Dee74

I thought everyone drank too - turns out I'd surrounded myself with heavy or alcoholic drinkers.

It's not easy to change your life and it's not easy at first to see advertisements or people outdoors having a drink...but recovery is all aboiut change.

We change - and things that used to be important to us just aren't anymore FF

D

ScottFromWI

We ( alcoholics ) are actually the minority. By a long shot. We tend to think "everyone drinks", but in reality only "everyone we hang around with" drinks. Most people drink very little or nothing at all.

If you are unable to quit on your own, please consider seeing an alcohol counselor about rehab options. Sometimes it can be done on an outpatient basis so you can still work/take care of home at the same time:

stark6935

After a while people don't even realize you don't drink. I had friends that didn't even realize I was never drinking alcohol when I quit a few years ago. I relapsed since then, but 90% of people could care less if you're drunk, or they just assume you are I guess.

sobriiestote

Morning...

Thanks for all those replies last night. Well I woke up feeling like I'm in a car crash as normal, did the usual deleting on social media sites, checked YouTube history to see what I watched, then ventured downstairs at 5.30am. Checked the lounge, nothing, checked the kitchen bin and recycling. There's a huge packet of crackers I have no recollection of eating, there's an empty red wine box (probably did almost 2 bottles last night) and then an empty can of lager. I obviously needed something else to finish me off, classy.

I've just told my husband I'm going to try and stop drinking, he's relieved. I told him I'm going to phone the Dr and ask for some help. I'll have to go through the interrogation of the receptionist first so I guess she's the first person I'm going to tell that I'm an alcoholic. I'll phone AA today, I may try and go to a meeting.

I'm shaking. I feel grim. I don't feel optimistic but I want to. I haven't had more than 1 day in a row sober for at least 6 months and I've been drinking about 10 bottles of wine a week for ages.

Wish me luck, I'll be checking in again later.

Dee74

wishing you the best Fuzzy

D

ts808

Waking up after a blackout is always scary stuff. I used to check my internet history as well to see what exactly I was doing while I was essentially unconscious. Glad you have decided to quit and are going to phone your physician and go to an AA meeting. Good luck.

Lionhearted1

I was stuck in that cycle for years and would wake up in police cells occasionally not having much recollection of why I was locked up.. I would promise myself that I was giving up the drink for good but I after a few days it seemed like a good idea again...

I now realise without action I never stood a chance, if you think about it how could I solve the problem with the same thinking that coursed the problem??

Get a plan, make changes, Aa is not the only way find what works for you.

Good luck

sobriiestote

I've got an appointment with my doctor at lunchtime, have googled and found a few medications I can ask about.

I've phoned addaction and self referred, they'll write to me with appt within 7-10 days. Will I be sober when I get that letter? It's frightening actually saying out loud what's going on. My drink aware app also shows I've only had 4 sober days in the last 10 weeks and I'm drinking between 80-90 units a week. I'm glad I'm doing this but I'm so sceptical of it working due to my past failures. Still, I'm taking action and reaching out this time instead of just pondering it.

Please keep chucking advice at me, I need all the help I can get!!!

stark6935

It's not going to be easy. I think the hardest thing is after a few days, a week, a month, etc your mind feels really good and you let your guard down. You need to remember how horrible mentally you feel right now. I hate waking up feeling worthless, and I know how good being sober for a long time can feel and how much you can get accomplished in that time.

tomsteve

Just don't drink today. Even if yer arse falls off, don't drink. Hit a meeting. It can't hurt. Then tomorrow don't drink for tomorrows today.

Getting sober was the hardest thing I ever did.
Staying sober has been easy and well worth every second of fight I had to put in.

sugarbear1

AA Meetings | Alcoholics Anonymous (Great Britain) Ltd

Find a meeting and show up, no need to call first.

ccam1973

This was exactly it for me as well. I know that you will find life is so much better without booze in it. Everything is so much richer and more rewarding. This isn't to say that life becomes all "ups" and no "downs". That will never be the case. Life just becomes more rewarding with fewer regrets; way fewer regrets.

Being able to decline when others are drinking does get easier with time. I think it is all about you and what you want. Personally, I got to the point that I didn't care what anyone else was doing. I had enough with drinking and everyone else could continue on their path; I was changing mine.

I still have times that I feel depressed that I have this addiction. I'm sad that I can't have a drink when sitting by the beach or out to dinner. But that's my reality now. Just yesterday I was out at the beach with my family and a guy sitting next to us offered me a beer. I politely declined by simply saying "no, I'm good right now, but thanks" and we kept on talking. He didn't think anything of it and I had a great afternoon with my family and new friends I had just met. It does get easier to decline when others are drinking with time.

My sober reality now is so much more rewarding than wasting my life away in a drunk and foggy existence.

To make this work, you've go to work at it. It isn't easy, but what you get out is so worth every ounce of energy you will put in. Trust me, you won't regret the decision to not drink.

Lean on us as much as you need and welcome!

FreeOwl

I was right there once.

Then I stopped googling AA and started going to AA meetings.

I'm over a year and a half sober now.

This is a helluva lot better.

FreeOwl

AA can feel overwhelming.... But many meetings offer varying environments. Try another meeting or several. Try reading the Big Book. Try looking for similarities instead of differences.... Try just going and listening without giving out your number and just learning all you can.... Just soaking up what you can about how alcohol effects our lives and how others have frees themselves from the cycle. Keep an eye out for those who are really sober and listen to them.....

Soberwolf

You done good FF hope your apt goes well i remember telling my Gp & getting additional help & it felt good opening up

I think you would get a lot from an AA/Smart recovery mtn

chicory

Even if you don't know if it will work, keep putting one foot in front of the other, in faith that you can find what others have found.

people do recover!

PurpleKnight

Hope the appointment all goes well Fuzzy!!