question

[stumass]

is it possible to drink in moderation after suffering alcohol dt's

[rpooo]

That really is terrific and wow, I really need some help adding up your days of sobriety..See what drinking does to you! ha ha

The more support you have the easier it will be as you can probably already tell. They sound like good friends to keep around.

At least for now be careful allowing yourself to be in situations where everyone else is partying and drinks are being served. The temptation you can certainly do without. We are alcoholics and one thing is for certain, one beer will always lead to another. Anyways congratulations be very proud of yourself! Take care

Randy

[1is2many]

Randy -

Day 8 and things are going great!  I told a couple of friends that I quit and they have been very supportive.  I don't want to let them down so that is one ;more reason to stay dry.  I went out last night and was was offered a beer.  I immediately said no but I must admit that part of me was pushing real hard - "hey have one, it will taste and feel great, it's just one beer!"  I've fallen for that inner voice and argument so many times and I knew I just had to walk away from the refrigerator.  I did and the urge passed immediately.  Kind of.  LOL.

[rpooo]

I know that weekends can certainly be the hardest for us. I'm just wondering how did it go for you? I betting you have done well and starting day 12 tomorrow! I hope to hear from you. Take care my friend.

Randy

[ibizan]

Dude!i would be worried about u getting a MAJOR hernia if u'd try 2 pick me up and give me a bear hug!a on the ground bearhug would suffice.....and u would get buttgoosed by 2 long greyhound noses!:)so would ur wife..and i know she would dig it...specially from my spoiled BIG boy Keota!

[dominosarah]

My 2 would lick ya to death!!

[rpooo]

I think I would be more afraid of your pets attacking me than my wife if I grabbed you or Ibizzy for a hug!

[dominosarah]

See why i dont have a wife!!!  LMAO

[rpooo]

I wonder Ibizzy, after looking at my above post is this what you could have meant about "addressing the Nation"? he he

I'm so proud of you I could just hug you until your face turned so red! You could dangle your feet and ill sway you back and forth just for fun! Ha ha!

Of course the wifey would be near by watching like a hawk!

[rpooo]

Wow day 4 already! You are doing great! You are absolutely right about not having that first drink. We are alcoholics (it's not our fault) so no matter how much we want to be able to have just a couple of drinks and stop we just don’t have it in us to do so like many other people. For us it has to be all (which will put you in my situation) or nothing. It's just how we roll!

I am really glad you have found many reasons for maintaining your sobriety. That really helps us. When you’re feeling really tempted to drink  come here and ask for advice. A post around here never stays unanswered long. Also when you make a reply to this post MedHelp sends me an email as yours probably does but it also goes to my phone and I will be more than glad to tell you why not to do it! Ha ha Also think about how will you feel the next morning about the decision you made tonight. 4 days in the beginning is not easy for anyone!

As you might remember sobriety is wonderful, It takes no time at all to start feeling healthier since you’re not hung over every morning. Also you will feel more self-confident since you’re thinking becomes much clear and you will question your decisions less and less. Another idea I have is you should consider seeing a doctor soon just for a routine check-up. This will help make sure your liver is doing fine, well and everything else too. I think most of us alcoholics during our drinking years are pretty scared about going to the doctor. I know I was so I only went once a year to get my blood pressure pills and to make my wife feel better. Like I said before, most people with early liver disease show or feel no symptoms. Can you imagine if only I would’ve found out 6 months sooner things could be a whole lot different for me right now.   ha ha

Anyways I’m really proud of your progress and I bet your family and other loved ones are too. Hang in there and keep going strong! Your right, YOU GOT THIS!

Randy

[1is2many]

Starting day 4 and things are going well :-)  I had a 5 year stretch of sobriety so I KNOW I can do it!  The demons really come out to play when I'm drinking, especially the self loathing, so I just need to remember and focus on the 90% negative feelings I have when I do drink and forget the 10%.
Thanks for the continued encouragement!

[ibizan]

1is2many-hey i started out like u one hour at a time....one day at a time....and it worked itself in2 a big amount of TIME!not many thought i would make it this far!suprised the BEWEEZUS out of them hahahah!and 2 my beloved rpoohcyberhuggybear....kicked my demons eh?i'm still doing that...they try to pop in occasionally....anger,self pity,sloth etc  the xtreme alcoholic/addict character defects.....now i use an industrial size pushbroom!sweep and beat!:)

[1is2many]

Thanks Randy.

Day 2 has come and gone and now I'm off to a good start on day 3.  I was really worried about day 1 because I had been on a 3 day bender over the weekend but it wasn't too bad because I had only relapsed for a week.

Now that I've tried the drinking in moderation route numerous times and failed miserably each and every time it is obvious what I need to do -- just don't have that first drink!!

My reasons to stay sober are countless.  My reasons to drink add up to one.  I just need to remember that.  Perhaps I might even type up a list of the pros/cons and keep it in my wallet and force myself to read that list every time I'm tempted.

Thanks again for your words of encouragement.  I'm feeling great at the moment and have no desire to drink (at the moment! lol).  Take care.

[rpooo]

Make that 48 hours by now! Going strong I hope! You are very welcome and I really mean it when I say I wish the best for you and that you find the strength you need to maintain your sobriety.

