TheLadyb

Why can't I make this work
I really really want to quit drinking....it is ruining my life, health and relationship.
I need help.....I don't know how to stop:praying:praying

least

A good place to start might be to ask your doctor for help in quitting. Also it may be worth your while to check out recovery programs like AA, LifeRing, Women for Sobriety, Rational Recovery.

Best advice I ever got on how to quit drinking was from CarolD. She said that quitting is possible but you have to want to stay sober more than you want to drink.

I'm glad you're starting over. You can stay sober, just don't drink for today. Just today. Wait til tomorrow gets here before worrying about it.

:ghug

nickishine

LadyB...


Alcohol is a "rapacious creditor" and just keeps taking from us and adding more hurt in our lives the longer we let it be our master!!!

For me, I had to get madder than hell that once again, I was giving it lordship over my life and having it keep me from anything good and worthwhile!! They say "tiny steps for tiny feet".... Just make a step today to not drink. If you need to detox, be cautious and maybe contact your doc if you've been drinking ALOT of alcohol continuously.

There's no magic wand out there for us unfortunately! Every time we may fall, we've just got to manage to get back up and try again! I've been there time and time again and pray that you'll do the same TODAY!... Pick yourself back up cuz you are deserving of recovery and a wonderful like - SOBER! xoxo

:ghug

yeahgr8

This is what i did

Got hold of a counseller who dealt with alcohol issues, went for initial meeting and then referred to psychiatrist to prescribe antabuse which makes you sick if you drink alcohol. Went for 2 sessions a week with counseller. Did this in October 2008 and still going now. Came off antabuse mid Feb 09.

KenL

You gotta want it bad enough. Don't stop trying. Keep at it with all the tools you can find. There's a lot of help out there. Keep coming back to SR as well for additional support and guidance. Lots of people here with lots of experience, just keep reaching out.

Anna

Ladyb,

I'm glad you posted.

For me, I had to believe that I was worth it. I had let things go in all aspects of my life because I didn't really believe that I was worth the effort. It's surprising how making one small change in your life can have a ripple effect in how you feel. Believe that you are worth the effort involved in getting sober and having a good life.

Theresa

I've been stopping and restarting since last year, LadyB, so don't feel like you are all alone in this struggle. I stopped drinking on Feb. 14th, and I don't intend to "try" drinking again. It just doesn't work. And even if my life gets a little boring (or a lot boring, lol), I know it won't be any better if I am sick.

You can join the Feb. class!

CarolD

I too returned to drinking after I decided to quit.
It was very flustrating.

Then I read "Under The Influence" by Milam & Ketcham
We have excerpts in our Alcoholism Forum..click the link

http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...influence.html

I took that information....Re connected to God and AA
and I finally quit drinking....

Blessings

mle-sober

LadyB,

I quit drinking when the pain I experienced from drinking became more than the pain I experienced from having to make the necessary changes to stop.

I sought recovery because I was desperate.

I went to AA. I made an appointment at the rehab center in a hospital near me. I poured out all my booze. And I came here and stayed here as long as I could.

It was horribly, horribly hard at first. But it did get better. And the important thing that I really held onto was the fact that other people had found recovery before me. If so many others had done it before me, I felt like I had a chance.

You can do this. You really can. I don't know what your other tools are besides being here - but I hope you are throwing everything you've got at this disease. We know how powerful it is. But you can fight and win this. Keep trying.

- mle

Jules62

You're in good company here.I had so many day ones...

I kept thinking there was something wrong with me.Why couldn't I get it?I'd try and try SO HARD but I always went back to the bottle in the end.

I used to feel like I was an alien-I was the one percent who just couldn't 'get it'. That sober people had some piece of the jigsaw puzzle I didn't.

And it's only really in the past few months I've realised that it's not even about 'trying'.It's about surrender.I am powerless over this addiction.I will never be able to beat it by my 'thinking' but I can live freely by accepting I'm an alcoholic and doing everything I can to make a good, sober life for myself.I'm worth it.So are you.

You can do this.You are not a failure.You have an addiction.You can get better.

I hope you hang around here and keep posting.

Julesxox

Wolfchild

When your driving your car and you come to a stop sign, what do you do?
If your like most people, you stop. Why? Because you surrender, at that moment, to a power greater than yourself. You find out the consequences for not surrendering to that power when the police officer gives you a ticket.

While drinking is different then driving, the same type of surrender becomes necessary if you hope to stop. Many of us were unable to stop on our own, but we had just enough faith that if we asked someone to help us, they would. Please let go of the illusion that you can try to make this work. Recovery works best when WE work together to help each other stay clean & sober one day at a time.

As long as you don't take that first drink, you can't get drunk. If you do not drink, you are excercising your freedom of choice to stay stopped. Build on that and keep coming back until you realize you want to stay.

mle-sober

Those are such good points. I want to "second" them. When I thought I was in control was when I was the most out of control. It's a paradox. When I finally let go of the idea that I could "think" and "will power" my way out of my active drinking, and I asked for help and accepted it, I finally found recovery. But I had to stop saying "but... but... but..." and thinking I knew the way.

TheLadyb

Today is Day 4 and I have given up trying and have surrendered. I will surrender everytime I need to on my knees if necessary to get through this next day...

AlkalikeH

A hug to you then. Keep trying, maybe someday you will just.. do it.

:ghug3

nickishine

You GO, Girl!!! Day 4 and the clock keeps tickin'.... We never have to go back to Day 1 unless we CHOOSE to! You're doin' awesome and am sooooo glad you're in the "surrender" mode! For me I had to concede to my innermost self that I was alcoholic.... Once I truly did that, a big part of the battle was over.... The white flag is up today!

:ghug:ghug

least

Four days sober is a great start to a better life without that poison.

:ghug3

mle-sober

That is what I did too. On my knees. Day by day.

And it hard. But I looked up one day and realized that it'd been a week. And weeks turned into months and into a year.

Take each day and treat it like the precious gift that it is. Each day.

Good for you. I'm proud of you!!! You can do this!