When did it Change
 

Hey all, new to the site and new to recovery.

I am an alcoholic. There, I have said it. I am done lying.
I drank heavily from the first time I met alcohol freshman year of
college. Had my incident...and quit for 2 years. Started again before
I did a study abroad, but maybe 1 or times / month but to outrageous
levels. Came back from abroad, depressed and began drinking almost
daily. Beer and sake were my buddies.

Got a job in nowhere america and began drinking everyday. Usually 6
-10 beers during the week and more than that on the weekends. Held
myselft to 3-4 times / week but 08,09 kicked it up to 5-6.

Recently moved jobs (and countries) and have significantly seen a giant
uptake on my alcohol intake. Before I could stop for a week or two and
have no problems. Stopping for a day is tough...2 is out of the question.

Doing a little reading on the sights I would say I have mild to semi-moderate
alcohol dependence. My fingers trembly slightly, hard to sleep, constant
burbing / minor stomach pain and a mild palpitation every now and again.
Where I live, alcoholism is not seen as a disease...few treatment centers.
I did get to a western doctor last month and checking my syptoms said that
I just need to quit alcohol, no drugs due to minor syptoms. He challenged me
to quit for 30 days and evaluate my take on alcohol. I made it 5 and felt
great...but then right back at it.

This stuff is scary...I need to quit now. And I am going to do so.
How long did it take you all to start to feel better? The thing that irks me
the most is the lack of sleep..but 1 hour sober sleep has ot better than 10
passed out drunk right??? Guess my low point hit me saturday night. Which
is by far not the wost thing I did under the influence.

There was a point where I could have 2 beers with dinner...now I rarely eat
dinner. Nights of 10-12 gin tonics (is that a half bottle? I dont know) with random shots of tequilla are no longer uncommon. I lost the ability to stop...and changed to a drink thats less filling so I can drink more. And I am successful guy...promoted 4 times in 4 years out of college. Sorry for rambling...been lookin to post here for while but never new what to do.

My plan is 2 beers tonight, since I had 1 already, and that cleans the fridge.
I will not drink tomorrow.
After that I will say I did good not drinking today, I will not drink tomorrow.

I will pass the 7 day mark.
the 14 day mark
the 21 day mark
the 1 month mark...at which case I hope to be out of a fog...and seeing how
the majority of everybody lives.
Anyone looking to do at least 30 days sober feel free to join me.

My strategy and I already did it is to tell all my friends that the doctor put me on a stop for alcohol. That will take the pressure of the forced drinks off me. Just hope I dont have anything too permanently damaged.

None of you know me, but we all have a ugly special bond I guess. Any prayers, pointers, suport would be appreciated.

Heres to a week of hell!! Followed by a better and hopefully longer rest of my life.

Tell your friends the truth. Much, much better.

Welcome to SR. Keep reading and posting. :)

I don't know why you really have to tell anyone anything. My close friends and family know that I am an alcoholic and that's why I don't drink anymore. If other friends ask why I stopped drinking I just tell them I'm trying to be healthier, and that I also save money and wake up feeling good in the morning. I don't want to put my problems out there for the entire world to dissect and analyze. I'm not getting into an "I'm an alcoholic" discussion with people I'm not completely comfortable around. But your doctor did tell you to stay away from alcohol, so telling that to your friends isn't lying. And it's hard for friends to argue with a doctor's advice.

This is a great site for support. Lots of people here with tons of experience, strength and hope to share. Hope you stick around and I hope you're successful with fighting off the booze. Tomorrow is my 90-day mark, and my life has gotten infinitely better without the booze.

Hi NLB - :welcome You're definitely in the right place and you're doing the right thing by trying to quit drinking. I couldn't stay stopped without support, so keep posting/reading and know that you can do it!:ring

Welcome! How are you holding up?

Need, good for you. I think I had 3 on my last night too, and then didn't get any more. Was really surprised I stuck to it.

The plotting you are doing sounds like it could be a good thing. I don't know if you want to plan TOO much though. Everybody's different, but usually the One Day at a Time thing is what helps people. I never thought I would agree with it, it seemed like a hollow cliche in the past.

Lack of sleep was like a slap in the face for me, and it has happened a few times. But as much as I hated having it come back, I embraced it as a "better than."

Anyway, since the doctor is having you think of this 30 days as a startingpoint, then you could use that as a longer goal in the back of your mind, with the satisfaction inside a single day of doing what's good for you (not drinking).

You sound like I did when I first tested the water of sobriety. Finally went to a Doctor, convinced myself I was done, and quit for like 5 days too. Then back to the races. This is a cycle that can last a lifetime. I would challenge you to find some AA in your area. There are meetings worldwide and I am sure you can find some if you look around. Without knowing where you are from, here are some resources that can help your search:

International A.A. Meetings,Find information on A.A. meetings worldwide

- :: Alcoholics Anonymous :: -

No luck there, scroll down below the US here and you can find more country specific listings with phone #' s you can call:

AA Intergroup and Central Office Phone Numbers

It's hard to do it alone.

Hey all -

Thanks for the posts and the advice. Last night didnt even polish off the
remainder of the fridge. I just poured them down the drain. And last night
was anything from fun. Gave me a glimpse of what it would be like to try
and quit the stuff after another 10 or 20 years.

Night 1:
Laid wide awake, having heavy heartbeats, sweating, stomach rumbling,
burrping, dry heaving. Glad I have the day of today. Finally feel asleep
on and off for a between 6 and 10am. Woke up and felt a little better.
Stomach is still grumbly, need to force some food in there. Dont feel
hungry, but know I need to eat.

Though I am currently looking at the signs as motivation. 1) This proves
that I am right. I have become physically dependant on alcohol and need
to quit. 2) Everytime I think to drink I will look back on these posts...the
next withdrawal will be worse...No thank you to that.

Anyway, thanks for the support. Gonna keep typing here...kinda relaxes me
thanks again. Keep fighting.

I know it's rough - the first couple days were pretty bad for me, too. If things don't get a lot better tomorrow, you may want to see a doctor. Posting and reading kept me focused and kept my courage up. Just know that you're not alone and we're here to support you. Good job for hanging in there!:c011:

Welcome! It has helped me so much to read posts here on SR. You're on the right track. Keep it up!

Goin into night two.
Day two wasnt too bad. Pretty doggone tired.
Shakes are virtually unnoticeable, stomach not
as messed up and the dry heaves only once or
twice. Hopefully the hearts quite when I lay down.
Sleeping might still be rough but that shouldnt last
too much longer.

Thanks for all the support!! Bring on day 3!
Once I stay sober, get to reward myself with some
golf on Saturday. Looking forward to it..its been a
while.