FreeinMilwaukee

Hi everyone. This is totally new for me. I've avoided support groups for a long time. I've been drinking for over 10 years now and it has greatly impacted my life. Over the last year I have fought to contain my alcoholism to weekend drinking so that it wouldn't interfere with my work. It is fun to drink on Friday night but then I feel just awful Saturday morning. Then, I drink to not feel terrible and the feel even worse on Sunday. I go through withdrawals Sunday, Monday and Tuesday (and somtimes Wednesday). Then I have two good days before I start the cycle again. I can't go through withdrawal anymore. I hate it so much! I am 3 days and 23 hours sober and on the dawn of day 4. Busting through that Friday boundary is going to be rough. I've planned alot of activities and responsibilities for Friday night and Saturday. Posting here will be a huge part of my strategy. I HAVE to win this time. I cannot continue on this cycle of self-destruction!!! Does anyone have any pointers?

least

I have gotten a lot of strength from AA meetings. THis is a great site but actual real life meetings are also a big help to me. Should be a lot of meetings if you live in a city. Someone more computer savvy than me will undoubtedly be along with a link for AA meetings in your city. Check out a few meetings. You might like it.

serenityqueen

Yeph! How about going to some AA Meetings?

I not only began and continue to go to AA for the "educational value" of the Program, but also the Fellowship, support and strength I get from AA.

Nearly everyone of my so called friends I had when I was drinking and getting high were also doing the same. Not all had an addiction problem but when trying to get clean and sober, the last think you need to do is be around alcohol or drugs. One of the oldtimers I see at meetings quite often has a favorite saying through his ill fitted dentures,"If ya keep goin to the shoe store, sooner or later you're gonna buy some damn shoes."

Keeping busy is a good idea, but don't run yourself ragged. A great rule of thumb is:

We'd be happy to have you posting through the weekend with us, but it's important to have local support as well.

One Day at A Time,
Judy

CarolD

Welcome to SR!

I agree...your drinking life is not working for yu.
I too found the misery go round cycle had to cease.

Congratulations on seeking a better way to live.

least

The "misery go round"! I've never heard it put more accurately or succinctly before.

FreeinMilwaukee

Thank you for your advice, everyone.

problemchild

Yup, drink, feel like crap, drink, to feel better,Story of my life.........STAY SOBER......

PrimalScream

Hey FreeinMilwaukee, you sound almost exactly like me...click on my name and you can read my past posts (there's not that many as I am pretty new), they may help you out. Good luck this weekend. I am attempting to stay clean and sober this weekend right along with you. You can do it!!

Astro

Hello Free, and welcome to SR!

I drank on holidays, I drank on workdays, I drank on days that ended in d-a-y. Something had to change, and I wasn't capable of doing it on my own.

The only thing that worked for me was AA and daily meetings, I guess by now I've been to well over 1,000. It works so I keep going.

If you really want to stay clean and sober you'll find something that works for you. It is possible to never take a drink again, we do it one day at a time.

Astro

AA Milwaukee

Meeting Directory - Alcoholics Anonymous - Milwaukee

Hevyn

Hi Free - well, you just described me too - about 20 years ago. I am VERY familiar with the rollercoaster ride we put ourselves on. Always seeking that pleasant feeling we used to have, long ago. Feeling lousy the morning after drinking led me to the "hair of the dog" trick. Wow, it felt great to have those first few beers to cure my hangover - headache and shakes magically disappeared! Of course, this twisted behavior led to 24/7 drinking many times over the years. How many times can one keep snapping back? Being older, I can't put my body through that ever again. Bravo to you for recognizing what needs to be done. I can say, without exagerration, SR has saved my life. Many a night I sat here crying, shaking, and reading. Without the knowledge and camaraderie I found here, I would be sitting in my yard working on my 10th beer of the day - that is, if I was still alive. Hoping you will find what you need here too.

FreeinMilwaukee

I have been stumbling quite a bit lately. I was sober for 5 days then couldn't sleep one night. I tossed and turned until 2 in the morning. Finally, I took 3 drinks since I thought it would help. It did. I fell asleep and woke up at 5 for work. And, withdrawal. I felt horrible all day at work. My mind didn't function right and I felt off my game. Last night I lapsed again. I am fighting for my life here and it's so hard. In Wisconsin you can't buy alcohol after 9 (in a bar you can but I don't go) and it's 6:50 right now. Two hours to go. I'm going back and forth between intending to drink and periods of calm where it seems manageable. When does it stop being so hard?

CarolD

For me.....I was back in balance ...physically and mentally
around my 60 days of AA recovery.

It was glorious to know I never needed
to drink or de tox again!

Yes! you too can feel the joy of living sober.

FreeinMilwaukee

Not detoxing again would be a gift from God. I hate to detox. I hate feeling depressed and having my hands shake so much I can't drink my coffee in the morning. I hate knowing that I'm one episode closer to the one that ends my life. I'm 2 days sober today. What is so great about it is that those two days were on a Friday and a Saturday. Those are the days of the week that I drink! I'm in new territory here, but I have an adrenaline rush that makes me feel 10 years younger.

Rusty Zipper

dont buy the ticket!

FiM, thats huge your not drinking on the days you normaly do...

try to get and develope a plan soon...

12 little steps, that are so big, have worked for me...

welcome to the family!

good wishes

rz

FreeinMilwaukee

Cranesjoy, your feedback was not helpful. When somebody is making an effort to change their life and reaching out for help, it is thoughtless and harmful to strike out at them. That may be the way things are done in your meetings. If so, you are doing new members a disservice. Thanks to the helpful feedback I received from others on this site and from the suffering I read in other peoples posts I was able to do something I have not done in a long while - make it through the weekend. So, I guess I WILL keep doing what I am doing. Also, you spelled sense wrong. But, thinking about what you write before you write it might make too much "sence"