atlantanelson

Hey there, My names Atlanta and I'm almost 20 years old - Right now I'm finding it EXTREMELY hard to stop drinking, mostly from my withdrawal symptoms that start to come on if I don't...if I don't drink I start to feel very nauseous and sick. I try so hard to not drink each night, but I always end up having at least three glasses of wine, and maybe a couple of beers to go with it. I have an eating disorder so I don't eat food with the alcohol I drink, which makes it that much more potent...Alcohol has ruined everything for me, and it's getting so out of control its scaring me. I can't stop beating myself up about my drinking, all I can think each day is what a stupid failure I am, and how I'll never amount to anything, etc...and that just makes me wanna drink more. I feel so lost and hopeless, and I guess coming on here was sort of my last resort :/ I definitely know I need help, but I'm so scared about what's going to happen...Sorry for the rant - Just wanted to know if there's anyone else out there who can relate

least

Welcome! I can relate a bit. When I stopped drinking I wondered what on earth I'd do with my life without drinking. But now that I've been sober a good while I'm enjoying my life so much more sober.


There are a lot of ways to stop drinking and stay sober. There are many recovery methods including AA, SMART, Women for Sobriety, and more. I stay sober with weekly counseling and daily visits to this site. It's kept me sober for nearly three years.

Whatever way you get sober, work it as if your life depends on it - cause it does!

Natom

Hey Atlanta,

Welcome to the forums. I can relate to the feeling of not being able to stop drinking. I had an addiction to cocaine and alcohol played a huge role in that and I ended up not being able to control drinking. Truth is I couldn't control my use of any drug or substance. There's lots of stuff you can do to help yourself get sober. Signing up here was a good start. Perhaps you should check if there are any drug or alcohol services in your area. There normally is in or around cities. Or if you have ever considered going to AA then it is perhaps worth looking on their website and finding a meeting near you. If AA doesn't float your boat then other methods of recovery such as SMART or AVRT might help.

Getting sober is naturally a very scary thing. We spent so much of our lives getting wasted that even the thought of not being in the substance induced haze scares the crap out of us. It is possible to recover. It is also possible to have a brilliant life whilst sober and in recovery. If you truly want sobriety then you will get it. You just have to make the right moves. Read around the forum and have a look at any of the threads that interest you. I'm only 23 so I am a youngun too and it is possible for us to get clean and sober at this early age. I wish you all the best in your journey.

Natom.

SoberForMySon

I totally understand the guilt and shame. That, and paranoia of something bad coming of my last drinking session, are my biggest issues. I have quit a week ago yesterday, and if I can do it, you can to. It's not always going to be easy, but it's so worth it. This site has been my rock! I think of coming here and posting and it stops me any time I get tempted.

wpainterw

Well there are two things to think about in order to get going on this. The first is what you call the withdrawal symptoms. If you keep having those and are scared (rightfully so!) it's going to make it much harder for you to quit and it could also be dangerous to you in other ways. I advise that you see a doctor on this and be entirely open and honest about what's going on. This may be hard for you to do but you should keep in mind that this is a professional situation, everything is confidential and the doctor's job is not to judge you but to help you get into recovery. Try to pick a doctor who has some skill and training in addiction.
The second thing is to get the recovery going. If you can get to a counselor this would be very helpful. In addition it is often very helpful to enter some kind of group or program so that you can benefit from the experience and companionship of other alcoholics. It doesn't have to be AA but it can be. Try to choose a group that you find congenial and helpful.
And keep posting on this SR website and tell us how it goes. Good luck. Every good wish.

W.

atlantanelson

Thank you all so much for your replies, I'm glad to see you can relate Thanks so much for each of your responses. I'm actually attending an outpatient program for addiction right now and it's a great AA/CBT/Different kinds of therapy group, so that's been quite helpful...

It's just scary to face what's going on in my mind....I was raped a few months ago and I haven't been able to stop drinking myself stupid ever since then...This seriously needs to STOP though, I mean I was raped BECAUSE of drinking, I've done dangerous things in bars with strangers...I can't do it anymore. I don't want this lifestyle, because it's not even living. I just don't wanna drink and today I'm going to try and work REALLY hard to not drink and work through my withdrawal symptoms which are milder now...*Sigh* Here we go...

Twenties

My withdrawal symptoms were awful. That's great that you've been going to outpatient treatment, etc

Try not to beat yourself up while you're getting sober. In fact, take pride in it. Look at it this way....you're making real progress in life by getting sober. In fact, HUGE progress. Remind yourself that every time you start getting depressed and beating yourself up. you're just setting yourself up for success for now.

What helped for me was seeing a physician the I trust, and who will follow up with me. I was put on some great medications that have really helped me Don't be afraid or embarrassed to seek medical treatment, if you haven't already. They see this all the time.

Good luck!