AmyLouise

Hello All,

I've been trying for so long now to kick my alcohol addiction - the longest I've gone is 3 mths last Summer.

I'm my mid thirties now and have been drinking heavily since my teenage years.

In the morning I have such good intentions to not touch a drop and then boredom, restlessness, routines kick in and by mid afternoon, all I can think of is drinking. All sensible thoughts, knowing I will hate myself, the self loathing I will feell - they all go out the window and the viscious cycle starts again.

This is making me so unhappy as I know I will be happier/more confident/more in control when sober.

Please tell me what you do when the cravings become so strong, it's all you can think of - please help me learn how to get my self control and self worth back.

Warmest wishes to you all
AL xx

Vall

Dear AmyLouise,

it's a good start coming here :>

You will get lots of advice and support on here from those who have been in your place. I can't say I have exactly but I have felt very lost and depressed at times - you may consider some extra help such as groups and/or therapy as no matter how strong we thing we are, sometimes we just can't do it alone.

You are definitely not alone here so take care and I wish you all the very best.

pipparina

Amy,
What worked for me: AA meetings, talking to others in recovery about how the did it. A big help was connecting with others who had around the same day count as me. We would call each other all the time for support.
I prayed a lot, read the AA Big Book. You need to take any action to busy yourself instead of picking up a drink. Even if it means scrubbing your kitchen floor. Just do something to distract you from that voice telling you to drink

least

Welcome to the family! What's keeping me sober (for almost three years now) is weekly counseling and daily visits to this site. You too can live a sober happy life.

hypochondriac

Welcome to SR Amy

I was in exactly the same situation as you. Unfortunately all sensible thoughts had absolutely no effect when I was drinking. I really had to pry the drink from my hands and just do whatever I could to stop me from picking it up again. As far as cravings go AVRT really helped in the early days (I'll send you a link) as well as hanging out here a lot. 'Thinking the drink through' was a useful technique too, keeping the rational part of my brain active They do lessen in time but it is worth getting as much support as you can. It may be worth speaking to someone at Drinkline (0800 917 8282) to see what counselling is available in your area and of course there's AA too (0845 769 7555).

Glad you're here x

Dee74

Hi Amy - I'm sorry you're struggling but it's good to see you again - welcome back

I found support was very important for me to stay sober - what kind of support do you have for your recovery AL?

D

Sapling

I think walking into my first AA meeting I was honestly admitting to myself I had a serious problem. It made me accountable to myself and others that were there...It gave me hope and I wasn't alone. I kept going to meetings...Studied the book...Found a sponsor to guide me and did what was in the book. It worked and this hopeless alcoholic is coming up on 15 months without a drink and living the way I always wanted to live.

freshstart57

Hi AmyLouise, and welcome! Congratulations to you on making this first step - you're right, there is a life for people like us that is so much better without alcohol.

There are quite a few groups/methods to choose from, and they can be put into three groups...

Evidence-based (AVRT and Rational Recovery, SMART Recovery, CRA/CRAFT, Mindfulness). This category is best for those that want to deal with structured methods and developing personal skills, those who believe that they make their own breaks.

Community-based (SOS, LSR) This category is for those that are looking for a supportive network of people with experience in reaching abstinence, but not a faith-based nor structured skills-based approach.

Faith-based (AA, NA, WFS, Narconon) These groups are best for those who want a faith-centered approach, and believe that their lives can be determined by (an ability to effectively plea to) outside forces.

There is a wide menu of choices, and you can easily find information on any of these. Sobriety is a most personal issue, and you will ultimately succeed by finding the route that is suited best to you. Keep posting here, there is a lot of support for you, no matter which direction you chose.

foodie1

Hi AmyLouise, for me what worked was outside help, specifically AA. Everyone's different and as freshstart said, there are different recovery methods available. I think the most important part of recovery is community. My humble suggestion to you would be to reach out for help and understanding, and then to stick with whichever recovery community resonates with you.

All the best to you, you're worth this journey!!

wpainterw

Amy: My experience was that I could not do it alone. I tried this for years and years and I kept relapsing. I sought the help of a counselor, psychiatrist or psychologist and even this didn't do the trick in the long run. Finally, after thirty odd years I went to a rehab for a month and they put me on to AA. I had a lot of problems with AA but stuck with it. There was an agnostics group and I joined that, even though I'm not really an agnostic. Anyway, what I found out was that it was possible to get long term recovery with the help of other alcoholics, whether in AA or some other program. In addition it's very important to have someone you can call on the phone when the cravings come on, whether that person is called a 'sponsor" or something else. The person should have some long term sobriety and someone you like as a friend. Not someone who just wants to control your life or on whom you might have an unhealthy dependency .
Aside from this, there are lots of ways to divert your mind from thinking about alcohol. Community activities, not involving booze, athletics. I joined a dog club. I like movies on TV and do a lot of reading. And it's amazing how much stuff there is on the internet, stuff like this SR website. Good luck.

W.

Sobersunshine

Hi Amy! Congratulations on reaching out and taking that first step. There is so much support here you will never be alone in this. I'm very new to recovery (13 days and counting) and two weeks ago I was just like you. I couldn't go five hours without a drink, and I desperately wanted to stop but had no idea how I could. I tried tapering, lol didn't work at all. Tried spacing out my drinks more, tried a whole bunch of things that could allow me to basically continue to be an alcoholic. Well I quit cold turkey with a doctors supervision.
My suggestions to you are
1.). See your doc and be honest with her about your drinking. Tell her you want to stop. It's important to have a dr. invovled because detox can literally kill you. Your dr. can give you differ options for detox. I did it as an outpatient.
2,). Find a support group. I strongly recommend giving AA a try. I didn't think I was an AA type, all that higher power stuff and all, but so far it is working for me. If not AA, then any one of the other ones that have been mentioned. There's lots of good ones out there.
3.) keep posting on SR!
4.) consider one on one counseling
Good luck to you!

mark120910

I could not stop drinking after ten years of drinking every night.

My solution was to check in at a chemical dependency treatment hospital for an assessment. They determined I qualified for in-patient or out-patient treatment. From my first day in treatment, I was able to stop drinking and I have seven days sober.

Now I am working on ways to avoid relapsing after leaving treatment.

I see you are in the UK, where I presume treatment is covered under National Health Insurance?

Any readers employed in the US may be entitled to medical leave, treatment and job protection under federal law. See Family Medical Leave Act, Americans with Disabilities Act and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.

Good luck Amy!