H2O

Hellooo everyone..so this is my first time on one of these support sites. I've hit rock bottom with my alcohol addiction and I need help and someone to talk to that knows what I'm going through. I've tried going to AA but I didn't feel very comfortable in those meetings. I'm 21 years old, which I guess is on the younger side if you've ever attended an AA meeting..I couldn't really relate to anyone.

I've been sober for almost a week now, which is my usual routine. I vow that I'm going to quit and 2 weeks later I feel great again, so I'm back to drinking until I black out. And the cycle goes on and on..

I need help to actually QUIT drinking for more than 2 weeks.

any advice would be great

ETA

Hi H2O. You're in a good place here. AA is not for me and, even though I'm no longer "young," I work in the arts and music scene so drinking/bars/clubs are still a part of my life. I imagine at 21 a lot of your peers are just hanging out and partying a lot.

These are very supportive, very active forums. I'm sure you will find folks who can give you good advice and input. Spend some time reading posts. There are lots of stories to learn from on here.

My problems with drinking started before I turned 18 and I carried on for another 20 years. I wish I had been as smart as you and reached out years ago!

IndaMiricale

boy i am with ETA i went for over 20 years also

but now is now you have the chance to learn early and really enjoy life


keep comin around

EmeraldRose

After 30 years of drinking I quit because of a stupid life altering situation and at that moment I wanted to stay sober more than I wanted to drink.
I went through many many attempts...binge...stop...feel better....think I could drink...binge....stop....feel better....drink. Once you feel better that is the time to keep going and seek support. Find the faith and strength you need through a higher power (as you understand it). I have found a deep deep satisfaction through my inner self and a power greater than myself since I quit and it seems to grow daily. Follow your heart and follow your journey. Wishing you peace and strength.

ETA

YUP!

I haven't had a drink in 2 weeks and have been afraid of the time when I might let my guard down, get over confident and possibly trick myself into "just one."

This may sound silly but I got a tattoo on my hand to make sure I would always remember why I can never ever ever drink again. I look at it and think of all the horrible memories, the shame... the things I can't remember due to blacking out.

I feel sooo lucky that I made it through the years without killing myself, someone else, getting a DUI or catching a disease.

babygirl111300

i have a question. how do you stop when you know its taken over but you still cant

nandm

Welcome to SR both Babygirl and H2O. Glad you are here.

Babygirl have you tried to stop by using a recovery program? That is what it took for me to finally find sobriety. Each time I tried on my own, I only succeeded for very short periods of time but with a program of recovery I have 10 years of sobriety now.

To both Babygirl and H2O: Here is a list of recovery programs in our alcoholism forum. http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...formation.html AA is not the only program out there. There are many types of recovery programs and you will find a variety of them utilized by the members here. AA just happens to be the one that has worked for me.

Zebra1275

I live in a college town and know that there are several meetings near campus for the college aged crowd. I'm sure that is true in Chicago, check the web and ask around at an AA meeting.

H2O

I was thinking of doing the same thing with the tattoo! I think it would be a good way to remind myself of why I cannot drink. Thanks

H2O

nandm--love the quote about depression.

H2O

I just want to thank everyone for the feedback. To be honest, I was a little surprised anyone responded..I guess I'm just used to having no one around with the same problems as me. I'm so grateful for your words of advice. I'll definitely be sticking around, this is a great place for support. Thank you again

recoverywfaith

Welcome to all whom are new to SR...may you find peace on your path to sobriety.

CarolD

hi to both of our newer members....

Please do keep posting with us...many of are winning over alcohol...so can you...

LexieCat

My first husband got sober when he was 21. He's not had a drink in 31 years at this point, and he has had a GREAT life so far. And he's only 53 now, so he's got years more to look forward to.

What a great gift to give yourself while you are still young!

newby1961

Welcome H20 and BabyGirl there are tons of meetings out there you just have to keep searching.

Its like buying a pair of shoes you have to try some on to find the right fit.

H20 I thought maybe you could start a trhread on here like under Newcomers or Alcoholism and you could search out on here for your age bracket. Think of a name like, 18 to 25 seeking recovery. Then maybe you might even find someone your age in your area? Just a thought.

Love to see you guys around I hang out on the Gratitude forums and my favorite the Whiners Anonymous lots of love & support.

H2O

LexieCat-- That is a true success story and it really helps to hear that! Its really hard to imagine being sober for the rest of my life when legally, its the first year I'm even allowed to drink alcohol! That gives me hope

and Newby, that is a good idea..It'll def benefit me to talk to people my age..I'll get on it!!

Dee74

welcome H20 and babygirl - great advice and support here - always
Hope to see both of you around some more

D

Scrappy

I, too, am new here. I have really enjoyed "listening" to others with more sober time than me.

I tried to get sober on my own last year and told myself that I could manage my alcoholism with "controlled drinking." It was a nice thought at the time but it obviously didn't work. I did manage to stay sober last year for a month before thinking I could do the controlled drinking thing.

This year I have 8 days so far. I am here because I realize that I need help to stay sober. AW is not fun, but did it by myself. Now I know the hardest part (for me anyway) starts...learning to live life sober.

I am worried about the first week of August because I will be going out of town. The town I am headed to has lots of great restaurants and bars...all of which I have never been to sober. I'm scared.

What have some of you done to enjoy that type of trip without drinking but without not going to those places?

ETA

I'm just over 2 weeks without drinking - this is my 3rd weekend. In that time I have gone to 2 weddings, 1 happy hour, 1 dinner with the girls and 1 trip to the lake to boat. All of which I had never done w/out drinking before.

When I wanted to have a drink I would go through the whole event as if it was a "normal" day.

Example -

For the wedding "normally" I would probably have about 3 pre-wedding drinks, many many more during the reception, act stupid, start a fight with my boyfriend because I wanted to stay longer, send him home and drive myself home drunk. I would wake up the next morning remembering that I had been a jerk and unable to remember how I got home.

Same thing with the boating today - I really wanted a beer. I thought about the last time boating where I had a beer, and another, and another, got dehydrated, more beer, peed in the toilet even though the owner of the boat told me not to because it was broken, drove home drunk... etc. etc.

The end result for me was always me getting too drunk. Thinking about the last drink instead of the first seems to be a pretty good motivator.

For some staying away from any temptation for a while is necessary. There are some folks on here who have cancelled vacations for the time being until they get further along.

EmeraldRose

I've done that three times....now my tattoos represent new life and moving forward. Not the past. The reminder I need not to drink is refreshing newness of my life in sobriety.