Originally Posted by
mecanix 
Hi Gforce,
When does it get easier ? I think it varies with each of us . For me it was a couple of months but i was so far along in my drinking career that i'd isolated myself from having barbecues or signifcant others in my life as they got in the way of my drinking .
In the early days it's helpful to not stress over a future which may or maynot happen in my experience .
Worry about barbecues on barbecue days and beach days on a beach days because that is not today and today is the day you want to stay sober isn't it ?
I find a bubble bath or shower and clean sheets helpful to unwind .
i think the up's and downs calmed after a few weeks , just got to keep knocking out them days as you'd only have to go thro' them all again if you drank .
2 weeks
Bestwishes, M
Thanks! And, Great advice, Mecanix
However, sometimes, when I hear other peoples stories, sometimes I feel like a poseur! I guess everybody's drinking problem is different. I'm an out of hand social drinker, as in, I do the majority of my drinking in social situations, where it's "acceptable." Except, one drink is rarely, if never, enough and well, I am usually the drunkest one at a dinner party. Sometimes I'm not the drunkest one at a bonfire--where I lived previously, there where a few rednecks that I couldn't take the title from, but not because I didn't try.
I always want more booze once I've started, but fortunately, I usually pass out some time in the wee hours--my binges have usually only lasted for one night, (with the exception of a few weekend long parties/raves in the woods, etc.) Unfortunately, I usually wake up feeling like I've been hit by a train--and not like a steam train, but like a Japanese bullet train. ) I've had a d.u.i, a broken shoulder, and countless blackouts and questionable experiences with the opposite sex-- all brought to you by alcohol. Oh yeah, and I'm screwing up the lining of my stomach from repeated vomiting. Rock n' roll!
However, in between all this abusive drinking, I've managed to maintain something of a life--I make clothes, I ride my mountain bike and I've still got a decent relationship with my husband and great one with my kid -- so I sometimes wonder if I'm the real deal.
That being said, I wish I DIDN'T associate drinking with fun socializing. I wish I associated it with... feeling like crap: severe migraines, nausea, anxiety, sleeplessness, shame, guilt, fear, guilt, injuries, etc...(see above!)
Why
does my brain associate drinking almost exclusively with fun and good times, and
not with broken shoulders, d.u.i's and feeling like I was hit by a train? It doesn't make any sense to me that my brain only chooses to focus on the fun stuff, and not the consequences.
Anyhoo, I'm sure I'll be glad to wake up tomorrow morning bright eyed and bushy tailed and feeling good about myself for not having had a drink.
Thanks for the support everyone!