German69

Since my last visit here, I have been drinking like a fish. The cycle is getting more vicious by each day. We went to an Oktoberfest Saturday and I really overdid it there. The next morning I continued the beerdrinking just to get over the hangover. So I ended up drinking ALL day yesterday. Of course I woke up jittery, sweaty and anxious this morning and swore that I would quit but the anxiety attacks got the better of me and I'm sitting here with a beer AGAIN. ****. What kind of a wife and mother am I to be giving my family such a lousy example. I feel so guilty and worthless. I feel so afraid to quit but know I have to if I could only break that vicious cycle somehow...Did anybody here cut down at first and then quit altogether or did you all stop at once and how did you survive that "shock" physically? Thanks for sharing. n

BSPGirl

I know it's hard but you are able to break this vicious circle simply by starting to take steps into a positive direction, liking cutting down drinking, for example. Best of luck!



Marte

Anna

I felt like I was caught up in a vicious cycle too. The guilt and shame felt enormous and I would drink, just to feel a bit better for a moment. The only way out of the cycle is to take a bold step. Take action and move out in a positive direction. Stay sober today. You can do this and there's lots of support here.

Erin

I had to completely quit. No cutting down. It was all or nothing for me.

scootinbabe

**{German69}}

glad you are back! was wondering about you...

anyhow, don't be so hard on yourself--you are aware of what you are doing and you are coming here--those are two positive steps forward. i quit cold turkey and it was fine--the first few days were the worst and periodically off and on for a week or two it was pretty bad at times.

i tried to quit many times before now--the main difference this time is that i knew i had to quit. i just had to. i had had enough. i was disgusted at myself with no where to go but out. i guess i reached my bottom--however defined. for me, i had to quit cold turkey. any compromise is a slippery slope that i've already been down during my many previous attempts at quitting.

my point is: you will know when your time is. keep coming back. read all you can. surround yourself with people who understand (aa or whatever). pray. you can do it.

take good care,

CarolD

I suggest seeing a doctor..an addiction specialist would be ideal.
You must be totally hohest about your drinking.

There are short term meds to ease withdrawal
from alcohol..it is dangerous for anyone to quit alone.

Take care..

Ngokpa

Guilt and shame don't help; they're part of the problem.

Alcoholism is bio-chemical. Once we start drinking it's very hard to stop; that's why they say just don't pick up the first drink.

When you get your head clear, get help. That might mean going to AA and/or LifeRing, or you might have to get into a residential or out-patient program. It takes what it takes. But it takes a bit of an education to know what you're dealing with. I like Beyond the Influence, since it's pretty current. But the vast majority of people need peer support, and taking the problem seriously by hanging out at meetings and making some changes in our lives.

We didn't make ourselves miserable on purpose. It was a bio-chemical trick. Good luck!

c'est la vie

Cutting back, or tapering, only keeps you hanging by the thread of addiction that much longer. I would suggest that you talk to a doctor and just quit altogether. I do believe though that if you are able to reduce your drinking for a short period of time before quitting, it may lessen the effects of the withdrawals. I'm no doctor, I'm only speaking from my experience.

My experience was that I cut back to 2 drinks a day (thinking that I was "moderating" lol) but it made me crazy waiting for the drinks and eventually went back to drinking too much. I bounced back and forth between trying not to drink and drinking to excess for about 6 months then finally threw my hands up and said "I quit". During that time I drank much less than I had previously and I think it helped lessen the w/d. The emotional rollercoaster wasn't fun though so quitting cold turkey would skip that part.

btw, I also went to an Oktoberfest celebration over the weekend and enjoyed the festivities sober. No puking, no passing out, no headache or stomach ache, no regrets. It's possible and you can do it too.

Krys_wyo

Same here for me to........it was all or id have nothing!