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1065045 tn?1272462838

Want To Quit Drinking!!

I have been trying to quit drinking for about three weeks now. It seems like every time I get three or more days under my belt I start feeling really good both mentally and physically. Then I give in and go drink. A vicious cycle that is getting me nowhere. I want to stop badly. Any advice would be great!!
Best Answer
1305762 tn?1311548999
There's plenty of things you can do to start out on getting better. It would help if you told us how much you drink and for how long. There can be serious withdrawl symptoms if you shock your body too much. You should really check with a doctor and talk this over with him / her. However, here are some basic ideas for you

1. Find a doctor and get yourself checked out physically to see how your body is doing. Share your concerns with the doctor and discuss any possible withdrawl dangers he/she can advise you on. They can also refer you to support groups and or / counseling services in your area that will be free of charge.

2. AA is probably a good place to start and there are meetings all over the place. A little depression counseling doesn't hurt either. If you're having trouble stopping on your own then you need to start treating the addiction right away and a support group like AA would be a fantastic place to start.

3. Open the yellow pages and check out the first few or last few pages. There's usually toll free support line numbers there. Suicide line, depression line, etc... Speaking from personal experience some of the operators on those lines are very capable and can also refer you to support and or counseling groups in your area including AA.  I've had some good talks with the operator on the depression lines. If you don't have a phone book then just google "Depression hotline" or "Alcohol support" and your city/state and look at the results.

4.  From my own experience I've found that adjusting your sleep schedule so that you get a decent, full nights sleep each night is very helpful. Sleep rejuvinates the body and the mind. Life always seems a lot worse if you're exhausted all day.

5. I've found that a little exercise helps as well. You don't need to get crazy, just do a little bit. Do some stretching in the morning or before you go to bed, Maybe go for a walk in the morning or at night. Bring along your ipod or whatnot and listen to some good music that you enjoy. Classical music, I find, is peaceful and thought provoking. I defy anyone to be upset while listening to classical music.

6. Remember a time when you drank too much even for you. Remember the bad feelings, bad things that happened, and most importantly remember how awful you felt when you woke up the next day (probably late) and how the whole day was ruined. Try to capture that feeling in your mind and think about it. Then think about how much nicer it is to wake up feeling refreshed in the morning, having had a good nights sleep, no hangover, no embarassing memories from the night before. Make that a goal to strive for each day. And each day when you wake up take a moment to realize how much better and nicer it is to wake up that way.

7. Don't be afraid to let people in. Friends, family, boyfriend, etc.. if they care about you then trust me they WANT to be there to help you through this.Don't feel you have to be alone if you have loved ones that are more than willing to go it with you. You don't have to shut people out. Your health, your recovery, is key.

I cannot stress enough how important it is to speak with a doctor about all of this. They can better walk you through the steps you need to take to safely detox from alcohol and help put you on the path to recovery. We can't diagnose you or give you medical advice on here, we can only share our own experiences and thoughts based on what we've gone through. But it's a resource you should certainly utilize!

It's a long road and it certainly isn't easy. Feel free to avail yourself of those hotlines you'll find whenever you want and certainly feel free to come on this forum and share with us if you need to talk or vent or just be heard. There's not much you can tell us on here that we haven't heard or done before! No shame, just support!

Good luck!
27 Responses
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1323047 tn?1279193919
Play the tape to the end, the very end. Think how 'happy' is everyone is at the end of the evening on drink and then the morning after. I have never known anyone who said 'I wish I had drunk more last night'!!!! Nicky
Helpful - 0
1326003 tn?1321659408
Thanks, nah it was hard at first but i seem to be going good, im focusing on other stuff like im ttc, so im getting healthier, no drinking, fresh veggies. Im liking not drinking actually, i'm more motivated to do stuff, like around the house... def will have hard times like bf still drinking theres a carton of jacks in the fridge and when everyone else is drinking. but im just glad i didnt continue that way, it could of gotten out of hand... thankyou to everyone on here!
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1032715 tn?1315984234
That's great to hear,just don't let your guard down even for a minute,Good Luck and Best Wishes

Denise
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1326003 tn?1321659408
wow i thought the weekend would bring a challenge, havent even been tempted.
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1032715 tn?1315984234
I stopped drinking through both my pregnancies,I also stopped for 12 months after brain surgery because I was told I couldn't drink but as soon as the babies where born and I got over the sleeplessness I was straight back to drinking again and each time my drinking got worse,after brain surgery as soon as the 12 months was up I drank on the very first night and once again it got worse than what it was before I stopped.Yes I could stop when I had to but I am and always will be an alcoholic just in recovery and 280 days clean.
Helpful - 0
495284 tn?1333894042
If you dont get this "alcoholic behavior" figured out i can guarantee you once a baby is brought into the mix all he!! breaks loose.  There are reasons why you are in love with that bottle.  Having children is rewarding and just as stressful.  How do i know this?  I watched my 14 yr old walk out my door and move in with her dad.  She couldnt handle her mom being a drunk.  Life was insane and she got smart way before i did.......What did i do?  I went on Prozac and drank more.....This is the cold hard reality and it can and will happen to you if you dont figure this out......sara
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Avatar universal
COMMUNITY LEADER
Another great comment dude!SO GLAD you are a part of this forum!:)
Helpful - 0
1305762 tn?1311548999
Not to sounds judgemental but if you drink every day and more on the weekends, if you want to quit but can't and find it difficult to go one day without drinking and its hard to stop, and you're making excuses to continue drinking.... where does the "not an alcoholic" part come in?

