Day One.
 

Hey guys, new to the board, new to all of this really.

I have struggled for a long time to even classify myself as an alcoholic. Why?

- I don't drink in the morning.
- I don't sneak away from work to drink.
- I don't get the shakes.

But I DO drink 6 beers a night 6 nights a week. Habitually. When I don't have it, I get anxious, and when I do go without I feel like I'm powering through to just get through a single day so I can show my wife I don't "need it". I do. Well, need is a strong word, but want. Bad.

It could certainly be worse, which is what I have told myself. It doesn't effect my job so what's the harm? Well it's a horrendously unhealthy habit and I need to do something. Now.

Thanks for listening folks. Looking forward to the journey.

:welcome to the family! I'm glad you've made the decision to stop drinking. Sober life is so rewarding.:) It's not easy but it's simple: just don't drink.

I'm glad you joined our community. :hug:

Welcome to SR.

Great.

You can quit drinking easily if it's just a habit. You may struggle a bit with quitting if you are a problem drinker, but it can be done.

If you can't quit, despite your strong desire to, then you might be an alcoholic. Once you accept that, the goal is to recover from alcoholism, not just quit drinking.

Good luck.

Welcome!

I've said it a bit on here in the past, sobriety is not just for alcoholics. There's no real scientific definition for alcoholism in the first place, but even people who have problems with alcohol can benefit from abstaining completely and using recovery methods to help them. SR doesn't make any distinction there either; if you're working to stop drinking then you're as much a participant here as anyone. :)

Could be worse is true. I lost a couple relationships, but that didn't get me to stop completely. Got into legal trouble. Got me to stop here and there. Finally found out I was literally starting to drink myself to death. Finally had enough and God willing I'm not going to go back and find out where the bottom really is.

I think once you start questioning the habit/addiction, that's a sign of a problem. Some folks' livers poop out early from moderate drinking and some don't. You're rolling the dice.

Welcome! Sounds like you're ready for a change. We who enjoy alcohol, don't really enjoy trying to moderate or skip a day.......gritting our teeth to prove we can do it. Stopping altogether is simple, not easy, and very liberating. Keep reading, posting and reach out for support if you need it:)

Welcome to SR CrimsonKing. You will find a multitude of subforums here on many different recovery strategies, and general support for those at all stages of quitting/sobriety.

I was you to the T for many years ( drinking 3-5 beers a night, could quit for a day but wansn't happy about it, didn't drink in the AM, didn't miss work, etc. ). The last 3-4 years of my drinking though I started crossing some of those boundaries a bit. For example, needing beer to feel "normal" rather than just to relax. Also drinking mid-morning on the weekends. Anxiety creeping up too. There were others, but they really crept up on me without me knowing.

You are very fortunate and wise to want to nip this in the bud now before it becomes a larger issue, and you should be commended for it. Best of luck and let us know if there is any way we can help.

Thanks guys, truly. I am so happy I found this place.

I agree, once you think you have a problem you ARE barking up the right tree. I have some stress and anxiety in my life that alcohol helps with. And I have gone from moderate to heavy drinker in the past year, and I saw the trend continuing.

I recently took a test with how often and how much I drink. Seeing that only 7% of drinkers drink more than me was an eye opener. 36 beers a week is simply too much. Problem is I have tried to do "one six pack one night a week" and it doesnt work.

My wife isn't particularly supportive because I have tried to stop dozens of times. She just thinks i'm full of s*** now.

Thanks again everyone. Really excited for this.

I think you may be my husband! :0).

Best of luck. I was just the same as you. I am glad that I saw it before I lost my family, job, and life. You will feel the same.

Well, in a sense, she's 100% correct. You are full of s**t because you haven't stopped even though you said you were going to. But that's par for the course, and it's happened to just about all of us. And not just with our spouses, but our kids, parents, co workers, friends, etc...

The good news is that if you do sober up and make a habit of living the sober life, you won't be full of it anymore and you will regain her trust. Most likely some admiration too for doing the right thing for yourself.

The other good news is that you are apologizing for not quitting drinking. You could be apologizing for getting a dui, draining a bank account, ending up in the ER, losing your job, etc... Like the farmers say...make hay while the sun is shining!

I tried to quit many times in the past too but couldn't stay quit.

AA was the only thing that I found that got me sober, kept me sober and treats my alcohol"ism"

Problem drinker .. quit drinking, problem solved.

Alcoholic .. quit drinking, problem is just starting.


You will soon become aware of which you are.

All the best.

Bob R

I hadn't heard this statement before, that if an alcoholic stops drinking, his problems are just beginning. Seems like not drinking would be a good thing, I think?

Luckily for newcomers, this type of doomsday viewpoint is not the norm.
Welcome to SR crimson king.
Read all the different sections, there are lots of positive people who have found that booze isnt necessary to live happy...i am one of them. SR is my mainstay.

Crimson: you sous a lot like me and my drinking patterns. Quitting was relatively easy with minimal withdrawals. The boredom is what will get you. Stay busy. I'm 9 days in.

Welcome Crimson King :)

This place helped me change my life - hope we can help you do that too :)

D

Welcome Crimson

This is my first day also, I was a lot like you living in denial. I drank every night but went to work the next day and did my job so didn't think I had a problem until recently I started breaking my own rules drinking earlier and stronger drinks. My hangovers suddenly changed from hangovers to withdrawal symptoms. Shaking hands, anxiety, sweating and feeling weak.

I hope that in a years time we are both still posting on here about our success in quitting alcohol. Good luck we've both taken the first step by admitting our problem.

welcome, crimson!

i started with beer. then wine. then vodka along with the beer and the wine. i was drinking in the mornings, driving to work drunk then topping up with sneaky premix vodkas at lunchtime. it impacted on my work as i travelled a lot, and hey, you can get a beer at the airport at 6am!

my drinking was a major factor in my breakdown last year. i was on the verge of being fired. i made a bad judgement call with a colleague and my husband found out. i went in-patient for a month but was secretly drinking smuggled in alcohol on the unit.

i finally quit 16 days ago. please, let this be your time to quit. don't risk losing everything like i did.

Thanks so much guys, this is really fantastic and your stories are eerily familiar/inspiring... I'm on day 2 now! Woohoo!

CrimsonKing,
I've realized that we are alcoholics if we feel the need to HAVE to have alcohol and not just enjoy one here and there. I have spent 27 years trying to find a way to drink like everyone else only to fail everytime as I am too far into my addiction. I've just felt the "victim" all these years and that I need alcohol because I can't deal with my issues. But you know, we all can and our lives will never be "free" if we are depending on something and having anxiety and being preoccupied if we don't have the alcohol we feel we need. That's exhausting! Might be exhausting going through the anxious withdrawel phase right now and lack of sleep without having the drinks but in the long run, we are going to have so much more freedom and peace in our lives and life is short, so time to live it! Keep strong and God bless!

Yeah for day two.....tomorrow will be day three....you can do this:)