Its Friday & cravings are here!
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: New England
Posts: 1,926
Its Friday & cravings are here!
Hi all! Today is day 8 for me and my first Friday "sober" because last Friday I was very hungover so I had no desire to drink.
THIS IS WHAT MY MIND KEEPS SAYING: "Serenidad! You worked super hard all week AND stayed sober! It's Friday! You can sleep in tomorrow! Everyone goes out on Friday! COME ON! Doesn't a few drinks, a few cigarettes and a bar sound good today? You get off work in 2 hours and 10 minutes! You deserve some drinks!"
That tape has even playing on and off in my head ALL DAY!
I know what I "need" to do to not drink, it's just sooooo hard sometimes! Ya know? It honestly makes me feel like crying. :-( I HATE alcohol and addiction!
I'm gonna exercise tonite and then hang at home with my family. Have a sober Friday everyone. Thanks for listening to me TELL ON MY DISEASE!
Sent from my iPhone using SoberRecovery
THIS IS WHAT MY MIND KEEPS SAYING: "Serenidad! You worked super hard all week AND stayed sober! It's Friday! You can sleep in tomorrow! Everyone goes out on Friday! COME ON! Doesn't a few drinks, a few cigarettes and a bar sound good today? You get off work in 2 hours and 10 minutes! You deserve some drinks!"
That tape has even playing on and off in my head ALL DAY!
I know what I "need" to do to not drink, it's just sooooo hard sometimes! Ya know? It honestly makes me feel like crying. :-( I HATE alcohol and addiction!
I'm gonna exercise tonite and then hang at home with my family. Have a sober Friday everyone. Thanks for listening to me TELL ON MY DISEASE!
Sent from my iPhone using SoberRecovery
Member
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 113
I used to get that really bad in the beginning, not that I'm super far along but it does get less intense. I am very grateful for that. I've finally gotten to a point that I can dismiss it instead of that horrible tape playing in my head over and over again. It would be so frustrating and drive me nuts!
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Join Date: May 2014
Location: London, UK
Posts: 1,086
I have just got home and have been feeling the same today. I'm day three sober and it was so hard for me to not buy booze on the way home from work. I walk past 7 off-******** on my way home.
I ended up going into one of them and buying salad, chips, crisps, biscuits, juice, more juice and lemonade haha. I'm finding that keeping full is helping the cravings!
I ended up going into one of them and buying salad, chips, crisps, biscuits, juice, more juice and lemonade haha. I'm finding that keeping full is helping the cravings!
Member
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: in the city by the bay
Posts: 605
Originally Posted by Serenidad 
"Serenidad! You worked super hard all week AND stayed sober! It's Friday! You can sleep in tomorrow! Everyone goes out on Friday! COME ON! Doesn't a few drinks, a few cigarettes and a bar sound good today? You get off work in 2 hours and 10 minutes! You deserve some drinks!"
For example, I realized at 1am, last night, that the milk had gone sour...the old me, the alcoholic me, would have made poor husband got out and get milk. Poor husband who worked all day, and had to go back to work in a few hours. And you know what? he would have just done it, not complained or anything which just floors me now. But how could I go out at 1am with all the booze in my system? Plus I would have been well out by 1am.
Ok, coming to my point. There is a drugstore open so I get the milk and to reach the milk you need to walk passed all the wine and hard liquor aisles.
The old me would have said, well you went out at 1am, you deserve it! c'mon, get a bottle.
It's all over the place and you can't avoid it so, at least for me, I can't view it as a reward any longer.
Just think of it this way, how is it a reward? It makes you gain weight, it makes your skin look horrible, it makes you bloated, it makes you tired, it makes you say/do things you regret, drunk posting/drunk emails...the list goes on.
Disrupted sleep. Hangovers. Never mind liver damage and we only have one of those!
I know I can't have one drink. I want the bottle (at least with wine). I know I can't stop so I don't start.
So don't start.
Member
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: NJ
Posts: 20,458
here is some motivation for you....
last week you were absolutely mortified by your behavior about being banned from a public place, you were too drunk to remember but very *remorseful* about embarrassing your son (by your actions) in front of his coach who saw you.
