First trip to the GP!
 

Hi guys. I've booked my trip to the GP. Ready to come clean about my alcohol abuse. I'm hoping s/he can refer me to a group or councilor and give me some sort of medication to help me control cravings. I'll take whatever happens from there. I'll refuse AA (I'm an atheist) but I quite like the look of SMART recovery. Annoyingly most groups are in the day when I work around this area, so might have to travel out. Still worth it!!

Any advice on what I say to my GP? I'm a little embarrassed at bring a 32 year old professional woman seeking this support. Where do I start?

From personal experience and it was hard, I told mine the truth as I knew that was the only way he could help me. I have been in and out of detox and seeing my GP since the mid 1990's for alcohol abuse, not once did I experience anyone that was judgemental, after all it is a sickness.

All the best
Andrew

Hi Andrew. Thanks for sharing. I just hope that what I have to say won't be judged. I have no idea if I'm an alcoholic, but I do know I have a problem. I would very much like to see what the GP recommends. If I can learn to be a "moderate" drinker again with help and medication fantastic. If I can't, also fantastic- because I can get the help to stop altogether! I'm not ready to tell my partner yet and certainly not my family. So I'll see my GP first, start the treatment, see how I go for a week and then let my partner know. He's already supportive of me wanting to cut back. He knows I drink too much. So I will get the help and see if he notices the change in me. If he does, then I'll share. He's thrown away his home brewing equipment, so there's no alcohol in the house. So none will be bought by me at least and he drinks beer which I detest, so I've no problem if he buys a bottle for himself.

I went to the GP at 31 and was just honest about my drinking & how anxious I was

Let us know how it goes and good luck your making a wise move

Hi Sammy, talking to the doctor was the first step for me. He/she may not give you any treatment as such, just talk over your options and offer support. There's no magic bullet out there, like antibiotics for infections, so much of your chance of success comes from you. Just telling your doc about it will help, but maybe not instantly.

Apart from talking to my doc I did research on the harmful effects of alcohol, and the stages of alcoholism, trying to see into the future if I didn't stop.

It is very difficult for the brain to hold two opposing thoughts and be fine with them. Especially if the thoughts are about alcohol. The thought of drinking thoughts alway trump the thoughts of abstinence. That's what makes recovery so tough for the alcoholic. They talk sobriety, but yearn to be normal drinkers.

Glad to hear you are going, and don't worry - there is nothing you can say that hasn't been said to your doctor before. And alcoholism knows no socioeconomic boundaries, there are doctors, lawyers, teachers, police, millionaires and people from all walks of life that have addiction issues.

As far as what to say, just be honest. Talk about your drinking and the problems it causes, and your desire to quit. There really is not "in between" with alcoholism - you cannot "re-learn" how to drink moderately, so that's not a realistic expectation to go in with.

Also - keep an open mind. Don't worry about the things you WON'T do - learn about things that you CAN do in order to beat this.

Andrew,

this reads like you came clean with your GP in the mid 1990s, he was never judgemental, but neither was he able to fix your problem. Is this correct?

So, I went to the GP who was very sympathetic. She referred me to a local non AA counselling place :D However she also said if I wanted Detox I would have to call CRI. This I did. The person who answered spoke slowly and in a raised voice to me like I was stupid. Erm, I'm a 32 year old professional?! I don't think I will be using them and I told her what I thought about her tone (in a polite and forthright way). I'll be using the local support group now. Can anyone recommend anywhere who supports detox that are not CRI? 😂😂 There is no way I would speak to another adult the way I was spoken to. Avoiding them! She also questioned why I couldn't commit to coming during opening hours 9-12. Yeah, I work full time an hours commute away...

Whats CRI ?

Good job seeing the GP

Glad things went well at the doctor. I also am not sure what you mean by CRI? But I can tell you that outpatient programs will normally be every day or at least multiple days a week so you will most likely have to take some time off work to attend no matter what.

Getting sober is going to require you to do things you most likely don't want to do or are not comfortable doing - there's no way of getting around that. We had no problem adjusting our lives in order to drink, so we have to do the same to get back out of the hole.

Not an option for me sadly to take time off work. So I'll have to pass on that particular one. I found something much better anyway!

Just be honest with your doctor, when I was truly ready to get sober I was no longer embarrassed about being a heroin addict, I wanted help too much to worry about being judged.

I have found that when you truly take getting sober seriously and do the work that it takes to get sober and be in recovery that people do not judge. I found people to be much more judging when I was actively using and refusing to help myself. I have found an amazing doctor that specializes in addiction and a substance abuse counselor. My doctor, counselor, and psychiatrist are all in the same office so it is a recovery team of doctors which all review my case and work together to help me continue to grow mentally, physically, and spiritually. I have found this is what I needed to be in recovery and to take care of my bipolar and depression issues also.

Making a recovery plan will help immensely with getting sober and staying that way. You can not be okay with drinking or not drinking..if it was an either way is okay with you thing then you wouldn't need to go get help in the first place. Please be honest with yourself and your doctor, otherwise nothing and no one will be able to help you.

That's good to hear. What did you mean by CRI? I've never heard of that term before.

Hi Sammy, I really recommend that you read the big book of Alcoholics Anonymous as soon as you can. It is like having your own private therapist and expert on the subject of alcoholism. You can down load it on a kindle in seconds. Good luck and remember, you are not alone, we all walk side by side here.

Please correct me if I'm wrong, Sammy.

CRI: Crime Reduction Initiatives -- now called CGL: change, grow, live
Link:
CRI changes its name | CGL

When I went to see my GP, I was referred to a counseling service .
I think it was called RESPOND.
But, I was already going to AA meetings where I got hope as well as help, so I never went to the counseling.

By the way, I know a couple of atheists, for whom the AA programme works very well.
That is to say: they are happily sober (over 20 years) and getting on with their lives and families.

Hi, Sam,
Its hard to quit drinking.
From what you've posted, you've been drinking a lot for 17 years. That's a pretty long time. You've also posted after what seems like some pretty heavy drinking episodes.
You likely know: only you can determine if you're an alcoholic. It is a hard thing to admit and accept.
Even if you're not a religious person, it may be worth going to an AA meeting and talking to people. It could give you a better sense of whether you should moderate or quit altogether. There are women only groups if that is more appealing to you. And, it is not a church service. It is just a meeting.
I wish you well and hope you'll keep posting on here.