CamilleBelle

Hello All,

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Mine was great, but would have been even better had it been booze free- which it was not. I've mentioned it on prior threads, but I am planning on quitting at the end of the year. I am moving across the country and feel it will be the perfect time to start a new life. All new friends, new hobbies, new town. All my current friends and most of my family drink, but most do it very socially, which I have realized, I do not. Being 27, a lot of my last years have been in the nightclub boozy college settings, and it was only recently (Oct) where I admitted I have escalated from the "normal" social drinking to a level above.

Ironically, since I've admitted my problem to close family and (few) good friends, and my plan to quit at the new year, I feel like I'm drinking even more than I was... Given the time of the year, and the fact that we are moving so we are having "going away" parties and "last" nights out, alcohol is seemingly EVERYWHERE, and the pressure to party is extremely high. The whole week was one big boozy blur, and I'm feeling the fatigue, and toll on my body today!!

Anyhoo, we had a longggg drive home yesterday I was feeling all yucky, and sleeping on the couch this afternoon when the doorbell rang and it was my neighbor dropping off our mail from the week. Included was a package for me so I opened it and it was some books I bought to help me prep for my upcoming changes!! YAY! I got:

Eating for Recovery: The Essential Nutrition Plan to Reverse the Physical Damage of Alcoholism

The Cure for Alcoholism: Drink Your Way Sober Without Willpower, Abstinence or Discomfort

Seven Weeks to Sobriety: The Proven Program to Fight Alcoholism through Nutrition

The Vitamin Cure for Alcoholism: How to Protect Against and Fight Alcoholism Using Nutrition and Vitamin Supplementation

So, now I have a lot of reading to do to keep me busy, and hopefully help me start drinking less in December to plan for the New Year!! Not sure if anyone has read any of these, but they had good ratings, so hopefully they are helpful!

Just wanted to share!

Anna

Hi,

I think today is a good day to stop drinking.

RoccoFunnyMan

I have been telling myself for more than a year that I needed to stop but didn't. It took almost losing everything I cared about before I took action. Don't wait. Please.

quitforme79

I agree with Anna..you have a great arsenal of informative practices and your body will thank you for stopping today; mentally and physically

CamilleBelle

Anna, I know... but I want to make sure I have the tools to stay sober once I am... and to be honest, with the events of the upcoming month, I would be setting myself up for failure. We have lots of houseguests coming that know me as a drinker, and all are on my husbands side. It creates a conflict because by husband supports my plan, but I dont want his family to know quite yet. It will be easier to quit when I dont have to explain things to them until I have things more under control... Plus, the last thing I want to be asked all holiday season is "are you pregnant???" We got married this year and the pressure for a baby is mounting! lol Want to get preggers... just NEED to be sober first! :p

Anna

There will never, ever be a perfect time, or even a good time, to stop drinking.

Dee74

The reason why we all say todays a good day is because it really is...I chose a future date many times too and I found, too often, that tomorrow never came.

I sympathise with the holiday season and its stresses, but I think you're making it harder on yourself not easier, especially if you're like me and let yourself go a little over Xmas because 'it's a last hurrah'.

I hope you're different, but if I had a dollar for everytime I said I'd quit on January 2...and then changed it to Easter...I'd a rich man.

D

WINNC

I kept trying to do the same thing by setting limits and then specific dates to quit or cut back. It never worked- it is harder than it sounds but I would just quit right now- it will be tough at first but will be worth it. Good Luck!

Noknewme

I agree with every post here. Stop now. I am on day 3. Woke up after Thanksgiving feeling terrible. Realized after many, many times trying to quit or cut back that I will never be a normal drinker. Good advice i got on this site is No more excuses or putting it off. Take that advice. I did. No more "after I get through the stress of moving I'll quit". No more "well my new friends want to get together for drinks so I'll stop once I am settled". No more "well it's BBQ season, 4th of July, Labor day etc..... Next thing ya know it is Nov 2012.

lbern

Those sound like interesting books...might have to look into a few of them. Good luck with your plan! I agree with the others about maybe not waiting to stop...but you know yourself the best. Do what you feel is right!

MemphisBlues

Alcoholism is a progressive disease -- sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. I was in your shoes at 27: As soon as I get settled in my new job in a new city, I will settle down; as soon as I get over this next hurdle, life will be better, and I will slow down; as soon as I get over this financial hurdle, the pressure will be off, and I will stop for a few months...

...and it turned into decades.

I have a reading list for you: Alcoholics Anonymous.

If you are like me, you have plenty of years of drinking left in you. The human body can take a lot, and mine did. My wife is an alcoholic. She drank far more than me, and was able to abstain during two pregnancies.

And her drinking got progressively worse and worse. She got sober at 40, me a decade later.

But during those ensuing years, the damage we both did to each other and others is incalculable.

Regarding your reading list: I think it will make someone a lot of money, and cost you more than you dreamed.

TheTinMan

This is the reason I would say today is the day to stop. Boozy blur? You are one boozy blur away from failing to make that cross country trip and instead may find yourself in an institution or worse....a grave.

Tigger41

Wow - you are very prepared. I feel like I just jumped into this and am not very prepared - I feel like I'm kind of treading water. I have my Antabuse and I don't want to drink anymore but that's all I have. It's becoming very obvious I didn't prepare very well.

