Aa
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
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.
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.
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.
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!:)
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 :-)
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!:)
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Alcoholism Community
Is treating glaucoma with marijuana all hype, or can hemp actually help?
If you think marijuana has no ill effects on your health, this article from Missouri Medicine may make you think again.
Julia Aharonov, DO, reveals the quickest way to beat drug withdrawal.
Tricks to help you quit for good.
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
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!