avgcollegekid

Terminally Unique, I just took a glance at some of the materials you sent me. I can really understand what they're talking about. The "inner voice" being described sounds familiar. I'm going to start reading it all, I think it could really help me. Thank you.

Spawn

wow that was harsh

I do believe clean time counts for something.....just like counting birthdays.

sounds like I hit a nerve? sorry

sugarbear1

My last drunk was a week long.

See a doctor for medical advice on stopping.

I wish you well,

Dee74

I'm glad you think that AVRT might help avgcollegekid - a lot of people here swear by it

D

2granddaughters

It will for a day or two .... then get worse if not addressed

2granddaughters

That is one fork in the road and AA is another. If the one you choose doesn't work, give AA a try.

I wish you the best.

Bob R

DayTrader

Wow ACK.... same for me. My definition also included being a mean SOB, hitting your wife, hitting your kids, lots of yelling and screaming......etc.

Yanno.....both of us were/are wrong.... we defined a particular manifestation of alcoholism but we had too fine a beam drawn on it. It would be like me showing you a mosquito bite on my arm.....but you get one on your leg so it can't be the same thing......

I didn't want to quit either....and if I thought I could get away with it, I probably would have kept it up. Most of us run into medical problems (like you're having) or legal troubles or family troubles.......or SOMEthing that pops up that forces us to consider the consequences of drinking the way we do vs doing what we want to do (keep drinking).

Some are smart enough to get sober before the consequences become deadly. I know you won't like this anymore than I did when I saw it but here's the deal - you're likely/possibly in the later stages of alcoholism with not much room to spare before death. (I didn't believe it either when I heard it.......then it occurred to me - most ppl who drink themselves to death are likely pretty sure they're not anywhere near as bad as they are).

The Original Jellinek Chart:

sugarbear1

111 W Wheeling St # 206 Lancaster, OH 43130
(740) 653-4869

If you want company, call and ask for a Young People's Meeting in your area. You don't have to do anything you don't want to. You'll have sober people to hang with.

Terminally Unique

AVRT is easy once it 'clicks', but you do have to spend some time learning it. Read through the free materials I sent, and order the book, which you can buy used on Amazon for a dollar — it is far more comprehensive. I also recommend that you read through the AVRT threads in the secular connections forum. I'm not saying this will necessarily be the case with you, but there are some subtle nuances that people often miss initially.

Although the Rational Recovery book sets forth AVRT in an easy to understand style, AVRT is actually a much more dynamic, living phenomenon — it must be seen to be appreciated. In this respect, some back and forth discussion can help significantly. I was a little slow on the uptake myself, and eventually signed up for the RR subscription forums, where I learned quite a bit from some sharp people.

Back then, there was simply no other place where this could be discussed, so you have an advantage here. Indeed, as far as I know, Sober Recovery is the only place on the Internet having an ongoing, open AVRT discussion outside the RR forums. Take advantage of this, as you can cut your learning time down dramatically this way. Feel free to post any questions you may have on the AVRT discussion thread.

Terminally Unique

I may be becoming more cynical, but these days, I tend to think that few people quit until they can no longer get away with it. It certainly doesn't have to be that way, though. Hindsight is always 20/20, but boy, do I wish I hadn't taken things as far as I did.

WhySoSerious

you sound just like me back in college... drink with different groups every day of the week. funny thing was, the days of the week that those people didn't spend with me they didn't drink. I never realized that until i left college and kept drinking. I'm now 26 and i wish i had made the decision to quit back then. My life would be much greater than it is.

I wish you the best, only you can give yourself a label. Even in AA. Whats in a label/name that doesn't really matter. And if you are worried about that don't tell people outside of AA that you are going 'Anonymous' is part of the name.

I just remember the song from the loin king... hakuna matata lol i'm a nerd.

Boleo

There is no reason why one cannot try AA and AVRT both at the same time. Perhaps there would come a day when an AA sponsor would object to it but one can cross that bridge when one gets to it.

WhySoSerious

also the last binge i went on was awful. I drank from friday night, all day saturday, all day sunday, and stopped on monday at noon. I had incredible stomach pain for 3 days afterwards and couldnt eat until the night of the second day without drinking (wednesday) and even then it very little. Upset stomach (nothing solid at all, sorry to be graphic) for 5 days after (saturday). It's not worth it, i was broke, in pain, wound up single, and almost unemployed. i decided i had had enough.

as i said i wish you the best but only you can choose.

Spawn

This response threw me off a little............how long ago was this?

itchy166

I don't want to split hairs, but it sounds like you more than just "binge" drink if you don't know what to do when you aren't drinking regularly.

In my case, my drinking started to effect my mental health. I was (and still am) suffering from depression and anxiety. I went to a therapist, who listened to my story and referred me to an addictions counsellor (and a medical doctor). I have been seeing the counsellor and attending group meetings for three weeks now.

Initially, I told my counsellor that I would like to "bring my drinking back under control" so that I could deal with my mental health issues. She went along with me, but told me to start a journal and include there my activities, how much I was drinking every day, how I felt before and after, and identify when I felt the most depressed or when I experienced a panic attack. What an eye opener!! I, like you it seems, was drinking more and more often than what I would even admit to myself.

After two weeks of journalling, I went back to my counsellor and asked her to help me quit completely. Today is my seventh day sober.

I am no expert by any means, but if you kept a journal of how much you are drinking, why you are drinking, and how you feel before and after you drink, maybe you will be able to define for yourself what you need to do. The fact that the drinking is bothering you says a lot if you think about it.


Good luck!

Terminally Unique

Spawn, it was on another thread, probably from six months ago or more, but it really doesn't matter. It didn't go well then, and it is not likely to go well here, either. No point in de-railing this thread. Although I do have more 'sober time' than many people, and could probably impress some 'newbies' with it, I intentionally do not mention it to keep to the spirit of AVRT, which reveals the idea of setting new records every day since my last drink as addictive voice.

If I'm never going to drink again, why count the days since my last drink? There is no purpose to it, unless I am uncertain about ever drinking again, which I am not. Counting time to gain confidence is addictive voice, setting one's abilitiy to abstain as something yet to be proved. Besides, I invariably have less 'sober time' than many other people, anyway. That said, if someone else counts time since their last drink, that is their own personal business. AVRT does not predict a downfall for people who do this — it merely reveals the dual implications of doing so.

Spawn

it's cool