Quit dozens of times--is this one different?
Hey All,
I've been lurking on SR for 2 months now and I must say I'm very impressed by all I have read. The people here are very understanding and seem to show compassion to folks they hardly know--based on just a shared problem. I've never spent time on a support forum before now, but reading the help on this one has really motivated me.
About me: I'm a 58 year old retired professional, married, 3 sons and with a heavy drinking problem going back 25 to 35 years. I retired 6 years ago from a job that makes everyone think high stress, and sometimes it was. I tried AA but it didn't seem to click with me--I never hit bottom, I'm not big on higher powers, and I never felt powerless--even if I was.
I've tried quitting dozens of times on my own and my average was always 3 days to a week--by then I'd convince myself that I wasn't an alcoholic and I could control my alcohol intake. And I could once I had enough to pass out (about a pint of 80 proof for me), but I had rules: no drinking before dinner, no drinking more than 2 days in a row--or maybe 3, no driving while drinking (this one I kept), no drinking at family get together's, etc etc. So, I'm sure this is a common story many of you have already read or maybe even have lived--but that is why I'm here.
I was so impressed reading this forum in August that I tried again and made it 10 days sober which was a personnel record going back many years. This time I'm on day 6 and things are going much better than ever before, mainly because of new tools I've learned on this forum--AVRT specifically. Getting to sleep is still an issue, but I know it gets better with time. Anyway it is time to try and get some sleep (lots of luck)--tomorrow is day 7 and I will be tested some more--but I'm going to keep you posted.
Thanks Everyone!