secretchord

I sat down with hubby tonight and asked him if he thought I had a problem with alcohol. He said he thought I did. I went further and told him about the secrecy part and he was pretty shocked. He said he would support for me through my decision to not drink. I told him that I didn't think I was an "alcoholic" but that I want to prove to myself that I can at least make it one week. And I'll go from there to decide what to do next. I don't want to think about the big picture and what I want to do long term. I just want to make it a week. But we had the conversation. I was nervous about talking about it and cried a little, but feel better now.

My anxiety was pretty high today. On a scale of 1-10, probably an 8. Would have REALLY liked to have a glass of wine but I didn't.

hopefull24

Good for you on the no wine! Stay strong you can do it

JD

You're making a good first step secretchord

OnMyWay7

Great job on Day 2. Yes those conversations are hard but don't you feel some relief that it's out in the open?

One week might not give you the benefits of being sober. Why not try just a month to start with

Carver

It's a great step in the right direction stay in touch here too and let us know how you get on.

entropy1964

That's a great step in the right direction. Another poster suggested a slightly longer period, 30 days, in order to really start to see the benefits of not drinking. I'd have to agree with that. After a week you're just beginning to feel sort of normal, but the real bennies don't start that quickly. your anxiety might be greatly reduced after 30 days. And skin? Wrinkles? It'll take 5-10 yrs off your face. I'm vain so I go in for that stuff

beeme

You can do this! I am on Day 27 and feeling SO much better.

PurpleKnight

You can do this, but I'd also extend to 30 days, that means simply more than 1 weekend.

If it can't be done or is a real struggle then you'll have your answer as to how much alcohol is embedded in your life!!

What is there to loose!!

doggonecarl

I'm with those that say give it more than a week.

When I got one week sober, after 35 years of daily drinking, it was a huge accomplishment. But if my goal had been just one week, I would have drank upon reaching that goal. What better way to reward myself.

Consider a month, if not 90 days, as a goal. Much can be learned from the struggle.

Recoverkathryn

Way to go!! You can do it. Because of relapse i am on day 14 and feeling soon much better anxiety does go down
What helps me is I just don't need to drink one day at a time or one moment at a time. If I look at the big picture I can get overwhelmed so I just break it down to one day at a time with an ultimate goal of longer!

biminiblue

I agree that in the beginning, one day at a time is sufficient. In my case, it was really all I could handle. I kept saying, "I'm going to bed sober tonight."

The anxiety didn't go away for me in a week. It got better, but it didn't go away completely for months.

secretchord, why not join in on the 24 Hour Connections thread? We post there once a day and make a commitment to remain sober for that day. Here's the link, just pop in and say "Hi" and you'll be welcomed in

http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...part-84-a.html

secretchord

That's exactly how I feel. I don't want to imagine myself never drinking again. That seems so depressing to me. It's like never eating cheese again.

C23

I know one of the hardest things for me was the thought of NEVER having another drink. It seemed to overwhelming. Then I just decided to think about how I felt after a night of binge drinking. Once I realized that it only took one drink to get me right back to that feeling, it got much easier to take one day at a time.

ccam1973

Secret, welcome to SR. I think your goal should depend on how you feel at the end of the week. Personally, I don't think this gives your body long enough to adjust to life without alcohol. If you are craving drinking at the end of the week then you know alcohol is still in charge. If on the other hand, you could take it or leave it, then good for you.

One of the first few attempts I made to quit, I couldn't think of not drinking ever again either. So I left it in the back of my mind that I could drink again one day. I took advantage of that open door 9 months later. After that drink I would spend the better part of another year drinking nearly 24/7. It was then that I decided alcohol had no place in my life ever again. I couldn't control my addiction no matter how hard I tried. Once I start, there is no stopping.

One day at a time. You can do this. I think if you are like most of us here, you will see how much better life is without alcohol. Don't overwhelm yourself right now. Just don't drink today. That's enough to tackle until tomorrow.

Welcome aboard.