Sober81

Hi, I'm currently wanting to stop drinking. But as most people will know the first day can be the hardest. To get the ball rolling so to speak.
Really I'm just after a few words of encouragement to get me through the day. Then through the week. Baby steps.
I've only yesterday decided to up my laxapo up to 20mg from the 10mg I've been on for about a year.
Recently come evening I just feel worn out and a bit down.
I'm currently looking after my two children Monday-Friday and it can be draining. Even with the perk of an arvo nap when the kids have theirs.
Hoping the jump to 20mg will help me not turn to beer as much and will help get through the evenings in a better mood.
Any way hello I'm back and looking for a bit of support. Thanks in advance.

choicebreath

OMG I get what you are saying. Deep breath and positive thoughts. Remember that 2 yrs of work makes a good road

ScottFromWI

Welcome back, hope we can help and you'll find a lot of support here. I do hope you are consulting with your doc on the dosage of your meds.

rachelle77

Welcome back and congratulations on your decision to stop drinking.

I am only 121 days not drinking and while it's been an up and down journey this far, I have to say I am really glad I made the decision to remove alcohol from my life.

Looking forward to reading more updates on your journey and I wish you the best.

Dee74

Hi Sober32

Like Scott, I recommend you see your Dr if you think your dosage of meds needs changing. I was never a good doctor to myself - I lacked objectivity.

Post here as much as you need to for support when you want to turn to beer- we're all ears

Delfin

Hi, Sober32,

As I understand it, you are still drinking? So, why not decide to stop right now? Make the decision and get a plan going. You can do this, and I promise you that you will feel better soon if you do! I' ve only got a couple of weeks myself (well, a month, but I had to reset my sober date cause I fell off a little a couple weeks ago), but I feel a million times better than I did when I was drinking.

Do you have a plan, other than meds? AA? SMART? AVRT? Lifestyle changes, etc?
I read quit a bit of of SMART Recovery materials to get me started and it helped. I've also read several books about people getting sober because I find it inspiring. I'm reading "Mommy doesn't drink here anymore" and I really like it so far. I can relate to it a lot. I really recommend it. I have to say that what has helped me most is the knowledge and advice I read on SR every day. I'm here quite a bit! Just recently started posting after lurking for a while. :-)

I'm looking forward to hearing more about your journey to sobriety, Sober.

Take care,

Delfin

Delfin

Btw, at first, I thought arvo was an auto-correct mistake, then I saw you're from AU and figured I should Google it. I love Aussie words! :-D

Delfin

kamm

You can do this! Find other things that you enjoying doing to relax after the kiddos go to bed ( bubble bath, reading a good book, playing your favorite game, meditation) and use that to recharge! I always thought I was relaxing by drinking "a few" at night but it really only made me hung over the next day and less patient with my kid... Even though I'm just over 2 weeks sober I've found myself more playful and happy as a mother.

DuhDave

Welcome back sober62.

That elusive Day 1 gets harder and harder to come by as time goes on. This I know.

Eat, drink, anything nonalcoholic and be good to yourself !

The momentum will build on itself! Just get that Day 1 behind you.

Good luck!

DD

Soberwolf

Nice to meet you sober

Sober81

Hi, Delfin thanks for the support. I'm 33 atm and can't see myself giving up full time at this stage. So I make sure I have 15+ days dry a week. I only drink beer, not that this matters but I used to drink at least a six pack a night so about 9 standard drinks.
June I had pretty much the whole month off the grog, just depends what social stuff I've got on really.
I don't have any plans atm, just will power and some support here and there from the helpful people on this site.
I find that I just need a little support after I've been drinking a few evenings in a row. It's an easy routine to continue..
I've found Baclofen is very good for turning off the desire to drink. But I only need this from time to time.


Also just an update: 7pm now and feeling great, got day one in the back. Had a good day with the kids. Thanks for the support! Bring on day 2.

