Hi, I'm new here
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: dreamland
Posts: 26
Hi, I'm new here
Really wish I didn't have to be here, but I do. And I'm scared. Scared to make this huge change to my life - scared to lose friends, scared to face the monotony of day to day life, scared that I'll fail.
I'm in my mid-40s and other than a 5 year break from ages 36-41 I have been drinking pretty heavily since my late teens. The amount I can consume is frightening and I blackout a lot and then make really dumb decisions. I tried (at the urging of a friend) to "get it under control" a couple months ago. I reduced my drinking from 3-4 nights a week to one night a week and was able to keep it at 4-5 drinks - until last Thursday when I went on a 7 hour bender which ended with me passed out in the bathtub with the water running. I woke up three hours later to a flooded bathroom and hallway. I guess I'm lucky I woke up at all.
Sigh.
I'm in my mid-40s and other than a 5 year break from ages 36-41 I have been drinking pretty heavily since my late teens. The amount I can consume is frightening and I blackout a lot and then make really dumb decisions. I tried (at the urging of a friend) to "get it under control" a couple months ago. I reduced my drinking from 3-4 nights a week to one night a week and was able to keep it at 4-5 drinks - until last Thursday when I went on a 7 hour bender which ended with me passed out in the bathtub with the water running. I woke up three hours later to a flooded bathroom and hallway. I guess I'm lucky I woke up at all.
Sigh.
I'm glad you found us.
Most of us have tried to control our drinking and it doesn't work. I exhausted myself with planning how to control my drinking and it never lasted for very long, and usually ended up worse than where I started.
It's always a good idea to talk to your dr before detoxing from alcohol because it can be dangerous. And, yes, it's very scary, but it is something that you can do.
Most of us have tried to control our drinking and it doesn't work. I exhausted myself with planning how to control my drinking and it never lasted for very long, and usually ended up worse than where I started.
It's always a good idea to talk to your dr before detoxing from alcohol because it can be dangerous. And, yes, it's very scary, but it is something that you can do.
Member
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 453
Really wish I didn't have to be here, but I do. And I'm scared. Scared to make this huge change to my life - scared to lose friends, scared to face the monotony of day to day life, scared that I'll fail.
I'm in my mid-40s and other than a 5 year break from ages 36-41 I have been drinking pretty heavily since my late teens. The amount I can consume is frightening and I blackout a lot and then make really dumb decisions. I tried (at the urging of a friend) to "get it under control" a couple months ago. I reduced my drinking from 3-4 nights a week to one night a week and was able to keep it at 4-5 drinks - until last Thursday when I went on a 7 hour bender which ended with me passed out in the bathtub with the water running. I woke up three hours later to a flooded bathroom and hallway. I guess I'm lucky I woke up at all.
Sigh.
I'm in my mid-40s and other than a 5 year break from ages 36-41 I have been drinking pretty heavily since my late teens. The amount I can consume is frightening and I blackout a lot and then make really dumb decisions. I tried (at the urging of a friend) to "get it under control" a couple months ago. I reduced my drinking from 3-4 nights a week to one night a week and was able to keep it at 4-5 drinks - until last Thursday when I went on a 7 hour bender which ended with me passed out in the bathtub with the water running. I woke up three hours later to a flooded bathroom and hallway. I guess I'm lucky I woke up at all.
Sigh.
Please make a appointment with your Doctor and get some help for this issue before it is too late.
Thanks again for your share and I hope that you are able to get the help you need.
Hi haligh
It is scary - and there is change involved...but I honestly never lost out on the deal.
I love my life now and I love who I am...and all that is a direct result of giving up something that was bad for me.
The fear of the change was actually far worse than the change itself, in my experience.
You'll find a lot of support here - welcome!
D
It is scary - and there is change involved...but I honestly never lost out on the deal.
I love my life now and I love who I am...and all that is a direct result of giving up something that was bad for me.
The fear of the change was actually far worse than the change itself, in my experience.
You'll find a lot of support here - welcome!
D
The fear of the change was actually far worse than the change itself, in my experience
I couldn't agree more. I was so afraid to live without drinking, but the longer I am sober, the less I can imagine going back to that existance.
to the family.
Welcome haligh! You've made a wonderful decision, even though it was hard to do.
