joandmelandhan

Hi Rosmary. First of all well done on coming here not only to ask for advice quitting but also admitting to yourself and to us your 10 year alcohol addiction.
You are not alone any more now far from it. You will find such help and advice here or simply a place to vent! I would recommend finding the Class of June 2017 and the 24 hour thread as a good starting place. I have at times been glued to SR and honestly no one minds how much we post.......if it helps post post post!
Yes having a go-to list of activities and breaking patterns will help a lot. But what I would also say is please take good care of yourself and be careful of trying to do too much straight away. The main thing today is to do whatever it takes to not pick up that first drink. Stay hydrated, eat whatever you fancy and if you feel up to it yes take that lovely walk or start your book. If you dont feel like it then hybernating under a duvet is fine too! Please keep an eye on any potential withdrawal symptoms Rosemary I really don't want to dampen your determination at all but I'd not feel right if I didn't remind to that withdrawal can be a dangerous thing. Stay in touch if you feel you need to offload or ask anything. I (and others too I would imagine) will be close by all evening.
You're at the beginning of the best most important journey of your life and YOU CAN DO IT! ❤❤❤

JScatt

The anxiety part is the killer of sobriety, in my case anyway. It was probably my only trigger and hangover symptom.
I would drink a minimum of a pint of wiskey and a six pack of beer a day on a slow day, a heavy day would be a fifth of wiskey or 18-24 beers.
I never woke up with the usual hangover symptoms, the shakes, sweating, vomiting and headaches were non existent with me but the anxiety brought me to my knees, so bad I couldn't drive which eventually led me to loosing a great job. I always made sure I had a beer or two in the fridge in the morning to "cure" my anxiety.
When I finally decided enough is enough I spoke to my doctor about my problem, he gave me some anxiety meds to help me through the first week and it worked great!
Its been about five weeks since my last drink, the anxiety is gone and I feel great!
I'm not saying all it took was a pill but they helped me stay sober long enough to get a hold and control the situation, quitting takes a lot of patience and hard work.
So I would see your doctor, be 100% honest with him/her, let them help you along

Misc72

Here is a one liner that I always remember, "you don't have to ever feel this way again." It helps lift my spirits when I f*$# up.

thomas11

Boy can I relate to that. I am sure I have said I absolutely won't drink over 100 times and at the end of the day, I'm drinking. It IS hard, no question. But it can be done. You were close yesterday, maybe today you can not run back to the store after you get home. Get those first days and weeks under your belt.

PurpleKnight

Welcome to the Forum Rosemary!!

CreativeThinker

It's really difficult in the beginning. Having single digit days of abstinence makes giving in and going to the store to get our fix easier than if we have a few months of solid recovery behind us. For me, I kept the first few weeks simply, "I won't drink today." Anything more was too much for me to think about. As time went on I knew from past experiences of trying to get sober that I wouldn't be successful if the only change I made was taking alcohol out of my life.

As I began to find my sober muscles, I put together a recovery plan.
Nothing changes if nothing changes. For me, creating new routines and structure in my life helped in making the needed changes. Anything as small just making my bed every morning, eating healthy, drinking plenty of water, washing my face every night and applying skin products...to larger changes: seeing a therapist regularly, running 5-6 days a week, keeping myself accountable by journaling daily and coming here to SR to read other people's challenges or post myself, learning as much as I can about alcoholism... That's what has been working for me. Others have their own recovery methods, AA, SMART, RR...there's a plethora of information here on SR for you to look into.

This road isn't easy by any means. But if you make a commitment to yourself that your recovery will become your #1 priority, you WILL discover a new life and be free from alcohol once and for all. If I can do this, anyone can!

Wishing you a successful journey!

BrendaChenowyth

Unfortunately, the only way to get past this, is to endure the difficult moments. We have to accept that every time we give in to that craving, it is our choice.

I am going to have cravings but I don't have to give in to them.

Every time I refuse to give in, despite the overwhelming pressure, it becomes less and less overwhelming, because I'm learning that I can feel okay without drinking.

In my case, relearning...

Delilah1

Welcome Rosemary, you will find lots of support here on SR! Dee has a great link about recovery plans, I will find it and post. Also, you should join the June Class of 2017, you will have the support of others who have also committed or recommitted to sobriety this month. Another good place is the 24 hour thread, you will find an amazing group of people who check in each day, and also check on everyone to see how they are doing. It's a great place to share both struggles, and successes. I hope to see you there.

Delilah1

Here is the link.
http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...y-plans-4.html

kenton

How are you feeling today Rosemary?

Bob4x4

Hello Rosemary, I am back trying to quit again.
but many years ago, driving home at 4pm used to trigger me until i learned to eat a sandwich at 3:30 which eliminated the cravings at 4pm ...
right now to stay quit i make sure i eat food when my mind starts to think of drinking.

have you heard of HALT ? hungry, angry, lonely, tired.

JamesfrmEngland

The first 24 hours is the hardest, once you've done that you can do 24 hours again. And each day gets easier and easier!

Dee74

Hows it going Rosemary ?

D