Wantoquit

Hi im Pete, im 38 and think im an alcoholic, I drink Tennants or special brew strong lager from 8am, most mornings, and its seriously affecting my health and relationship.

My girlfriend catches me 'secret' drinking and we have terrible arguments, as she hardly drinks.

I even find myself defending the drink and threatening to walk out the house.

This isn't fair on her and my 3 young sons.

Is anyone available to talk to me for 5 mins please? I need advice asap

Thanks Pete

Living

I understand completely. I am still finding stashed bottles from "my secret". You can quit, especially for YOU and also your young children and GF. Please take it one day at a time and keep posting. Also, go to an AA meeting. AA might not be for everyone, but it will definitely give you some perspective.

Welcome and looking forward to more posts from you.

Marcher13

Heya Pete, you can quit, members here are proof of that The main thing is you have to really want to quit and be willing to work at it, if you have got those two things down you are halfway there.

GreenEggsAndHam

I've wanted to quit for at least 10 years but only recently realized I couldn't do it without help. I've decided to quit now for my kids and for myself. I don't want to die young.

I'm very new here myself, but I just wanted you to know you aren't alone and that this is a great first step.

MyTimeNow

Welcome Pete - Glad you found SR

Would you consider seeing a GP? Scary I know, but I'd be worried about withdrawals for you if you're drinking from 8am. I don't know if this would be of any use to you in Birmingham https://www.swbh.nhs.uk/patients-vis...think-alcohol/ looks like they could refer you for some help.

Keep posting, look forward to hearing from you.

alcoholic123

Hi Pete and welcome to sr.
If you drink from the mornings, which i sometimes do, then you do have a problem. Going to see your dr might be a good start. And maybe an aa meeting. Keep posting here about your progress, everyone here wants to help.

Dee74

Welcome to SR Pete

I remember the 8am starts - you're right - its no way to live a life. You deserve better and so does your family.

You'll find a lot of support understanding and ideas here

D

Lifewillgetbet

I agree with the above statements.
I would start pre-8am for liquid courage (I'm in sales) and to battle off the withdraws. I had a hard time quitting by myself because I never understood that 1 is too many and 1000 is never enough.
It is good advice to see your Dr. WD's are dangerous.

Wantoquit

Thank you so much everyone, I havnt got the time right now to reply to all of you kind people individually so il just write a reply to all of you here in one message, until I get used to this and more advanced.

I realised I drink too much so I took it on myself to get a blood test, my doc told me that everything was fine in my blood results, which didn't make sense to me!

How could I be 'fine' when im drinking Strong lagers from 8AM through the day upto about 8PM when I go home and then il buy 1 or 2 bottles of wine from the shop? Not just any wine, id find myself twisting the bottle round so I could check the ABV %.

I wanted 13/14%.

Then when I got home Id normally finish the 1 bottle, and often both! Then in the morning I would wake up feeling awful, dehydrated, and then if I coughed I would feel the need to vomit, but its always dry retching, no food coming up because I havnt ate for hours or days!

So I demanded a blood test mainly for my liver (not a general test). A week later my doctor wrote and asked me to go to see him. That's when he told me my GGT test result was 895 ! Apparantly it should be 0-49. I was devastated and the doc (a different doc) told me he was sending me for an ultrascan on my liver. Il never forget the disgust on the new doctors face. In fact he threw his pen onto his desk and as I was about to ask him questions he very rudely said ''OK GOODBYE PETER'' let us know when you have had your scan.

I walked out his office feeling like a leper.

Yesterday (19th June '13) I had my ultrascan, after 40 mins the doc told me to get dressed.

He told me he hadn't found cirrhosis, (THANK GOD) but. . . the scan showed my liver was 'brighter' than he hoped to see.

He said he would send the scan results to my doc, and I should contact my surgery in a few days.

I have cut down my drinking so much. I havnt drank in a morning in days, and im limiting myself to 5 pints a day as opposed to 10+ .
Also when I get home early at 5PM I don't drink alcohol.

I have had the shakes but Im determined to get through this 'hardest test of my life'

Please can you guys reply if you have anything to say or ask.

Thank you people :O)

ippochick

hi pete

i am withdrawing at the moment (vodka being my drink of choice - litres of it).

you can attend A&E and ask to see the duty Psychiatrist for medication to help you through withdrawals. stopping suddenly can be dangerous, but can be done under medical supervision if you are determined to quit.

i am on day 4, after hitting rock bottom last weekend. am here daily if you want to talk.

Lifewillgetbet

Your GGT being 895 or whatever is really high. Mine was approaching the 2000 zone in 2011. I had a seizure and almost died tho 2 days after my last drink. Yes, that is correct 2 days after having stopped drinking. Yea see a Dr about the shakes and WD's. My Dr was not impressed at all. Plus I felt like crap and I was pale. I looked like I was going to die very soon. On a positive note, my ultra sound showed no damage and my AST, ALT, GGT only took a few months of sobriety to return to within normal range.

hypochondriac

Welcome to SR Pete

I had numerous blood tests done when I was drinking and all of them came back 'fine'. I have since had doctors tell me that they don't do blood tests for alcoholics because they can give people a green light to carry on drinking and also that sometimes the results aren't reliable. I know I certainly was looking for some damage to help encourage me to stop and used the all clear as an excuse to continue. The 'encouragement' eventually came but it was nerve damage not my liver. There is always something so don't just assume that the drinking isn't doing a ton of damage, it is.

If you are interested in getting some face to face support I know there is a company called Aquarius in Brum who deal with people with addictions (0121 622 6913 or 0121 622 8181). You can self refer and they should have a doctor there too. They also run group support, including SMART recovery. You are in a good city for addiction support. I am sure a google on AA meetings will come up with a lot too. Glad you are here x

Wantoquit

Thanks everyone, I will write back properly tonight about 9pm (UK time)

Cheers :O)