I also was afraid I'd be bored and that life would be dull. Yet I was destroying myself and drinking was no longer fun or exciting like it once was. I decided nothing was more boring than being in a fog half the time, & not remembering the events of the previous evening. I remember sitting in bars talking to friends for hours, then the next day not recalling a single thing we talked about. Now that's boring. As you pointed out, it's becoming dangerous too.
I tried for years to control my drinking and it never once worked. Each time I took a drink it was unpredictable where I'd end up. I decided it was easier to just stop than to stay on the rollercoaster. I have never regretted being free of it - I didn't need it to face life the way I thought I did. I know you can do this and have a whole new beginning. Congratulations on your decision - keep reading & posting.
I also was afraid I'd be bored and that life would be dull. Yet I was destroying myself and drinking was no longer fun or exciting like it once was. I decided nothing was more boring than being in a fog half the time, & not remembering the events of the previous evening. I remember sitting in bars talking to friends for hours, then the next day not recalling a single thing we talked about. Now that's boring. As you pointed out, it's becoming dangerous too.
I tried for years to control my drinking and it never once worked. Each time I took a drink it was unpredictable where I'd end up. I decided it was easier to just stop than to stay on the rollercoaster. I have never regretted being free of it - I didn't need it to face life the way I thought I did. I know you can do this and have a whole new beginning. Congratulations on your decision - keep reading & posting.
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: dreamland
Posts: 26
Thanks for the welcomes everyone - I really appreciate it. It's nice to hear the positives. Yeah, I've finally come to realize I cannot control alcohol - it controls me. Monday & Tuesday will be difficult for me as I'm going to the lake with my boyfriend - there was supposed to be beer involved LOL. Maybe I will bring some non-alcoholic beer, or is that a bad idea? I've used it in the past to get through some social occasions where I didn't want to drink.
What adds to all this is that I quit smoking cigs two months ago. Now the thought of no alcohol AND no cigs - ahhhhhhhh.
What adds to all this is that I quit smoking cigs two months ago. Now the thought of no alcohol AND no cigs - ahhhhhhhh.
I find that drinking something other than NA wine or beer is more satisfying, because they just make me want the real thing a little more. I like citrus drinks that are not too sweet or fizzy.
Camping trips for me have always been big drinking parties, and I have yet to do one sober. Good for you in making a plan that will see you comfortably through this tempting time.
Camping trips for me have always been big drinking parties, and I have yet to do one sober. Good for you in making a plan that will see you comfortably through this tempting time.
Welcome, haligh!
I'm so glad you're here and wanting a better life. I was terrified when I first got here and just couldn't imagine a life without alcohol. I had to break it down into one hour, one day at a time - otherwise the task was just too daunting.
I hope you're not expecting too much of yourself by going camping. I couldn't have done it in the first weeks of sobriety. Have you talked to your boyfriend? Is he supportive?
Not so sure about the non-alcoholic beer - I think that's a personal choice, but knowing myself it would remind me too much of the real stuff. If you do decide to go, make plans to do things (hike, canoe, whatever), take lots of snacks, and a book on recovery so that you can slip off to a quiet place and read if things get tough.
I'm so glad you're here and wanting a better life. I was terrified when I first got here and just couldn't imagine a life without alcohol. I had to break it down into one hour, one day at a time - otherwise the task was just too daunting.
I hope you're not expecting too much of yourself by going camping. I couldn't have done it in the first weeks of sobriety. Have you talked to your boyfriend? Is he supportive?
Not so sure about the non-alcoholic beer - I think that's a personal choice, but knowing myself it would remind me too much of the real stuff. If you do decide to go, make plans to do things (hike, canoe, whatever), take lots of snacks, and a book on recovery so that you can slip off to a quiet place and read if things get tough.
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Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Ontario Canada
Posts: 189
Thanks for the welcomes everyone - I really appreciate it. It's nice to hear the positives. Yeah, I've finally come to realize I cannot control alcohol - it controls me. Monday & Tuesday will be difficult for me as I'm going to the lake with my boyfriend - there was supposed to be beer involved LOL. Maybe I will bring some non-alcoholic beer, or is that a bad idea? I've used it in the past to get through some social occasions where I didn't want to drink.
What adds to all this is that I quit smoking cigs two months ago. Now the thought of no alcohol AND no cigs - ahhhhhhhh.
What adds to all this is that I quit smoking cigs two months ago. Now the thought of no alcohol AND no cigs - ahhhhhhhh.
some recent thoughts on NA beer etc here, in case you missed it haligh
http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...51-odouls.html
D
http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...51-odouls.html
D
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