My Nth attempt at sobriety
 

Hi guys, my name is Conk from Long Island.

I'm about 12 hours sober and finally decided that I can't go the path of sobriety alone. I would have done AA but I'm not good with people so I'm going to blab to you folks on the great internet.

I was 220 lbs maybe 3-4 months ago and now I'm at 245. I'm sure it's caused by excess of alcohol and then eating my way to sleep since I don't know when I'm full. This is one of the major reasons I want to stop. The other is sleeping habbits. I wake up 3-4 times a night in sweats wondering why, and I think I've finally figured it out.

I hope to have a great stay here, and you'll probably get a few more posts from me within the next 24 hours complaining your ears off!

Thanks for listening...
Conk

Hey Conk. Welcome to our recovery community.

If you have tried sobriety many times before, and found you couldn't succeed, why not try something different? The internet can be a great tool, and this site has been a great source of strength for me; but, like anything else, it's only as good as what you put into it. Many people will be by to share their experience, strength and hope, but without you taking action, it will be useless.

I hope you stick around.

Hi conk I am pulling for you.

Hi Conk!!! Welcome!!

I, too, would eat too much when I was drinking...kind of trying to "even out" the amount of booze in me at the time. I also had really bad sleep patterns, as I could get a "good" sleep when it was really just passing out, ya know? Sobriety brings so much good to your life! You will sleep waaay better...actually, in the beginning, you'll probably find yourself sleeping a lot more than normal....the body has a lot of lost time to make up! Also, sobriety brings energy into your day, it lifted my depression, it lets you become one of the living again, instead of just someone faking their way through the day.

Post often, get to know the people here, and know that we're all rooting for ya! :)

Things are always better the nth time around. People with five, ten or thirty years of sobriety all made "one more try" after numerous slips, so take heart.

Welcome, this a great community.

Thanks for all the kind words all.

I will be returning here, without a doubt.

Welcome Conk,
I too would wake up many times after drinking, what an awful feeling that is. I am suffering from insomnia now I think due to many restless nights and the anxiety that alcohol induced. Newbie also, on Day 11.

SR is a great place, keep visiting and posting.

Just wondering some things you guys use or do to keep your mind off the devil's juice... Or is this the wrong topic to ask this?

You can ask anything at all, Conk! :) What I did at the beginning was literally spend as much time as possible on this site...really helped me feel 'active' in not drinking. Also, I went to the bulk candy store and got bags of every type of candy that I could possibly crave. Then, I'd use that as a treat to look forward to at night, instead of the usual wine that I would've normally had. I also got into specialty coffees...anything different to look forward to and reward myself with.
Mixing up your routine is good, too. If you normally drink in the evenings, don't be at home during that time. Make plans to go for a walk, or do some shopping, or ANYTHING, really instead of drinking. :)

Not at all!

Some things that have been valuable to me:

1. Not treating urges as something wrong that has to be pushed away. The best thing to do is just confront them and treat them as a normal part of breaking a habit. Keep reminding yourself that going sober means having the urge, and that it doesn't represent an actual need or a failure on your part.

2. Having some stable thing you can turn your mind to. For me, it's a prayer, but for you it could be thinking of a loved one, thinking of some goal you want to obtain in sobriety, or even something absurd like repeating the word "banana."

3. Do healthy things that lift your mood. Exercise, in whatever way is healthy to you. Or get more committed to some hobby or pastime. It'll keep your mind more stable, even when you're not actively doing those things, and you'll have fewer urges.

In early sobriety...I attended an AA meeting at 7 A.M.
I found my life went smoother if I
"started my day the AA way"

I do you find ansers that work beneficially for you
:wave: ...Welcome to our recovery community

I visit this site,,,ALOT

I'm in class right now and I'm posting. :)

I think I'll take the time later tonight to make a list of things to do in the evenings instead of drinking.

That will probably keep me occupied tonight after work.

Welcome and this is the perfect place to ask your questions.

For me, the insomnia from alcohol was the worst over the past couple of months. I started drinking again after a decent period of sobriety but this time I would start to wake up at 1 / 2 in the morning and would not be able to go back to sleep. I would be anxious, exhausted etc. I really knew that the alcohol was causing it but that 1st drink would seemingly take care of the restless and anxiety. I finally got to the point where I was able to say enough and am now into 3rd day, starting up in AA because I need human contact to stay sober and AA works for me when I work it.

You don't have to add that to your list, but activities with others I think is a huge one as my wife has pointed out several times.

You are moving in the right direction but having the desire to quit and starting on this forum. Keep it up and thanks for your post!

I just read some of the withdrawal stories... And it kinda got me a little frightened...

It's just that last time I did this, I didn't experience any of the major symptoms of it. I was just kinda tired and irritable. I drink maybe about a pint every evening (liquor)...

Got me thinking...

Sorry to get here so late, Conk. I've made my decision to quit. My first booze-free day will be this Sunday. I congratulate you for wanting to quit drinking. I know it's made my life pretty crappy. Keep posting and reading. There are a lot of genuinely caring people here.

Blessings be, my friend.
BHJ

Welcome Conk! If you're concerned about withdrawals, and of course you should be, you should see a doctor. I was drinking that much every day, too, and my withdrawals only consisted of sweating and headaches and being really tired, and cravings for alcohol. But everyone is different, so please be careful and get medical attention.
Here's what helps me with cravings:
Pray about it. (This helps tremendously even during the times when I'm not sure I believe in God. I just say the words.)
Put it off. Wait until you've shared it with someone in recovery. One of my triggers is driving home from work, so I will put it off until I get home and read and post here. For me, it's too hard to say, "I'm not going to do it." when I'm in the middle of the craving. I have to promise myself I can drink if I still want to after I've done everything else in my arsenal.
So far, my arsenal includes: SR, eating really good snack foods, taking a hot bubble bath, going to AA, calling people in my family or in recovery, walking my dog, playing with my dog, getting outside for a while, taking a nap, reading recovery books, reading good fiction, watching movies, working on my step (I'm on two and reading a great book called 'came to believe').
All that is just how I'm doing it. One of the great things about SR is that we all have our own methods. You will find what works for you if you keep trying. I especially like what Carol had to say to me, and that is to be very gentle with myself. I hope you will do the same.
I'm glad you made it here.

Thanks for the advice. :) I already saw my doctor and he proposed Naltrexone (an anti-craving opiate aggrevator)... I told him that I wanted to do it naturally. I will be calling the doc if I have any problems.

There is something I have quite the issue with though - and it's all that talk about god or a higher power. And a lot of people say they've had quitting success through this. The only problem is that I'm an athiest. Where can I go from there? I'm more of a science person than a faith person...

Update:
It's 9PM now and I didn't go to the liquor store today. I'm really glad that I didn't go there and I feel like that's my first major step taken. Now I have the time to sit back and watch some Scifi and smoke some of my favorite herb. I'm feeling quite irritable at the moment and I've been sweating for the last half of my shift at work, but everything seems to be okay thus far.

I REALLY REALLY appreciate the time you folks have taken to write to me here. Especially since none of us know each other personally... But I guess that's what support is all about. I hate being an introvert, lol.

Hi, Conk. Here's a link you might find helpful for some secular support:

LifeRing Home Page

Here's another one:

SMART Recovery®

DK