Six Months......Thanks...
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 16
Six Months......Thanks...
Hello,
Well, it's Independence Day, and I feel free from alcohol. I know, kinda corny, but I made it to 6 months (actually a little longer, since Jan 1st), after many attempts. My previous attempts always ended with the "I don't have a problem, I can just have a couple" thought and I give in only to end up back to square one or worse. I am a binge drinker, not an everyday drinker, and I cannot have "just a couple". If I have one, I will continue to drink until I physically can't drink anymore. (i.e. wasted or passed out). This site has been a great source of support and I have been mostly a lurker so I wanted to offer some insight to what I have gone through and hopefully it will help someone.
#1 - Patience - it is tough the first few days/months. I wanted everything to be perfect. Hey, I quit drinking, how come my life isn't great now? Instant gratification, probably why I started/continued drinking for so long. I don't know about everyone here, but most likely we ended up at this point after multiple years of drinking/binging. I had to keep reminded myself that it took years to get this point (over 20 years!), it will take time to recover. Everyday gets a little better, but it sometimes is two steps forward and one step back. You know you are getting there when you forget how many days it has been.
#2 Commitment - This time, in addition to committing to quit for good, I told multiple friends and family members of my decision. This has had two benefits. #1 is the have multiple people to vent/ask for help from and #2 have someone to hold you to your decision. I have had two episodes where a close friend would not let me have a drink when I was wavering and almost gave in. Without him, I probably would be back a square one. I tried to quit multiple times without asking for any help, and I failed everytime.
#3 Drinking Buddies - This was always my achilles heel in the past. I always gave in to their peer pressure to drink. Every activity always revolved around booze and getting wasted. It has been tough with the 3rd degree questions - why did you stop? when are you going to start again? you don't have a problem, just have a couple!. That one I always answered, hey, name the last time you had 2 beers and stopped? Silence. I think it just made everyone think about their own drinking and if they had a problem. I have less and less contact with the true drinking buddies and only the friends who have accepted my decision I still hang out with and I believe they respect me more for making this decision. You are making this decision for you, not your friends. Be selfish, if they don't like it, too bad!
#4 Health - I've lost about 15 pounds and look a lot better. People have noticed. Exercising is great when feeling down or when you have urges....or just sitting in a sauna seemed to help. Sleeping so much more deeper and dreaming again. No more panic attacks. Huge sugar cravings, but not as bad as the first couple of months. My mind is so much more clearer and I believe my memory and brain function in general is more focused. Overall peaceful feeling. Still have some depression, but mostly because of all of the time I've lost and the feeling of regret for some of the decisions I've made with my relationships that were affected by alcohol abuse. I have to rebuild a lot of relationships.
#5 Time - It will be incredible how much more time you have as you won't be either drinking or recovering from a hangover! I have accomplished so many things that have been on a to do list for years. My hobby of guitar playing has taken off to actually playing in a band. I have started reading again and doing home improvements. I've signed up for a scuba class. My work performance has increased dramatically...no more sick days or showing up late on Mondays. So be prepared to fill the time with some new or old hobbies or make a to do list of things you have been neglecting and start checking those items off.
#6 Urges - They will come, and go. My way of dealing was to create a list of all of the negative things that would happen if I drank (hangover, stomach issues, anxiety, back to square one, depression....etc). I had a long list. I then went through that mentally every time I had an urge and sometimes imagined those symptoms to the point where I was almost physically ill. The mind is a powerful creature. The second best thing is to have someone with you who you can talk to or won't allow you to drink.
I feel 1000% better than I did six months ago, and I am working on improving myself overall. Someone once posted or I read that once you start a drug addiction, your development freezes. I don't think I'm a 16 year old kid but I feel I have some major maturing to do and need to work on my overall relationships. I used alcohol to numb these issues or not deal with them. Now my mind is clearer, my body is functioning so much better, and I am proud of my decision to quit drinking. If you are wavering or think "you don't have a problem", don't drink! You know the past, one drink will be two, then three than you will be back to square one again and feeling terrible. Do you really want that? You don't know the future, but hopefully yours, like mine, will be so much better if you don't drink.
Peace ...
