I admit I have a problem
 

Hello,
I am happy to have come across this forum. I will be reading lots! I’ve just realized that I have a drinking problem. Well, perhaps I’ve known for a long time, but have just now acknowledged the issue. I’m undergoing a minor medical procedure in a couple days that requires a general anesthesia and I have been provided with the pre-op instructions with all the regular rules, such as no food or drink after midnight the day before the procedure.

Alarm bells went off when I realized that no alcohol allowed three days prior (although another instruction set says no alcohol 24 hours prior). This has made me somewhat nervous as it means two or three days of abstinence—I have been drinking, on average, five cans of light beer every evening, and around eight beers on Saturday nights. I am a middle-aged female and have drank alcohol my entire adult life (generally only beer), but I realize now that I haven’t missed more than a couple days of drinking over the last two years.

I will not drink during the day prior to the procedure, or the day of. I am nervous going two days and hope I don’t go through severe withdrawal. But this is a wakeup call for me. I need to get this abuse under control. I’ve started by drafting up (no pun intended) a plan. Month one will limit use to five days a week (vs. the current seven); month two, limit to four days week; and, month three will take me to the final goal of three days a week. Recent blood work did not identify any issues related to alcohol abuse, but I will speak to my doctor during our next visit to let him know.

Anyway, that was a rather long intro, but I’m happy to have someone to talk to.

Welcome to the Forum idrinkbeer!! :wave:

You'll find loads of support here on SR!! It's great to have you onboard!! :)

Welcome Idrinkbeer. Glad to hear you are getting ready to make some positive changes and good luck with your surgery.

So to be clear, is your goal to just be sober for the 3 days prior to the surgery, and then return to a more moderated form of drinking after the surgery is done?

Welcome to SR!

Hope your surgery goes well. If I read correctly your goal is to eventually drink "3 times a week".

For me personally trying to control my intake was simply impossible. If I managed to pull 2 days sober I would drink 2X more to catch up. My AV justification was, you see you don't have a problem.

Welcome to the site. :) I'm glad you're here. :)

Hello and welcome.
I hope your procedure goes well.
Why not cut out alcohol altogether? You've admitted you have a problem, that's a great start.
If you've read much here, you can see the havoc alcohol has wrought on many peoples' lives. For me, it's only abstinence. I could never moderate my drinking.
And yes, I would talk to your doctor and be totally honest about your drinking.
Best to you.

I hope your surgery goes well.