ceponatia

Hey everybody I'm new here. I've been an alcoholic for the better part of ten years with peaks and valleys in how bad it's been. Only recently have I started thinking about getting help and have tried to quit cold turkey several (dozen) times. I always comforted myself by saying "I only drink beer" and "it doesn't effect my job or relationships" but that's obviously not true. It feels like I go to work dead tired every morning and then my drive home is a war in my head of whether I'm going to drink or not. Usually that's a yes. I haven't been sober more than two days in a row in several years. I started seeing a therapist about two months ago but we don't really focus on my addiction as much as other things like ADD. I thought about trying drugs like vivitrol to help but I don't know if they work. Guess I'm just looking for support and advice. I know that it's up to me to finally get fed up and quit for good. I think I'm there.

aihflvt

Congratulations on making the decision. Your family doctor would be a good place to start. They at least will be able to help you through the physical withdrawl symptoms. They can then refer you to a psychiatrist (who can prescribe any appropriate meds) if you feel like you need one. The clinic I go to has a psychologist on staff (who can't prescribe meds by herself), but her presence can be requested at appointments with your regular doctor. If you have a family doctor, it might be worth checking to see if they have a psychologist/therapist/counselor colleague who might be willing to come to your appointment. It's a lot less intimidating than trying to establish a relationship with a new doctor who is a complete stranger.

ceponatia

Unfortunately I just moved to the other side of the country and don't have a doctor yet. I have a psychiatrist that I talked with about different addiction-kicking drugs but he's more infatuated with my ADD so he just keeps talking about ritalin. I have another appointment in 2 weeks I'll try to refocus him.

Amy2011

Making the decision to be sober can be difficult and overwhelming. I felt like I was losing my best friend. For me the most important thing in early recovery was to find a program of recovery, commit to it, and follow through. I use AA, but there are lots of programs to chose from. I needed a program of recovery to follow. Recovery is work and isn't always fun, but in the end sobriety is worth it. I celebrated 1 year in March. I still can't believe when I wake up every morning without a hangover, guilt, shame, embarrassement, and remorse. The fact that I remember eveything that happenned the night before is a bonus. Nothing change if nothing changes. Best of luck.