SR Makes me want to drink sometimes...
 

Does anyone else feel like drinking/using after spending too much time on here?

The success stories are helpful, the one year marks, etc, but all the talk about yummy relapses - and there seems to be more of that lately - does get me wondering sometimes.

I ignore it, but just curious if this happens to others.

Nope doesn't affect me in the slightest...but before it would have just brought to the front what i was thinking about anyway and that was the next drink, either having it or avoiding it...it sucked and it wasn't until i gave up trying to control my problem and trusted someone else to help me and do what they said that i finally got freedom from alcoholism...

No, not for me. Early in sobriety I had relapses, nothing yummy or enticing there. Reading here helps cement the reasons why I don't drink. However, back in my drinking days, I used to watch movies about people with drinking problems. Watching them made me want to drink. So...I know what you mean, but thank goodness that has passed.

Hi JB-

The obsession to drink has been removed from me as a direct result of working the 12 steps of AA.

As long as I do my part, each day of my life, the obession will never return.

There is no such thing as a "yummy relapse" anyway, not to us alcoholics.

It's a lie, my friend.

Kjell~

Nope. The obsession to drink is totally gone for me.

No, it helps me. The stories of relapses are a good reminder to keep on my toes, actually.

Perhaps you need a break.

No, obsession is gone for me as well.

'yummy' relapse? The relapse stories scare theshit out of me honestly.

There have been periods of times for me where SR (and going to f2f meetings) just became overwhelming to me and I had to back off for good or for a while. I never thought of the relapses as "yummy" quite the opposite, I feared they might be somewhat 'contagious' if I stuck around so I walked away.

This is true - but they certainly can appear to be sometimes, at least to the part of me that thinks alcohol is yummy.

There is alcohol in this house - I'm looking at ten wine bottles right now, and there are two open bottles in the kitchen. I don't get electric-shock-style cravings that say "drink! now!" anymore, though.

I don't have an "obsession" per se - but talking about drinking, or not drinking, as we do here, does certainly keep the subject in the forefront of my mind.

Wow: ten wine bottles in your house?
I couldn't have that!

No it doesn't. I have noticed that thinking about all the people I know who are dead or dying from alcoholism, or watching Intervention can have that effect. My alcoholic brain starts the "I was never that bad I must not be an alcoholic" thinking. Sneeky lil ******* ain't it?

John-

Let me ask you this. Do you believe you have recovered from alcoholism?

...and one seperate point to my question above. We AA'ers believe that by helping others we help to strengthen our own sobriety. This is def true with me and my main reason for being a part of SR.

Kjell~

I don't even care for the thought of booze anymore. Just don't want it. Any kind of subconscious craving left me about 3 months ago. The only flavor that I could see myself missing would be a margarita with the salt and the sweet, but I wasn't into drinking for the taste.

Yeah, I couldn't either, but these are not mine. I can't really ask them not to have them in the house on account of me. Well, I could, but I won't, doesn't seem right to me to do so.

I have been told that if I touch any of them there will be consequences, however. :-)

KJell, I think I have matured from my alcoholism, and I think feeling like I am being a service to anyone always helps the way I feel period.

Best way to combat Alcohol Addiction is head on, or it'll creep up on you in a hot second. IMO

Some of the relapses i read about 'never sound yummy' to me personaly.
But one blatencey i have seen at times (not to be disrespectful) is the lack of forsight in posts leading up to relapses, almost trying to justify that its going to happen. Or at least thats how it comes across sometimes. Hence the 'yummy' descriptions, and 'details'. Again JMO

No, it hasn't increased the desire for alcohol. Just the opposite; it makes me want to completely eliminate it from my life so I can go on living "normally". But, I have to confess. I am on a 40 day journey to make this decision. I gave it up for Lent as a true sacrifice, because it means too much to me. And, I know in my heart of hearts that I will be better off giving it up for good - one day at a time. This site is helping me remain cognizant of the detriments of the alcoholic life. Now, if I and my doctors can beat my depression, and get my ADD under control, and I can think clearly, I pray that the right decision will come before Easter comes.

This site has had one detrimental effect on my life. I seem to have transferred my addiction to SR.

I understand the AA philosophy of helping others, and I agree with that.

As far as whether I have recovered, that is a tricky question. I am reasonably certain that I will not drink again, but I don't believe that the occasional desire to do so can ever or will ever fully disappear.

I don't crave cigarettes all the time anymore, and when I see people smoking I recall what it used to do to my lungs, but there are still times when I wonder about having "just" one cigarette.

Of course, I know that the idea is completely ludicrous, but I am not of the belief that this will completely go away. I fully expect to have these "ideas" from time to time, quite possibly years from now.

I try to steer away from the posts that I can tell are about a relapse. Sometimes I just gotta read em....just like the road kill...don't wanna look .... but I do. I do wonder if reading here is helping me or hurting me. Keep it One Day At A Time.

Hi John-

I totally understand and it's not completly ludicrous.

I'm an AA'er and I still have ideas of drinking. I also believe I always will (again, from time-to-time).

When this happens, and it does, then you better believe I tell someone (like you are) and then I get moving on some step work OR get to helping someone else pronto.

Listen...I get tired of SR sometimes too. I even get tired of AA as well, but this is coming from the brain of someone who got tired of life (or was so scared) and darn near drank and drove myself to death. It's alcoholic/human nature to grow complacent with ourselves.

Sounds like it's time for you to step your recovery up a notch.

Kjell~

That's great and I couldn't agree more.

...but for me, that wasn't my normal nature (sshhh....I used to be very, very selfish) and I didn't come to this way of life until after I recovered from my alcoholism.

Kjell~

The stories of relapse aren't the least bit yummy to me, they scare me and make me happy that I no longer want to drink.

It does get me sometimes. I'm early in recovery too. But I tend to come here when I'm already thinking about drinking, anyway, and so it does end up helping. Tonight I'm going to a concert - I'm not going to drink, and you have to buy a membership to get beer anyway, but still... I was thinking about alcohol, so that was why I came here.

I don't need SR to convince me to drink ... I can do that all by myself.

SR is like a lifeline for me and I am so grateful its available.

No, SR doesn't do that do that for me. On the other day, AA does.

I was just thinking how nice it was for SR to get the "blame" it's usually AA or the tardiness of the number 10 bus...i sat with a guy for a coffee once when i first got into recovery who said that i needed to be careful about going to so many AA meetings as it had made him drink again...i will never forget that as one of the all time funnies i have ever heard:-)

I get a similar feeling, but for me, it's because I go to SR when I really want to drink. So the thoughts are already there. Reading about other people's relapses doesn't really trigger me. It makes me sad for them, but it doesn't usually make me want to drink. Thinking about drinking often does make me want to drink.