evilhalf

I have to make sure not to carry cash and to take different routes home to make sure I dont buy any alcohol because I dont trust myself. My quilt and shame is overpowering right now. What have other people done to try to avoid drinking?

dorito281211

Personally, I convinced myself I CANNOT drink, period, no matter how bad I want to-and I wanted to BADLY!
Try working out on a regular basis, go to bed early (this works for me cause most of my drinking was at night), don't hang out with friends that drink, don't go to places that have booze etc.
Good luck to you

Sober1111

I usually think about the seizure I had before and that quickly prevents me from drinking. Other than that, the numerous amounts of stories I've read of alcoholics getting pancreatitis scares the hell out of me and stops me.

Also, surfing the web and going to work prevents me from drinking.

evilhalf

This relaspe I became a closet drinker thinking that my husband wouldnt know. Like he cant smell it and hasnt seen me drunk before! Duhh! It started out as a couple of drinks when we went out with friends and my hubby and ended up being an almost everyday thing.Hiding it of course. I thought because I had a couple years I could handle it and control it. Now if I have one sip its nothing but downhill for me!!It is so much easier to stay sober than get sober!

DayTrader

It may not seem like a tip but I eventually became convince that I was going to drink no matter what I did. No tips ever worked for long, no tricks had any lasting effect. I eventually realized that I would, sooner or later, find a loop-hole around any such things and I'd drink. My history showed that to me plain as day - I'd done it time and time and time again even though my resolutions had been strong when I made them.

Even though I didn't like it I had to get honest with myself......than unless I got a complete and total rebuild, I WOULD drink again - it was just a matter of time. I can trick or fool myself for a while but I couldn't afford to drink again.....ever, and I didn't trust that anything I could come up with would last "forever."

That realization, while scary as hell, taught me that I had better start taking sobriety - for the rest of my life - very seriously. It also taught me that I better find a way to get sober that didn't rely upon me. Again, my history showed me that I'd change, decide it'll be different from "now on" and I'd really mean it.........until.......one day......maybe something would happen or maybe it would just be another ordinary day......but I'd be getting loaded.......again. arrgh!

Maybe you haven't crossed that line yet Half. Maybe you do still have the power to shut it down, once and for all and for good. I hope you do. If you do, my hat's off to you. If you don't, ask around.......it's still possible - ppl like me are living proof.

isabella1bella

Im doing what you said evilhalf .. I'm not carrying cash and Im staying away from all my drinking friends .. I called them all and told them why too .. they are trying to convenice me that I dont have a problem but I realise that thats probably because it reflects on them too and they'd have to stop and take a look at their own drinking patterns - I think the suggestion of bed early is a good one too and it is helping me .. also as you have removed alcohol allow yourself a daily treat whether its chocolate, sweets whatever will settle a craving but won't cause longterm damage.

I wish you all the luck in the world x

Fubarcdn

I just stay out of the bars. It isn't really that hard but it sure isn't easy walking by and knowing everyone is inside joking around and having fun.

surrenderordie

i look at my alcoholism as a allergie this has made it simple for me if i had a allergie to peanuts to eat them would be mad? as i,m sober i,m not mad so it follows that i would not drink works for me

stugotz

There really are no "tricks" to staying sober. Believe me I have tried them all and to no success. I got involved with AA and stayed there. Did you ever notice on the Discovery channel that it is always the Gazelle on the outside of the pack that gets picked off first? Just sayin...

Innerchild

Being out and about I am surrounded by liqour stores in walking distance from my house. I have on occasions thought let me go get a 24oz of beer but then it turns into two three more of them and I am drunk before I know it. I know after awhile once the alcohol wears off I am just going to feel like crap and right now I feel a lot better without them.

evilhalf

Thankyou everyone for your tips. I do attend a.a. but it has gotten a little harder to due because of my 8 mth old. He will only sit for so long before he starts screaming and everyone else is quiet and its really embarassing! Depending on what meetings i go to some deal with him and others get upset. Ive tryed bringing toys,cookies and suckers. some times hes an angel and sometime no so much!

surrenderordie

he sounds like me bless

Threshold

I think it's good to have those trips and tips to make it easier on ourselves while we address the real issues. They ultimately won't keep us sober/clean, but they make it a little easier.

This is what I try to apply in my life. I think about the person I want to be, and then I do those things. I do have a recovery program, but beyond that I work on the habits of the sort of life I want to have.

The person I invision myself being isn't always thinking about using. Isn't always hiding from anything that might be remotely associated with using, because that person is out living their life. So, I get and stay busy living my life.

I have found it critical to have a life that is neither centered on using or centered ONLY on recovery. Once past those first few months, when we are still chemically reeling, etc...I HAD to get a life. If I didn't, if my entire life was nothing but hard core recovery activities, I would use, out of bordem or out of fear that this was all thee is, an endless drone about not drinking blah blah blah.

So yes, apply all the tricks and tips, help yourself as much as possible, work an honest program, but also develop and maintain some normality in life.

some of my relapses (just being honest here) were me not knowing what else to do with my life outside of using or recovery. I sort of got into a cycle of get clean, go to a zillion meetings, have a little crisis, use, walk back in as a newcomer, get a lot of attention, go to a zillion meetings...and when the attention started to wane...use again!

Now I finally figured out I don't live my life to recover, I recover so I can live my life. Having a life to live helps me stay on course.

DayTrader

Some meetings have free childcare......it's worth asking around about.

As for your 8month old..... you'd be welcome at my meetings and so would your kid....quiet or not. If your child upset me, the problem is MINE, not yours and not your child's. I'd be the one who's off-base...who's off the spiritual beam and the same is true for the ppl in your meetings if they're getting upset.

If one of my sponsees came up to me and said, "Yanno Mike, that person always brings her baby and that kid's bothering me," I'd let them know it's their own problem/resentment and we have a 4th step to handle that stuff.....so write one out tonight and we'll talk about it tomorrow.

michelle01

I did those things in the early days. They're no longer a necessity. In retrospect it seems a bit like they were a 'bandaid fix'. But, well, whatever works in the beginning. I did other things like tried to shop for groceries earlier in the day, or I brought someone with me. At times I gave all my bankcards to someone I trusted.

Many people make use of HALT - don't get too hungry, angry, lonely or tired.

I had phone numbers of support people I could call in case of an emergency, or if I was having a very difficult time. Where I could, I tried to read my personal warning signals early and take intervention.

Probably stating the obvious, it's also important to look after overall recovery, for a lot of people that's a program, some sort of therapy, support network, etc. In the long run, that's what will keep you sober.

Sobriety had to be my first priority. The Serenity Prayer helped me a great deal - my last days drinking were absolute chaos and dysfunction. I had to relearn some healthy personal boundaries, learn to let go sometimes and just look after what I could. Because I used to try and be all things for everyone.

Thought I would mention, there are many free AA materials, audio recordings, literature, etc available online. SMART has good tools as well. I also sometimes used the RR flash cards and found they helped when hit by a craving. Some people prefer to stick with one program/method, that's understandable... but for me it tended to be a bit of everything.

I felt terrible about myself in the early days, but began to find at some point in recovery, I was regaining self respect - I had lost that for a long time, you don't realize how valuable it is until you've been there.