Katie09

Welcome dd! I think it's great to have you here. I am on day 7 and give all the credit to this forum! It's a wonderful place to be. Please visit and post often. Reading other threads is very inspirational too. I go all over this forum and there is always something good to read.

masseyman

Hi dd6363, that whole thing about drinking in moderation is something I pondered for a long time.

You know I noticed as the boozing grew in my life it would take more and more to satisfy the "need" for me, I'm sure that is a refrain here. After years of drinking the first half pint of vodka just made me feel like crap, the next half pint made me feel normal. For me, if its still got some liquid in it, it's gonna get finished. When the bottle is empty, I'm "satisfied".

I am fighting the idea of being able to handle my liquor someday. Don't think I can turn that switch on and off anymore.

I'm glad your trying to quit. It'll make for a better life.

Take care.

nickishine

DD6363, my thoughts exactly here!

I'm like betreurt. In and out of meeting and sobriety for years. I've got a lot of "head" knowledge but not a lot of heartfelt action in 'working out' my sobriety. The need for support and AA is essential for me and am taking it very seriously (probably the 1st time ever). We can't do "sobriety" on our own. The need for support is essential whether it's AA, SR (here) or others who can relate to our drinking problems.

You're off to a good start!! I did the kind of drinking your talking about here, however, through time it evolved into full blown 24/7 - literally - drinking. If you are an alcoholic, it will only get worse -- never better, maybe for just short periods you can arrest it on your own...but, in my experience, the day will inevitable come when you can't control it whatsoever. Again, if you're really an alcoholic, this will happen down the road.... my belief anyways!

Glad you're here and looking forward to more posting from you! Take care!
Hugs,

Nicki :ghug

craze283

I know exactly what you mean. When i realized my drinking every day was not working for me i quit for a couple weeks last summer. After that i decided i could drink socially and controll it. I was succesfull for probably a month and the next thing i knew i was back drinking every day. I am day 4 again now and not feeling too bad. I think i know now that i need to quit completely and hope i can be successful. I am 32 years old have been drinking very heavily for over 10 years.

craze283

Also want to say that this forum has been very helpfull and hope i can help others as well along the way. We all know we need to stick with others or we would not be on here.

shaun00

hi and welcome...............some great advice there.

I would say if you think you can control your drinking then great..give it a try.

If you find that you have lost all element of control the chances are there is no going back imo.

I think the most devasting element of alcholism is it will tell you your not an alcoholic........many chase the illision of controlled drink till it kills them.

keep posting....trucker

betreurt

I know that the biggest relief is hanging out with other sober alcoholics. They are the only ones who REALLY "get it". And the funny thing is, as unique as I always thought my situation is, I found out my story was repeated back to me by so many people, who all had the same experiences. Maybe not the same situations, but a lot of the same recurring themes: trying to quit, trying to moderate, and ending up being unhappy all over again.

I always told myself I wasn't a REAL alcoholic. I would go to meetings and hear from people who had gone to jail, lost their families, gone on to do other drugs like crack and heroin, sold their bodies on the street, or worse. I always told myself, "see, I'm not THAT bad off." But the bottom line is, I was unhappy, and couldn't stay away from booze. So I finally had to admit it. And despite the fact that I was a college graduate, with a decent job, my own home, etc... I was empty and miserable, and alcohol was a big part of that.

So just knowing that you are unhappy with the role alcohol is playing in your life is a good enough point to say that you need and want help. And the really great thing is that there are literally millions of people out there who have been in your shoes and want nothing more than to help you. And even if they don't know you, they care about you and your sobriety. That is the awesome thing about so many recovering alcoholics and addicts. Part of their own sobriety is helping others stay sober.

Its very comforting to me to know that all those people and resources are out there. It takes away the lonliness. I hope this is a comfort to you as well.

Hang in there. There is a better life out there for you. Its just waiting for you.

B

dd6363

I agree..I have made the decision starting today to at least accomplish 30 days of no drinking...then i am sure once i have made that accomplishment, the desire will hopefully go away.

nickishine

For me, friend... Just for today, One day at a time... I will not drink! Yea, I look forward to "down the line" with some days under my belt, but the truth is I've always thought like that and seem to fall short of my goal(s) and then out comes the baseball bat with spikes on it ripping me to shreds! Today, am just keeping it simple and staying in the moment to the best of my abilities! I'm really good at setting myself up for failure! We're all different and can appreciate our differences, however!

betreurt

Nikki's right, dd, don't let yourself get overwhelmed with the numbers and all that. I like the "just for today" mentality a lot, too.

I can tell you that I have a very, very smart doctor (doctor/phsychiatrist/therapist/generally awesome guy that I trust and see twice a week). He told me I should probably quit drinking, to help with my therapy. I asked him, "for how long?" and he would just say, "for a while. just for now." So finally, I give it a go. After a week, I asked him, "so how long do I have to keep not drinking? Forever?" And he said, "for a while. for now." He never said, "FOREVER" and it made it less scary. Even though now I realize that I can't and don't want to drink any more, that I actually like myself better and better with each sober day, I'm glad he never put it in huge, "forever" terms, otherwise I would have freaked out and never gotten sober or even considered a recovery program.

My doc rules.

Anyway, point being... There really is something to that "I will not drink today" mentality. I know it helps me a lot.

Hope to see some more posts from you, hope you are doing well.