Natasha1994

I keep relapsing after being sober for a week. I find the first week is the hardest. I need some good tips on how to fight a relapse, and stop finding excuses to relapse. I hate myself for throwing a whole week sober and having to start from scratch all over again. I thought quitting would be a lot easier than this and it really sucks.

least

For me, I had to want to be sober more than I wanted to drink. Not easy, but simple.

SimplyFree

I found that I needed good new habits, so I was here everyday whether I felt at risk or not. I also needed a good plan for getting past those moments that tripped me up. If you haven’t tried a sponsor or attending an AA group, it can help you past the difficult times. Be here read, post, learn and stay strong!

CreativeThinker

What Least said...I wanted to be sober more than I wanted to drink. In the beginning, it's expected that there will be really difficult times when we want to drink. The more times we are able to move through the urges, the easier it will become the next time we have cravings.

CT

rascalwhiteoak

Until your sobriety gains momentum, protect it fiercely. Seven days is a great start! Don't let your addiction talk you out of that.

columbus

"I need some good tips on how to fight a relapse"

In all well-intended seriousness and with great understanding
of how difficult it is...

The answer is:

Don't buy any more alcohol.

Babescake

I can see why the 2nd week may be the hardest. Why? Because you're able to get through that week, which sucks, but you don't see it through. Meaning, most find the first week the hardest and if you don't give in to the cravings, it gets easier. Granted, it still sucks for a long while, but if you keep making it that far, through the darkest hour, hold on and push a bit, as there is better stuff ahead.

Dee74

what does your recovery action plan look like Natasha?
What kinds of things do you do to stay sober?

D

John9

Natasha, not so long ago, aprox. two weeks. I was here too, about my relapse. And someone from this forum said something like this- Sobriety is all about changing your routine, make sobriety your routine. Up until then my routine was- feeling bored? grab the bottle, bad day at work? grab the botte, good day at work? grab the botte etc.

Now I´m trying to establish a good routine. Instead of rewarding my self with booze, now I invest my money into good food. I eat out often, with the money I spent on booze, go to movies with the money and so on. Changing habits really has helped, and I´m finally starting to get a hang of it.

I do get crawings, almost every day still. But changing habits has helped with coping with them. When I feel the urge, I try to get busy with something, the worst I can do is just lay down, and wait for it to pass. In the past, I did that and often my AV convinced me to start drinking, staying busy and not let the AV to the talking has helped.

Rar

Good advice here Natasha. The first week is the hardest and then it gets less bad. You will still have cravings and bad days. Sometimes for me it felt as if the whole day was one big craving. I stayed really close to SR, reading and posting. I listened to sober podcasts and AA tapes. I Read sobriety literature. Those helped me not want to drink. I have a sobriety calculator on my phone. I checked it several times a day reminding me how many hours I've successfully achieved. Just power through. One minute, one day at a time. It will start to add up and become easier. Hang in there. Remember what it feels like to have to start again.

Tamelepen

Im no expert but i find i never had craving or desire to drink it just happened, something in the back of my mind some hidden thing makes me buy and scull alcohol then its to late fear of detox sets in. Im just on day4 /5of detox and as soon as i can drive im going to start taking my narltrexzone....think thats how its spelt. I stopped taking it...hence my current posistion. Its a drug that will prevent the effects of alcohol and narcotics being felt so the urge to keep getting drunker or high arnt there because you just dont get drunk. It wont stop the cravings but it will make the action of drinking pointless. Maybe worth looking at info on that?

Tamelepen

Try this drug narltrexzone the only thing is keep taking it

Gottalife

In my experience you are asking the impossible. I must have tried that approach a thousand times, but always came undone due to the subtle nature of alcoholism. I had scary experiences from drinking, swore never to touch another drop and meant it with all my heart. Yet my resolve evaporated in a matter of days or sometimes even hours.

Strategies like call someone or play the tape through never worked in those moments because they never came to mind. I had only one thought, to have a good time. On reflection, what I was hoping to experience was that sense of well being I used to get when I first tried alcohol. But once I started, I lost control and overshot the mark. The good time was a delusion.

In the end I threw in the towel and asked for help in AA. I gave up arguing, and trying to get everything on my terms. I was in a sense, beaten to my knees and willing to do whatever it takes for the misery to stop. I gave up all my old ideas. Ideas that hadn't been working anyway.

That was the start of permanent recovery. I never drank again.

gymratgirl

That is my issue as well - somehow I convince myself I can have my drink of choice in the house and not drink it. So then why the hell do I keep buying it to tempt myself??? New day, new week, new me. Starting new habits.

Dee74

I know you're new here.
Have you tried it yourself Tamelepen?

If so, you're free to share your experience in a general way but recommending specific medications for other people is medical advice under our rules and we don't allow that.

https://www.soberrecovery.com/forums...al-advice.html

What might have worked for me may not work or even be suitable for someone else, so we ask our members to be responsible and take some caution when posting

thanks

Dee
Moderator
SR

Natasha1994

I enjoy yoga and working out, and medication as healthy alternatives. Also taking my dog for a walk. I find social events really hard, and being Easter holidays where there is booze around. Those have been triggers for me. I need a solid plan on how to over come
My triggers because what I have been doing hasn’t been working.

PalmerSage

The first thing I would do is join the class of April 2018! Post that you have not been able to stay sober for more than a week. Check in as many times a day as you can, and post frequently. Read here and post as much as possible. Live here if necessary!

Do not buy alcohol. Take it as an option completely off the table. Drink a ton of water, and eat whatever sounds good to you...including sweets.

Come up with a plan: "When I want to drink, I will do X instead." Cancel any social obligations that trigger you in ANY way.

You can do this! You just have to accept that it will be uncomfortable at the beginning, but you can handle that.