golfinmidwest

I have been trying to stop drinking for a little over 2 years now. I have had success with 1 time not having a drink for 6 months. I am a binge drinker and cant have just 1 or 2. I want last night to be the last time I drink. I just become a different person when I drink and I don't like that person. I have some much stress and anxiety from drinking and I need to stop. I have great support and I know I can do it I just don't know what triggers me to want to drink when I know nothing good comes from it. This time I am going to take it 1 day at a time and I am going to set some fitness goals for me to eat better and work out. Thanks to everyone on this site and I hope to move forward and not wonder and/or regret what I do when I drink and I don't remember.

FreeOwl

Goals are good.

A framework of specific action, sober support and changes are even better.

You can do it. As you know from trying for 2 years though - nothing changes if nothing changes.

For me, jumpstarting my sobriety by engaging with AA and really taking what I could for it was a crucial and powerful success factor.

You can do this!

january161992

hi golfinmidwest

congrats on not drinking today !!!

i do an hour of hard cardio (almost) everyday to help my natural rageful, resentful self ... burn off that extra energy!

just got back from a great noon aa meeting

RDBplus3

Just don't leave it up that guy ... Will Power.

Talks a good game ... but TOTALLY full of B/S

doggonecarl

Read up on alcoholism. If you can accept your problem you are half way to a solution...but a solution a little bit more involved than hitting the gym.

Dee74

Welcome back

I agree with Carl - my addiction couldn't be solved simply by doing stuff.

Have you thought about a recovery plan at all?

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

D

multimaggs

I am starting again today. I am devastated, I had seven years of sobriety, a counsellor and a support group. Drinking was in my past, I socialised, always brought the car so I had a cast iron excuse never to indulge, sought help when I thought I was in a rocky patch. Over the past three weeks I have been suffering from dreadful anxiety and depression, there are major like changes, there are challenges. But then, there always are, I went to buy a coffee pot and some apple juice and before I even had it processed I had a bottle too. I walked in the front door, opened the bottle and drank it by the neck. I woke up the next day, called my counsellor, my friend...and began making the plan all over again. Even more anxious and depressed today. Has anyone else experienced a relapse and managed to forgive themselves?

RDBplus3

I always found a way to forgive myself, so I could feel ok and move forward, then ... as I got to feeling a little better about myself, I would think ... it would be ok to have a drink, 'just to settle my nerves' ... and then the cycle of craving & obsession would take over. Then I would feel remorse, then make another big plan to quit (and REALLY mean it), then I would get to feeling better about myself, and I would inevitably think again ... it would be ok to have a drink, 'just to settle my nerves' ... and then ...

I drank for 40 years, then spent years going thru the Pitiful & Incomprehensible cycle ... until it got so bad inside, my ONLY LAST HOPE was to Work the 12 Steps of AA.

RDBplus3 ... Happy, Joyous and FREE ... for 3 years now ... and I KNOW U can B 2

bexxed

Wow. Hugs to you. How are you doing today? Do you have a plan?

I guess it really can feel like it comes out of nowhere.

Pouncer

I am under a year sober (9 months) and it has taken me try after try, after try to realize two things:

1. My attitude had to change from "my drinking is getting worse and I can't afford to continue'" to, "if I drink again, just a singular time, I could easily kill myself. "

2. The truth in staying sober for longer periods of time wasn't in whether I had to magically develop stronger resolve, it was whether I would deal with the feelings that caused me to drink.

I am rooting for you and I hope you will root for yourself, too.

D122y

Golf,

6 months is solid sobriety....imo..

All of us that drank to get drunk routinely have flipped the switch.

We are mentally addicted forever.

Forever.

Getting clean for 10 days gets us physically clean.

Our bodies go into heal mode versus defense mode.

It takes a few months to heal to pretty good physical shape.

But, the brain damage...in my case...has taken over a year.

At 18 months I'm beginning to really start to feel a mental strength, clarity, confidence, and serenity I have never experienced. I have never been this clean.

I was a 1 day at a time alky, now I am proud to say...I will never drink again.

Get past the 1 year mark...fighting the crave..embracing sobriety...and then....I am confident all of us can make it out and live like God intended.

Getting over the feeling of loss....the perception of not being able to drink...and being proud and glad to be a non drinker is where I/we belong.

Booze is a toxin. I causes brain damage.

We were not born to drink. We learned it.

Thanks for the post.

golfinmidwest

Thanks for all the feedback everyone. Still trying to get past the guilt and frustration when I think about all the previous times, but I have no reason/desire to drink and trying now to get a good plan and into a new routine to hopefully help the cycle.