virginoliveoil

I've been an alcoholic for a significant portion of my life, but in the past two to three years it has gotten out of hand -- I've consistently been drinking 6 to 10 drinks per night, every night. I tried quitting numerous times and failed because I kept convincing myself I could go back to drinking in moderation; of course, that never works for alcoholics.

I'm hoping abstinence will stick this time. This is the longest I've been sober in years. It started out with a $20 bet with a friend that I couldn't make it one month sober, and here I am today $20 richer (not to mention wealthier in cognitive ability ).

I come to Sober Recovery for support because sobriety is becoming more difficult every day. Symptoms of post-acute withdrawal syndrome are increasing in severity: I'm really depressed, lacking motivation, my interpersonal skills have gone down the tubes, and not a day goes by without cravings for alcohol.

I'm considering psychotherapy and possibly prescription drugs as a solution, but that's my last resort. First, I want to see how a support group like this one works. Thanks for listening.

Draciack

Hi Virginoliveoil

This is a great place - you'll find a lot of support here.

When I quit, I had to do more than not drink. Alcohol was a problem, yes, but it was also my solution for problematic emotions, identity issues, unresolved problems in my past, and a bunch of other stuff as well. Recovery programs - AA, SMART, and CBT - all helped.

I hope you find something that works for you. Welcome

Dee74

Hi Virginoliveoil.

Like Drac, I never had much success with just not drinking either...

I think I was drinking, largely, to try and fill a void in myself...take the booze away and the void remained...I reasoned I had to really work on that if I wanted to stay sober.

How you do that is really your call but counselling helped me, as did a lot of service work and helping others, changing my circle of hard drinking buddies and various other alcoholcentric areas of my life (so - most of it)....

and of course hanging out here a lot and reading and posting
I hope we can help you too

Welcome!
D

artsoul

Welcome VirginOliveOil - Congratulations on your 7 weeks of sobriety! I check in with these good people every day and it really helps me stay committed. I'ts nice to know I don't have to do this alone and that others are going through the same things.

Glad you've joined us!

Kmber2010

Welcome VOO and know you have our support. There is much good info and experience here and I found reading and sharing to be extremely beneficial.

I found that just quitting wasn't enough for me. I had a few months down but I wasn't happy with it....I still felt the way I did before just I was sober. Unfortunately I relapsed because eventually my going solo didn't work anymore.

What I did was return to SR which is a valuable tool in my recovery and I added face to face support. I use counseling and it has been tremendous for me. My problem wasn't just the drinking - it was what was driving it.

There are many support options out there. I think having the support all around will be a good thing.

Keep it going!

LaFemme

Hi VOO and welcome! Congrats on 7 weeks and winning your bet. For me (and itbseems many here) quitting drinking is only partly about not drinking...the bigger thing is about working on yourself and changing the parts of you that led to your drinking. For some its a small shift for more its a complete change in your life. I come to SR, read self help books and work with a life coach for my emotional health...physically I eat really healthy, take vitamins and exercise. I have 4+ months and feel happier and healthier all the time.

Hope you find what you are looking for here!

eddie73

Congrats on 7 weeks, that is good going