Enough1122

Hello. I am new to this forum and lets basically say I have had enough. Cliff note version on me I am a male 40 have a great family, work etc.. I could drop 5 pds and be a little better My main problem is with alcohol. My main issue is simply this. I don't have any cravings till about 5pm at which time they hit me like a brick. When I do drink in the evenings it is usually 3 or 4 beers or a couple glasses of wine. I have tried to quit before and then found AVRT book and for me that has worked the best. The main stories that I can relate to are on page 26 and 27. For me it is like I can always see 2 of me showing up for 2 different reasons at lets say events. One of me to talk with people and the other to drink or when going on vacation one of me to do things with the family and the other is to drink... So here is my question:

Why is it that I will say that I don't want to drink anymore and then I will be driving home and say Yes my AV is talking again but I will still go to the refridge and grab a beer while the entire time I am saying to myself I know this is dumb, I know this is my AV making me do this yet I still do it. If anyone has had the similar experience how did you handle it.

Nonsensical

Welcome to SR!

Your AV isn't making you do anything. It suggests and you carry out the actions.

I stopped taking advice from a known liar (my AV) and my life got better. I highly recommend it.

Dee74

Welcome to SR Enough

D

huntingtontx

The only way I know to stop drinking is to stop drinking. When you go to the frig for a beer, don't have beer there. Have drinks like tea, water etc. It is up to you. No one can do this for you, but I know you can do it if you want it bad enough. Hang in here with us. Whenever you want a drink come here instead and talk to us. Best of luck. We are all here for you.

RDBplus3

AVRT was a useful tool for me. However, I found out that I have this 'condition' that is referred to as being 'Alcoholic'. I personally believe that at some point I crossed a 'line' where I developed this 'condition'. (Others believe they had it genetically - both cases may be true in different people). When I drink, my mind and body craves more. When I am sober, my mind obsesses for alcohol at both a conscious and sub-conscious-level. Although I could recognize the 'AV' trying to gain control of my conscious rational mind, I would 'automatically' pull into a liquor store and get 'only a half-pint' or 'only a beer'. That of course continued the obsession-craving cycle.

I drank (and drugged) for 40 years. I struggled for a long time to get FREE. The only thing that eventually worked for me was actually WORKING the 12 Steps of AA. Just 'going to meetings' did NOT work. Making a 'decision' to dissociate from my conscious and sub-conscious 'Addictive Voice' did not always work. Then when I eventually hit that point of Pitiful and Incomprehensible Demoralization, I read the AA Big Book and the AA 12 Steps and 12 Traditions, went online and found numerous websites with practical help working each of the Steps from people whose lives had been truly transformed. Now that I am FREE from the cycle of Obsession & Craving, I can successfully use the AVRT technique and dissociate from the remnants of my AV. Another thing that helped me get FREE was listening to Recovery Speaker Messages. A good place to start would be doing a Web Search for 'Joe & Charlie' and 'Melbourne 12 Steps Weekend-Recordings'.

That is my story of what worked, and did not work for me. Many people have great success with AVRT alone, I did not, and that may be my own failing? I do KNOW that the 12 Steps ALWAYS result in a complete transformation, when and if actually WORKED all the way thru.

RDBplus3 ... Happy, Joyous, and FREE ... and I KNOW U can be 2

PurpleKnight

Welcome to the Forum Enough!!

biminiblue

I had to change everything. Every single thought I had came with, "Mmm, time to drink."

It is a matter of changing habits. The bad habit was made and can be broken. The more times I said, "No," to the drink - the easier it got. It just takes doing the next right thing many times a day for as long as it takes.

I don't drink.

least

Welcome to the family. When you get thoughts of drinking, they are just thoughts and don't have to become actions. Ignore that lying voice.

marie5465

Hi there,

I read the book on AVRT too. Understanding WHY I was drinking against my better judgement made it easy for me to make a rational decision and a commitment to myself that I will never drink again and I will not change my mind, no matter what. The beast is powerless. I am in charge of what happens around here. Maybe read the book again if you are now ready to commit to making a Big Plan, then do it. Do it and free yourself. Best wishes to you.

Enough1122

Thx all this is really good advice if nothing more than hearing people like yourselves have been there and found ways to prevail

freshstart57

Enough, it might be that you don't have a fully considered Big Plan yet. I invite you to pop over to the Secular Connections forum here, the forum that is dedicated to discussion of tools like AVRT.

There is a lot of support there for you too. Hang in, you can do it.

doggonecarl

Saying it and meaning it are two different things. We alcoholics "say" all kinds of things. Only action (or in the case of reaching for a beer--inaction) counts.

Quirky

Enough, You can do this...
For me it's one day at a time.
When my AV gets into high gear, I think about how bad a hangover feels, and how drinking never helped me solve any problem I had. Drinking just made everything worse.
I haven't been a member here that long and I don't have that much time under my belt yet, but I assure you the kind SR family will help you immensely.
All the best to you.