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Made it to two weeks: but physical craving getting worse not better...



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Made it to two weeks: but physical craving getting worse not better...

Old 12-30-2016, 06:17 AM
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Made it to two weeks: but physical craving getting worse not better...

Managed two weeks, and this is my first try at this so I wasn't sure what to expect but starting to feel better and get more of my "self" back which is great. However the physical craving is really hitting me harder than I thought it would and seems to be getting stronger not weaker.

All this is not helped by the house being full of booze from Christmas and the New Year Party which is tomorrow (this was arranged months ago and I can't not do it now).

I know the cravings are only short periods and I just wait them out and distract myself but esh they are getting tougher to get through. Any good strategies or things I can do and any idea on how long before the physical craving starts to abate a bit?

Thanks

Sorry I just realised I've posted this in the wrong forum can a mod please move this please?
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Old 12-30-2016, 06:33 AM
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Hi Unwound

Your cravings sound to me more like the 'mental obsession' side of things, as opposed to physical.

What are you doing for your recovery, beyond just not drinking?
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Old 12-30-2016, 06:34 AM
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Welcome Unwound, and congratulations on two weeks!

I remember the third week being particularly difficult for me. As for tomorrow I would be sure and eat lots to stay on the full side. I used protein shakes and it took the edge off. If there's time to get to the gym for a nice workout you may consider it......very helpful for me if I'm feeling anxious or at loose ends. Stick around and post here when you can slip away during the gathering.

Best wishes to you and I look forward to seeing you around.
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Old 12-30-2016, 07:44 AM
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I invested a long arduous process of time into training my mind and body to depend on alcohol and drugs to:
+Feel even better when things were going good.
+Calm my nerves when I was stressed.
etc, etc, etc

For me, the only thing that worked after a very long time of struggling was WORKING the 12 Steps of AA. From being on this website there are numerous paths that accomplish true Sobriety. TIME can be a Stone Cold Mutha, but at any uncomfortable point, we can turn back on the path of being absorbed by our addictions, or keep on the path.

RDBplus3 ... Happy, Joyous and FREE ... and I KNOW U can B 2
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Old 12-30-2016, 07:45 AM
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Welcome Unwound
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Old 12-30-2016, 07:49 AM
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I always felt kinda nuts at 2 weeks in,used to Google it like crazy, this too shall pass
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Old 12-30-2016, 08:56 AM
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There are a ton of meditations out there that can help center your mind and get it off of the booze, try looking one up and giving it a shot.

I used to always think meditation was a stupid practice, until I started practicing it. It has truly helped me become a better person.

In regards to the party, that is going to be a tough situation. My advice would be to not have the party; however, if you feel you must still have it always have a tonic and lime in your hand just to avoid having people push drinks on you.

Glad you are here, be strong and you will get through it.
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Old 12-30-2016, 09:28 AM
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I remember I was very selfish my first New Years Eve at home. Had a big drinking party planned for the night with friends over. I made an appearance and then retreated to the bedroom around 8pm. Everyone kept asking me what was wrong, and I just told them I didn't feel like partying that night, and wanted to read a good book. Selfish, I know, but it is what I had to do to keep my sobriety in check. Not everyone will understand, but if they are your friends, they'll leave you alone if you need to do something similar.
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Old 12-30-2016, 09:30 AM
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It was a tough time for me too....
Believe it or not, HALT worked for me.....
Biggest trigger was getting home from work, after battling the traffic will all the crazy people on the roads here......
I would grab a drink the minute I walked in the door after getting home from work......

Having a small snack and a beverage instead really worked for me....imagine that ---- I was REALLY hungry and thirsty.....
I also travelled with snacks and bottled water in case I got stuck in traffic somewhere....that really helped me......It wasn't forever. Just got me through the rocky part!
And ice cream works wonders too!

Good luck, you can do this!
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Old 12-30-2016, 02:29 PM
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It took me a while to get that an empty house was not an invitation to drink.

Just because I'd often seen it that way did not mean that was appropriate thing for me to do or the best use of that time and space.

I wasn't some teenage kid looking for what I could get away with anymore, I was a nearly 40 year old man.

There'll be lots of support here over New Years....lots of advice on dealing with cravings here too:
http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...-cravings.html

D
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Old 12-30-2016, 02:48 PM
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Originally Posted by Dee74 View Post
It took me a while to get that an empty house was not an invitation to drink.

Just because I'd often seen it that way did not mean that was appropriate thing for me to do or the best use of that time and space.

I wasn't some teenage kid looking for what I could get away with anymore, I was a nearly 40 year old man.

There'll be lots of support here over New Years....lots of advice on dealing with cravings here too:
http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...-cravings.html

D
That was one of my main problems too. Wife is gone! Time to relax and drown myself in a bottle! Thank you for posting, Dee.
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Old 12-30-2016, 02:57 PM
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Welcome.

Have you seen the threads about making a plan? If not it might be worth exploring those. I personally needed to add things into my life when I took alcohol out of it. I didn't realise this at first, and it got progressively more difficult as my first month wore on, until by the end of the first month I really did feel like something inside was breaking and I couldn't even think straight. That's when I finally asked for help on here, and also got myself to my first AA meeting and got some relief from the experience, strength and hope those meetings gave me.

http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...y-plans-1.html
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Old 12-30-2016, 09:26 PM
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Thanks for all th helpful comments, yes I am worried about triggers like an empty house with free time, the worst is still to come I think because I travel for work which leaves me alone in a hotel with a free bar (expenses are generous). I am going to avoid that situation as long as I can.

I think it is mostly about changing the learned behaviour it's just not easy, only 2 days ago everyone was out for the afternoon and my first subconscious thought was "You could drink!", and it was a bit of a struggle to decide I didn't want to.

Here's something that seems crazy to me:drinking pints of diet lemonade or coke actually reduces the cravings something which I would expect to make things worse ( I used to often down pints of vodka and coke in 20/80 mix). Bonkers but it works.

Looks like I'm going to have to make a proper plan, I am worried everything will get a lot harder when i go back to work in 3 days.

So glad I found this forum lotta good help here.
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Old 12-31-2016, 01:53 AM
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You may find that less time to dwell in your head, and a return to routine, could actually make things a bit easier. Anyways. Most of us find the best way to deal with sobriety is by focussing just on today. Alcoholics are fear and ego driven people. Give us any date in the future to dwell on and we can usually, with very little outside input, think of plenty of ways that that particular day coukd be horrendous, even catastrophic for us. Prophets of drama and doom in our own head, and our addictive voices really love it when we do that, because it knows just how to flip those fears and inner dramas into a a great little line-up of lies about why the best solution would be for us to take a drink.

Our strength lies in today. There is nothing we can do about the past. There is no way we can deal with the future. But we can do something with today. Here are some suggestions. ..

Read some posts and encourage others on here
Call someone who loves you
Go to an AA meeting
Listen to an online recovery speaker http://www.recoveryaudio.org/
Cook your childhood favourite dinner
Go somewhere nearby that you never went before and explore (walk, bus, bike, drive, train - whatever is available to you)
Go to the library and get some books
Work on your Plan.... http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...y-plans-1.html
Write a story with a happy ending
Nestle on the sofa with popcorn / snacks and watch a feelgood movie
Read recovery literature - The AA book Living Sober was extremely helpful to me.
Go for a walk and look for someone to help - and do it
Play on the swings


Keep it in the day. Deal with now. We can't solve the rest of our lives in any one moment. Stay sober and the rest will come.

You can do this. An hour at a time. A day at a time.

Wishing you a Happy New Year, and a mindful sober day. BB
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