Introducing myself
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 18
Introducing myself
Im Shamus. I'm 50 years old and have been a chief executive for 5 years. I have always been somewhat at risk due to family history of alcohol abuse, but in those 5 years have developed a fairly regular habit of draining my stress with 3-4 drinks of wine, beer or booze a day. That's a pretty big jump from before. I drink in plain sight at home, generally "under control.". It's now a habit. It has contributed mightily to 45 pound weight gain, and the beginning of health issues - borderline high blood pressure, elevated blood sugar, etc. the stress of my job is big, a real bitch. I have other meds for anxiety but alcohol has been my med of choice. I have "quit" 10+ times in past few years only to start up again resolved to "control it better.". The control has never lasted more than a week before I'm at 3+ again. I realize I am not a late stage alcoholic, but that's just a matter of time if I don't make a change now. I could use the help of peers, others, whatever. Alone isn't working so well.
Member
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Portland
Posts: 1,631
Welcome to SR. I think it's actually pretty hard for those of us whose drinking was "controlled" to quit. It's hard to keep one's "eye on the prize." But we do know what the prize is, don't we? What day are you on?
dude in recovery
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Gulf Coast, TX
Posts: 1,504
Welcome Shamus.
Reading the forums here has helped me a lot this year, plus meeting a few sober (non-drinker) friends in real life. I understand now more than ever that drinking does not have to be part of my life and alcohol is a horrible thing to rely on.
Reading the forums here has helped me a lot this year, plus meeting a few sober (non-drinker) friends in real life. I understand now more than ever that drinking does not have to be part of my life and alcohol is a horrible thing to rely on.
Member
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Atlanta
Posts: 31,179
Welcome to SR (((Shamus)))! SR has been a huge part of my recovery, just knowing that I'm not alone (can read "my story" all over the place) is a huge comfort.
We are here for you, and really glad you found us.
Hugs and prayers,
Amy
We are here for you, and really glad you found us.
Hugs and prayers,
Amy
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 18
If I say today is the day I stop, can I really do it? I'd like to say yes, I've accomplished many things in my life, but this one has been tough. I hate to say this but it makes quitting harder that I'm not getting blind drunk, that when I drink I stop at a certain stage usually before the room starts spinning. I can see myself on a slow steady slope to serious alcoholism, but today I'm just an overweight guy who had 4 beers. I can convince myself that's closer to harmless than dangerous. But I know it's bad for me in every way - that's just a BS excuse.
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 18
Originally Posted by Missy7 
Welcome to SR. I think it's actually pretty hard for those of us whose drinking was "controlled" to quit. It's hard to keep one's "eye on the prize." But we do know what the prize is, don't we?
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 211,369
I decided one day in 2007 to declare my day one and, thanks to a lot of hard work, commitment and a ton of support here, I'm still sober now.
I'm just an ordinary guy - if I (and many many others here) can do it, you can do it too Shamus
D
I'm just an ordinary guy - if I (and many many others here) can do it, you can do it too Shamus
D
SR Fan
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Mississippi
Posts: 7,910
Welcome Shamus!
It's great that you're choosing a better path for yourself and not letting this get worse. My drinking progressed slowly to the point where it got harder and harder to stick to any kind of limit (we all build up a tolerance, so it takes more to get the same "effect"). One of the first things I noticed about getting sober was that I felt much less anxious during the day.
There's a lot of support and information that will help you get through the early days. Glad you're here!
It's great that you're choosing a better path for yourself and not letting this get worse. My drinking progressed slowly to the point where it got harder and harder to stick to any kind of limit (we all build up a tolerance, so it takes more to get the same "effect"). One of the first things I noticed about getting sober was that I felt much less anxious during the day.
There's a lot of support and information that will help you get through the early days. Glad you're here!
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2011
Posts: 18
Originally Posted by artsoul
Welcome Shamus!
It's great that you're choosing a better path for yourself and not letting this get worse. My drinking progressed slowly to the point where it got harder and harder to stick to any kind of limit (we all build up a tolerance, so it takes more to get the same "effect"). One of the first things I noticed about getting sober was that I felt much less anxious during the day.
