Originally Posted by
AAPJ 
Wow - 10 years is amazing. Congratulations!
What tools did you use to quit? Did you ever go to a detox center? Perhaps AA? SR forums? Other? Understanding your path to success would be helpful to me and probably many others here. Thanks!
No,I didn't go to detox,but I probably should have. The way my legs ached and I woke up several times at nights with cold sweats. It probably is a wonder i didn't have a stroke.
I did go to AA the first year,and hung out here on SR a lot.
I used to go to AA and as soon as I left a meeting I walked in the store and bought half a chocolate cake. Beer just doesn't sound good after half a chocolate cake. I left AA a lot of times wanting to drink more than I did when I went in. But it gave me the strength to stay sober the time I was away,if that makes any sense. I didn't exactly follow the AA rules. But I gave the utmost respect to those that did . I think just hanging out with people that were trying to achieve the same thing I was trying to do is what I needed. I took what I needed and left the rest . I wouldn't have made it without AA
Yes,your not supposed to eat sugar like that. But I did and still do to this day. Maybe not half a chocolate cake. but I still chocolate binge.
I joined a gym not too long after I quit. And while i took a couple year break from it I am back to working out 2 or 3 times a week. I am in WAY better shape than most 60 year olds I know.
I also bought a book called 7 weeks to sobriety. It talks about how alcoholism is partly from vitamin deficiency. Booze certainly does deplete the vitamins in your system. I went out and bought all the over the counter vitamins I could find in that book,and I truly believe that also played a huge part in my success.
I had also simply had enough. I was fed up with it,and new in the back of my mind if I kept drinking like I did that it was going to do me in.
I had a couple very close calls that first year. At the six month mark I was about to throw in the towel and was in a liquor store parking lot and had stepped out of the car and started to walk in when I said Whooa WAIT JUST A %$#% MINUTE. I got back in the car and left. That craving lasted a day or two. But I think that was the last really big fight I had with it . After that the little devil on my shoulder didn't get much attention about the matter.
You just have to WANT to do this.