Thinking about quitting
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Illinois
Posts: 1
Thinking about quitting
Hi. I've been lurking on here a while but figured I may as well post. I'm thinking about giving up the bottle. I think it's progressed to the point where it definitely is abuse.
I started drinking nightly while studying for the bar exam about 5 years ago. Just one or two, maybe every other night, no big deal. At some point it turned to three beers a night. Then four. Then a six-pack. After taking a highly stressful job where I work with several others with a definite alcohol problem, it grew even more quickly but insidiously. Sometimes it's a most of a 12-pack a night. Maybe one or two at lunch with coworkers. On the weekends I can't wait to get started, though I do wait til late afternoon. Some nights I might only have one or two.
I've got a great family; well the marriage isn't the best but I can't complain. She has mentioned this growing problem a few times but we haven't discussed it. I just acknowledge the problem and that's it. Nobody else even suspects anything might be going on. My personality doesn't really change when I drink. And I'm very good at hiding it and drawing the line before passing out or acting sloshed. I don't drive when I'm at it and I get all my work done. I'm involved with my kids' activities.
I worry about withdrawal symptoms and think I should perhaps taper off a bit before quitting completely. I'm sure lots of people have tried and failed at that but I can't get any time off of work. I live in a remote area so regular meetings would likely be out of the question, but I am sure I can find resources online at least.
It's nice to read about others dealing with the same situation and what's worked and not worked.
I started drinking nightly while studying for the bar exam about 5 years ago. Just one or two, maybe every other night, no big deal. At some point it turned to three beers a night. Then four. Then a six-pack. After taking a highly stressful job where I work with several others with a definite alcohol problem, it grew even more quickly but insidiously. Sometimes it's a most of a 12-pack a night. Maybe one or two at lunch with coworkers. On the weekends I can't wait to get started, though I do wait til late afternoon. Some nights I might only have one or two.
I've got a great family; well the marriage isn't the best but I can't complain. She has mentioned this growing problem a few times but we haven't discussed it. I just acknowledge the problem and that's it. Nobody else even suspects anything might be going on. My personality doesn't really change when I drink. And I'm very good at hiding it and drawing the line before passing out or acting sloshed. I don't drive when I'm at it and I get all my work done. I'm involved with my kids' activities.
I worry about withdrawal symptoms and think I should perhaps taper off a bit before quitting completely. I'm sure lots of people have tried and failed at that but I can't get any time off of work. I live in a remote area so regular meetings would likely be out of the question, but I am sure I can find resources online at least.
It's nice to read about others dealing with the same situation and what's worked and not worked.
Member
Join Date: Nov 2012
Posts: 753
Hi - welcome :-)
It's amazing how quickly it can spiral out of control isn't it - I went years thinking this is ok,few drinks don't matter and I can handle it- how wrong , it went from enjoyable glass or two of wine to my life revolving around alcohol
The majority will tell you that tapering won't work- never did for me , I ended up hitting it even harder after reducing for a while
Withdrawal going to be there at some point so may as well face it head on now if you want to quit!
Good luck with it,loads of support here :-)
It's amazing how quickly it can spiral out of control isn't it - I went years thinking this is ok,few drinks don't matter and I can handle it- how wrong , it went from enjoyable glass or two of wine to my life revolving around alcohol
The majority will tell you that tapering won't work- never did for me , I ended up hitting it even harder after reducing for a while
Withdrawal going to be there at some point so may as well face it head on now if you want to quit!
Good luck with it,loads of support here :-)
Member
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 94
Oh, if I had only quit drinking when I was at your stage.
Instead, I wasted another 11 years of my life, getting progressively
worse. I always remained a very high-functioning alcoholic, or so
I thought.
Until I quit, I never realized how much it affected my life.
Glad you are here and glad you are doing the self-examination that
you are doing. Best of luck.
Instead, I wasted another 11 years of my life, getting progressively
worse. I always remained a very high-functioning alcoholic, or so
I thought.
Until I quit, I never realized how much it affected my life.
Glad you are here and glad you are doing the self-examination that
you are doing. Best of luck.
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 211,372
Hi and welcome Overwhelmed 
If you're worried about withdrawal, the best thing is to see a Dr...if it's a concern, you're best to see a professional.
You'll find a lot of ideas here and support
If you were to decide meetings are for you (whether they be AA oir some other kind of recovery group) you'll probably find you're not as remote as you think - and there are also online meetings for just about every kind of group, and recovery methods - like AVRT - that have no meetings at all....
I'll gladly give you some links if you like
D
If you're worried about withdrawal, the best thing is to see a Dr...if it's a concern, you're best to see a professional.
You'll find a lot of ideas here and support
If you were to decide meetings are for you (whether they be AA oir some other kind of recovery group) you'll probably find you're not as remote as you think - and there are also online meetings for just about every kind of group, and recovery methods - like AVRT - that have no meetings at all....
I'll gladly give you some links if you like
D
Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: CAPE COD, MA
Posts: 1,020
Welcome. many of us were at your cross road and some stopped right away and some basically said I'm not bad yet = your eligible too. Friend you say you can't get to meetings, my old timers response is: can you afford to lose everything you have today and in the future. A friend, a top rated attorney who didn't stop ended up losing everything and was drinking Listerine from a bag, wearing mismatched sneakers in the winter because he couldn't not drink one day at a time. In AA it's said you are permitted to get off the elevator on any floor before hells floor. Alcohol is a total taker from those not stopping. Tough talk but it's from years of watching. BE WELL
Member
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 94
I have a stressful job as well and have used work stress a few times as an excuse to return to drinking. I've come to realize that rather than relieve stress, alcohol causes stress. After about a week of abstaining, my stress levels really disappear and even when I get those calls at 5:30 on a Friday that ruin my whole weekend, I can take it in stride without turning to a bottle.
That is just one of the many benefits to look forward to if you decide to give up alcohol
That is just one of the many benefits to look forward to if you decide to give up alcohol
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