Garden Girl

I have been laying awake for 4 hours in bed. Wondering how I will get dressed and go to work. Just coming off of 2 days of heavy drinking, depressed and losing hope. I knew I needed to come back here. I have to stop drinking. Why is it always so clear when I am hung over, but a week later it's an afterthought??? Any words of encouragement or suggestions are welcome..

Anna

Know for sure that you can do this!

So...if after a week you lose your motivation, maybe you can add something to your recovery plan. As Day 5 or 6 is approaching, be prepared for the feelings that might come along and plan ahead what you will do instead of drinking. Once you get through that, it will get easier.

Jade1224

I did this for years until the withdrawals and anxiety were so intense and dangerous, it takes me a lot longer to forget what a bad place I was in.

Keep yourself busy, exercise, and do things you love to do to keep your mind off of drinking. And I agree - having a plan works. To counteract your triggers

doggonecarl

So what are you telling yourself a week after?

That you didn't mean quit forever?
That you deserve a drink?
That you'll control it? Just have one?
That you quit tomorrow?
That you aren't really an alcoholic?

Doesn't really matter. One of the powers of addiction is making us forget our decision to quit. But once you are truly committed to quitting, you'll not be so easily swayed.

Commitment to quitting doesn't make quitting easier, but it makes sure you see it through to completion.

Garden Girl

Thanks Anna. Looking back over the last week, it's like every decision I made was planning this binge. I gave myself $60 to spend on this with out even blinking. Gone, just gone..

Garden Girl

Thanks DGC. All of what you said is 100% accurate. Having a plan is 50% and the other 50 is follow through..

theVman31

Hello there. You can do it. Believe in yourself.
At least your posting on SR.

Garden Girl

Yes, you have a good point.
I just left my husband a note asking him to help me write out a plan. I will talk to him about it tonight.

Garden Girl

Jade, thank you... Do things I love instead of drinking... Hmmm there's a thought!

Delilah1

Hi GardenGirl,

Welcome back! I spent some time on and off SR alternating between periods of sobriety, and then failed attempts at moderation. I now have just over nine months sober, and the biggest thing for me has been remaining actively involved in my recovery, and not allowing for complacency.

I log in her and read and post daily. Two great links are the monthly class thread and the 24 daily check in, you should post on both. I also had to plan out the time I would normally be drinking for quite some time. I read, exercised, took baths, went for walks, planned things with my kids, I planned anything that didn't involve alcohol. As the weeks passed I began to settle into my new routine, and the thoughts of drinking lessened. They still occurred/occur from time to time, but I am able to play the tape through and think about how I would feel the next day, probably quite similar to how you are feeling now.

You can do this and there are many different approaches to recovery. Spend some time reading around on here, take a look at Dee's link about plans, which I am sure someone will post, and start piecing together a plan that will work for you.

Glad you are here!

ReadyAtLast

Hi GardenGirl

Welcome back. For me I got to the point where I wanted to stop drinking more than I wanted to drink anymore. Every day was the same-work, home, drink and repeat.

I spent a great deal of time on SR in the early weeks. Having people to chat with who understand how I was feeling helped enormously. I realised I wasn't alone.

It's finding the support you need and what works for you. Different things help different people. SR is a great place for support and strength

As Anna says, a plan is crucial and finding different things to do to take your mind off drinking is also critical.

Hope this helps.

Caramel

Welcome back, Garden Girl

Garden Girl

I got dressed and out the door, starting to feel a little bit better, thank you all and I will check in after work. Thank you all.

Noolan

The only thing I had to change was everything. It sounds silly, cliche, and overly simple, but it's true. Everything in my life was built around partying. I had to disconnect from everything and truly figure out who I am and where I want to go. That allowed me to pick up old aspects of myself and discover new hobbies and passions.

It's not all gum drops and rose pedals along the way, but neither was drinking/using. It's rough, but it's also fair and brilliant. There is always hope and you can do this!

ulfr

YOU CAN DO THIS keep saying that to yourself , say to yourself YOU DONT NEED IT AND DRINK AM DONE WITH YOU
i find praying helpful unsure if you religious
i also find that when you get sugar cravings have chocolate or even some sort of sweets also treat yourself with papering day with the money you would be buying drink with
i hope this helps you you are in my thoughts and prayers

Tc4ever

Garden girl it took a lot of attempts for me before it stuck. I always like Least's saying that you have to want to be sober more than you want to drink. I'm only at 1.5 years sober and I'm still working on making myself a better person everyday. Please remember you're never alone and your a very special person. Please never give up on yourself and you matter and are loved...
Peace....
TC

Hevyn

GardenGirl - I'm glad you felt a bit brighter and made it to work. You never have to put yourself through this ever again. I wish I'd kept a journal reminding myself how I felt on days like this - the memories fade & we fall back into the same old behavior so easily. We know you're disgusted with feeling this way and ready to get free. It's good that you posted about the struggle.

Dee74

Some great advice here GG

This is a great link on plans too

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

MeSoSober

Been there So. Many. Times. In the wake of a multiple-day bender, I'm full of anxiety, scared to death, physically sick and feel REALLY SERIOUS about getting sober. And then a few days pass, and then a week, and then two weeks, and even if I haven't forgotten the hell I put myself through, it's certainly faded into the background and voila -- I'm drinking again shortly thereafter.

As has already been (wisely) suggested, I think coming here DAILY is one of the best things you can do to keep your guard up and stay committed. You can come here any time of the day or night, you stay for five minutes or five hours, interact with people. And if you're like me, you will start to feel at least a little bit accountable to them. Not wanting to "confess" here that you relapsed just might make you think twice about picking up again.

A few weeks ago MIRecovery posted something here that really resonated with me. He basically said that he sought help to stop drinking, and stopped drinking long BEFORE he truly embraced permanent abstinence. And that gave me hope because I still have a problem embracing the idea of never drinking again. So what I took from his post was that it is possible to stop drinking first by doing the work, seeking help, and then the brain -- the true desire not to drink again -- follows later.

I'm only about three-and-a-half weeks sober, but there's my two cents.

Wishing you the best and hoping you stick around!

Garden Girl

I am truly touched by all of the genuine responses from everyone. I am halfway through work, I just want to go home and sleep.. Tomorrow, I will make a plan, tomorrow will be better than today..