ozm8ey

I need advice on how to quit drinking or at leasy gain control. My situation at the moment is I drink from 6-10 beers per night but sometimes I will go without drinking, usually because I ran out of money and sometimes because I feel too sick to drink. I have only attended like 3-4 karate classes this year all because I drinking heavily the night before and I feel like I will throw up if i go and usually because im so hangover I just feel too **** to go.

I have tried quitting by myself by just going cold turkey but doesn't seem to work. I really need to gain control because at the moment I feel like alcohol is my life style.

24hrsAday

When i got sick enough AA Helped me a Lot!

ScottFromWI

You could see your doctor. You could also see a drug/alcohol counselor. You could go to an AA meeting too. Have you tried any of those yet?

ZenLifter

Welcome, ozm. Coming here and reading other people's stories can help a lot also, in terms of giving you some motivation to quit. If you are averse to AA you can look up Smart Recovery and Rational Recovery. But I think most of us have this in common: we needed the support of others to finally quit for good.

notgonnastoptry

Good luck. The only successful quits I ever had/have came after I was hospitalized. Not to sound like a Debbie Downer (other people here have quit without going to the hospital), but I didn't take my logical brain seriously. I thought I had more time, didn't drink huge amounts (I was an all-day nipper at the bottle. I probably had a shot every 1.5 hours--not good, I know). And, I kept having that magical quit date in mind--it would come and go, of course.

ItWillBeWorthIt

You need to accept you are an alcoholic and need to realize you must take it off the table completely. Meaning you can't pick up again; don't think you can moderate. It doesn't work.

Get support like other have expressed. Take it one day at a time - know that there will be tough spots along the way - gain coping skills - understand alcoholism is life and death. People do die from this disease. You need to take recovery VERY serious.

Learn as much as you can about how to recovery - living in recovery is really a beautiful place to live.

Wishing you the very best.

Nonsensical

You stay sober by refusing to pour alcohol into your mouth.

Getting happy with that decision usually takes more work. There are some good suggestions already posted in this thread. Give some a try and see which one works for you.

Best of Luck on Your Journey.

bunnezjp

Stop drinking. That's how you quit.

~Bunnez

Zebra1275

Trying to quit by yourself, as you've discovered is very hard.

Trying to moderate your drinking, if you are an alcoholic is virtually impossible.

Stick around this website and read a lot. That will help. I finally got desperate and tried AA, that made a big difference for me.

MIRecovery

You quit when you are willing to do anything to stop. The big question is, "Are willing to do anything to get your life back?"

When we get to that point we start making dramatic changes in our lives. For me I went to a doctor, sought professional treatment, went to AA 6 days a week, elimated drinking situations, began praying, got a sponsor and worked the steps, created a network of sober friends post daily on SR and many other things.

If this sounds like work it is but I have be rewarded with a life better than I could have imagined..

Most people that don't get sober are the ones that are looking for the sobriety fairy. They want her to visit them and bestow sobriety on them. I am here to tell you the sobriety fairy does not exist but with hard work and determination anyone can get sober.

Just like karate hard work, practice, diligence, education, and the right teachers are the key to success

Bird615

Quitting on my own was impossible. I had to get help from people who knew how to stop and how to be happy with being sober. It's very possible, but takes work.

thomas11

Alcoholics usually can't moderate their drinking, so that should be out the window right from the start. Lots of good advice already. Many many ways to quit drinking. I kind of like to keep it simple and agree with the "don't pour alcohol down your throat" approach. On the other end of the spectrum, there are people that need professional help, there is no shame in that. You are trying to get better. Keep trying man, wish you the best.

cairn

Hangovers are easily avoided with sufficient water flow. Or maybe that's just my constitution? Seems like a lot of drinkers suffering needlessly to me but dunno. I switched to overproof so there was less liquid or calories to deal with all night.

Is karate legally permissible while under the influence??

MIRecovery

I have found not drinking to be 100% effective in avoiding hangovers. I would agree drinkers suffer needlessly when the simple solution is not to drink and alcohol calories are also eliminated

tomsteve

I apologize for laughing but this statement
or at least gain control

made me laugh. 2 reasons why
I thought that insane thought many times with no success at gaining control. the drinking only got worse.

and
if you could gain control ya wouldn't be here.

alcohol isn't a lifestyle, but that's good rationalization.

if you WANT to stop drinking you can. its very simple. not easy, but simple.
do drink.
if you cant do that on your own, which you've stated that has been unsuccessful, time to look for outside help. rehab,detox,aa, therapist, IOP... theres a lot of options.

but you have to answer for YOURSELF:
do you want to stop drinking for good?

Soberwolf

http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...ery-plans.html

August252015

Yep, yep, yep! This is almost my story exactly (insert running for karate, ha).

You have to want to stop drinking.
You have to stop drinking.
You have to keep not drinking.
You have to work a program and learn how to live. Pick one- AA is my lifeline, others use AVRT or other programs.
You have to keep not drinking.
You have to have some kind of spiritual, emotional, or whatever you want to call a beyond-you power (whether a God or whether a program like DBT/CBT or whatever is "more.")
You have to take care of your body - if you need to go inpatient to stop, do it. If you can't, at least see your dr. Address any medical and mental health issues you may have.
You have to keep not drinking.

See?

It's not easy. It is work - but it is wonderful, daily, healthy - dare I say, normal because now the ups and downs are the ones "everyone" has not the sh*t we caused when drinking - LIVING.

I hope you stop.
Good luck.

Dee74

what have you done in the past to try and stop drinking m8tey?

D

ozm8ey

This is my plan: Last night I purposely only drank 8 beers so tonight I'm only going to drink 6 beers. So tomorrow Im going to drink 4 beers then the next night 2 beers. After that I will drink from 0-2 beers for a while until I gain control

Dee74

If it was possible for you to 'gain control', don't you think you would have done it by now?

D