Newdawn10033

Its been awhile since i posted. I started this all about a month and a half ago. I have not been 100 percent sober since then but I believe I am making progress. I have cut out my drinking a great deal. I have gone out on a few occasions and had drinks with friends. I have not drank at my house alone since I came to this board. I am finding I have started to get alot of my old hobbies back ! This week I went hunting for the first time in years. I did not want to drink because I was so excited about getting up at 4 am and getting into the woods. I have also found that since I cut out most of my alcohol consumption I am in alot better mood and get excited to go out and socialize. I felt like i was a recluse when I was drinking everynight. I never wanted to go out and socialize... just stay at home and drink. Last night I went out with my friends and I had about 5 beers while eating and watching the football game. I woke up this morning with a hangover and felt like crap. I honestly feel like I have started to return to the pre drinking me. When I avoided alcohol because it made me feel like crap.

Dee74

Hi New Dawn

yeah cutting back never worked for me...having a little bit of a drinking problem was like being a little bit pregnant for me...

No matter how little I drank I was still in the cycle...and I always ended up back in the same dark place.

Have you considered quitting entirely?

D

MIRecovery

If you ever need any advice on how NOT to cut back let me know. I am an expert in ways to fail. Maybe there is a way but I sure never found it in 25 years of trying

Ghostlight

Glad to hear you're making progress. I needed to stop all together to really quit.
But, whatever works for you.

Best you

Newdawn10033

It looks like you are all right. There is no moderation ! I drank on Thursday night and then last night said what the heck its the weekend I might as well enjoy another night of drinking. I was not craving alcohol at all and here I am Saturday morning almost hungry for more alcohol tonight.

duane1

Sorry, but 5 beers last night at dinner doesn't sound like progress. Why play this game with such a powerful addiction? So powerful that it was able to lure you back in. Did it not? I'm at 6 months right now and I pray to God that I don't get sucked back into that one drink line. I know it isn't possible with me to regulate. It doesn't appear that long term you can regulate either. Have you considered quitting for good?

artsoul

A lot of us have been there, done that. I learned the hard way that one drink will always lead me to justifying another at some point. And so the whole progression starts all over again.

You did a great thing, though - you posted! And you can use this to help you sort out the thoughts/feelings that that tripped you up. Hang in there - you'll get back your momentum once you have a day or two sober.

MsJax

Hi newdawn. I know when I was still battling alcohol and would try to moderate it was so exhausting. For every time I successfully moderated there were 10 more times I was black out loaded. Plus, moderating (for me) occupied my every thought! How much can I drink? Am I drunk? Will I be sick? On & on & on, obsessing over booze. Moderation was harder than being sober for me. And I wasn't very good at it.

Thepatman

I could never cut back for long. My break pedal is broken so for me it was all or nothing.

I choosed nothing easier then spending my life trying to control something that I just cant't.