RedheadJen

Well, I had the ultimatum from my husband to quit drinking or our marriage is over. I love him so I am determined to quit and I know I need to quit for myself and my kids. This is only night one, but how do you curb cravings and how long did it take for you to feel better physically and clearer-headed? I know this is probably on the forums somewhere, but I didn't feel like searching......thanks.

Natom

The way I deal with cravings and urges is thus. I sit down, I then spend the next five minutes remembering what I went through and how low I got. You can retrain your mind to think of all the bad stuff when you think of using.

PippoRossi

How do you deal with cravings? I just resist them. Sometimes it's difficult, but I manage to get through it without a problem.

How long does it take to feel better physically and mentally? It's different for everyone. Just remember, it didn't take you one day to get to where you are right now; so it won't take you one day to get back to feeling 100%.

fallingtogether

You story sounds a lot like mine. I didn't have cravings the first Couple of days because I knew I hit my bottom. My first real cravings didn't come until this weekend and like mentioned, I played the tape, weighed the risks against the reward and got busy with something else around the house. Oh and I have attended 9 aa meetings in 6 days. That helps me a ton!!!!! Good luck! Stick around, we will all help each other around here!

freshstart57

I was in the same spot as you, Jen. There was no ultimatum, just the statement of fact from my wife that she could no longer bear to watch me continue as I had been. It was killing her soul, and she couldn't live that way any more. I understood that it was her profound love for me that made her tell me this. So I quit. And I've stayed quit, and that was 13 monthhs ago.

As for the urges, I knew a bit about addictive urges having quit smoking some years ago. I knew that the urges would come, but they would only last a while and then they would disappear again. I knew that the urges could not force me to do anything, that I had the power to choose between smoking and not smoking, being married or divorced, and drinking or not drinking.

I knew that it would help if I told myself that the person craving the drink was my old self, not me. It was essential that I understood I could quit, because I had to quit, and I was only going to get one chance at this.

I joined SR, and then learned about Addictive Voice Recognition Technique (AVRT) and discovered that there was a name for what I had been doing all along from the beginning. I learned that this is a way that many many people quit 'all on their own', and that it works for others too.

You can google AVRT or check out the Secular Connections forum here at SR. There is a lot of support for you there too.

Sapling

Welcome to SR RedheadJen....If you find that you don't have the power to do it on your own...Like myself and millions of others around the world....You can always check out an AA meeting....I'm grateful it saved my life.

Anna

What worked for me in the early days was changing my routines and daily patterns. Drinking in the early evening was typical for me and very hard to get through. I started leaving the house after cleaning up the dishes and going for a long walk. It helped me in so many ways. And, remember that each small change you make creates a ripple effect in your life.

Dee74

Welcome Jen

The first week is always especially rough for most of us.
I found a bit of support could do wonders for me...maybe you could think about joining this group:

http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...art-2-a-2.html

D