Need Advice
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 2
Need Advice
I am new...I know I have a problem and I can see it but I cant seem to stop..the thing is I know I have a drinking problem only after I have been drinking..when I am sober I always rationalize my way out of it...I feel like I realy want help and want to quit...completely but dont know where to start. Dont think I can..any first step help?
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 211,443
That was my life for years sourpeaus - I'd drink so much I got sick...then get better and think I was overreacting cos I was fine now.
Coming here is a great place to start. Writing down my problems and worries, as well as reading other peoples, helped me keep in mind I really did have a problem.
If you've been drinking heavily for a while, it's in your best interests to see a Dr - detox can sometimes be problematic.
Take it a day at a time - make a daily commitment not to drink that day. You'll find a lot of support here
Are you thinking of face to face support as well? you'll find a lot of people here from AA, SMART and a bunch of other recovery groups who be happy to share their experience with you too
Welcome to SR
D
Coming here is a great place to start. Writing down my problems and worries, as well as reading other peoples, helped me keep in mind I really did have a problem.
If you've been drinking heavily for a while, it's in your best interests to see a Dr - detox can sometimes be problematic.
Take it a day at a time - make a daily commitment not to drink that day. You'll find a lot of support here
Are you thinking of face to face support as well? you'll find a lot of people here from AA, SMART and a bunch of other recovery groups who be happy to share their experience with you too
Welcome to SR
D
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 2
I have thought many times about face to face but am sp scared of recognition. I live in a small area and come from a long line of alcoholics and do not want to embarass my family or myself...I know I want to recover or atleast maintain but to start I need, I just dont know what I need...I try one day at a time and I start out strog..just like this mornign but by 11 I am gone.
SR Fan
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Mississippi
Posts: 7,910
Hi sourpeaus - I was like you when I first came here. I couldn't quit (and didn't want to, but wished I could at the same time.) It was scary at first, but hanging out with the folks on this forum gave me the encouragement and support I needed. Now that I've had a bit of sober time, I can't imagine going back to alcohol's vicious cycle.
You have to take sobriety one day at a time, step by step. You've made a good start by admitting your problem and reaching out for help.
You have to take sobriety one day at a time, step by step. You've made a good start by admitting your problem and reaching out for help.
Member
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Atlanta
Posts: 31,179
(((sourpeaus))) - welcome to SR! Though alcohol wasnt my "thing" (crack was), I read here for over a year before I finally signed on. Something kept drawing me back....I think it was hope that I could deal with my crack addiction.
I second ((Dee's)) recommendation that you see a dr. Alcohol withdrawal can be serious...even fatal. I was an RN in my "previous life" before addiction, and want you to be careful.
When I first got clean, I was angry. I didn't want to accept that I was an addict. I stayed clean, for months at a time, using occasionally, before finally relapsing in a big way, for 2 weeks. It was then that I knew I just couldn't do it any more.
However, I still wasn't ready. I don't know of your spirituality, but I had to pray...."to be willing to be willing to not want crack". Every day, it seemed like hundreds of cravings came up, but I would tell myself "not an option....next!" with "next" being a cue to distract myself. The combination of the two worked, for me. I can't tell you how long it was, but I was eventually able to drop one of the "willings" from my prayer.
Today? I've got almost 4 years in recovery, and you'd have to hold a gun to my head to make me smoke crack....something I did 24/7 for years.
SR has been my liefline, but I also have some f2f people who help. FWIW, I was an RN when I first got into recovery...one of the first meetings, I sat next to a dr., who I'd worked with for years. Small towns may seem "all in your business", but the day I sat in a meeting, with a judge, who had his picture posted on the front page for shoplifting (due to drugs), and he still showed up? It made me realize that reaching out for help isn't a bad thing...it's a very good thing, and most people will respect you for it. Those who don't? Well, maybe they don't need to be a part of your life.
Recovery isn't easy, but worth it? Oh yeah
Hugs and prayers,
Amy
I second ((Dee's)) recommendation that you see a dr. Alcohol withdrawal can be serious...even fatal. I was an RN in my "previous life" before addiction, and want you to be careful.
When I first got clean, I was angry. I didn't want to accept that I was an addict. I stayed clean, for months at a time, using occasionally, before finally relapsing in a big way, for 2 weeks. It was then that I knew I just couldn't do it any more.
However, I still wasn't ready. I don't know of your spirituality, but I had to pray...."to be willing to be willing to not want crack". Every day, it seemed like hundreds of cravings came up, but I would tell myself "not an option....next!" with "next" being a cue to distract myself. The combination of the two worked, for me. I can't tell you how long it was, but I was eventually able to drop one of the "willings" from my prayer.
Today? I've got almost 4 years in recovery, and you'd have to hold a gun to my head to make me smoke crack....something I did 24/7 for years.
SR has been my liefline, but I also have some f2f people who help. FWIW, I was an RN when I first got into recovery...one of the first meetings, I sat next to a dr., who I'd worked with for years. Small towns may seem "all in your business", but the day I sat in a meeting, with a judge, who had his picture posted on the front page for shoplifting (due to drugs), and he still showed up? It made me realize that reaching out for help isn't a bad thing...it's a very good thing, and most people will respect you for it. Those who don't? Well, maybe they don't need to be a part of your life.
Recovery isn't easy, but worth it? Oh yeah
Hugs and prayers,
Amy
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