Day One
 

I'm not sure I've ever posted. I would like to quit drinking. I did well for two months last fall and then started again. I've felt like it was under control-but lately it feels like it is getting out of control again. It is too much work to try to control it.

So-here is day one (again!) and I'm hoping it's my last day one. I know in about two days I will feel great. I just have to hang in there.

Welcome to SR its always good to have support when you quit drinking. Good luck you are in the right place.

I tried and tried and tried to curb my drinking, and it never worked for me. The only thing that worked was AA, getting a sponsor and complete abstinence from alcohol.
I don't look at the fact that I can't drink for the rest of my life anymore, I just look at the fact that I wont drink today. I have done it that way for 6 months, and I am still working on the 1st step - I am powerless over alcohol and it makes my life unmanageable.

Welcome to SR.
For alcoholcs, there is no controlling it. Not in the long run. I'm glad you're starting to realise that!

Welcome Smitty! This is great place for support. Stick with us and we will help you any way we can!

welcome, smitty :)

Welcome to SR SmittyBittyBoo :)

Are you getting any help quitting? x

SmittyBittyBoo, today is "day one (again!)" for me too - we can do this!!

Welcome aboard, keep coming and posting. :)

Hey Smitty, Bumble the biggest breakthrough of my life came when I realised that

Alcohol IS NOT fun

I think a good number of people drink cause they think alcohol spices things up: IT DOESN'T. If you are bored in a club... it is probably because you are surrounded by people you cannot have a nice conversation with. You are not bored cause you have not drunk yet!

That was my number #1 revelation, 2012. I almost consider it my personal Nobel Prize Discovery of the year. I don't know if it can help you too brothers.

Second biggest 2012 revelation: I cannot drink another drink for the rest of my life. Cause Alcohol Addiction cannot be controlled. This is my second personal Nobel Prize revelation and that is: I have ONLY 2 choices:

1) I stay addicted
2) I will never touch alcohol again in my existence

THERE IS NO OPTION 3, such as: "let me have a glass of wine with friends during a BBQ or once in a while"

1 glass of wine, one shot of Vodka, one drop of Sambuca (even with 70% water), any form of alcohol in ANY quantity = INSTANT ADDICTION

;-)

icanwin, I've been trying "Option 3" for too long...and one drop turns into drinking myself comatose. It is NOT fun, and the morning after is even more shameful. Looking forward to being rid of that nonsense!

Thanks!

welcome to SR smitty :)
welcome back to you too bumble :)

D

:welcome SR is wonderful!! With lots and lots of wonderful awesome people and support!!

Welcome, Smitty! It seems to me that normies and alkies have traffic signals when it comes to drinking. Normies have a yellow light so they can slow down and come to a controlled stop at the red light. As an alkie, my yellow light is busted. I careen into the red light at full speed which usually involves me blacking out or just passing out. I'm afraid there's no way to repair my yellow light so instead, i choose to not take that first drink and go at the green light. It's too dangerous. I've driven that path enough times. I know where it always ends.

It was too much trouble to try and control it...I agree with that! In the end, it was so much easier to eliminate it from my life and remove all the danger and unpredictable behavior.

You've made a great decision, smitty - proud of you.

Glad to see you, bumble! :)

GRITS - love the analogy! :chairfall

SmittyBittyBoo, bumble, 1 day? Ya'll are FANTASTIC. 2 years for me today, and believe me when I say, If I can do it so can you, because it's true. Hevyn is right, trying to control it is to much trouble, eliminating it is the best thing to do. It can be done. :egypt:

Thank you all so much. It was really scary posting. Right now I'm not really doing it with any help. I'm thinking that when the kids return to school I can go to meetings if I need to. I need to remember how good I feel when I don't have any alcohol. I feel so much better. Emotionally and physically. And I like the one day at a time. It is really hard for me to think that I will never, ever have another glass of wine. I can't imagine it. But I CAN say that "Today-I will not drink". I can do that.

I quit smoking sucessfully finally a few years ago. Never to return, not even one drag. Because I finally realized after many attempts (like attempting for years) that I can't have just one. I can never ever have just one. I can't bum a cigarette and not want more. And I never looked back. Not that I don't get cravings once in a while but I know that is not an option, ever.

I like the yellow light analogy because it is so true. I think my yellow light is broken. I'm broken. Sometimes I really hate that and it is hard to accept.

I'm just kind of everywhere in my head today. I don't know who I am if I'm not a drinker. I don't know how to not be a drinker. But once upon a time I didn't know how to be a non-smoker and that's worked out well. Now I can't remember what it was like to be a smoker (at least-not the things that I liked about it)

Thank you all for being so welcoming.