EDHARLEY

I have been wanting to quit for about six months now. I am under tons of pressure financially and professionally. My relationship with my girlfriend has been off and on as well. That was a disaster to begin with. My question is, I just get overwhelmed with anxiety.. I sit and stress then go smoke a cigarette and come sit back down on the couch and try to read posts. I work from home so I am alone a lot and usually drink alone. Sorry back to the question.. when will I be able to relax and function and not feel like I have an elephant on my chest... Are there a number of days.. I usually give in after day three... Those three days are long and hard... this is my 4th try and I cannot get past three days. Any advice would be appreciated..

eJoshua

I don't think there is a magic number, it really depends on how long you were drinking for, how much you drank and your personality. For me, it became less of a constant struggle after about 30 days, but the thing that really made the difference for me was surrendering my will and admitting my own powerlessness.

I think that you are going to find it very difficult to struggle at home by yourself with this. I would highly recommend looking into AA or another recovery group so you are able to get out of the house and get some face to face support.

Best wishes and welcome to SR!

EDHARLEY

I drink eaither 2 bottles of wine a night or about a litre of vodka a day.

SomethingBetter

It’s not easy for some, I’ve quit many times but this last time I basically said this is it, I promise myself I am done forever, FOREVER, It was not easy every day in the beginning but I just kept pushing, it does get easier eventually.

I know it’s easier said than done, but if you can just not drink, the rest will fall into place… eventually…

suki44883

Hi, Ed. Welcome to SR! Ed, the best thing would be to see your doctor, be honest with him/her about your drinking and your attempt to quit. They can help you with something to get you past the worst of the withdrawal. The amount you have been drinking is considerable, so your withdrawal symptoms could be harsh. With a doctor's care, you should be okay, but if you feel chest pains, find your heart beating too fast or feel your blood pressure rising, you should get immediate help at an ER. Alcohol detox can be deadly.

Again, welcome to SR! You will find a lot of support here.

ReadyAndAble

Hi, Ed. Welcome to SR. I received a ton of support here. Reading and posting made a huge difference, especially in those early days.

Also, I had the same experience as SomethingBetter: once I fully embraced the idea of never, ever drinking again, things clicked. As long as held onto the hope of occasionally having a few drinks, I was doomed to fail.

Glad you found us.

Terminally Unique

I had a lot of 3 day off, back on cycles myself. It seems it takes about 4 days for the alcohol to be completely gone, at which point the real fun starts. I was drinking whiskey all day every day for a few years by the end, and it took about three-four months for my head to clear, although the first month was the worst.

steveoreno

Hi Ed, I just quit today as well. I drank 2 bottles of Beringer Cab yesterday. Head is not so good today. I got to quit. Good luck.

simplex

I was like you and also had a number of days that I sort of labeled the wall. For me it was 7 days for a couple years. Then towards the end it was 3 days like you describe. Early on, the immediate fog would fall away on the third day and I'd have a few days that were me feeling like superman because I didn't have alcohol in my system. Then on the 7th day I'd feel like I'd gone long enough and just give in. With the 3 days, that was as long as I could go because by then, feeling "normal" without alcohol started feeling unnatural.

Twice I've pushed and made it past that 7th day and started taking things day by day. I felt/feel liberated. I would think once you pass your wall then you will feel more empowered too.

It's not easy, but all of the difficulties you're describing won't get better with alcohol on top of it. That's been my experience. You and I have the problems themselves and when we add on the layer of shame that comes from drinking and added anxiety the problems look (and sometimes are) 10 times more frightening.

I wish you the best of luck, you can make it!

artsoul

Welcome Ed - Glad you're reaching out for support.... it's so hard to do this on our own. I can relate to working/drinking at home and the financial pressures..... I thought alcohol helped me get through the day. As it turned out, it was really the biggest problem I had.

If we can do it, you can too! (I agree with suki that you need to consider some medical help with detox.)

eJoshua

Welcome to SR, Steve!

AnodyneShift

I did NOT want to go to AA.
I hated AA my first try, for two years.
I stayed drunk.
I did NOT want to go to AA.
I have to go to AA. It's the only accessible thing that works for me.
I went back to AA.
I found meetings and people I actually liked.
I found a great sponsor who I can actually relate to.
I've been sober 50 days. Longest since my drinking career began.

That's my experience, for what it's worth

D

Paddyb

Hi Ed

Snap feel like I have an elephant on my chest, two 2 here and the ELEPHANT has gone i hope, i am a better person, switched on and all my life is in order, but when i pick up, it all goes out the window. For me i am better off not drinking, its early stages but i want a better life. Good luck mate

CarolD

Welcome to both of our new SR members....

It's always a good idea to have an honest talk with your doctor about
how best to de tox....be both sober and safe..

I use AA for my sucessful recovery and it's an awesome adventure on how to live well and sober...

OorWullie

Ed, I can empathise with you as I also work at home and live alone so drinking was always a reason to get out of the house and find some company. I relapsed on sunday after 23 days sober which was really disappointing but the fact I nearly lasted a whole month was a revelation so I'm sober again and plan to stay that way. It's not easy but the support here is invaluable so keep reading.

juststopit

Ed,
I am only on day 16, but so far what has helped me is posting here a lot when I start to feel like a drink. I also go back and read my posts from my first few miserable days (I think it helps that I posted/blogged my first few days about how much I hated myself when I drank.)

I haven't gone to AA yet, but am by no means ruling that out. I plan to keep adding more and more support as I need it.

Good luck to you.

ohgod247

I agree with eJoshua.