mcdonald2

I am having issues when it comes to the weekend and drinking. I don't know what comes over me but devil side is saying get drunk, get drunk. When I do I become a meaner person. I don't like doing this any more. I am worried about my child when I drink and drink. I don't want to do this any more. Life is too short. Any idea's how to cope with this. How to pass the time on the weekends?

LaFemme

Hi McDonald and welcome. When I quit weekends were the hardest and I didn't know how I was going to fill the time. Now my weekends are so full and joyful I can't even believe I used to waste them getting wasted.

Everyone fills there days differently. This weekend I spent time with friends, exercised (went for a long swim), played with my dogs, checked out artist studio space, went to a community meeting, made an awesome dinner, cleaned the house and talked to my life coach. I went to bed every night tired and grateful..

CarolD

Welcome.....

Are you only drinking on the weekends?
Never touch alcohol 5 days a week?

I'm unclear....do you want to abstain from alcohol?

rws177

I think it does get easier in time personally. In the beginning I would really plan out my weekend and try to find things to occupay them without drinking. The biggest thing for me was doing things with people who do not drink!

loveon2legs

In the early part of recovery I found it important to plan out the weekends...something that involves no alcohol.....something that can get you out of the house......start trying new things, or get involved in things that interest you.....then before you know it...you won't be stressing about the upcoming weekends...it will be a time for YOU......and alcohol won't even cross your mind..... I know that seems impossible right now...but trust me it can and does happen!!!

mcdonald2

I am just scared that my son will follow in my foot steps. I don't want him to follow. I don't drink Monday - Thursdays. However when I get home on Friday's that is when it starts. I can't get stop thinking about it.

DayTrader

Hey McD..... time dragged for me massively until I really embraced full-on recovery. The shine of "not drinking" wears off quite quickly for a real alcoholic and it became obvious that "staying stopped" was going to be the key. I sought out help, got involved in a recovery community and started working the program and all that old junk started to dissipate. Up until I did that though, those feelings hung around and got worse.

least

Different strokes for different folks, I guess. I'm a real alkie and am shining brighter every sober day.


And to McDonald2: yes, it does get easier with the passing of (sober) time but ya gotta work on your recovery every single day. Whether it's AA or another program, or counseling, or IOP, or whatever you do to stay sober, put all your effort into it and you'll see positive results.

I went to AA a lot in early recovery, tho not as much now but still attend my home group which I like a lot. I see my addiction counselor once a week and credit her and this site for helping me want to stay sober.

It was hard at first as I wasn't used to doing without my mind-numbing wine. But I was so damn stubborn and mad at myself for getting some sober time, then drinking, rinse and repeat... So I filled my drinking void with being thankful. I had to force myself to give thanks, at first, cause I was such a miserable wretch, but the more I expressed my gratitude, the more I found to be grateful for. And now it's a happy habit and fills my days with joy so much that there's no room for thoughts of drinking.

It doesn't matter so much what you do to stay sober, what matters is how much effort you put into it.

Stay sober a day at a time and it will get easier.

TheEnd

I would suggest trying to plan things to do, for me it really hasn't been that bad, most of my time is devoted to studying, studying, and more studying........but what I have learned is that being sober takes a little bit more planning then sitting on your couch and being high and doing absolutely nothing.

Boleo

Different strokes for different folks, for me too much effort tuned out to be my downfall. I was trying to achieve sobriety and the spiritual awakening is not an achievement. I had to surrender to win.

Once I experienced the miracle, it was just a matter of staying spiritually fit. Something which becomes almost effortless when practiced daily.

Zencat

One recovery tool that helped me in early recovery was AVRT in a Nutshell (Google it) to help me understand what was going on with my cravings. I found as sober time adds up the strength of the cravings goes down. Today maintaining my sobriety is easy going.