philly76

So, Friday night I went out and got so hammered I actually needed a few glasses of wine last night to taper off. I've never had that kind of anxiety from a hangover before, and (I hope) it was kind of a reality check. We'll see.

Anyway, I just discovered I have HBO-GO thanks to Comcast's utterly bizarre packaging strategies, so at least I'll have plenty to do outside the bottle. Bring on four seasons of Veep.

My dad's visiting this week so, even if I wanted to, I won't be able to drink. I'm really looking forward to drying out. And then, maybe with a clear mind a week from now, realizing how pointless (and boring) being drunk every night is.

Ugh, my life feels like Groundhog Day.

Soberintexas007

Just curious as to how your dad visiting prevents you from drinking? Is he in recovery?

Also, my concern with your post is that even though right now you are hoping once you dry out you will see how pointless drinking is, usually the urge and craving returns once someone has gone some time without it. I would think you would have to do something active in your recovery to achieve that feeling towards alcohol.

GroundhogDay

Even Bill Murray's character eventually broke free of the cycle. I did too, and so can you.

philly76

My dad's not an alcoholic, but I'm not gonna be sitting downstairs drinking myself to sleep on a Tuesday while he's in my house.

I don't know about the returned cravings, but I think much more clearly after a few dry days. One of my biggest issues is that my hangovers tend to enable another night of drinking. The further I get away from that the better I feel. Then again, WTF do I know?

philly76

That's exactly how I feel! Thanks!

CaseyW

Glad you made it back in, philly76. I'm on day 31 right now myself and have found that being very active here on SR has made all the difference so far this time. Join the Class of June 2015 thread on this board, post in there often, get to know those folks and let them get to know you. Also welcome others and help where you can even if it's just saying hi to a newcomer. All of those things have greatly increased my accountability to myself and others and have also allowed me to sometimes get out of my own head for a while. And if you knew my head, you'd know that getting out of it for any length of time is a good thing.

Wishing you the best! Look forward to getting to know you better...

Dee74

do you have any kind of a recovery plan Philly - anything besides posting here from time to time?

D

philly76

Thanks! Accountability is a good thing, something I'm looking for. I'll check out that thread.

philly76

I'm honestly not sure how to take that. Online commentary leaves a lot of room for conjecture. Is sporadic posting unwelcome? I was told - I believe by you - that the newcomers forum was the place to post my cluelessness.

And no, I don't have a plan, but I do have ideas. My company is paying for a Business Analyst certification. That's taking up some time. I renewed my gym membership after a month at my crappy corporate gym, that's taking up even more time. And I just discovered HBO-GO and Veep. That's a good 48 hours right there.

If you've got any other ideas, I'm all ears.

strategery

Dee is getting at the idea as to what you are going to when cravings hit (go for a walk, read a book, get yourself into a different environment). I found this (a plan) to be critical to getting sober time under my belt.

I found posting here on a more regular basis was also very helpful in getting sober. I have learned a lot from many different individuals and still continue to learn from them, and it has provided a sense of accountability.

There is nothing wrong with sporadic posting, but I think Dee is trying to allude to the fact you need more support and a plan in place to help you achieve sobriety (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong Dee).

Dee74

Strategery nailed it.

You've got distracting yourself and staying busy down Philly...but I think a recovery plan needs more - it needs to address your addiction - and a 'doing things to fill my day' plan just addresses the symptoms.

This is a good link that might help you to start thinking about what a recovery plan of yours might like look like.

https://store.samhsa.gov/shin/conten...0/SMA-3720.pdf

And no, sporadic posting is not unwelcome here by any means....but (and I'll be frank so as to dispel any tinge of passive aggressiveness) it doesn't seem to me like it's doing you much good either?

SR is great for those times when you can feel yourself slipping back into old habits - its really helped me stay committed, build the life I want, and become the man I want to be.

You've heard it before - if we want change we need to make changes.

It takes work and it takes commitment in denying that persuasive but self destructive voice.

SR can help you with that.

Posting after you slip is good too - don't misunderstand me - but posting before is better.

I hope the link will give you a better understanding of what I mean by recovery plan.

D

philly76

Thanks, and I really appreciate the frank input. I'm bookmarking the page you posted for this evening's light reading.