PurpleKnight

Is this a thought out idea about moderating or simply the path of least resistance?

The reason I ask is some of your previous threads talk about needing to stop, your alcohol consumption spiralling and blood tests after a DUI, it sounds like abstinence might be a better way forward as drinking now and again doesn't seem to be working.

I used to try a strategy of "now and again", but the problem was it always spiralled as bad as ever again, my good intentions, hope and willpower to control my drinking to certain limits always fell short of what my addiction had in mind.

There is no doubt though you'll find loads of support here on SR whichever you decide!!

ccam1973

Welcome back Sober32. You can do this. I promise you will not regret the decision to not drink today. Life gets so much better when you aren't consumed 24/7 with drinking.

Stay close to SR and post as often as you need to help you make it through the day. We are here for each other.

Sober81

Generally speaking since that first failed LFT I've made massive changes.
That was 3 years ago and I've gone from drinking every day for about 10 years to having half a month off each month. Generally when I drink unless it's a weekend it'll just be 6 beers a night.
Defiantly not the best situation but I'm in a much better position than I was 3 years ago. 3 years ago It hadn't even crossed my mind what damage drink a 6 pack a night was doing.
Maybe I'm just not ready to make the transition to complete sobriety yet. But none the less I'm very greatful for the support.

ScottFromWI

I'm a bit confused - in your original post you said you were seeking help to stop drinking. Have you changed your mind?

I'm sure you've heard this before, but taking anti-depressants and adjusting dosages on your own while drinking is a dangerous proposition. Not to mention the fact that alcohol is a depressant so it can pretty much cancel out the effectiveness of the anti-depressant, it's no wonder you are thinking you need to adjust your dosage.

Bottom line, as long as you keep drinking, even if it's not daily, you will most likely never get out of this cycle.

CaseyW

Moderating never worked for me. I hope you'll make the decision to give full sobriety a chance, Sober32. If you haven't already, I highly suggest joining and actively participating in the Class of August 2015 thread found on this same forum. It's a great way to learn from and help others who are also in early recovery.

Ruby2

I'm just going to toss this out there. Why not quit? I pretty much drank only beer or wine all through my drinking career. I spent my 30s sort of managing my drinking. In my forties I substantially increased my drinking. Still only beer or wine. But I was miserable and depressed, anxiety through the roof, not a very good mother to my children. Terrible employee at work. Quitting was the hardest thing I've done but by far the most rewarding. Managing my withdrawal with medication only worsened things and delayed the inevitable.

At 50, I'm finally looking forward to peace of mind.

Whichever you choose, we are here for support.

Sober81

Thanks for the concerns guys. Moderation is going OK for me lately. I just like to post to get some encouragement to start a dry spell. I hope this isn't considered wasting people's time. I find I only need this extra support every 6 months or so.
The Laxapro has been good for the last year or so but now I have 2 children to look after Monday-Friday I'm finding it a bit more stressful.

Sober81

Day 2 nearly over. Powered through it. Thanks for the support guys.

Delfin

I'm glad you have a couple of days going, Sober. I do hope you will consider sobriety though. The fact that you are on a sobriety website asking for support to stop drinking tells me that you don't have a healthy relationship with alcohol. "Normies" don't have to do this; they just stop drinking on their own when they've had enough.

I'm about 10 years down the road from you, Sober, so let me tell you how this movie ends. Watching me drink in unhealthy ways has NOT been a good thing for my daughter. Seeing drinking makes her nervous and always has. It affects the parent-child relationship in negative ways. Thing is, I always thought that I was shielding her from it, but children are a lot smarter than we think. They see everything.

My daughter is only twelve, so I still have a chance to make things better for her and in our relationship. I think we can still have a happy ending. But there's nothing I wouldn't do to go back and do it right because with alcohol, things don't get better, they only get worse.

Hope I'm not being too preachy. I just want for others what I wasn't smart enough to give myself.

Delfin