Richey

SOS, LifeRing...etc..

Are they 'real' or just internet things? Where do you find them? How can I learn more about them? Does anyone here use them... how do you compare them to AA...? Do they have memberlists or obligations? I want to know everything.

I need a system without spirituality or religion.

A new day of sobriety...why do I get diarrhoea within only a few hours of stopping drinking? Painful cramps and fevers. How do I stop this or control it? It's only happened before through really bad detox but it doesn't feel that bad this time (no hallucinations or fainting)...it's all vomiting and the runs...I'm not sure about the shakes, they could just be from not being able to keep down any food and alcohol was my main source of energy. I have no food.

I don't know how I can deal with this and my girlfriend...or how she can deal with this...either of us...we got together because we share so many problems but now it just seems to be making it harder. I feel like a hypocrite because I see her drinking herself sick and it scares me so badly. She coughs up blood and I panic and cry...I cough up blood and I hide it from her or say it was a cut in my mouth :/
I don't think she has a problem...yet... but I would bet anything she ends up with one. And it'll probably be my fault. She's quite a bit younger than me and part of me thinks she does it to 'keep up'. I hate myself for it.
I don't know what to say to her because she's so sensitive. I didn't call her for a few days and then I found out she tried to HANG herself...then I call her and she was really matter-of-fact about it 'oh it would've never really worked'. Part of me wants to get away because it's hard to deal with...but I do love her and I would break her heart if she thought it wasn't true.
I don't know what to do.

Anna

Richey,

Take the medical questions to your dr. That's what he/she is there for.

All the places you mentioned can be checked out on the internet:

www.sos-recovery.co.uk
www.unhooked.com for Lifering

And by the way, what about all the numbers Minnie gave you on the other post!

Richey

If you remember from my posts in the past...my doctor is a ******* idiot. I don't trust him one bit.

Thanks for the links, though.

Anna

Then,

Get another Dr

Or go to the ER

Richey

ER...for diarrhoea? o_O

equus

You can ring NHS Direct on 0845 4647 - it's open 24hours and you can ask to speak to a qualified nurse. If yyou're detoxing and are unable to process food I think they would view it with more care than just a bloke with the runs!!

Five

Mate, you need help. Get to the doctors. Please. Get to a meeting. Do anything but just dont drink.

Read SR if it helps. Keep posting.

minnie

So, alternatives.

Ask your doctor.

Ring Drinkline on 0800 917 8282 (Mon-Fri 9am-11pm, Sat/Sun 6-11pm).

Go back to the detox place you went to a while back.

Contact your local Drug and Alcohol Team.

Call Alcohol Concern on the Information Line : 02079228667.

Call Turning Point on 020 7702 2300

That took me 3 minutes on NHS Direct. Your choice.

ismchanger

Sir, you are suffering from the delusion that you can or may presently be able to drink like other men. That bit is straight out of AA's Big Book. You are sick and you need help...but you also need to take action.

If you have blood coming out of your body from any place but a cut, you are already in the worst stages of alcoholism. You and your girlfriend likely need to be in hospital, or at least you should be somewhere safe and near help, and you probably need supervision. You need to stop drinking, period. The diarrhea will stop in a couple of days if you stop drinking and try to take proper care, but it takes time for your system to recover and regenerate the bacteria in your colon. You also need to be worried about dehydration, since your body is not retaining fluids (they are leaving through your arse). Your opinion of your doctor may be true, but then again his opinion of your drinking habits probably falls along the same lines. Get some medical help!

One thing you can do to relieve that nervous, heart-beating-a-mile-a-minute feeling is drink orange juice laced with honey. This will help a bit for the first few days. It helps provide the cheap sugar your body is craving and seems to help with the radical changes in blood pressure that alcoholic withdrawal causes.

Please get real with yourself and ask how the h*** you think you're going to pull this off without having a spiritual basis for your life? Man is a spiritual being, not just a lump of flesh. My personal opinion is you are totally deluded if you think you can get better without a spiritual component in your life. However, I know a number people in AA that have testified that the spiritual part of the Program kept them from coming in to meetings. Every one of them struggled with boozing for years until they decided they NEEDED spiritual help and humility, and then they chose to overcome their aversion to God, in small steps (with the help of a good sponsor). Mostly they did so because they eventually found out that by running under their own power they invariably cracked up and boozed again. Take my word, the world and its woes will wear you out and beat you down, and because you are an alcoholic you will tend to lament it and dwell on it and see only darkness, and that will lead you back to drinking.

