Thread: I'm struggling
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Old 02-10-2011, 06:25 AM
  # 17 (permalink)  
ReadyAndAble
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Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: San Diego
Posts: 4,451
It's just after 6 a.m. now somewhere else in SD. Cold like Supercrew said. Maybe it's helpful to know there are others nearby who have been through exactly the same thing...

My daughter's 6. I spent the first years of her life drinking. I always treated her well, tried to make it up... but always felt guilty. Would be at a park with her at 4 on a sunny Saturday, and all I could think about was having a drink. I didn't quit "for her" (tried that and failed), but it sure feels good to not feel that guilt anymore, or worry about how long I'd be around for her.

Dee's suggestions are worth thinking about. I don't do AA. If I go for F2F support, it will be with Smart Recovery. The first week or two was the hardest for me; took me a long time to finally get over that hump. Visiting SR every single day helps.

Try something different. Keep mixing it up. Maybe even try some different AA groups if it was just the crowd at a particular meeting. You gotta find the right combo for you. For me, a key difference was not just knowing I need to quit, but embracing the idea—that drinking sucks, I cannot and never will be able to moderate, I've more than I should in one lifetime, and it's about damn time to move on.

It's great being off that treadmill. I thought it would be boring as hell, but everything is more fun now that I'm acclimating to it.

You can and will do it!
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