“Bite your tongue!” said the angel…resting on my left shoulder to the devil standing
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Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Box of Chocolates
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Bite your tongue! said the angelresting on my left shoulder to the devil standing
Bite your tongue! said the angelresting on my left shoulder to the devil standing on my right shoulder
If youre like me, youve heard this discussion thousands of times
Devil: You DO have the willpower to only have one drink.
Angel: No you dont! Please give up the habit TODAY!
Devil: Come ondont quit today, lets just get one more weekend in.
Angel: Youve been saying one more weekend for over a decade. Stop!
Devil: What a buzz kill that angel b%tch is! Alcohol has been proven to have health benefits.
Angel: Not the way YOU drink. Your blood pressure is too highYour weight is up causing your arthritis in your kneeswhat health benefits?
Devil: Life is too short. You have to have fun.
Angel: FUN?! Daily withdrawalsLow blood sugar putting you on the edge of panic attacksRed face in the morningembarrassment from coming in lateFun?
Devil: All logic aside, you know you want to.
Angel: BITE YOUR TOUNGE DEVIL! HE HAS KIDS WATCHING HIM DRINK EVERYDAY! Theyre almost driving age. What if they drink and drive?! Will he ever get over of unintentionally grooming them for such a dangerous habit knowing that alcoholism runs in his family?!!
Devil: The more lives I screw up the better
Me (finally): Im so sick of hearing this conversation every day of my life. I know youre right angel. Im stopping today. Please pray for me.
Today, Im listening to my angel again. This needs to work. My health is deteriorating and I cant stand the thought of my kids rationalizing drinking because their Dad (and Mom) did. They have no idea how much discomfort Im in and the consequences of my actions.
I would appreciate it, if a few of you would check in with me a week from today. Knowing that Im accountable to someone has always helped me. My angel needs all the help she can get
If youre like me, youve heard this discussion thousands of times
Devil: You DO have the willpower to only have one drink.
Angel: No you dont! Please give up the habit TODAY!
Devil: Come ondont quit today, lets just get one more weekend in.
Angel: Youve been saying one more weekend for over a decade. Stop!
Devil: What a buzz kill that angel b%tch is! Alcohol has been proven to have health benefits.
Angel: Not the way YOU drink. Your blood pressure is too highYour weight is up causing your arthritis in your kneeswhat health benefits?
Devil: Life is too short. You have to have fun.
Angel: FUN?! Daily withdrawalsLow blood sugar putting you on the edge of panic attacksRed face in the morningembarrassment from coming in lateFun?
Devil: All logic aside, you know you want to.
Angel: BITE YOUR TOUNGE DEVIL! HE HAS KIDS WATCHING HIM DRINK EVERYDAY! Theyre almost driving age. What if they drink and drive?! Will he ever get over of unintentionally grooming them for such a dangerous habit knowing that alcoholism runs in his family?!!
Devil: The more lives I screw up the better
Me (finally): Im so sick of hearing this conversation every day of my life. I know youre right angel. Im stopping today. Please pray for me.
Today, Im listening to my angel again. This needs to work. My health is deteriorating and I cant stand the thought of my kids rationalizing drinking because their Dad (and Mom) did. They have no idea how much discomfort Im in and the consequences of my actions.
I would appreciate it, if a few of you would check in with me a week from today. Knowing that Im accountable to someone has always helped me. My angel needs all the help she can get
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Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: ENGLAND
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Originally Posted by Gump 
Me (finally): I’m so sick of hearing this conversation every day of my life. I know you’re right angel. I’m stopping today.
I'm with you all the way ! keep strong and true to yourself.
chris
Last edited by Midas; 02-05-2007 at 07:25 PM.
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Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Box of Chocolates
Posts: 14
Thanks to those of you who have been kind enough to check with me in a week...
Kevin,
I don't have a support group and I'm really trying to do this without one. I've read AA can be awesome but I'm hoping not to have to "out" myself. If I can't put the bottle down this time though, I'm going to have to seek out help or else my health will continue to decline and I won't be able to enjoy my grandkids when the time arrives.
Anyone got any tips on how to get through night #1? (My body is wondering what is going on since I'm about 2 hours past due on my first glass of wine.)
Kevin,
I don't have a support group and I'm really trying to do this without one. I've read AA can be awesome but I'm hoping not to have to "out" myself. If I can't put the bottle down this time though, I'm going to have to seek out help or else my health will continue to decline and I won't be able to enjoy my grandkids when the time arrives.
Anyone got any tips on how to get through night #1? (My body is wondering what is going on since I'm about 2 hours past due on my first glass of wine.)
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Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: SAN DIEGO, CA
Posts: 379
Gump -
With only 5 days under my belt I can't give advice, only reiterate what has worked for me.
