Day One - SoberRecovery : Alcoholism Drug Addiction Help and Information

samm14 · 01-04-2012, 07:09 AM

Hi, my name is Samm. I am 33 and from Ontario, Canada. And I think I am an alcoholic. No - if I'm being honest, I know I am an alcoholic. I don't know how it happened...I wish I had a good reason. But I am ready to stop - I am just scared. I have the time and place for an AA meeting tonight and today I will be cleaning all the wine and liquor bottles out of my house. This is scary and after reading some of the posts as to what to expect I am really nervous. I will be talking to my bf tonight and I don't know that he will be overly supportive. He does enjoy drinking but also I have made some pretty serious screw ups - maxing out the credit card to buy alcohol amoung other things....any advice??

hirsty · 01-04-2012, 07:20 AM

Hi Sam

Congratulations on your day one

I wish you the best..

Have you visited a doctor/GP yet with regards to your drinking? I would strongly suggest you do, as alcohol detox can be fatal, and at the very least extremely uncomfortable... Visit your GP for some advice about what happens next.. In the case of my 3 detox attempts I was prescribed Librium (Chlordiazepoxide) which is a benzodiazepine drug which I guess to an extent mimics the physical effects of alcohol, making the detox more comfortable and eliminating the danger factor from the process..

Much love from England.

samm14 · 01-04-2012, 07:24 AM

Thanks for the welcome hirsty!!

I don't have a doctor as I only just moved to the city that I live in - but I think I should be okay. I have gone a few weeks without drinking in the past (even recently) - at least I hope that I will be okay. I have emailed an out patient program here for more information - hopefully I will hear back soon.

foodie1 · 01-04-2012, 07:31 AM

Welcome Samm! You've done a wonderful thing just by getting started. AA meeting is a great place to start, I enjoy the fellowship and support and the steps are a fantastic way to develop a new way of approaching your life. If you find it's not for you, there's plenty of other programs to choose from. Just get all the support you can right now and take it easy on yourself. SR is a wonderful place to get feedback, advice and ideas.

Wishing you all the best!!

Tigger41 · 01-04-2012, 07:36 AM

Great job being honest. That's the first step - admission. And I don't know how it happened to me either - I really don't but it did

First you might want to see a doctor and be very honest. They can be extreamly helpful and may be able to give you something that can ease the symptoms of detox/withdrawal. And make sure you have a support system in place (this web site, your bf, AA, books, friends). You'll need a support system - I use this web site A LOT.

And then just keep in mind that it will get better over time. I'm at 2 months and it's a lot easier then it was at 14 days or a month.

hirsty · 01-04-2012, 07:43 AM

Ah I see, you should be ok then

.. My drinking was daily, and withdrawal symptoms used to come on very strong within 12 hours of no alcohol, so I never even wanted to chance going cold turkey as such,, brain zaps to the point where you think you're about to have a seizure are never fun..

Definitely get yourself to that AA meeting.. AA is a brilliant place to learn all about this illness, and chances are you will meet some great people aswell..

I really need to get myself back into AA,, I stopped going at around 2 months clean.. I know this sounds abit stupid, but I stopped going because it felt almost like all we were doing was talking about the problem, I wasn't following the steps and although AA is great, I just felt like I wasn't actually putting anything into action and living my life.. I joined a gym and made a few changes in my life and all seemed rather rosey.. But it is true in AA when they say the meetings are the medicine.. Because 2 months on (just under 4 months sober).. The old alcoholic thinking is slowly starting to dominate my life again, and I didn't even see it creeping in..

Suddenly found myself unconciously having suicidal thoughts, slowly starting to notice I was falling into bad habits again (not eating for days on end as a form of "punishment" almost).. I only had to take a look at the state of my bedroom to notice a chilling similarity to drinking days (except this time my room is full of cans of non alcoholic beer)

It's been a tough few days after realising my set backs, but i'm happy to say I still havn't had a drink

DayTrader · 01-04-2012, 09:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hirsty

I really need to get myself back into AA,, I stopped going at around 2 months clean.. I know this sounds abit stupid, but I stopped going

I wasn't actually putting anything into action and living my life.... [so, instead] I joined a gym and made a few changes in my life and all seemed rather rosey..

Well, it's not good in the traditional sense of good......but it's kinda good that at least you found your truth. I tried to manage my own sobriety for a time too.....it didn't go so well either.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hirsty

But it is true in AA when they say the meetings are the medicine.. Because 2 months on (just under 4 months sober).. The old alcoholic thinking is slowly starting to dominate my life again, and I didn't even see it creeping in..

Suddenly found myself unconsciously having suicidal thoughts, slowly starting to notice I was falling into bad habits again......

I feel ya....but I wouldn't say meetings are THE medicine. They're medicine, true enough, just not the full prescription strength. They're like aspirin......or Tylenol. They're better than nothing and they'll help you feel better (which, compared to how most of us feel when we get there, is a VAST improvement) but they're not the solution to the real problem. What you hit on in the first quote above is the real deal in AA - putting the steps into action, incorporating them into your life, changing from being a taker to a giver, and learning how to live a life of happy service to others..... Even Bill Wilson (one of the co-founders of AA) said, meetings were designed to keep you dry long enough so you could get engaged into the program of action - working and living the steps. Then, about the time "meetings keep me sober" wears off, you'll have found the true solution and off ya go.......

hirsty · 01-04-2012, 09:09 AM

Thank you for your words DayTrader :-) ... I shall ponder deeper when I get home from work

**Dee74** · 01-04-2012, 02:31 PM

welcome to SR Samm.
You'll find a lot of support and encouragement here

D

Zebra1275 · 01-04-2012, 02:40 PM

any advice??

