A list on why it's so hard to quit for a lifetime
Member
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Kansas City, Mo
Posts: 40
Its surely hard to commit to quitting for a lifetime when you've abused alcohol for so long but I truly believe you have to zero in on whats important to you and that will help to put things into persective....I'm no expert with this sobriety thing but thats what i think...good luck.
dude in recovery
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Gulf Coast, TX
Posts: 1,504
Action: Sorry you are stuck at that point, I sure hope you will be able to cross everything off that list, crumble it up and throw it in the trash one of these days.
My easy list:
1. I will not ruin tomorrow by drinking tonight.
My easy list:
1. I will not ruin tomorrow by drinking tonight.
Member
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 117
I'm have always been an all or nothing kind of guy, I drank cause I wanted to, I didn't quit cause I wanted to keep drinking. Either you are going to quit and do what it takes to succeed, or your not. Being on the fence IMO is bad for when your no kidding having to quit, but, I'm hardly one to give advise.
Make a decision to quit and alter your life to ensure success.
Make a decision to quit and alter your life to ensure success.
Member
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Posts: 645
ActionPack
Have you ever heard the saying, "You can't con a con"? Sober Recovery is full of folks who have quit drinking. Some view it as a day by day proposition. Others view it as for good and for all (i.e., a lifetime). Folks use all sorts of different methods and programs to quit -- AA, SMART, Rational Recovery, SOS, Women for Sobriety, therapy, LifeRing, etc. We don't quit based upon objections and excuses and rationales as to why it is difficult. We quit on the basis of positive constructive action. We quit on the basis of growth, mental, emotional, spiritual, and/or personal. Each of your excuses is a lie that you are telling yourself. On the surface, it may appear to be a truth. But dig deeper and it will become readily apparent why each is not true.
Take for example: "I want to control it." Yeah. I wanted to control it too. I bet most of us here wanted to control it. But the truth is, can and will you control it? Can I and will I control it? Can we and will we control it? If you can and will, then you really have no need to post on an alcoholism recovery website. If we can and will, then there really is no problem. If you can't and won't, then what are you (or am I or are we) going to do about it? Another example: "can't sleep." Guess what? Alcohol does not make for better sleep; it makes for even worse sleep. It impairs REM sleep hurting rather than helping an existing problem with insomnia. Do I need to go on and explain why each of your excuses is a lie? I think you already know why.
You may believe the lies you are telling yourself. And for just so long as you do that, you will stay sick and stuck in your addiction to alcohol. The cons among us who have used and abused (and some who have nearly died from) your list of excuses aren't buying what you have to sell us.
Susan
Have you ever heard the saying, "You can't con a con"? Sober Recovery is full of folks who have quit drinking. Some view it as a day by day proposition. Others view it as for good and for all (i.e., a lifetime). Folks use all sorts of different methods and programs to quit -- AA, SMART, Rational Recovery, SOS, Women for Sobriety, therapy, LifeRing, etc. We don't quit based upon objections and excuses and rationales as to why it is difficult. We quit on the basis of positive constructive action. We quit on the basis of growth, mental, emotional, spiritual, and/or personal. Each of your excuses is a lie that you are telling yourself. On the surface, it may appear to be a truth. But dig deeper and it will become readily apparent why each is not true.
Take for example: "I want to control it." Yeah. I wanted to control it too. I bet most of us here wanted to control it. But the truth is, can and will you control it? Can I and will I control it? Can we and will we control it? If you can and will, then you really have no need to post on an alcoholism recovery website. If we can and will, then there really is no problem. If you can't and won't, then what are you (or am I or are we) going to do about it? Another example: "can't sleep." Guess what? Alcohol does not make for better sleep; it makes for even worse sleep. It impairs REM sleep hurting rather than helping an existing problem with insomnia. Do I need to go on and explain why each of your excuses is a lie? I think you already know why.
You may believe the lies you are telling yourself. And for just so long as you do that, you will stay sick and stuck in your addiction to alcohol. The cons among us who have used and abused (and some who have nearly died from) your list of excuses aren't buying what you have to sell us.
Susan
Guest
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 609
I didn't think about the lifetime ahead when I was nearly sober, I focused on the day to day, that's all you have to do. I couldn't contemplate the whole future without alcohol, especially not in the beginning, it was too overwhelming.
I actually find it much easier these days though to be completely abstinent, rather than stopping and starting all the time. That pattern knocked me around a great deal mentally and emotionally, and can make you pretty discouraged. I'm not criticising anyone here, but I did it myself, and put myself through a lot of pain that way.
We all have cravings in the beginning, that's a part of withdrawal, and the mind starts looking at ways to rationalizing a drink. In time I learned to recognize them as cravings and let them pass (similar to AVRT method). All I could think/obsess about in the beginning was how much I missed a drink. If you stay stuck there though, don't move on to other interests, it really is difficult, that's why it's so important to actively engage in recovery. If you look at the 12 steps, only the first is really about alcohol, the rest is about building a new life.
I actually find it much easier these days though to be completely abstinent, rather than stopping and starting all the time. That pattern knocked me around a great deal mentally and emotionally, and can make you pretty discouraged. I'm not criticising anyone here, but I did it myself, and put myself through a lot of pain that way.
We all have cravings in the beginning, that's a part of withdrawal, and the mind starts looking at ways to rationalizing a drink. In time I learned to recognize them as cravings and let them pass (similar to AVRT method). All I could think/obsess about in the beginning was how much I missed a drink. If you stay stuck there though, don't move on to other interests, it really is difficult, that's why it's so important to actively engage in recovery. If you look at the 12 steps, only the first is really about alcohol, the rest is about building a new life.
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