Jimuk

I drank too, feeling sad today so you're not alone James. Let's try again shall we mate.

James18

Sorry you're having a bad day, trying again sounds a good idea. Not much else you can do.

Anna

James, I hope you can see stopping drinking as the best thing you can do for yourself. I hear that you are scared that bad things will happen, and they will. This disease is progressive. But, you don't have to go through this again.

heath480

Sorry you are struggling james,Alcoholism is relentlessly progressive,it always gets worse.

You need to find some support for yourself and make a decision to stay away from the first drink.It helped me in my early days to think it was only the one drink I wasn't having,it was always the first drink that caused my problem.

Relapsing over and over does not have to be a part of recovery.

Wishing you well and hope you start to feel better soon.

AuntieSoso

Hi James, I'm new here so don't know any of your history, but I wanted to chime in with something that was helpful for me . . . in all sorts of things, not just quitting drinking.

I try to look to my future self and imagine what it will feel like to be proud of myself for something. If I can project that happy and proud and contented feeling from the future into the NOW, then it can sustain me and give me my own encouragement to follow the path that I ultimately want to be on so that in the next moment, the next hour, the next 12 hours, the next day I can carry the good feelings, not the bad, and it will help me in my decision-making process.

I wish you the best.

ScottFromWI

Hope all is well James

Sacamedeaqui

Well at least you woke up in a safe place. You could have woke up on a concrete bed in a cold, dank and stinking-of-**** cell...or in a hospital bed, with wires hanging out of you and a crowd around you.

12 hours is a long enough bender. However, feeling bad about it won't help. I remember reading or hearing something like the following "the man who feels bad about himself is incapable of making lasting positive changes." Which I suppose explains how quiting drinking, being sober for a while and then relapsing can turn into a vicious circle. If someone feels **** about themselves, relapsing (and all the negative **** that comes with it) becomes a physical manifistation of their low self-esteem. So I heard...

Have you tried Allen Carr's "Easy way to control alcohol"? (it's about quiting, not "controlling") It offers a different approach to the disease model theory. The book's premise is to look at all of "the reasons" why people drink...and he turns those reasons on their head and offers a different perspective. It's "counter brain-washing" all what society has told you about alcohol. The end result, if you follow his instructions, is that you will start to view alcohol as pointless and if there is no point...there is no longer a desire.

Dee74

I'm glad you've decided to do something more James

here are some UK links & numbers that may be useful:

The National Alcohol Helpline-UK - Tel: 0800 917 8282
Offers help to callers worried about their own drinking; support to the family and friends of people who are drinking; advice to callers on where to go for help.

UK National AA Helpline
08457 697 555

SMART Recovery - SMART Recovery UK

Alcoholics Anonymous (Great Britain) Ltd - Home

Addaction | Drugs & Alcohol Addiction and Recovery: Support - Help - Advice - Treatment

Alcohol services | Alcohol Concern

and some NHS links
Find Alcohol addiction services services - NHS Choices

D

DesertArizona

It took me a long time to REALLY get it through my head that whenever I use drugs, things always end up worse, I always feel sick, I always lose money, I always create more problems, I always set myself back... Try to focus on that.

James18

Yep, I'm OK thanks Scott. Just been lurking around the forum and trying to get myself back on track after the other night.

Thanks for the links too Dee, I'm off to bed now but will have a look at them properly in morning. I did a quick postcode search on the bottom link but nothing much came up.

James18

Thanks both for the posts, both make a lot of sense. I will check out Alan Carr.

deeker

^^^^ I agree, you have to get a plan, your plan is not working. My plan didn't work either for 30 something years. It was when I took suggestions that my life finally began to turn around. I did 90 meetings in 90 days, actually I did 230 meetings in 90 days, got a sponsor in AA, began working the steps with a sponsor and got involved in service. My old plan sucked. My new plan works.

I guess that is why they say in AA "Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path"

RobbyRobot

Quitting never worked for me until I believed enough that drinking for what ever reason also meant I wasn't quitting. I had to see for myself that all my reasons for drinking were self-made, and I wasn't drinking by accident or from misfortune - I was drinking because I liked it better then not drinking. Scary stuff. Of course once I was good and drunk, I hated the whole stinking mess, but that always came after I drank. I just made it worse for myself by drinking over and over again.

I don't mean to get on your back James. I want to suggest struggling with drinking is what it is for any of us when we first quit. Inside that struggle is how we figure out which way is up and without the struggle nothing really is going to change much about quitting not working for you so far.

Change is essential while quitting. What those changes are you'll know best as you get through your day struggling until finally the struggle begins to fade and victory is yours. No pain no gain. I hope you have a better day.

James18

No, my plan is not working. I don't have enough of one for it to work. I know what I can't do though - I can't cut down, that doesn't work. I can't 'have a few days off', that doesn't work (I end up drinking more). I really can't even begin to see at least a couple of my old friends who will not support me in anything I try to do and they need to go. I can't drink different drinks etc. etc...I've seriously realized nothing works and I need to stop. I can just about manage to not drink on my own, but when anybody else is involved I struggle to say no.

Skye2

Have you tried the SR arcade James? Messing around in there helps me enormously and also the buzz of selling on ebay
PS Before I realised I had a problem (or admitted it to myself) I used to volunteer at a night shelter. The smell of booze etc really put me off even then. Just a thought

Jus

Yeah tough stuff isn't it? I hope you're feeling a little bit better today James.

I have an idea.

James, why don't you and Jimuk, start a challenge here. Make it a 30 day one, no pressure, if you flip back, just start over.

Start a new thread, and ask others to join. You might soon find the POWER that thread will bring to you.

Just a thought.

All the best to you. I hope you know, you're going to DO THIS

TS247

Todays a new day. Try try again never quit quitting. Just for today!!

James18

That might be worth trying...

Jus

There is always a way James, you just gotta stop fighting it.
I've told it, it's won, waved the white flag.

Today the struggle is gone.

Good luck James. I know you're going to do it

ScottFromWI

You've got to try SOMETHING James, anything. Doing nothing or thinking about things that "might" work aren't going to get you very far in sobriety.