There's a lot of support and information that will help you get through the early days. Glad you're here!
It's great that you're choosing a better path for yourself and not letting this get worse. My drinking progressed slowly to the point where it got harder and harder to stick to any kind of limit (we all build up a tolerance, so it takes more to get the same "effect"). One of the first things I noticed about getting sober was that I felt much less anxious during the day.
There's a lot of support and information that will help you get through the early days. Glad you're here!
I'm here to learn!
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: I'm on it!
Posts: 2,038
Welcome Shamus!
The early days are very important, in my experience, as those are the times we are most likely to fail. I think it's important to mentally prepare yourself for the fact that cravings are going to come and learn how to be proactive about fighting them.
It's great that you recognize that the stress of work is something that is driving you to drink. I would suggest brainstorming other, more healthy ways to deal with your stress. Exercise might not be a bad idea, since that would help to combat some of the other negative health issues that your drinking has contributed to. There are a lot of other ways to combat stress though, it kind of depends on the person.
Best wishes to you in your recovery!
The early days are very important, in my experience, as those are the times we are most likely to fail. I think it's important to mentally prepare yourself for the fact that cravings are going to come and learn how to be proactive about fighting them.
It's great that you recognize that the stress of work is something that is driving you to drink. I would suggest brainstorming other, more healthy ways to deal with your stress. Exercise might not be a bad idea, since that would help to combat some of the other negative health issues that your drinking has contributed to. There are a lot of other ways to combat stress though, it kind of depends on the person.
Best wishes to you in your recovery!
instant
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Australia
Posts: 5,711
Shamus I found that it was not until I tried to stop that I realised how tight that grip was. Understanding the phenomena of cravings and a bit of education helped (see Rational Recovery), but even so it was not easy to get a foothold on sobriety and maintain it.
Now I am a few months sober it is easier to see it for what it is- an addiction.
Now I am a few months sober it is easier to see it for what it is- an addiction.
Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: CA
Posts: 176
Hi Shamus! I found this site in September and loved it. Like you, I have not progressed far enough along the path of alcoholism where it's given me serious problems (yet). Like you, I think that might make it harder to quit in some ways because we can always rationalize to ourselves that we're not that bad. But I have learned that that's the addiction talking. It's very very convincing and if you let it, it will take you down until you hit bottom. It's not a matter of "if", but "when", if you let it be in control of your life.
I've tried to quit many times on my own before I found this place. I tried when I first signed up here. Then I drank again and felt guilty and my guilt was an opening for the addiction to say, "Well, you failed, so you might as well keep drinking now." But something I learned in the last month has convinced me that it doesn't matter if you fall a hundred times, just as long as you're willing to get up a hundred and one. I think living a life free of alcohol addiction is worth it to keep trying as long as it takes.
Anyway, welcome!
I've tried to quit many times on my own before I found this place. I tried when I first signed up here. Then I drank again and felt guilty and my guilt was an opening for the addiction to say, "Well, you failed, so you might as well keep drinking now." But something I learned in the last month has convinced me that it doesn't matter if you fall a hundred times, just as long as you're willing to get up a hundred and one. I think living a life free of alcohol addiction is worth it to keep trying as long as it takes.
Anyway, welcome!
bona fido dog-lover
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: SF Bay area, CA
Posts: 99,759
Welcome to the family. In my early recovery it helped to get rest, exercise, good food. I took vitamins too to make sure I was well nourished. Any time I had a craving to drink I'd walk my dogs. (they got a lot of walks for a while)
Changing your routine can help too. Do things differently than how you used to do them. And be grateful for the good things in your life, even the small blessings. Being grateful made a world of difference in my sobriety.
In my early recovery it helped to get rest, exercise, good food. I took vitamins too to make sure I was well nourished. Any time I had a craving to drink I'd walk my dogs. (they got a lot of walks for a while)Changing your routine can help too. Do things differently than how you used to do them. And be grateful for the good things in your life, even the small blessings. Being grateful made a world of difference in my sobriety.
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