Soulja

After a weekend long bender I swore off the drink. I have felt like crap every since. Tonight I went out with friends and drank again. This means that my sobriety now only lasts three days. I use to be able to just drink on the weekends, but it is getting worse. What the HELL do I have to do to quit? HELP!!! I feel hopeless. Nobody seems to think I have a problem, which only means that I have successfully hidden it. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!

nandm

I am sorry you are having to go through such a struggle right now. Many here have been right where you are at and have gotten through it. I see that your avatar relates to AA so I am going to give my response based on my experience with AA.

I tried too many times to count, to quit drinking on my own. Each time it never failed that even when I was able to quit for a time I remained miserable inside and the longer I went without drinking the more miserable I felt. I constantly thought about drinking and couldn't seem to get it out of my head. I even went a year without drinking, to prove that I wasn't an alcoholic to my now ex husband. Needless to say the same thing that happened after each period of sobriety for me happened again, as soon as I took up drinking again it progressed quickly back to where it was prior to my stopping and then worse.

The only thing that I have found that has given me any peace with sobriety is AA. A lot has happened since that first AA meeting. What that first meeting gave me was hope. I had lost hope that life could change many years prior to that meeting. I did have to do the work. I went to Big Book studies, worked the Steps (without delay), got a sponsor, and found a home group. I was told to go to 90 meetings in 90 days, I did it. I was asked if I was willing to go to any lengths to stop drinking, I had been willing to go to most any lenght to drink and was desperate enough to quit drinking that my response was yes, I am willing to go to any lengths to stop drinking. Over the years I have learned to apply the Steps and Principles in all aspects of my life not just around alcohol, as today I really don't think about it. I have continued to study and read the Big Book. I have a sponsor, yes, I have changed sponsors along the way as I have grown and changed or they have grown and changed. I have a home group and am active in it. I do service work, my most recent is I am going to start going with my sponsor to take meetings into prisons. I work with sponsees. Even on days when life is rough I don't give up and keep putting one foot in front of the other. This is what has worked for me.

If you are doing your best to work the program of AA and are finding that it is not working for you then you might consider one of the other recovery programs out there. There is a list under the alcoholism forum of recovery programs. There are many out there. We have people here who use many different methods to find recovery. I truly hope you are able to find peace and stop drinking. Don't give up yet, there is a solution.

best

Either that or you are asking the person standing in front of you that has a beer in their hand...do you think drinking is bad for me?
Give a meeting a try and ask the same question there. I am sure you will find a different answer.

barb dwyer

Well.. first step is usually to get hold of the doc and get advice there. be totally honest with them, exactly how much how often all that.

Sudden denial of alcohol can be fatal.

Peopole tend to get all caught up in ..
well, 'jargon'
and they forget that alcohol is a PHYSICAL addiction
as well as psychological or emotional...

so get hold of the doc okay?

The doc will recommend what should be done for the physical ...
THEN we can worry about all the other.

Going by your avatar - you've already got a program in mind?

Tazman53

Soulja see a doctor first thing, tell them the total truth about your drinking, then take action!!!!

My path in AA after I got out of detox mirrors nandm's path:

90+ meetings in 90 days
Got a Sponsor
Worked the steps with the sponsor
Live the steps
Do service Work
Help others (Alcoholic and not)

Thanks to AA I am free of the obsession for alcohol and happy. If AA turns out not to be your cup of tea then try other programs, just keep in mind that no program will work unless you work it.

If you are willing to do what ever it takes to get and stay sober, then find a program and work it!

least

I was a bit different. I DID have people (my kids) telling me it was a problem but I denied it. It wasn't until I realized it was a bad problem that I was able to try quitting. And it took me several months to get to the point when I actually did quit. (twenty days sober today!)

CarolD

If your asking your drinking f buddies about your drinking
you are asking the wrong people.

Go ask at an AA meeting...

Good to see you again.

warrens

Soulja

The answers you seek are within and not without. Asking drinking buddies for their opinion is like asking an Enron executive for stock tips.

If you are looking for a good, new beer that you haven't tasted, by all means ask in a pub. You will get some good advice.

If you want to stop drinking however, you might wish to get your advice elsewhere. You need a retirement plan, not a "how to succeed with drinking" plan.

warren

Ananda

It wasn't until I had about 6 months that some people were willing to tell me they thought I had a problem. I asked them why, and they said they figured I'd deny it and they just weren't sure enough since I was obviously physically ill as well.

People tend to avoid answering that question.