Well, it's Independence Day, and I feel free from alcohol. I know, kinda corny, but I made it to 6 months (actually a little longer, since Jan 1st), after many attempts. My previous attempts always ended with the "I don't have a problem, I can just have a couple" thought and I give in only to end up back to square one or worse. I am a binge drinker, not an everyday drinker, and I cannot have "just a couple". If I have one, I will continue to drink until I physically can't drink anymore. (i.e. wasted or passed out). This site has been a great source of support and I have been mostly a lurker so I wanted to offer some insight to what I have gone through and hopefully it will help someone.
#1 - Patience - it is tough the first few days/months. I wanted everything to be perfect. Hey, I quit drinking, how come my life isn't great now? Instant gratification, probably why I started/continued drinking for so long. I don't know about everyone here, but most likely we ended up at this point after multiple years of drinking/binging. I had to keep reminded myself that it took years to get this point (over 20 years!), it will take time to recover. Everyday gets a little better, but it sometimes is two steps forward and one step back. You know you are getting there when you forget how many days it has been.
#2 Commitment - This time, in addition to committing to quit for good, I told multiple friends and family members of my decision. This has had two benefits. #1 is the have multiple people to vent/ask for help from and #2 have someone to hold you to your decision. I have had two episodes where a close friend would not let me have a drink when I was wavering and almost gave in. Without him, I probably would be back a square one. I tried to quit multiple times without asking for any help, and I failed everytime.
#3 Drinking Buddies - This was always my achilles heel in the past. I always gave in to their peer pressure to drink. Every activity always revolved around booze and getting wasted. It has been tough with the 3rd degree questions - why did you stop? when are you going to start again? you don't have a problem, just have a couple!. That one I always answered, hey, name the last time you had 2 beers and stopped? Silence. I think it just made everyone think about their own drinking and if they had a problem. I have less and less contact with the true drinking buddies and only the friends who have accepted my decision I still hang out with and I believe they respect me more for making this decision. You are making this decision for you, not your friends. Be selfish, if they don't like it, too bad!
#4 Health - I've lost about 15 pounds and look a lot better. People have noticed. Exercising is great when feeling down or when you have urges....or just sitting in a sauna seemed to help. Sleeping so much more deeper and dreaming again. No more panic attacks. Huge sugar cravings, but not as bad as the first couple of months. My mind is so much more clearer and I believe my memory and brain function in general is more focused. Overall peaceful feeling. Still have some depression, but mostly because of all of the time I've lost and the feeling of regret for some of the decisions I've made with my relationships that were affected by alcohol abuse. I have to rebuild a lot of relationships.
#5 Time - It will be incredible how much more time you have as you won't be either drinking or recovering from a hangover! I have accomplished so many things that have been on a to do list for years. My hobby of guitar playing has taken off to actually playing in a band. I have started reading again and doing home improvements. I've signed up for a scuba class. My work performance has increased dramatically...no more sick days or showing up late on Mondays. So be prepared to fill the time with some new or old hobbies or make a to do list of things you have been neglecting and start checking those items off.
#6 Urges - They will come, and go. My way of dealing was to create a list of all of the negative things that would happen if I drank (hangover, stomach issues, anxiety, back to square one, depression....etc). I had a long list. I then went through that mentally every time I had an urge and sometimes imagined those symptoms to the point where I was almost physically ill. The mind is a powerful creature. The second best thing is to have someone with you who you can talk to or won't allow you to drink.
I feel 1000% better than I did six months ago, and I am working on improving myself overall. Someone once posted or I read that once you start a drug addiction, your development freezes. I don't think I'm a 16 year old kid but I feel I have some major maturing to do and need to work on my overall relationships. I used alcohol to numb these issues or not deal with them. Now my mind is clearer, my body is functioning so much better, and I am proud of my decision to quit drinking. If you are wavering or think "you don't have a problem", don't drink! You know the past, one drink will be two, then three than you will be back to square one again and feeling terrible. Do you really want that? You don't know the future, but hopefully yours, like mine, will be so much better if you don't drink.
Peace ...
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Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: The Deep South
Posts: 14,636
Congratulations on your six months of sobriety, Whiskers! 
And what a great post for some of us newbies to read
I'm for sure taking mental notes of your experience. Thanks for sharing this. It seems realistic and do-able.
And what a great post for some of us newbies to read
I'm for sure taking mental notes of your experience. Thanks for sharing this. It seems realistic and do-able.
Congrats...well done.
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