Chuck48

Right now, the most important thing is that I quit, and that's my primary focus. You're absolutely right. But I truly believe that alcohol abuse is a symptom of something deeper, at least in my case. I wasn't drinking because I loved the taste of hard liquor. I was drinking to numb myself. If I don't figure out the root cause of this need to numb, then my alcohol abuse might be replaced with some other bad habit.

Thanks again for your suggestions. The "Rational Recovery" method seems ideal.

SomethingBetter

Welcome Chuck!

Zencat

Not so alone for me. It was an inside job tho, ultimately with finding resources that aided me in my drug free lifestyle. Learning about the nature of addiction, well learning the latest findings that has helped. SMART Recovery, AVRT, LifeRing, CBT and other recovery tools that fit my needs as a secular person made a big difference in my chances to recover.

What I found that was very encouraging early on was, that there many ways to recover from active addiction. That and knowing to have a method to recover with, that honnered my beliefs or lack there of, would vastly improve my chances of recovery.

The bottom line for me was; The greater the time I spent on working on my wellness journey, the lesser I desired to return to active addiction.

stuckonstopped

Hi Chuck,

A guy once told me that he started putting their wallet in the pocket opposite of the one he normally used. When he would get up to the counter with their 12-pack or whatever and reached for the wallet, it wasn't there and he would remember why. Seemed kind of corny to me, but I guess it 's these little things worth trying.

I read "How to Quit Drinking without AA" by Jerry Dorsman. It was helpful and there are some self-inspection type exercises that are quite useful. Also some good stuff on diet and what to eat or not eat for when you quit drinking. In the end though, I find AA has helped keep me sober the longest thus far (four months and counting). Aside from that, exercise, getting involved with neglected hobbies/interests, etc...anything to keep me busy.

Good luck and keep checking in here.

Joe

ru12

I stopped drinking last December. I tried AA and found that it just didn't fit my life view. I made the decision that I wouldn't drink again. Ever. And for me it works. I didn't know it at the time, but what I was basically I was doing was AVRT. I had a voice that would say that it was ok to drink, or I had images of me sitting with a drink and I would interrupt that thought and tell it to f-off. . . that I don't drink and that is that. I'm not sure that this will work with others, but it has with me. At this point I just don't want to drink. I like me now.

wheresthefun

Hi Chuck, and welcome.

I agree, with finding "the root cause of this need to numb", at the same time you just have to stop drinking. Are you in therapy, or are you considering it? Cognitive Behavioral Therapy did wonders for me. That said, I did all that ten years ago while I was still drinking, but that part is done, all I needed to do was to be ready to stop drinking, because I've already dealt with "the root cause of this need to numb". Yeah, it was a bit unconventional, but what the heck, it's done.

Can I ask you this, Chuck - are you READY to stop drinking?