Count

Just signed up today, been a heavy drinker all my life and need a little bit of help. It's been less than a week from my last drink, but finding it hard. Don't know what to expect from the forum, but willing to try anything. Any advise would be welcome !!!

TorontoGuy28

Hi Count and welcome !

Great decision to quit drinking... This forum is great for support, but I would also suggest to get out to an AA meeting, especially in your early sobriety !

TG

hypochondriac

Hey Count. Welcome to SR! Have you seen a doctor yet or looked into any other support like AA or SMART? x

I'm sure you will find lots of help and support here. Why not join the Class of July thread on this forum...it really helps to have continual support from other people going through the same thing as you.

Glad you're here

Stevie1

Welcome, Count!

Lots of inspiration and support here. What are you doing to replace the drinking behaviour and urges? Most people need something and/or support, more than just white-knuckling it. I could never do it alone, Lord knows I tried often enough....

ChasingJme03

Hello. Welcome to SR. This community has been a godsend to me. If you ever need to chat please add me.

DisplacedGRITS

welcome Count! do you have a plan for your sobriety? 12 step program is a great place to start. you can't stumble blindly into sobriety. AA worked and is working well for me. lots of meetings and a pretty solid plan for sobriety. the fellowship is wonderful. get to know your triggers well and how you're going to cope with them. lots of us are triggered by stress, boredom, peer pressure, weekends...stuff like that. have you seen a doctor yet? it's an excellent idea to get a measure of where your health is right now since you're body's been through quite a bit over the years of alcohol abuse. remember that you have the ultimate control over your drinking. you control your hands, your feet, your decisions. i had to go to a lot of meetings in the beginning to break that cycle of drinking. the fellowship of AA and SR really got me through the hard times. welcome to SR! i hope you find the support you're looking for here.

Count

I've known people who have went to AA meetings and just went back to drink, not really a talker anymore so don't think it will help. Sometimes I'm fine then other time I turn, I also take strong painkillers, sleeping tables and cocaine. Just feel like I'm losing the plot. I know this is time to stop before I do something stupid and end up in jail !!!

hypochondriac

There are a ton of recovery methods out there Count. And you don't have to do any of them. But most people find something essential. Some people just use SR, others have used methods which don't require meetings like AVRT (Rational Recovery) or meeting based methods like AA or SMART. There are others too. I think there is a list round here. I felt totally lost being newly sober so I just started at the top of the list and am working my way through it Seeing a doctor is usually a good idea too.

Stevie1

Well...lots of people (most, in fact) who had no plan beyond "stop drinking" went back to drink too, plus AA doersn't require anyne to be a talker so I'm not sure that's a good rationale for why AA doesn't work.

You have lots of other options besides AA, but my point was that most people need something besides just white-knuckling and not drinking. Might be a support group, or total immersion in a hobby, or serious committment to family or self...but simply saying "I'm not gonna drink any more" doesn't seem to work real well for most of us.

DisplacedGRITS

there's lots of stuff other than AA. i was in and out of the AA program until i was finally so spiritually dead and so physically beat that i went in and just shut up and listened. i didn't have any great expectations of the programs. i was just there because i didn't have anywhere else to be and if i was at home, i'd be drinking. it was a pleasant place to fill my time. so i kept going and listening, speaking when i wanted to and i did what they told me to which was to not drink. i gave up on trying to fight alcohol and bend it to my will which was a big deal.

i was hooked on Ambien for a couple of years and found that i had to quit it cold turkey or else it was going to kill me. all that crap about it being non habit forming is total bullhonkey. i could blow through a one month prescription in a week and i would steal from my mom's script. i'm on a non-narcotic sleep aid now and i take natural herbs. it's so much better. are you ready to quit everything? it's not just just the drinking. it's the addiction. i'm glad you're here. you've got the desire. that's so important. keep it and use it. it's a powerful tool in your toolbox.

Hevyn

Welcome Count. I'm glad you've decided to save your life by stopping. I was a lifelong drinker, too - and in the beginning I felt like a zombie. We're so used to falling back on booze to get us through everything, and in the end it brings no relief from any problems. Just misery.

Please keep reading and posting here - you aren't alone with this, we all care about you.

TorontoGuy28

Don't worry about talking in AA, just listen and find commonailities between your story/situation and what others are saying..

Many times I heard things I did not realize I really, really needed to hear...

Count

Thanks everyone for your posts, just getting used to the site so bare with me. Taking everything on board and I'm only on strong coffee just now to get through the day. Might get intouch with my GP first then take it from there. Just feel if I share it with people they might think I'm weak and there's a bit of a drink culture in Scotland.

Stevie1

I'm in the US now but did a lot of my growing up in Scotland (Skye and Glasgow) so I understand about the drinking culture. I was a bartender there for seven years. Mind you where there's a drinking culture there's also going to be a lot of people who understand the downsides....

Count

Thanks people for your help, hope you's stay in touch would appreciate it. Anyway I'm off to bed and hope you's have a nice day.

TorontoGuy28

Count-

Drinking culture is everywhere, many people in my office enjoy happy hours and often get out after work to drink... Some drink normally, many do not.. I used to join them, but now I do what's best for ME...

least

Welcome to the family! I've stayed sober well over two years now with the help of my counselor and this site. It doesn't matter what you do as long as it keeps you sober and content.

sugarbear1

Welcome to SR!

Glad you are here!

Dee74

Hi Count

Trust me - there's a drinking culture every bit as strong where I live in Australia - noones ever call me weak - on the contrary I think most people are impressed - and several people have told me they wish they could stop too.

welcome to SR!
D