I drank heavily over the past few years (day and night for the past year). Finally admitted I have a problem. Cut back to two drinks/day for about 10 days. During that time I had night sweats, disturbed sleep, anxiety, shaking, b****y, etc. The symptoms lasted approx. 3 - 4 days. I immediately (prior to cutting back) started taking: Milti vit, B complex, Milk Thistle, Omega 3, Cal/Mag/Zink, Melatonin, copious amounts of water, eatting correctly.
I'm now on Day 5 of total sobriety. Since quitting totally, the night sweats and disturbed sleep have returned. It's a small price to pay and should not last much longer!! I wake up in the morning calm and refreshed, my anxiety is reduced 90%, I have more confidence, my eyes are clear, I'm proud of myself, and so is my spouse! I had originally planned to take week off of work, but it was not necessary.
I get cravings between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. Keep busy. Just find something to do.
AA has been helpful, but if not that or something else, I hope you have the support of your spouse. Just do it!!
Keep posting and let us know how you are doing. Having SR is like an online meeting. The support is great -
Check out the sticky thread at the top of the Alcoholics Forum - What to Expect when Quitting. It's a great source of information!
With only 5 days under my belt I can't give advice, only reiterate what has worked for me.
I drank heavily over the past few years (day and night for the past year). Finally admitted I have a problem. Cut back to two drinks/day for about 10 days. During that time I had night sweats, disturbed sleep, anxiety, shaking, b****y, etc. The symptoms lasted approx. 3 - 4 days. I immediately (prior to cutting back) started taking: Milti vit, B complex, Milk Thistle, Omega 3, Cal/Mag/Zink, Melatonin, copious amounts of water, eatting correctly.
I'm now on Day 5 of total sobriety. Since quitting totally, the night sweats and disturbed sleep have returned. It's a small price to pay and should not last much longer!! I wake up in the morning calm and refreshed, my anxiety is reduced 90%, I have more confidence, my eyes are clear, I'm proud of myself, and so is my spouse! I had originally planned to take week off of work, but it was not necessary.
I get cravings between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. Keep busy. Just find something to do.
AA has been helpful, but if not that or something else, I hope you have the support of your spouse. Just do it!!
Keep posting and let us know how you are doing. Having SR is like an online meeting. The support is great -
Check out the sticky thread at the top of the Alcoholics Forum - What to Expect when Quitting. It's a great source of information!
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Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Arlington, MA
Posts: 2
Try writing down that feeling of giving in to addiction
I don't know if this will help you much, but it helped me. It was a suggestion from my therapist during the time when I was addicted to computer games -- so badly that I was barely eating or sleeping at all, missing work, lying to people, not answering the phone, not paying bills, letting dirty dishes and laundry pile up everywhere, etc.
First I picked a date on which I planned to go cold turkey. It was about 10 days in the future. Then, as my therapist suggested, I sat down with pen and paper to describe in words EXACTLY what it felt like as I teetered on that edge between the Good Angel and Bad Devil, as you call them. (In my case I think of them as the Will to Health or the Will to Self-Destruction. But anyway.)
I wrote about one page, crying all the way through. I tried to describe exactly what it felt like, when my fingers seemed to have their own mind as I got sucked into one game after another, for 20 hours at a time. How the "pleasure" really only lasted for a brief second, and then it was all vague numbness, but not a good feeling.
It took a while to write it, and the process was painful. But I've been on the wagon for a year now, and I can go back and read what I wrote any time. The process of describing the feeling helped get it out of me and onto the paper. Now the idea of playing -- while appealing when I'm feeling sad/lonely/scared/etc. -- actually disgusts me.
So, maybe you could try to express the feeling that you have when you succumb to the Devil. Try writing it down in words, as clearly as you can, and save what you wrote.
Just a suggestion. And good luck!
Swimmer
First I picked a date on which I planned to go cold turkey. It was about 10 days in the future. Then, as my therapist suggested, I sat down with pen and paper to describe in words EXACTLY what it felt like as I teetered on that edge between the Good Angel and Bad Devil, as you call them. (In my case I think of them as the Will to Health or the Will to Self-Destruction. But anyway.)
I wrote about one page, crying all the way through. I tried to describe exactly what it felt like, when my fingers seemed to have their own mind as I got sucked into one game after another, for 20 hours at a time. How the "pleasure" really only lasted for a brief second, and then it was all vague numbness, but not a good feeling.
It took a while to write it, and the process was painful. But I've been on the wagon for a year now, and I can go back and read what I wrote any time. The process of describing the feeling helped get it out of me and onto the paper. Now the idea of playing -- while appealing when I'm feeling sad/lonely/scared/etc. -- actually disgusts me.
So, maybe you could try to express the feeling that you have when you succumb to the Devil. Try writing it down in words, as clearly as you can, and save what you wrote.
Just a suggestion. And good luck!
Swimmer
Today
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: The South
Posts: 20
Tinlizzy - Thanks for the vitamin info. I have been taking Milk Thistle beacuse I know I have already screwed up my liver (doc said so), but I did not know about the others you listed.
Off to the health food store.....
Off to the health food store.....
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