Man, you two need to encourage each other to get better, but you also need to focus on your own recovery. If you care about her you'll make sure you get sober. You cannot give what you don't have; this is straight out of AA, and it's true. GO GET SOBER - NOW! - THROUGH WHATEVER MEANS YOU CAN FIND. Then and only then will you be able to help her. But make your first priority this: DO NOT PICK UP A DRINK, EVEN IF YOUR ARSE FALLS OFF!

AndrewBeen

Richey,

Your girlfriend is drinking herself sick and coughing up blood and you don't think she has a problem? What the..?

Sounds like you are both drinking yourselves to death. Don't do it, Richey, it's such a waste.

Five

THere you go Ritchy - cant beat that mate.

Five

How about telling her: drinking is killing me, and killing me quick. I need to save my life.

I am in London, if you want to meet up and talk sobriety then PM me.

Richy mate - your too young for this S HIT.

brigid

How you doing Richey?

Chabroso

Richey, you say you want to know everything about various help groups. All you need to know right now is how to prevent picking up the next drink. As long as you fiddle around trying to find something/anything that doesn't offend you in any way you are not doing anything about your problem.

I don't know about the other groups but AA is not a religious group. AA is spiritual. Man is a spiritual being whether or not you choose to recognise that fact. AA can give you the tools you need to stop you from picking up the drink. However you have to have the b*lls to do something instead of just talking about it.
Too bad if you don't like AA. They don't care whether you like them or not but they do care about helping you get sober. Take some action man.

Kurt

If you are driven within yourself that is the only factor necessary to maintain sobriety. It is definately a good thing to ensure some type of support to keep things on the straight & narrow path but you must start within. Glad to see you here at SR!! It is a good form of support & has worked well for me!!!! Hope it keeps you on course.

Kurt

Try to maintain.........If you are driven within yourself that is the only factor necessary to maintain sobriety. It is definately a good thing to ensure some type of support to keep things on the straight & narrow path but you must start within. Glad to see you here at SR!! It is a good form of support & has worked well for me!!!! Hope it keeps you on course.

Richey

I slipped up the day after i wrote this but now I'm on day 3. Couldn't update during that because phone company cut off my connection :/
The diarrhoea and vomiting has stopped, it came back a bit this evening but mainly it's stopped. I've been taking vitamin tablets but they hurt my stomach and I've been binging BIG TIME on candy. I forgot how much of my calories/enegry was from alcohol and my vision went blurry and I passed out for a few seconds earlier but after eating it's gone back to normal.
I don't feel physically that bad...I mean, I don't feel well but it feels better than being drunk, in a way, oddly, it's like i can breathe better and I'm less dizzy.
This is the least horrible withdrawal I've been through.
The extreme insomnia is pissing me off (6 hours in 4 days) but it's probably more because i decided to reward myself with a few lines last night (made me much less depressed)
Right now the depression and panic attacks is getting to me. It's hitting me properly what happened to my pets and what a sick **** i was for letting innocent animals die for a few quid to get pissed on.
I don't think I ever want to leave this bed. I can't deal with people. I didn't want sex even with coke and I'm avoiding her since because I'm yelling at everyone and I don't want to to upset her.

Richey

She drinks more than is recommended but I don't think it's alcoholic level. She coughs up blood because she's anorexic and drinks on an empty stomach.

Kurt

The spritual thing is not for everyone.........as long as you have your goals you can prevail..stick with it & good luck!!

jesse63

Richey,

I've been reading your posts for longer than I can remember. You're the only long-term poster that I've seen who has truly not taken any real steps to get sober -- only talked a lot about it, but never done ONE thing about it.

I hope that you eventually get the balls that you will need to at least try to achieve sobriety. I don't know if you have it in you.

I went to my cousin's funeral a month ago. He was a heavy drinker and died of liver failure. His symptoms were not much different from yours. He was 26, and he reminded me of you. He refused to help himself, and felt perpetually sorry for himself. And the predictable happened -- he died.

DO something.