Topherrm

Hello there. I have decided that at the age of 30 I'm an alcoholic. This time last year my partner left me. I lost the house and my job. I was in the hospital for depression and suicidal thoughts. I I thought that was rock bottom but I'm still there. After a year I have done little to get back on my feet. I'm living with my grandmother and am working a part time job. I drink almost every night to the point of blacking out. I always make it to work and have never missed work because of drinking, but at the rate I'm going who knows what would happen. I need to quit drinking and get back on my feet. I just feel so hopeless and like a total loser. I see a shrink but I don't feel like its helping me get better. Just keeping me from getting worse. I used to have a life and now it's gone. I miss having someone to go home to. Where do I start?

ScottFromWI

Step 1 - Quit Drinking.

Tounge-in-cheek of course, but in a sense the first step is to stop drinking. Seeing your physician would be a good first stop, they can help determine if you can quit on your own or if you might need detox.

Finding support is very important from the get go as well, and you've made a good move by coming here to SR, welcome! Local support might help too, AA or Smart/AVRT/Rational etc... most likely have meetings closeby to give you some in-person support once you've stopped.

Putting down that last drink is a simple action, yet a monumental task. But it's the place to start for sure - best of luck!

Michael66

Hi Topherrm

For many of us the next step was to accept that we couldn't cure ourselves. Personally, I reached out to God as being my hope and my healer. I also accepted that I could never drink again, and prayed (and still pray) to God for support in the absence of alcohol. One year on I am glad to say that I not only manage to stay sober, but that I love sobriety. Through the grace of God alone I am a recovered alcoholic.

bryangt

Surrender...put the pain & the past behind you. Try a few AA meetings on for size, if it doesn't fit, try some of the other suggestions you get here. Don't try & find out where your bottom is, make this your bottom and climb out while you still have a chance.
You can do it, and you don't have to do it alone. I reached out at AA meetings and now have over 2 years sober, new friends & a new life...Best of luck--this is a good place to start.

Topherrm

Thanks for the advice. I'm just get so depressed I'm afraid ill never be able to stop drinking.

ScottFromWI

This is a very common feeling. The good news is that it's patently false and only your addictive mind playing tricks on you. If you truly want to stop, you can. Have you contacted any local resources at all?

soberclover

You can stop drinking Top.....many of us have....yup it is hard at the beginning but then it becomes easier. I feel like I've been to hell and back....a few times! My life is so much better now that I'm not drinking. Put down the drink, get some support maybe even go in to rehab, figure out who you are. You can move on with your life and stop living with your grandmother. Start living your dreams.

Topherrm

Thanks soberclover. I've been so down I forgot who I was and what I wanted to do.

Michael66

You can stop Top. The early days can be tough because many of us feel low and rough for quite some time (2-3 months for me), and the cravings can hit like large waves. But the waves pass and, over time, get smaller and less frequent. Then, again over time, you start to feel better and brighter. Don't be put off by the difficulty of the early days - it does getter easier. I struggled to go a single day without alcohol, and when I did I was miserable. Today I am so much happier. If someone could wave a magic wand and say "you can now drink moderately and normally" then I would say "no thanks, nothing is better than the sobriety through abstinence that I have now".

Hang in there. Come and moan at us here as you go through the early days. Just don't drink - why have to go through early sobriety more than once?

Topherrm

Wow. I'm am so amazed at how many people have responded to my post so quickly. Makes me feel like I can do this and have people there to help me up when I need it. Thanks everyone.

Anna

Yes, you can do this!

If your depression is a result of drinking, then it will likely clear up in the next month or so. If you were depressed before you began drinking, as I was, then you might need to talk to your dr about medication at some point.

I think it's important to remember that stopping drinking is just the beginning. I had been not dealing with my feelings and my problems for the years I was drinking, and not surprisingly, they don't go away. I still needed to face all those issues and begin finding new ways to deal with life.

ScottFromWI

It's because many of us have been exactly where you are, and we know that it's possible. It's not easy but nothing good usually is. And we will be here for you, just like others were for us. And eventually you can be here to help the next person who is in the same situation you are currently in and tell them how much your life has changed for the better.

But for now, just work on a plan to not drink today.

least

to the site! You'll find lots of support here as well as useful information. Come here to read and post your concerns. This is an international site so there's always someone online.

I too was very depressed, even before I started drinking, but after getting sober it got a lot better and my anti depressants work a lot better now.

Dee74

some great advice here Topherrm
Welcome to the gang

D

trachemys

My hind leg.

STOP DRINKING. Do whatever you have to to not take a drink. That's the only way.