Yep.

Follow through on the AA meeting tonight and tell the group that you are a newcomer. Keep coming back to SR.

01-04-2012, 07:09 AM	#1 (permalink)
samm14 Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 2	Day One Hi, my name is Samm. I am 33 and from Ontario, Canada. And I think I am an alcoholic. No - if I'm being honest, I know I am an alcoholic. I don't know how it happened...I wish I had a good reason. But I am ready to stop - I am just scared. I have the time and place for an AA meeting tonight and today I will be cleaning all the wine and liquor bottles out of my house. This is scary and after reading some of the posts as to what to expect I am really nervous. I will be talking to my bf tonight and I don't know that he will be overly supportive. He does enjoy drinking but also I have made some pretty serious screw ups - maxing out the credit card to buy alcohol amoung other things....any advice??

01-04-2012, 02:31 PM	#9 (permalink)
Dee74 SR Moderator Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: South Seas Posts: 65,242	welcome to SR Samm. You'll find a lot of support and encouragement here D __________________

01-04-2012, 07:20 AM	#2 (permalink)
hirsty Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: England, UK Posts: 36	Hi Sam Congratulations on your day one I wish you the best.. Have you visited a doctor/GP yet with regards to your drinking? I would strongly suggest you do, as alcohol detox can be fatal, and at the very least extremely uncomfortable... Visit your GP for some advice about what happens next.. In the case of my 3 detox attempts I was prescribed Librium (Chlordiazepoxide) which is a benzodiazepine drug which I guess to an extent mimics the physical effects of alcohol, making the detox more comfortable and eliminating the danger factor from the process.. Much love from England.

01-04-2012, 07:24 AM	#3 (permalink)
samm14 Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 2	Thanks for the welcome hirsty!! I don't have a doctor as I only just moved to the city that I live in - but I think I should be okay. I have gone a few weeks without drinking in the past (even recently) - at least I hope that I will be okay. I have emailed an out patient program here for more information - hopefully I will hear back soon.

01-04-2012, 07:31 AM	#4 (permalink)
foodie1 Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Oregon Posts: 813 Blog Entries: 28	Welcome Samm! You've done a wonderful thing just by getting started. AA meeting is a great place to start, I enjoy the fellowship and support and the steps are a fantastic way to develop a new way of approaching your life. If you find it's not for you, there's plenty of other programs to choose from. Just get all the support you can right now and take it easy on yourself. SR is a wonderful place to get feedback, advice and ideas. Wishing you all the best!!

01-04-2012, 07:36 AM	#5 (permalink)
Tigger41 Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Philly PA Posts: 814 Blog Entries: 1	Great job being honest. That's the first step - admission. And I don't know how it happened to me either - I really don't but it did First you might want to see a doctor and be very honest. They can be extreamly helpful and may be able to give you something that can ease the symptoms of detox/withdrawal. And make sure you have a support system in place (this web site, your bf, AA, books, friends). You'll need a support system - I use this web site A LOT. And then just keep in mind that it will get better over time. I'm at 2 months and it's a lot easier then it was at 14 days or a month.

01-04-2012, 07:43 AM	#6 (permalink)
hirsty Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: England, UK Posts: 36	Ah I see, you should be ok then .. My drinking was daily, and withdrawal symptoms used to come on very strong within 12 hours of no alcohol, so I never even wanted to chance going cold turkey as such,, brain zaps to the point where you think you're about to have a seizure are never fun.. Definitely get yourself to that AA meeting.. AA is a brilliant place to learn all about this illness, and chances are you will meet some great people aswell.. I really need to get myself back into AA,, I stopped going at around 2 months clean.. I know this sounds abit stupid, but I stopped going because it felt almost like all we were doing was talking about the problem, I wasn't following the steps and although AA is great, I just felt like I wasn't actually putting anything into action and living my life.. I joined a gym and made a few changes in my life and all seemed rather rosey.. But it is true in AA when they say the meetings are the medicine.. Because 2 months on (just under 4 months sober).. The old alcoholic thinking is slowly starting to dominate my life again, and I didn't even see it creeping in.. Suddenly found myself unconciously having suicidal thoughts, slowly starting to notice I was falling into bad habits again (not eating for days on end as a form of "punishment" almost).. I only had to take a look at the state of my bedroom to notice a chilling similarity to drinking days (except this time my room is full of cans of non alcoholic beer) It's been a tough few days after realising my set backs, but i'm happy to say I still havn't had a drink

01-04-2012, 09:09 AM	#8 (permalink)
hirsty Member Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: England, UK Posts: 36	Thank you for your words DayTrader :-) ... I shall ponder deeper when I get home from work

01-04-2012, 02:40 PM	#10 (permalink)
Zebra1275 Member Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 3,394	any advice?? Yep. Follow through on the AA meeting tonight and tell the group that you are a newcomer. Keep coming back to SR.

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