Plenty of alcoholics stop drinking during pregnancy and then return with a vengeance when the pregnancy is over. Get the drinking under control BEFORE you get pregnant PLEASE or you'll be in for a very long, very rough life.

You're young, you have plenty of time to have children but you can't be a good parent if you have an active drinking problem that will take precedence over your child. Cruise around this board and you'll see more than a few posts made by people who thought they controlled their drinking, thought it wasn't a big deal, stopped for the pregnancy no problem, and now have a whole new set of issues from drinking while trying to raise a family. It starts out slowly, unaware, but it can tear a family apart and put an impossible emount of anger, emotion, and regret into your life.

Theres plenty of resources out there to help you, including this board.
Helpful - 0
1326003 tn?1321659408
Oh, don't worry i'm not just thinking "i'll get pregnant! that'll solve everything!" My partner and i are actuallly deciding we want to give it a go. didn't drink yesterday and neither did he :-). I might say its not that we are alcoholics, but do drink everyday, and more on the weekends, and when  tried to stop, it was a bit hard. I just read back on posts and i sounded like a full on alco. But i guess when your trying for a family it dosn't matter.
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Avatar universal
COMMUNITY LEADER
oh good for u!my dayjob is substance abuse counselor for the past 25 years.One of the most frustrating parts of my job is watching young girls not use birth control and get pregnant.Many have not graduated high school are dependent upon their parents and/or live on their own on welfare and can barely afford to take care of the children they have already...be it 1 or 2.Then on top of that using alcohol....drugs....and getting pregnant thinking the father will step up to the plate to care for them!GRRRR!I hope your partner joins u in your endeavor to stop the drinking...one day at a time...it will make your relationship better!:)and yes dogs are great companions.....and they like u better sober...they can smell alcohol on their person and i don't believe they like it!:)
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1326003 tn?1321659408
your right there i know, my partner and i are ttc though, we both should cut back on our drinking, and i am. im just going to star doing things. i havent had a drink today went straight to the beach with the dogs after work ;-) Not drinking again :-)
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Avatar universal
COMMUNITY LEADER
my dear getting pregnant is not a good reason for stopping drinking!bringing a child in2 THIS world is a serious thing....to me.When i was 14..and i'm now 54.....i helped raise 2 of my sisters children with my family.If you want to know what motherhood is like babysit an infant for 5 days solid with no breaks!My dad drank,his granpa did,my mom had 2 uncles die of cirrhosis in their 40's,her father drank, her maternal granpa died of diabetic complications from his drinking,lotsa relatives on my dads sides had a problem...my family history for this is loaded!i made a decision at age 28 that i would break that family history and rerite my own!:)
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1326003 tn?1321659408
probably... more than likely yes. its trying to get this sorted thats really hard, i know if i was pregnant id nevvvver drink. no way.
Helpful - 0
1305762 tn?1311548999
When we feel the need to make excuses for our behavior its a safe bet that behavior isn't healthy for us.

Funny how the psychology works, doesn't it? Your father drank and so you drink and you "somehow" found a boyfriend who does too.

If you want to quit you can do it.  It can be done. All it takes is that first step. Any of us can tell you that. You can do it if you want it. I notice you'd like to get pregnant. Isn't this something you should take care of first?
Helpful - 0
1326003 tn?1321659408
i probably should stop drinking, it's such a hard thing to do. its funny i never knew there was a problem with till i realised its hard to stop. my dad drank, my boyfriend drinks, i've just been bought up thinking theres absolutley nothing wrong with it.

Westguy, that's exactly what happens to me, i always find an excuse to drink.
Helpful - 0
1305762 tn?1311548999
I know exactly how you feel. It wasn't that long ago that I couldn't imagine myself going as long as I have without drinking. Everytime I tried to stop for a few days I found some reason why it wasn't a big deal to keep drinking. I used to sigh, throw up my hands and say "Well I guess this is how its going to be." Now I've gone almost 50 days without a drink and I'm very very happy I did.

We're here for you when you're ready to try again.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
COMMUNITY LEADER
yes u can dear.....don't look at the entire day.....just say to yourself for this next hour i refuse to drink,then when u make it past that one then say to yourself ok for this next hour i won't drink......if a 17 year old young man on Intervention did it this way and acheived 14 months of sobriety....u can do it 2!one hour at a time...one day at a time!
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1326003 tn?1321659408
Good on ya for being able to get 3 days free, i cant go 1 day.
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1305762 tn?1311548999
Good call on the journal. Sometimes if we sit down and write out our thoughts it makes it easier and clearer to understand later. Good for reflection
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
You've just touched on the vicious cycle of alcoholism.  An alcoholic will get beaten by alcohol every time, yet we come back again and again saying "this time it'll be different".  Think about the last handful of drinking episodes.....have they been any fun? Has anything good come from them?

Also, you're trying to stop for a reason.....what is it?  What is it about your drinking that makes you want to stop?  This is an important question to answer.

In the end, I kept a journal of my drinking episodes so that I could reflect on how each one ended up.  That way, I couldn't delude myself any more.....there was no such thing as control or fun.  It was just pure compulsion.  
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1305762 tn?1311548999
Thanks Sarah. Yeah I keep a copy of it and repost it (more or less) when people ask for help.
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495284 tn?1333894042
I would save that post you made and use it often westguy....It is really really good.
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1032715 tn?1315984234
The second post was because you were chosen as best answerer,so they show your post again rather than people having to find it.By the way it was a great post.

Denise
Helpful - 0
1305762 tn?1311548999
Thanks for the nice words guys :-)

No idea why my post went up twice....  But I hope you take a good read Troubleddude and please keep us informed of how you're doing. Know that we are here for you!
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