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8 weeks sober but having some trouble

Old 11-29-2010, 11:23 PM
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Hooligan
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8 weeks sober but having some trouble

Hey all how is it going?

So as the title states I have been 8 weeks sober, it may even be 9 weeks I have started to lose track. But this is when I start having touble. I am not sure how to explain it but it is like the cravings start hitting hard, I'm not talking about physical cravings but mental craving. The past three days I have been having the urge to drink, I even had some booze in my cup but dumped it out. I feel like something's missing I want to drink and feel the satisfaction but know I cannot

Sorry about the rant I had to get it out
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Old 11-29-2010, 11:57 PM
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It's the mental stuff that lasts the longest ItsMe.
It's pretty common and brings a lot of us undone so you're right to bring it here to talk it out.

If you're at the stage of pouring booze into a cup, don't hesitate to reach out and get some help...
What else have you been doing for yourself than just not drinking, It's Me?

I really believe we need to grow to stay sober - it's good to keep busy, but we have to be fulfilled too - we need to have a life to be grateful for, and that gives something back, ya know?

if you have face to face support, use it - if you haven't, maybe it's time to think about that option?
D
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Old 11-30-2010, 12:59 AM
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First congrats on the 8 weeks.

And then...Okay 8 weeks and having prob's, whats your "Sober plan"? do you have one? because we all need one. Doesn't have to be AA,but you (we) all need some sort of help/plan. Because at 8 weeks that's when we all get the thoughts of "Damn it's been 2 months, I'm actually doing this...hmmmmm ...maybe I don't have a problem, maybe I can drink once a week".

So gotta have a "plan" man to stay in the right frame of mind.Not preachin'...but You got one?

Steve
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Old 11-30-2010, 02:25 AM
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Hi Itsme,

Congratulations on reaching week 8/9!!! I cannot wait to be able to say that. Give yourself lots of credit for getting this far

Do you have outside support? Perhaps you need to look at exactly what is missing now that alcohol is gone and try on some way to fill that void. Interestingly, when smokers quit, the supossedly find weeks 6-8 the toughest, often because other people - and themselves - have stopped telling them how great they are for quitting and the 'novelty' of their fight has worn off. Maybe it's time to start acknowledging the great progress you've made once again?

Take care of yourself - we're all behind you.

M
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Old 11-30-2010, 02:45 AM
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Congrats on 8-9 weeks! That's awesome:-)

I'm going to agree with Dee...you need to grow as a human being to stay sober...have a life you araskopf so grateful for you can't possibly mess it up by going back. I have an exercise where I just mfocus on gratitude, just let it fill me up to bursting, whenever I have a negative emotion...it works really well for me.

The thing I am coming to feel is that going through alcoholism is a tremendous opportunity to grow as a human being and that is a gift if you take that opportunity.

So...what's your plan?
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Old 11-30-2010, 03:57 AM
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lots of good advise. i'll also add that bordeom will make you obsess about gettig drunk. it's a silent relapse catalyst. try to find a new hobby...something you can be passionate about. for me, that was HUGE.

good luck and congrats
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Old 11-30-2010, 04:57 AM
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Booze in the cup is WAY too close, brother. Better to deal with the mental obsession before it gets that close to relapsing.

I know exactly what you are going through. I'm so close to 90 days and so scared about throwing it all away by drinking again. Part of it is that I'm facing stresses that I've always dealt with by getting drunk. Need different solutions. Read another post that struck a nerve. It was talking about Post Acute Withdrawal Syndrome (PAWS). Look it up. Once I read up on it, I felt better just understanding what I was going through and it wasn't that my resolve to stay sober was weakening. It is just what the brain is going through after years and years of alcohol abuse.
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Old 11-30-2010, 06:12 AM
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Someone had a great quote the other day about action fixing our thinking vs. thinking fixing our actions. I'm thoughtful (some might say obsessive) by nature so getting up and DOING stuff is not my first instinct. But it's important.

Practicing, building, ENJOYing that new life. That's what keeps me sober.

Best of luck to you and congratulations on your sober time!
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Old 11-30-2010, 06:23 AM
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Originally Posted by ItsMe23 View Post
I feel like something's missing I want to drink and feel the satisfaction but know I cannot
You think so? Yep, sounds like something's missing. Don't know how many times I've posted this little section, but it fit my experience exactly.
Originally Posted by AA BB 1st
They are restless, irritable and discontented, unless they can again experience the sense of ease and comfort which comes at once by taking a few drinks-drinks which they see others taking with impunity. After they have succumbed to the desire again, as so many do, and the phenomenon of craving develops, they pass through the well-known stages of a spree, emerging remorseful, with a firm resolution not to drink again. This is repeated over and over, and unless this person can experience an entire psychic change there is very little hope of his recovery.
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Old 11-30-2010, 07:37 AM
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i actually haven't been an alcohol abuser for very long maybe 3 years at most, and many describe me as a binge drinker. Drink once and awhile but when i do black out blah blah blah. So i really doubt it would be paws.

And my plan is just stay sober, i do not go to meetings and do not plan on going (do not take that the wrong way, i just do not feel it is for me).

It is just fighting the brain off, it tells me "well you have made it this far, your ok, your in control" But believe me i do not plan on relapsing soon, i do not drink because of stress or to run from problems. i drink because i like to get messed up, like to get loose, like the feeling of the buzz before it gets taken to far.

But another thing that keeps me sober is that i feel like god will be ashamed with me, and he will stop giving me his blessings. a little note on that...

About after 3 weeks after i had gave up drinking, i saw a documentary all the sudden it clicked i fully believed in god. Then shortly after a few things happened to me that were so great and filled me with joy. Gave me really high hopes for the future. So i feel that if i dare pick up that drink god is going to remove the blessings and the path that he has started laying before me.
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Old 11-30-2010, 09:17 PM
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Hi itsme

Congrats on 8/9 weeks. I went through the same issue at around the 2month mark. Probably my toughest part. Not 30 days not 90 but around week 8 or 9. I think it was discussed in the May group posts (my SR home group) by artsoul and others. You might want to look it up.

Anyway, I don't remember exactly what I did to alleviate the mental craving. I think for me i was really grapling with the thought of never drinking again and it was messing with my concentrating on one day at a time. I pretty much remembering hunkering down and following my plan one step at a time. It consisted of eating well, exercise, meetings, and sr. All I can say is it will pass.

Congrats again on your sober time... Feels pretty great some days don't it?
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Old 11-30-2010, 10:07 PM
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Whether it's PAWs or not, I find this pretty good reading...

Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome (PAWS) — Why we don’t get better immediately) « Digital Dharma

D
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Old 12-01-2010, 07:32 AM
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I have over a year sober and still get those cravings to be honest. Especially during the Thanksgiving break having four days off work. Around 10 months sober I started going to meetings and do find it helpful. I too thought "it wasn't for me" but much like this site it is nice sometimes to be in a room of people who know what your going threw. I'm just saying if your having those cravings a meeting might not hurt.

Congrats on pouring it out and staying sober regardless.
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