I'm finally here
 

Hi.

I've been reading a lot about alcohol recovery and most say that find a group, talk to your doctor, or anything involving people face to face. I can't do that - the shame and regret is too much to handle.
Luckily there's internet and this forum. Today was the day. I registered and want to quit my addiction.
I have a problem and I know it. No more pretending it's not there. But at the same time, the people around me won't have to deal with it. To them, hopefully, I'm just a guy that can handle booze. I'm not, I'm more than that. I drink every single meal. Sometimes before meals too. And this can't be normal or right.
Today I felt terrible after yesterday drank a whole bottle of red wine as lately been the norm. I have pain on my liver area, so I hope today is the day - the day I quit for good.

Hope to start here a journal so I can read it in the future and hopefully, with God's will, I'll look back and read the progress I made.

Wish me luck.

Welcome, I'm glad you've decided to stop drinking.

Thanks Anna.

I'm not sure where in the forum you might find appropriate to me to write my journal and report my progress.

Hi renegade. I'm two weeks sober after playing the ...am I really an alcoholic ? Game.....I can do it on my own game.....Yada, yada.... Admitting we have a problem is huge! Congrats! Now you have to make a commitment to stop. That's the hard part because you don't want to stop. But if you can make that commitment then you take it a day and hour at a time. After a little while it will get easier. But not at first. Don't let the lie of taking only one drink jerk you back to old habits. Constant vigilance! Good luck....stay in touch.

Thanks for your words.

2 weeks! Nice.

Tell me something - what is the "right" way? There isn't any official method, just the one that works for you, right?

What I find most "extreme" is the "cold turkey" approach. What if I decide today and don't drink for a few days and drink a beer (just one) Saturday night? Will that count as an offense? Will I need to reset to zero?

What if I can actually control myself and reduce the amount of alcohol I take ? Or I need to completely never drink again? I suppose the latter would work better, being more radical, but it will be more painful, no? I never said I thought it was going to be easy, but I want to know if everyone one of you gone cold turkey to sobriety.

Thanks

Welcome to the Forum Renegade!! :wave:

Why not use this thread to note your progress? And when you might feel tempted to drink, come here and post instead. :)

Welcome to SR, Renegade2.

Welcome:grouphug: I understand the "shame and regret" due to overdrinking very well. If you don't drink at all, you'll never need to worry abut that again...an awesome relief!

Right, I just need to think what I can drink at meals without alcohol. It's been many years with either wine or beer at the table that I don't know what should I drink alcohol-free. The alcohol-free beer is terrible. I already drink 1 liter of water a day at work, but I can't drink water on meals, the meal wouldn't taste as good... Well, I might as well drink nothing at all at meals.

Really glad you are here R2 !

Macrobiotics tells us to not drink before or during a meal as it inhibits digestion.
Glad your here R2

Welcome to the light of SR!

Best wishes on your journey into a sober life.

Welcome to SR, Renegade.

Hi renegade2,

Just make a commitment not to drink for 24 hours. Also, I think support is helpful. I went to my first aa meeting yesterday and the fact that everyone looked so normal was pretty scary. And when they speak it's pretty easy to identify with a lot of what many were saying. I said to someone yesterday, I have to do this alone, and she said, no you don't you can ask for help. I am ashamed too, but I also know I need to not drink. So i need to change my attitude and accept their help if it's going to help me

Super cold mineral water is my new favorite with any food Renegade - try that for a substitute. Those bubbles work wonders!
And good move getting yourself on here - best wishes

I just want to be "normal" like my colleagues or relatives - they either have a small glass of wine during meals or something else non-alcoholic and never think about it.
Lately I think about it all the time. At lunch, when the waiter asks me "... and to drink?" what should I tell? Water? Can't I have a small glass of wine? Or a small cup of beer?

I just want to get wasted once in a while, like most people do, and they're not alcoholic! Soon I'll have go to an event that it's pretty much certain that it will be drinking and partying all night long... What should I do?

Can either of you drink socially? And still be "sober"? What does "being sober" means? Not touching booze for years? Most people will drink socially (and heavily) once in a while... aren't they sober?

Hang tough Renegade! We'll get there! Be determined! Anything worth having, normally isn't easy. As for that pain, you might wanna see a doctor and be open about your drinking so he/she can treat you properly. Good my friend and check back on SR often. The support here is amazing. We're all in this together.

Hi renegade,

You've taken the first step. I've been trying to get sober since May 30th. Since then I've drank 6 times. Got drunk each time. Nothing crazy. Didn't blackout. No Dwi. Most people wouldn't even consider it abnormal, but what is abnormal,is I know exactly how much to drink for me to get drunk, I obsess over alcohol and am constantly rationalizing my drinking and it is a major part of my life.

So I can't drink like a normal person. I'm an alcoholic. It has created a life that is unmanageable and slowly becoming worse.

And no one ever said, man if I just drank a lot of beer last night it would have been so much better. I have yet to hear anyone regret not drinking

Welcome renegade! Lots of support here