, like 2 or 3 sometimes.  All those empty calories gathering around my stomach and but!!  Its no wonder Im about 25 lbs over weight!  I hope thats one of the benefits of staying away from it. (loosing weight)  As I was thinking last night about ways to keep me from having the beers, I did think about the fact that I should eat a nice dinner, that way Im too full to get a buzz from the beers. I usually make a nice dinner for my family every night, but I just sit at the table with them, sometimes having a little taste.  Also, I know that Im in a position of trading one addiction for another with having to take pain meds.  It would be really easy since I already struggle with the pain meds.  I have my hubby hold them and dole them out to me daily.  Wish I could be addicted to physical fitness!?! That at least would be a healthy trade off!!!

[dove3053]

I agree on going to AA. It was helpful for me. The forums are good but the face to face meetings are great.

Dove

[nogie1717]

Toxictome has good advice about AA.  It is funny how so many of our stories share similarities.  I was an opioid addict, first and foremost, but I always had a beer in my hand.  Coors Light.  I should have bought stock in that company with how much I contributed to sales, but I digress.

Drinking was a tough habit to break.  When I went to treatment, I lost all ties w/my doctors and dealers, so there were no more pills.  Neon lights, however, seemed to be everywhere.  I met some very cool people in AA.  Hardly anyone was the 'Sister Christian' I expected.  Instead they had all lived a life of lies and dishonesty like myself and were very open-minded.  No rules, only suggestions.

Congrats on one night.  It has to start somewhere.  Keep strong.

[road2recovery]

i wanted to also tell you that what i did in reality was trade one addiction for another....Also drinking alcohol while taking opiates is very dangerous...I went to AA for a while, but now i do individual counsouling....I think you have to find out the root to the problem, and go from there....Wishing you the best...
r2r

[toxictome]

Welcome to the forum....I am a recovering alcoholic(17 yr.) and am now also an addict...hey it's the ...1st time i wrote that!!!!  Anyway, you might want to try some kind of a support group, like AA, because it is very hard to stay sober by yourself. You need to figure out what it is tha tyou want to keep numbing out about. If you don't like the AA route, maybe some therapy or counseling. PM me if you wan tto talk further about it> GOod luck Keep posting.

[road2recovery]

i wanted to tell you that i was exactly like you..I would drink that many beers each night also, if not more sometimes..It was always after work, and like you , i would rush to get my kids to bed and have "my time" with my beer....At this time i didn't take any opiates...It has been 3 yrs now( with one relapse) ...My kids are my main reason i don't anymore, and now they would notice if i opened one and would be very upset....I started reading to the little one again and saying prayers...Before i would skip pages and she would even notice...I look back now and see that was so terrible..I cannot change what i have done, just make it better every nite...I was sober for 3 or 4 months when i was put on pain meds, that was the best months of my life...Now i am almost 5 months clean from the hydros, and feeling great again..
One nite is great, take it on nite at a time..you can do this..Do it for your kids because i promise they see and know alot..
I will tell you what helped me when i was having a hard nite...I was the type that did not eat supper until i was finsihed with my beer...But if i ate a meal i could not drink nor did i want to..So if i was stressed out one night, i would eat a good supper and that helped so much...
I am rooting for you!!!!
r2r

[kiki661]

good luck stay strong