I like that you’re counting the hours. Just little steps at a time. Before you know it you'll be counting the days rather than the hours. Eventually you'll just watch the years go by..I think! Lol I haven't made it two years yet. I know I'm on 600 and some days. My huggy friend Ibizan.. he he Has recently just reached her 28th year of sobriety. She has been incredible. She has helped so many here year after year giving her time and wisdom to this group. She has beat the crap out of her demons!!! ha ha

I hope you will keep stopping by the group here and letting us know how you’re doing. I was drinking 23 beers a day and spending $600 bux a month and I quit, of course I got a pretty motivational reason to quit but really don't you? Don't wait too long like I did. Don't worry though, I think you got this. You did it before! Take care my new friend.

Randy

[1is2many]

Hey Randy - Thanks for the well wishes.  Well I've been sober for 32 hours !  :-)  Had an awful time trying to sleep last night but I didn't hop in the car and drive to the store so life is good.  Now to make it through a day at work :-(

Sorry to hear about your current situation but your sharing certainly helps motivate me and others to get dry and stay dry.  Thanks Ibizan for your comments too.

[ibizan]

Pls listen to king paparpoohbear here....he has been there done that and is done w/that....he is enduring the ravages of alcoholism and faring well...and living to tell......hey ppohbear that was a unintentional rhyme!:)big bearhug 2 u!

[rpooo]

I hope you find the strength you need to give it a try one more time. Man I sure wish I wouldve. Now here I am diagnosed 03-23-10 End stage cirrhosis. 38yrs old.

Never even knew I had it, most people dont have symptoms of cirrhosis until they reach the final stage. Don't take me wrong, it's not an immediate death sentance because I quit drinking and take care of myself but I would bet you don't want to be in my shoes.

Anyways I love coming in here talking about a bit of my story and hope it helps you realize it can happen to you my friend. How old are you? <-- Not really a question.Take care and I wish the best for you!

Randy

[1is2many]

You won't have withdrawals after drinking 4 or 5.  What will happen is you will have 4 or 5 and convince yourself that you can drink in moderation.  Then your 4 or 5 turns into 8 or 10.  Then one morning you will wake up and decide you need a drink "just to feel normal".  And then maybe another drink at lunch.  Then you'll start drinking till you pass out every night.  Then your life ***** so you decide to quit.  Then you'll have withdrawals.

It's almost one in the morning and I'm dreading going to bed.  I was sober for 5 years before falling off the wagon 6 months ago.  That little scenario I just typed is exactly what I've been going through for the last 6 months.  I'm dreading the next few days!  If you have any history of alcohol dependence, the best advice is to quit and never have "just one".  I honestly don't know why I thought I could handle drinking after spending 25 years jumping on the wagon and falling off again.  Oh well, right now all I can do is focus on the next hour....

[rpooo]

Hi Sophie,

Congratulations on your sobriety! Have you been to the doctor concerning your stomach and if so did he/she order an endoscopy? Many times what happens with alcoholics is down at the bottom of the esophagus is a thin piece of skin. I don’t know the name for it since everyone just calls it a flapper. It's job is to open and close to allow food and drink and to stop the acid in your stomach from coming up.

In many cases with alcoholism the flapper becomes relaxed and stops  working as it should allowing the acid to cause serious damage where the esophagus meets the stomach and in some cases even bleeding. Nausea may occur. We call this acid reflux disease (GERD). Smoking also can produce the same effect.

Another problem you may be having is ulcer, alcoholic commonly do not eat as they should so the acid in the stomach eventually eats away at the lining causing an ulcer. Ulcers can be very serious since after all its putting a whole in your stomach.

There is something that can help reduce the acid and allow time to heal in both situations. Talk to your doctor about a prescription for Pepcid, Prilosec or Nexium. They all work great and could have you feeling much better right away.

I hope this will help you out. You can purchase this medication over the counter at your local pharmacy but may become quite costly. Take care and again congratulations!

[ibizan]

7months sober is fab lady!:)u keep it up...one hour atta time...one day atta time!we need more ppl here w/ complete sobriety in this forum...its a group effort!We all help each other!

[SophieX]

I was an alcoholic myself and i will admit it did get out of control..i was a size 14-16 when i became an alcoholic and at the end of it im now a size 6 with really bad stomach problems..i can barely eat and even drinking a cup of tea makes me feel severely sick..its not a good idea to go back to alcohol after quitting..i did and slowly started drinking more and more again..best advise would be to kick it once and for all and never look back..ive been sober for 7 months now.. :) x

[dominosarah]

We all go thru that "controlled" drinking phase and it never lasted.  We were right back into the throws of things before we knew what hit us.  I too fear what would happen.  I know we always have another relapse in us but i fear i dont have another recovery as drinking again WOULD kill me.  Just for today i am grateful for my sobriety~~

[rod44]

I tried many times to manage my drinking, I would stop for a time, go through DT's  and then go back drinking with a plan to just have a few beers at the weekend. it never worked for me, a few beers at the weekend became a few beers every evening, then every day . Each time I detoxed and went back drinking I suffered more and would end up in a worse place than I was before. Each detox was a nightmare and you would expect that this would put you off drinking for life but it did not. Today I fear what would happen if I went back drinking. I have many mental emotional and physical scars and I don't know if I or my body could survive if I was to drink.

[dominosarah]

No you wont have awful wd's on 4-5 beers but you will if you keep doing this.  Why would you want to drink after what you have been thru?  How much were you drinking before?

[stumass]

what I'm trying to say is... will i go through the awful withdraws if i decide to have 4 or 5 beers?