pocketpanda

Third time's a charm right? Or maybe this is the fourth time. I don't know anymore.

I spoke with my doctor about my drinking yesterday as I'm scheduled for a minor surgical procedure in six days that requires general anesthesia. She said that based on my consumption (about a bottle or a little more of wine every evening and hard stuff on the weekends) I shouldn't have a problem with the anesthesia and that what I'm doing, of course, isn't very healthy and I should stop.

I would love to just stop drinking this instant and be six days sober for this procedure, but I'm frightened of the withdrawal symptoms. I typically feel pretty good after two days of no drinking, but I've haven't gone three days in several years.

I'm also scared of this surgery and wonder if I shouldn't postpone it until I'm a month or more into not drinking.

Do most people here seek treatment or just quit on their own? I've never desired sobriety more than I do today but now that I actually want to quit, I'm terrified to.

Itchy

Are you wanting to quit because you are afraid to have the anesthesia with alcohol after your doc said OK? If you did quit today would you be motivated to stay quit after the surgery?

What is it you want?? To feel that your doc was right and you will be fine for the surgery? No one can say that here, not even the recovering docs here because no one can examine you and look at history.

My advice is to believe your doc.

Did you ask your doc if you should quit drinking now and possibly be in withdrawals for the surgery?

pocketpanda

I want to have a safe anesthesia experience, but I also want to just plain quit. I plan to do what I can to stay motivated about sobriety after the surgery.

I did ask my doctor about quitting now and she didn't think withdrawals would be a problem and recommended it. It's just that I've read so much about them that I'm now concerned that I'll be fine for a few days but by day five when it's time for the surgery, withdrawals will suddenly kick in.

ClosetAlchie

Well, based on my experience, day five and six are usually about the time that you're getting over the physical cravings and withdrawal symptoms, but are starting to have mental/emotional cravings. Honestly, if your doctor said you could get sober beforehand and you want to, I think it's a great idea. Plus, by day six, you might be ready for some general anaesthesia lol.

DayTrader

I know more ppl who are sober who didn't go to rehab than those who did. That said, everyone I know who went to rehab and then went on to STAY sober and happy did so because of what they did after rehab - ie they got involved in AA (I'd assume Rational Recovery and some of the other programs have similar stories.....I just don't personally know anyone in those programs other than some folks here on SR).

You also mentioned "wanting" to quit. That's good. The key will be to watch your thoughts and your actions from here........as if you're a 3rd party observer. Watch to see if your mind starts to play with your "want" to change it into less of a want....then maybe a goal for sometime down the road.....then a distant memory - thus enabling you to think you now want to go back to drinking, controlled drinking or whatever. That's what happened to me. One day I'd want to stop....then, within a few days, I'd suddenly want to go back to it again.

Stuff like that may be indicative of what we call in AA a "lack of power." You want to quit......you try to quit......but you can't seem to pull it off. Some ppl can overcome that with support groups, with motivational readings, with diet, exercise, etc. If that stuff works for you, great. Keep it up. AA was really designed for the ppl for whom that stuff above hasn't worked. That said, if you've got a desire to stop drinking, you're more than welcome in AA. The program of Alcoholics Anonymous is built around recovering from alcoholism when you don't have the ability (or the power) to do so....when nothing else works, we can show you a different way to find that missing power. <--- I only mention what I did because sometimes we AA'rs can seem a zealous lot. lol. We're not elitist......we just have to take it really seriously for our own sobriety and we're cognizant that new ppl too may be just like us (although they don't seem to realize it at first - just like we didn't).

pocketpanda

Thanks for the responses. I'm going to do it, stop drinking now rather than tapering off, and just be super clear when I meet with the anesthesiologist that morning what my situation is.

(I'm also concerned because heavy drinkers can have issues with anesthesia that otherwise healthy people will not. If I'm clear about everything, I have to believe they'll do the right thing.)

pocketpanda

I'm not going to lie and say this part doesn't concern, because it does. I like the idea of watching for it as if I were a third party observer. Looking at it that way may indeed be beneficial. Thanks.

Dee74

Welcome back pocketpanda

Please be honest and open with your doctors - ask them whatever questions you want and I'm sure you'll be fine.

If you do feel unwell, go back to them

You're making a great choice - and stay connected here - this community got me through a few periods where I wondered if I could drink again

There's a lot of wisdom here

D

Itchy

Good for you pocketpanda! Trust the doc, besides if you feel badly the anesthesia will take the edge off and you would have had it anyway. Tapering off never works, despite all the books and websites advocating it. Here on SR, where we all were alcoholics/drunks/problem drinkers/alcohol abusers/binge drinkers what ever you want to label the same thing, all agree that none of us could taper off, and none of us who thought we could drink normally after a few weeks. months, years of sobriety go right back to the problem and find it harder to get back to sobriety after a relapse than maintaining it would have been. I am no Doc or expert Lisa. I am just a drunk that got help from my docs and here and AA that got me recovered and sober. It is my choice for that to be forever. I am not deprived or slobbering over any thought or visual of drinking. Life is much better. Not perfect. But just like not drinking again, or smoking either in my case. life doesn't get better for me, I can choose to get better at life. Or not. I prefer not being miserable.
I look forward to all your future posts. Keep posting, keep reading!

Itchy

Pocket,
How about an update? How are you doing?

Anna

I'm wondering how you're doing, too, PocketPanda.

pocketpanda

Over three years later ... and I'm back again.

It clearly didn't go well. Still drinking. Have to stop. Today.

Cohiba

Good luck today is a fresh start the one thing I have found about here is people are here to help even when you lapse, I have lapsed about five times since joining but here I am day 5 no drink or drugs and feeling positive.

FreeOwl

well then.....


NOW would be a fantastic time to do that. In fact, if you're not drinking right NOW.... then you've already quit.

All you have to do is not start again.

It's simple (though not easy) as that.

Welcome - you can do it.

PurpleKnight

You're original post asked what do people do? for me I made a plan, no matter what happened I wasn't going to drink that day, I kept myself busy, got plenty of support around me and went from there!!

You can do this!! Welcome back!!

Soberwolf

Welcome bk

pocketpanda

Thanks all. Glad I remembered the password to this place.