Hello
 

Well, so this it what it has come to...a knowing (again) that I have a problem with beer. Usually this time of year I would give up drinking for lent. I don't think I have made it through the 30 or so days since I started but this year I made it through maybe 12 hours.

I don't drink in the day but come home and down cans and cans of beer and cigarrettes (they go hand in hand for me...yin to the yang).

My friends are long gone and every major mistake I have made in my life has come under the influence of alcohol yet I am stubborn and frankly like my beer an cigs. I still have not much a problem getting girls but the relationships don't last that long. For the most part I am imprissioned inside this time of year since my business thrives during the spring and summer.

I have given up drinking in the past for a week or so only to come back......I don't have the problem with insomnia as such, what I do have is an incredible sense of 1. Guilt, 2. Wasted Time, 3. What am I gonna do for fun now?

Now I can deal with those they don't affect my daily life but what normally happens with me there is one thing that I find embarrassing and run back to medicate them.

1. After about two or three days without beer....I honestly have trouble speaking.....now I don't mean I have a brain fog...I mean that the words in my brain become slurred by the time they come out of my mouth. My throat becomes raspy/phlemy(sic) and I have trouble articulating words.

Well, the brain fog, and not being that "quick" dosen't help either.

Anyways, I've been reading this site for a little while and hope we can help each other on our journey.

Talk soon,

Quint

Hi Quint,
I had the same problem in that for me it was wine and cigs that went together and every night I would set myself up for a night of drinking and smoking, never and every morning had the horrible hangover made worse by the half pack of cigs that I had smoked.. but I liked it at the time, or thought that I did! I have been sober for nearly four weeks and never meant to give up the cigs at the same time but the withdrawals were so bad that I had no choice, Im glad that I did them together now because as they go hand in hand , I found I couldnt drink with out the cigs and vise versa...
Brain fog and short term memory does get better, I feel so much more alert now than I ever did, stick with it it will get better!!
Welcome to SR, there are a great bunch of people here!
P

..interestin' post..see what happin's...

..but welcome...tell us more..Oz..

..a good thing about puters..don't have to speak..LOL.

Welcome to SR Quint.

I found that my drinking was different from most other people. I learnt that once I started drinking, I wanted to drink lots. I also found that when I stopped drinking, I became uptight and unhappy until my head told me that what would fix my overwhelming feelings was a drink. But then it was never just a drink.

I got to a place where I realised that I needed to stop drinking but found I couldn't stay stopped. That was 3 years ago.

You are not alone! It's good to have you here.

Oh yeah, the cigs without a doubt add to the hangover tenfold. Believe it or not I've never taken a sip of red wine in my life. Just the thought of drinking anything that is not cold has never appealed to me......even though people told me about the relationship between the right red wine and steak (which I love).

Pilgrim: that is my state as well and always has been......once I start I don't stop. With that said everything in my life has always been the same way. I have two gears in my brain first and fifth. I wish I could alter that a bit but to date that is I.

Marie: Exactly!! Once I go three or four days I feel in my sick brain that I deserve a 'reward' and that reward keeps jumping from plateau to plateau. It's a nutty little habit and I have to control it or it will kill me and I know that.

Lucky for me I saw this may be an issue (addictive personality) early on so I never tried an illegal drug or set foot in a casino.....Alot of my friends.....sampled this or that but when offered I let them know that "if I never try it I will never miss it". Unfortunately, it took the pull of nicotine and alcohol for me to realize that.

It's a big dark cloud that I have trouble shaking.

Quint

Quint,

Welcome, and I agree that the brain fog will lift.

Also, you will feel more comfortable sober as time goes on. It takes some patience in early recovery, but know that you can do this.

Welcome to SR, Quint!:welcome

While the human body is amazing, it does react to the absence of alcohol being poured into it that it had become accustomed to for so long.

There are alot of typical adjustments during the detoxifying stages but it's always a good idea to be on the safe side and consult with your dr. about your history and your body's reactions.

That said, remember that alcoholism is progressive. I never drank during the day either, until...

It's only a matter of time before one isn't enough and neither is 100.

Keep reading - lots of different forums here - you're in a really good place.

Look forward to your sharing more. Take care.

Good to know you are thinking about the damage
your drinking is causeing you.

Welcome to SR...:wavey: