psiwave

i am about to go sober. looking for people to chat with on AOL IM who are in recovery or about to go into it. my name's tim. sn is Timothy Leary. I would love to talk to anyone about alcoholism and recovery right now! get ahold of me! i feel the sadness.

nogard

Hi Tim,

Welcome to SR and congrats on your decision.

You can talk here, there are always people around.

Read the stickies at the top of the forum and look around at the threads.

Ask questions. DO you have a plan, best to at least dop and see a Doctor or go into a detox, don't do this alone.

Kevin

CarolD

Welcome to SR!

Sorry...I don't use either AOL IM.

Why not stay with us here on the Discussion Boards?
Others will be along shortly to say Hi!

You are not alone ...glad you found us
Hugs

AnastasiaB

Tim, I've decided to go sober today too.

Kevin, should I make an appt. with my doctor? What will they do for me?

nandm

Welcome to SR. I have found this forum to work better for me than a simple chat program such as ICQ, AOL, or IM. With this forum I am able to hear a variety of different opinions and responses. I have found that there is always someone who is going through the same thing as I am here and have found some very useful discussion and help because of it.

Hope you stick around. Give the format a try. The majority of the time you will find replies to posts are fairly prompt.

nogard

Phone up and talk to them if you can, maybe contact your local AA office and ask them what to do, they will have better advice for you as they are locals. Many people go ino a short term detox. I guess talking to a Doc and some local A members face to face will help you decide.

Good onya

Kevin

AnastasiaB

Thanks Kevin. I will do that tomorrow morning.

1963comet

Hi Tim,

Glad to see you here. There is usally someone on this sight most of the time. I have got on here at 1am and there is people here. :ghug

Wine-not!

Hey guys,
I'm new here too and terrified about quitting drinking. I am not an everyday or morning drinker, but when i do drink, i go way overboard! There is no off button, and i have no doubt that i am an alcoholic. i just don't know if i have the courage to go to an aa meeting. coming on this site was a big step! i have been drinking heavily probably since my senior year in college, and here i am 13 years later and i think my drinking has gotten to be a crutch...which i am not sure how to let go of since this is how i have coped with everything in my adult life. i have had months of being sober....with two pregnancies, but always returned to drinking about 3 months after having my daughters. for the past couple of years, the situation has gotten as bad as me having several blackouts...which i had never had before, and now i find myself making a fool out of myself in social circles. i have had no problems with the law or with other areas of my life due to drinking, yet i feel like i am not far from this if i don't stop now. i would appreciate your tips and opinions as i am a total newbie. thanx!

AnastasiaB

Hi Wine-not!

I'm new today too. I wish I had some advice to give you but I'm in the same boat you are. In fact your story is very similar to mine. I have two daughters.

Today I didn't drink. I'm trying to brainstorm things that I can do instead of drinking. I'm calling my doctor tomorrow because I'm afraid I may get withdrawals. I'm scared to tell my dr. because I'm embarrassed.

My DH is out of town for two days so I feel lonely.

nogard

hi WN Welcome to SR

Sounds familiar. Well you have made a start in recovery as you have a desire to stop. Have a look at the stickies here and in the Alcoholism Forum and in general read around, there is loads of info.

When you stop, it should be with a Dr's support and advice or in a detox, best to talk to a Doc first. Doing it alone is painful and can be dagerous and why put your self through that.

Keep posting.

Kevin

CarolD

Welcome Wine-not!...

Please check out this link from our Alcoholism Forum
It has information and experiences on de toxing

http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...at-we-did.html

As you will notice...withdrawal symptoms do vary
and seeing a doctor is wise ...as it can be dangerous.

Wine-not!

Hey everyone,
Thanks for the welcome! it helps to have support. this is a rough time right now. i need to do this very much not only for me but for my girls and hubby too. he is deployed right now....going on 15 months, and it's a very stressful time. all of the company i get is from friends or neighbors who want to smoke and have a few drinks a few nights a week. i think this is why it has gone awry this bad...this is my only interaction with the adult world. i don't work,,,,i am working on my masters and that has been a blessing since it has kept me from drinking many night! now i am on break from school for 1 month and i am dreading the holidays...i really want to get through this time. i am on day 3 and feeling very anxious. on my way to the gym now to get some endorphins going. it's great to have found you guys...thanks for the support.

Tazman53

All honesty is truly the most important thing to beginning recovery.

1. We need to be honest with our selfs first and foremost that we do have an alcohol problem and need to stop drinking.

2. We need to be honest with others as well, doctors in particular!

A doctor can not prescribe us any medication without being aware of our alcoholism properly. If we are not drinking and do not want the cravings to return they need to know to where they will not prescribe us certain meds. If we are still drinking they need to know that as well, some meds kill if taken with alcohol, anti-depressants are a waste of time if we are still drinking because alcohol is a depressant.

Most important of all though if we are planning on stopping drinking a doctor needs to be consulted and told EXACTLY how much and how often we drink!

Detox without medical supervision can and does kill!!!!

psiwave

Thank you everyone for your kind words! I just logged in after a long day and saw all the responses! You have given me much drive to participate here and help others, because I have already been through a drug rehab, counseling, and all that fun stuff. I'm only finally wanting to do this on my own now, and I just can't think about waking up in the morning without a hangover. How simple the pleasures in life become when you don't drink. Talk about scary. I was recently just getting off work, drinking the entire weekend, sleeping in, etc. Nasty pattern. Has anyone here ever gone grocery shopping, gotten lots of food, and then you don't eat for a week at a time? Just waking up on time for work and not even getting a shower. Then getting off work and the only way to relax is having a drink. Thank God it's been over a month since I took benzodiazepenes. Those are the absolute worst to combine with alcohol. Anyone have opinions? Was drinking over a 5th a day of booze. What a nasty feeling.

Thank you for everyones support, if anyone is curious on my experiences and wants some thoughts from me, please ask! I'm an open book.

--timbo

stellaloella

Tim, my best wishes are with you. I have had a real struggle this month and am finally 5 days sober. It has taken a lot of mental effort but I credit much of my motivation to having found this forum. I hope it helps you in your struggle. Feel free to message me if you wish. I have been an extremely heavy drinker for years and am finally beyond being able to control the outcomes of my drunkenness. It's hurt me and others too much already. I'm here for you if you want to converse.

nodrinkingzone

I'm on Day 3, I went to my first AA meeting after a work xmas party - you can read about what I'm going through in this thread if you like, I'm just kinda spilling my beans there - It's called:

So I just went to my first AA meeting...

And all the lovely people here have just let me get it off my chest, and have offered advice, inspiration and all sorts of support. I wish everyone in this thread who is aiming to get out of this horrific life-cycle all the very best, and all my compassion and understanding.

Being drunk sucks.

As for withdrawals, I have kicked heroin cold-turkey before so I know I can put up with a lot of uncomfortable, and I haven't been drinking that heavily for long enough to give myself brain damage, but it certainly does happen and I would think very carefully about doing it at home, alone. I'm sweaty and sore, but over the worst of it after three days I am pretty sure. I have been able to go without for a few days at a time over the course of this year, but I've been going really hard for about two months, every day, so I'm not surprised I'm withdrawing.

Wine-not - I would LOVE to go the gym, but I am covered in bruises and I have a broken rib after my last (and final) bender, so I'm in too much pain! It's a pretty constant reminder at the moment not to pick up a drink lol

youngirish

Welcome :-)