vivid-red

I'm only 2 days sober but I've been obsessing all day about getting a good buzz going tonight with some cider...

but I can't, so I would like to know what helps you take your mind off a craving?

I've been chain smoking cigs as usual which is not really helping much...and drinking lots of diet coke.

I hate these times when I crave alcohol.

Fandy

Do you really want to quit? or are you just counting the hours until you can "get a good buzz going"?

try to get involved in something that you would enjoy doing sober...or do some chore that involves improvement....nothing wrong with a clean bathroom, closet, drawer or floor.

here's an interesting idea...do something nice for your family...you will both get satisfaction from that...and it's healthier than chain-smoking.

Anna

Yeah, jump into life and do something that will help others.

Get out there and have fun, enjoy yourself and that will help your feelings to pass.

vivid-red

Well i'm in the UK so it's about time that everyone is winding down for the night, but I do help out my parents sometimes like today I cleaned the house and yesterday I cut the grass...

But I am extremely lazy so I'll need to make more of an effort to help others.

Image101

I am not a doctor, but how much diet coke are you drinking? Lots of caffeine (especially during the early periods of sobriety) seems to often worsen anxiety. You might want to try to replace that with non caffeinated drinks.
Regardless, congratulations on 48 hours sober!! I'm glad you're posting here.

vivid-red

I'd have to say I'm probably one of the people with least success in sobriety on this site as I've been here 3 or 4 months and I'm constantly on day 1,2,3 etc

I've yet to have a long run sober.

Fandy

How about making this time your longest run yet? focus on being and staying sober each day...it will also help to give you a sense of accomplishment.

congrats on helping out around the house and lawn care....is there something new you would like to learn to do that you could take a class in? (i'm guessing here)...sometimes a new hobby helps give you something to think about besides drinking....although i don't know what your interests are, i'm sure you can open up to many fun things that people do when sober.

BHF

Go to a meeting. If you do drink after the meeting, I guarantee you wont enjoy it anywhere near as much as you had previously. From experience I learned that AA attendance ruined a previously good drinking experience.

BackToSquareOne

FrothyJay said this in one of the "Powerlessness" thread posts "And this is why it's so critical for me to understand that it's more than that. I don't crave alcohol, per se, I crave the relief it provides. I'm powerless over my ravenous need to feel a certain way-- high, relieved, floating, at peace, sane. So in a sober state, I'm prey to the misery and distress of untreated alcoholism-- existence, putting one foot in front of the other, breathing, become nearly untenable. My mind and body, and my sick spirit, have been conditioned to seek the short-term medicinal effect of alcohol, despite the knowledge of longer-term consequences. Because the longer-term consequences can always be offset by short-term relief. It's the criminally insane version of pay-it-forward."

That really made me think that my own obsession was all about wanting to feel a certain way, alcohol was just the tool that provided that relief. If meow mix cat food provided the relief and made me feel the way I wanted to, I'd have been abusing it.

People gravitate toward pleasure and away from pain and it would be hard to argue the fact that alcohol can provide very short term pleasure so why wouldn't we obsess over wanting to feel that way?

The problem with feeding the obsession or maintaining the feeling is that it has a very voracious appetite, it's like getting on a merry-go-round that you can't get off of. Stop using the substance that provides the relief and everything gets thrown into reverse, you will end up feeling much worse than before you started.

Here's the full link to FrothyJays post : http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...ml#post2961079

Justfor1

Hendri, keep trying and don't worry about how many days you have. It will eventually start to add up.

Vesna

Hendrix, for me, sobriety "took" when I recognized and accepted that I can *never* drink again. It took a few tries, but finally, the lightbulb came on and I realized...this is forever. That meant finding a different path and developing a different perspective on just about everything. I realized that going to bars sober is incredibly boring and that I'd be very tempted to drink, so I don't go to bars. Whatever it was that finally clicked for me, I am incredibly grateful. I'm on Day 55, and I wake up each day thinking, "I won't drink today." So far it is working for me. Once I accepted that I will never be drinking again, I began to view cravings as a passing last gasp from my alcoholic voice, and I could objectively tell myself "no," distract myself and wait for it to pass. I'm not having cravings anymore, and in fact the smell repulses me when I'm around people drinking.

MattM316

I think just focusing on something you enjoy is the best thing.
With me it's films and music, but the problem is getting your head to be able to enjoy those things without alcohol being involved.
I think once you realise you have an alcohol problem, you find out that much of it is in your head and it's a psychological thing. I'm trying my best to come off alcohol now and am just trying to absorb myself in films and music.

Kjell

If I felt that way, I'd go to a meeting.

Go to enough of those and then start working the steps.

Start working the steps and have the obession to drink removed for you.

Kjell~