cyclicalwand

Ok this is the first time I've tried to give up alcohol.

I think that I've had a drink problem for over 10 years but the last year and a half have been terrible. It hasn't affected my work or home life yet but it will do if this carries on. My wife thinks everything is ok as she only sees the 4 beers I have in the evening after work but she doesn't know about the two 660ml bottles I drink on the way home or the 2 or 3 cans I drink on the way back from the shop when buying the 4 she knows about. I've drank at work sometimes which would lose me my job and I've drank some mornings just to make myself feel normal. At the weekend things can be worse as I don't really have to hide it as I'm 'relaxing' as it's the weekend.

I've put on weight, and feel a lot less healthier then I did a couple of years ago. I also worry that this drinking in the evening will one day lead to me losing my driving licence as I'm sure many times I've been over the limit when going to work in the morning.

I'm on day 4 of my recovery and today was hard as it's the first time I've had the cravings for a drink. I was even convincing myself that I could have one as I don't really have a problem. It was a massive struggle but I managed to drive past the off license and go to the gym. I'm now home and feel much better. It also helped reading other people's recoveries on here.

I'm hoping that day 5 will be easier but also worried about it being the start of the weekend.

I'm determined to beat this.

Doug39

Sounds like you are off to a good start.

When a person feels like their drinking is a problem then it usually is a problem.

I drank everyday for 27 years and I spent endless amounts of time worrying about my health, getting caught driving drunk, going broke and wondering how I would survive - in our society drinking is associated with having fun .

I wasn't having any fun.

Cassandralee

I'm on Day 10 and it's getting a little easier, not as many urges.

Be super careful of your thoughts this weekend. I'm the same, heading into my danger zone today. Keep focusing on how good you will feel tomorrow morning without a hangover, or whatever thought helps you to fight off any urges. If I can do it, so can you.

Pinky1

Welcome.
Day 4 is great ☺

Hevyn

Happy to meet you, cyclical. You'll find plenty of encouragement here - from people who understand. I'm glad you've paid attention to the danger signs. I drank at work & in the morning at the end of my drinking career. It was a nightmare.

4 days is a great accomplishment - and each day will get a bit easier. I remember my first few weekends were challenging - but it was a wonderful feeling waking up with a clear head. You're learning to live in a new way - it will all be worth it.

D122y

Cyc,

I always remind myself that I am an addict.

Alcohol is my doc.

I say it was a coping mech. But, Really, I am simply a drug addict.

It is a harsh term, but relapse is worse. I crave daily, around 2 to 6 pm. It goes away after that generally.

Hope this post helps.

Thanks.

Mattq2

Cyclical,
I know it's hard now but the first four days were the hardest for me. So four days is awesome. Soon little by little things will get better. All of this will seem like a distant memory

Anna

Welcome, and it sounds like you're doing really well!

least

Welcome to the family. You've come to a great place for support.

HTown

Congrats on the 4 days and welcome. It really does get better. I have lost a lot of weight and I feel so much better. Keep reading here and best of luck.

Unwound

Welcome, regarding the weekend keep yourself busy and around people I find it tend to obsess about drinking when I have too much time alone. Have you told anyone you stopped drinking yet? I found that helped, I didn't tell them about my drinking problem of course or even that I had quit permanently (because I didn't really have a problem lol) but just telling them and seeing the positive reaction helped cement in the change.

I hope you stay stopped.

site1Q84

Welcome! Tons of good support and information here.

I try to think when I have a bad craving - if I weren't an alcoholic, I wouldn't want a drink right now anyways, so that has to prove I have some kind of a problem. Normal drinkers don't have these thoughts and urges.

Nice job getting through it!

Dee74

welcome cyclicalwand

there are some great ideas on dealing with cravings here:
http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...-cravings.html

cyclicalwand

Thanks everyone. I haven't told anyone that I'm giving up as no one thought it was really a problem as I managed to hide it quite well, so it's been good to tell all you knowing that I won't be judged.

I've got an early start this morning at work, 5am in England and it's nice to be up feeling fresh and not worrying about bring pulled over by the police on my way in.

I have volunteered for overtime this weekend but nothing has come up so I'm gonna try to do something with the kids to keep me busy.

cyclicalwand

So that's day 5 in the bag and easier then I thought and certainly easier then yesterday. Long Saturday for day 6 so gonna keep myself busy.

Delilah1

Welcome to SR, and congrats on 5 days. You will find lots of support on here. Two threads you may want to check out are the 24 hour thread and the January 2017 class.

You may want to make some plans to keep busy this weekend if you aren't working.

Glad you are here!!