I'm going to pick up some books this week.

LaFemme

I agree with Anna about just quitting now. That said I read everything under the sun before quitting (some of the books you have in fact). In some ways all that prep helped, definitely. But I wish I'd quit as soon as I realized I needed to instead of procastinating with books and moves (yup, did that 3x in order to quit)

Xoxo,

Tina

CamilleBelle

Tigger, I appreciate your post. Mainly because I think you may have a good idea as to where I am coming from!! I got all my books from amazon... better than sitting browsing the "I HAVE A PROBLEM!!" section at the bookstore! lol I appreciate everyone elses posts because I think they come from experience that I just do not have right now.

I want to restate that I am only 2 months into even admitting/ understanding I have a problem... I see posts about people who eye this site from a distance for YEARS before posting, not that's a bad thing, but I found this site because I'm making progress... and WANTING to make changes. So hopefully that counts for something.

Also, I am not going to do AA. Unfortunately, I wont... period and thats, that. And I wont bother to say why because I dont think that is important. But I am proactively looking at other options, and after one brief saying of "day one" decided to take my own path to get this accomplished. I am not a daily drinker. but when I do drink, I drink... a lot, and thats the problem. I'm not drinking today, and could call it "day one" but I'm not and as I said, I will commit for the new year.

If I said I'm stopping and that's that... but never did anything to accomplish that goal it would be one thing... Instead, in TWO months, I went from "I'm a normal college drinker" to admitting a problem, getting an addiction counselor/ therapist, finally agreeing with my husband that some things will need to change, telling my 3 best friends and my parents, and brother and getting some hopefully helpful resources to educate myself and face this thing head on instead of leaping into it blind...

So, and again, not trying to be mean, but how many others who say, "I'm quitting today" actually succeed? and how many are under 30 years old? I'm not saying it cant be done, but I feel I am going into this with a different approach that may make it more manageable for me. Off to make dinner!

Dee74

Camille

You're gonna do what you're gonna do.

But knowing what I do now about how much better my life has gotten, and how much better I feel about myself since I quit drinking, I have to recommend that you quit sooner rather than later.

Noones trying to beat you down or boss you around - we just want you to find the joy we did

I know it's a big step to take - it seems immense...we've all been there.

(FWIW I decided once and for all I was quitting today on April 6 2007...I'm still going.

I don't think age has anything to do with it either - you may feel more peer pressure if your social group are big drinkers - but you'll feel that whether you quit now or January)

D

CamilleBelle

Thanks Dee, and I don't disagree with you... but just think it may be an easier accomplishment, since I wont know a soul in the new town and I've decided I am going to use the "I'm allergic" to alcohol route... for the rest of my life from then on.

EmeraldRose

Oh shoot girl, I said 'I'm quitting today' and succeeded many times. In fact, I had 30 years of quitting today. I've tried many approaches.
I admire & respect your efforts in your research, preparations and gearing up for the quit. That's courageous.
Talking from my experience only, I feel through my journey and spiritual learning that there is a time for everything. Hopefully, when you quit it'll be your time. I have found that by having patience in the universe I am not forcing time to be on my side. Life goes smoother when it comes from a higher power. Life is an unexplained sequence of events. I didn't plan my quit. It chose me. Now this time, after drinking on and off for 30 years, I did it. But everything and everyone placed in my path was there for a reason...so eventually...I'd get it.

As the others are saying, and contrary to my last paragraph, there is no time like the present to stop drinking. You have some tools now and you have us for support so I'm not sure as I understand the wait...this could be your time and you aren't taking advantage of it. But that's your decision, it's your journey.

But congratulations on the upcoming move. Unfortuantely, old habits move with us and depending on your progress in your plan you will still have the same problem but just in a new house. And I've learned that by just saying 'I don't drink' is easier than keeping up a fascade of excuses. Just a tip!

I recently (this month) moved (by myself) 1488 miles across country to a new town. Yep...guess what? I'm still an alcoholic. So just be careful with that.

I do wish you the peace and strength needed to be successful in your journey. And don't take our advice personally. We have had many experiences and life altering situations that when we speak, we speak merely from our hearts from a bottomless pit of life experience.

Taking5

If you want to be pregnant, this is all the more reason to stop drinking, plus it gives you the perfect alibi, if you will, for not drinking. Just tell everyone "no I'm not pregnant, but we're trying, so no drinks for me".

fuster

Hello, CamilleBelle:

I hate to break the news to you, but you can't get better by going into your head. You only exacerbate the underlying symptoms that keep you from getting better. Reading books is fine, in moderation. But a long list like yours is probably going to hurt more than help you in my opinion.

As we in recovery often say, "when I am in my mind, I am in enemy territory". Get out of your head, and maybe you stand a chance of finding success in recovery, not mere abstinence (the latter appears to be what you are seeking).

I STRONGLY suggest that if you are really serious about this endeavor, get a complete assessment for not only alcoholism and drug addiction, but for mental health disorders. That is the only way you will know what exactly you need to do to get better. Not saying you have other issues. I am saying you can't decide that. Nor can you self diagnose how bad your alcoholism is. Leave that to someone who can objectively tell you how bad it is and suggest a way out.

My two cents. Good luck.