Actions speak louder than words, be proud of your week and add to it.
last week you were absolutely mortified by your behavior about being banned from a public place, you were too drunk to remember but very *remorseful* about embarrassing your son (by your actions) in front of his coach who saw you.
Actions speak louder than words, be proud of your week and add to it.
Member
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Midwest, USA
Posts: 1,022
The idea of self-rewarding with food or alcohol is marketing hype that should be taken out behind the old barn and shot down in cold blood. Anything worth doing has its own benefit, built-in. The idea of adding on an additional "reward" for taking rational action is just a device to induce greater consumption.
For example, I do my laundry so I have clean clothes. Later in the week, I will put on clean clothes. If I don't do laundry, then later in the week I'll be like, "damn, I don't have any clean clothes!" Doing laundry has its positive effect, and not doing laundry has its negative effect -- so you see, there's plenty of behavioral reinforcement inherent to the situation without me tacking on a plateful of chocolate cake or whatever.
The idea of self-rewarding also lets you do an end-run around normal decisionmaking processes. Yours is a great example - you know you shouldn't drink, and you're trying not to drink, and not drinking is going great, but there's this mental path to drinking that ignores all of that rational thought, that goes, "well I did good things this week so I should reward myself", so you get this high utility urge coming from the blindside, out in left-field, where you can end up going directly to GO, do not collect $200 -- it's really problematic, from a behavioral standpoint.
For example, I do my laundry so I have clean clothes. Later in the week, I will put on clean clothes. If I don't do laundry, then later in the week I'll be like, "damn, I don't have any clean clothes!" Doing laundry has its positive effect, and not doing laundry has its negative effect -- so you see, there's plenty of behavioral reinforcement inherent to the situation without me tacking on a plateful of chocolate cake or whatever.
The idea of self-rewarding also lets you do an end-run around normal decisionmaking processes. Yours is a great example - you know you shouldn't drink, and you're trying not to drink, and not drinking is going great, but there's this mental path to drinking that ignores all of that rational thought, that goes, "well I did good things this week so I should reward myself", so you get this high utility urge coming from the blindside, out in left-field, where you can end up going directly to GO, do not collect $200 -- it's really problematic, from a behavioral standpoint.
Member
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Gulf Coast, USA
Posts: 2,229
Stay strong Serenidad! You will be so happy in the morning. Change your plan to what ever keeps you from drinking. Go for a walk, watch a movie, read a book, what ever it takes to get you through to tomorrow.
I am early into this too, but this will be my fourth weekend sober and trust me, it does get easier. I'm not getting complacent or letting my guard down for one second, but my AV is not screaming at me anymore. It has quieted down a bit right now so I can totally focus on a sober weekend with my family... But you have to get to the point where your anxiety level and AV dies down.
You can do this. Check in and post often. Tomorrow will be day 9 for you!
I am early into this too, but this will be my fourth weekend sober and trust me, it does get easier. I'm not getting complacent or letting my guard down for one second, but my AV is not screaming at me anymore. It has quieted down a bit right now so I can totally focus on a sober weekend with my family... But you have to get to the point where your anxiety level and AV dies down.
You can do this. Check in and post often. Tomorrow will be day 9 for you!
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 211,444
Friday nights used to be a big pull for me.
I spent a few Friday nights on here, struggling, and with every week it got a little better.
There is nothing like the relief and sense of accomplishment you get waking up sober on a Saturday morning.
if you have FOMO (fear of missing out) plan something for Friday night - something you'll enjoy but that won't involve alcohol.
and stick by the Class groups - whether it's July or August and our Weekend thread
You can do this guys
D
I spent a few Friday nights on here, struggling, and with every week it got a little better.
There is nothing like the relief and sense of accomplishment you get waking up sober on a Saturday morning.
if you have FOMO (fear of missing out) plan something for Friday night - something you'll enjoy but that won't involve alcohol.
and stick by the Class groups - whether it's July or August and our Weekend thread
You can do this guys
D
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