verity29

Hi all,

I have been two weeks dry now and have been attending AA meetings. For the last few days i have been feeling low both mentally and physically. Although i listen and relate at the meetings i am finding i have to force myself to go.

About now is normally the time for me when the remorse starts to wear thin and i am ready to go on the drink roundabout again but i so dont want to do that now.

Anyone got any advice on how to overcome this? My thoughts are dark and i dont know how to express myself to even begin to talk about it in meeetings.

yeahgr8

This is what i did

Got hold of a counseller who dealt with alcohol issues, went for initial meeting and then referred to psychiatrist to prescribe antabuse which makes you sick if you drink alcohol. Went for 2 sessions a week with counseller. Did this in October 2008 and still going now. Came off antabuse mid Feb 09.

I was planning to kill myself, glad i finally did the right thing and got help.

I'll skip the evrything will be ok, don't worry, chin up bollocks as you will have heard this before, and it won't be alright unless you do something different this time.

Tommyh

when I was like that,I just kept going and got on the steps
It eventually got better

navysteve

The steps are the key to my alcoholism. When I treat my alcohllism ( the only way to do this in AA is thru the steps) I could begin to deal with my other problems.

aasharon90

Hi Im Sharon and im an Alcoholic.

By the grace of my HP and people
like you here in SR I havent found
it necessary to pick up a drink of
alcohol since 8-11-90.

For that and you I am truely grateful.


Glad your here reaching out for
help and suggestions.

2 weeks sober is a good start, but
dont be too hard on urself. It takes
time for your body to adjust to not
being dependant on alcoholism.

The craving is still there and more
powerful than ever.

I was in a treatment facility the
first 28 days i was sober only because
my family stepped in a did an inter-
vention on me. Getting me help when
I couldnt do it myself.

While i was there I picked up the
knowledge of my disease of alcoholism
and the tools to help me stay sober
one day at a time.

There were lots of suggestions also
to help me when i returned home.

One was to get rid of all the people
places and things that had anything to
do with alcohol. That way there would
be no temptations to drink.

Second was make 90 meetings in 90
days. Suggestions only. Even tho
I had spent 28 days in rehab, I also
went to a 6 week outpatiant aftercare
program along with going to meeting
after meeting.

There was also suggestions of service work.

Me, i was so afraid to speak and yet what
was i to do. Thank God I had a family to
focus on as well as my own recovery.

My sponsor was good at baking and
thus so was I and with that little bit
of encouragement I would bake and
bring things to eat to go along with
their coffee.....

That way I got out of my self pity,
self centeredness, my problems and
focus on others. This service work
allowed me to keep going to meetings
and even tho i didnt speak, people
saw me at lots of meetings and thus
was so grateful for the little treats
I brought.

This allowed me to feel like I belonged
and was helping others while staying
sober one day at a time.

I continued to do this for a long time
and remained sober.

Another thing is to share my own
experiences strengths and hopes with
others of what it was like when i was
drinking, what happened to me while
drinking and where I am now in my
recovery.

Share ur story here with us and
see how u feel when u r thru.

Ud be surprised when u start to
let go of all the extra baggage
u have locked up inside. You begin
to heal and become stronger and
healthier and u now have a purpose
in life.

Thanks for letting me share.

mikel60

Hi Verity,
I was kind of on a roll my entire first year, but when the motivation and enthusiam left I knew that I needed more. I got into the steps because I realized the problem was me and I wasn't getting any better.

It was the best thing I ever did for myself. I really got to the root causes of my alcoholism (selfishness, dishonesty, self-centeredness, and fear). I won't say that I am a totally changed person or an expert. I do know that I am happier, usually content, and handle life better - most of the time.

I'm also still sober - 13 years and running.

Best wishes in finding your path - you can do this!

Mike

Theresa

Hi Verity. I really appreciate your post. I am at two weeks,too, and I like your description of drinking again as getting on the "drink roundabout." I'm going to use that thought if I want to drink again.

I woke this morning with overwhelming bad thoughts. My life, my work, seems to be a nonproductive roundabout, and I don't always know how to deal with it, this is made more, not less, clear when I don't drink. I am very hopeful that if I don't drink, I will figure out the best way out of this rut. I know that if I do drink, I am doomed.

No clear advice here, but those above on working the steps are wise.

My thoughts are with you.

least

Take it one day at a time, and give yourself time - two weeks is very early in reovery. Your feelings, physical and mental, will be all over the place for a while as your body and brain get back to normal. Counseling with an addiction counselor could be a lot of help. I go to one once a week and it helps me to be able to vent my feelings and get feedback and ideas on how to deal with my problems.

Don't give up on yourself or your sobriety. This takes time and the only way through it is one day at a time.

:ghug3

verity29

Hi Theresa. Wondered where you'd got to. I am glad you haven't had that drink. How are you managing. Have you been to meetings?

verity29

Hi Sharon,

Thanks this is the sort of thing i think i need to hear. I think i need to throw myself into some service, maybe not offering advice because its early days but doing small things like making the tea, bringing something along to meetings etc.

I am out of work at the minute too. I have gone from being extremely busy every day to being a lot less so. Even though i have my little girl and partner, housework, part-time teaching etc. it feels not enough to fill the void.

There are also finacial messes to clear up and with everything else i am feeling the pressure immensely. Without a drink to obliviate the situation is all too clear.

However i know a drink can only make the problem worse so i am going to keep that at the forefront of my mind. I am trying to share at meetings but some things are just too painfyl and personal and i find it hard to trust others enough yet.

aasharon90

I kept some personal things to
myself for a long time, and because
of that it took me longer to recieve
the promises mentioned in our program.

I mean I got them slowly but it wasnt
until recently that when I got completely
honest about those personal secrets that
I reaped the benifits of the promises.

Im not saying u have to beome a saint
over night. For me i wasnt ready to let
go of some of those character defects
until i guess i was really ready.

Those 3...Open-mindedness, Willingness
and finally Honestly.....I was always open-
minded about changing and doing right,
and i was some what willing, but not enough
to become completely honest.

When the time is right you will know it
as hard as it might seem.

For now, take one step at a time.
Everyone works their program at
their own pace. There's no dead
line or rush to the finish line.

It took yrs of drinking to equal
the yrs not drinking.


Continue to listen and abosrb
what u hear at ur meeting and
here. Take what u want at the
time and leave the rest.

In time you will begin to connect
what recovery is all about.

Follow suggestions was easy. However
if someone TOLD me what to do, I
closed my ears to them.

Remember ur 2 weeks is a good start
and a tad more than the newest person
coming thru the doors of recovery.

Remember you were at that one day
too like I. Those newest ones with
one day would give anything to have
2 weeks like you and so on.

Continue to share little by little to
give the newest one hope that if u
can stay sober as long as u have
taking it one day at a time, then
so can they.

Lots of good people here to guide u
and others on there journey with
sharing their own ESH.

Thanks for letting me share.

CarolD

Have you been taking special care of yourself?

You might want to take a daily vitamin + a B Complex
Go for walks...Eat a lot of fruits and vegs...easy on sweets.

Your body is healing...and that takes time.

Well done on your sober weeks

verity29

I listened to what you all said. Went for a good walk and spent some time with family so feeling a bit better this evening. Sometimes these feelings can be overwhelming and i'm so used to keeping everything inside.

Thank you all - you saved my sanity today!