Originally Posted by
sarah1414 
When will this decision to quit drinking become my lifestyle? When it gets difficult; the cravings begin, the thought's of wine-bliss begin, I just give in. I don't want to say no. It seems like too much work. In the end, I'm always sorry I said yes the to the addict voice.
I know many of you can relate to the internal battle. At what point does this actually stick? In my journal I have written on several days, that TODAY was a new day for me. No more wine. I talk about what I will do when faced with thoughts or temptations to drink, but I just don't seem to care in the end. I end up drinking wine and feeling lousy for it the next day.
How many last days does one have to have before they give up the drink for good?
Hi Sarah,
I had about 15 years -- yes years -- of "last" days before I finally quit drinking over 20 years ago. All the "last" days did for me was increase my drinking when I would "celebrate" not drinking for a few days or weeks, thinking I could "celebrate" a few times a month and be a moderate or social drinker.
I finally got tired of having to plan every single thing I did around when and how I could drink. My husband and I used to drink wine in coffee cups in the car, thinking that would "fool" the cops. Yes, that was me.
When I realized how chained I was to alcohol, I finally just quit one day, while I still had a bottle of cold duck in the fridge (my favorite). I've told this story before. I do NOT recommend doing this probably for most people. But I kept that bottle of cold duck in the fridge for a LONG time, I think probably a year, and every day when I wanted to drink I would look at it and ask myself if I REALLY wanted it. Then, I would distract myself by eating (I often drank on an empty stomach), exercising, or doing anything else I could think of, telling myself I could go back and have it later on if I really wanted it.
I never opened the bottle of cold duck, and I don't know where it went when it finally disappeared. I figure my husband must have thrown it out (he didn't like CD).
Long story short -- it took me probably 3 years to where I didn't think about drinking every day. What did it for me was just deciding I was a non-drinker, and to do everything other non-drinkers do. Which you find out as a non-drinker is pretty much everything and more than I used to do. Just no wine drinking in the car. My husband had to quit his favorite "hobby" of pool playing with his beer buddies, because he couldn't hack doing that without the beer. He was a good pool player, too. But he made his choices, and he hasn't had another drink either.
Good luck. Decide you are a non-drinker, and it will be easier. You will find out there are LOTS of non-drinkers everywhere, in every social setting, even drinking parties. NO one cares except you, believe me, if you ask for sparkling water or pop.