A whole day without alcohol?
 

Hi everyone.

I've been trying to go a day without alcohol for so long - in fact every morning for over a year now (the last time I had a wine-free day was May 2016) I've woken up saying that I'm not going to drink, but by 4 pm it's like my mind has been taken over by another 'me'.

Yesterday I though I did well, as I picked the children up from school and drove all the way home without stopping at the convenience store. However, the anxiety kicked in and I piled them back in the car and went to get my usual fix (a bottle of wine plus 4 cans of g&t)

So down and I'm starting to look so haggered that people are questioning if I'm "well". It's just the booze kicking the **** out of me day in day out. I need a break. Just want to feel healthy again but don't even know if it's possible as I feellike a schizophrenic :(

Thank you for listening. Thought talking to someone might help afetr being an alcoholic for over 10 years. Wow, I just said that out loud!

x

Welcome to sr. you will find lots of support here. That cycle is so very hard to break I know but it is possible. I also have kids and for me the craving kicks in when the days work and chores are finished. I feel like I need a break a release etc but for me cos I'm an alcoholic it bought me to my knees. I felt soooo tired and anxiety ridden and in a fog. Horrible feeling and life loses its joy. I truly believe that there is no joy in alcohol for me now it stopped working a long long time ago. Hope you find the support you need here and get a recovery plan in place. There is also Aa meetings smart recovery etc. Chin up there is hope x

Hi Rosemary,

Make that first day today. You can do it. Don't buy booze today. When the voice in your head tells you its time to drink, challenge it. Then post here. Plan other things to do. Any other things to do. Run a bath, watch TV. ... I even started knitting in the first couple of weeks. Every time I wanted to drink I picked up the knitting needles and started to knit a really rubbish scarf with loads of dropped stitches and holes in it but at least I wasn't drinking. Plus my kids liked learning about knitting and now my eldest daughter is awesome at knitting. I guess what I'm trying to say, not very well, is that you can break the habit of daily drinking. You just need to fill your time with other things until you work out the things you really want to do. Please don't lose hope. People beat this disease every day. You can too. Good luck xxxx

:c011::scoregood:tyou

Had a similar thing. Woke up sick and tired. Decided no drink today, by six o'clock in the evening I was on my third drink before I remembered I wasn't supposed to be drinking.

Cunning, baffling and powerful we call it. I had no effective mental defense against the fatal first drink. This time I managed to get sober by throwing myself into the program of AA. The need to drink is long gone. I have a totally reliable defense.

But sometimes detox or rehab, some kind of break is required to break the cycle, and then a program such as AA can deliver the long term result. All the best.

I was just the same , I would wake up feeling terrible saying to myself why am I doing this to myself I'm not drinking again , but by the time I finished work I could not wait to get home and drink .
I drank every night and day if I was not at work for 20 years , I'm on day 51 now and never felt better , day 1 is difficult , just concentrate on getting through the first day , it will get easier .

Welcome, Rosemary! Kenton is right - you've got to find something to fill the hole that alcohol formerly occupied, otherwise the loneliness for your "former best friend" will drive you back to it. For the first two weeks I planned every day ahead in detail - what I was going to eat, any project I was going to work on, what book I was going to read, etc. - just to make sure I had a full schedule. You might want to plan something fun with the kids (scrapbooking, a "picnic" in the yard, etc.), then a treat for yourself after they've gone to bed - a movie, a bubble bath, whatever you want as long as it's not that one thing.
And post whenever you need it - someone is always here to help!

Hi Rosemary, just a little message to say your not on your own,
I've been trying to stop drinking for the last couple of years and unfortunately have failed miserably😩
I binged on boxes of wine at the weekend, the outcome lead me to do something so terrible that I'm too ashamed even to talk about at the moment. I need to get rid of this alcoholic demon before it gets rid of all the good in my life forever.
You can do this Rosemary, we are all here for you.
Day 3 for me, this time there will only be one day 3, no looking back now.
Sending you a big hug! Xx

I can relate to your thinking! For me, I had to be willing to do everything necessary to not drink. I made my home an alcohol-free zone throwing EVERYTHING away that reminded me of drinking....my wine openers, wine glasses, pictures, everything. Not drinking is uncomfortable and I needed to be willing to feel uncomfortable. I didn't sleep so well and I had to keep myself busy. Perhaps find a friend to talk with who can come over when you are feeling low. Glad you found this site; lots of great information!

Rose,

I suffered horribly, like nothing I ever imagined getting this far.

I didn't find sr until 80 days clean. I thought I was losing my mind.

SR saved me.

AA and the Doctor w his meds are there if I can't do it w just sr.

I pray all the time, it helps me.

The suffering hardened me. It is like a scar in my mind that keeps me from seeing booze as anything other than poison now.

Stay clean.

Thanks.

Hi Rosemary,

Welcome to SR, where there are so many people who understand your plight intimately.

I struggled through my first day by drinking pints of water and lemon every time I had a craving. I managed through day two by tidying and cleaning my house, top to bottom. On day three, I don't think I even made it out of bed. Since then, it's just got easier and easier. I have no idea how many days I am now.

Stick around and you'll get heaps of help and support.

ádh mór!

You can do this! If not for yourself right now, for your children. It does get better.

I've been there.

Then one day, I decided to stop the negative consequences, the cycle, the dismal, grim awful routine and embrace sobriety instead.

For over three years now, life is just getting better and better as a result.

You don't have to stay caught in this........

You can do it.

Welcome to SR!

Alcohol is causing that anxiety. Drinking makes it go away for a few hours and guarantees it will be sticking around for a few weeks. Stop feeding your anxiety alcohol for a few months and see what happens.

Best of Luck on Your Journey. :ring

Welcome to SR!

If you have drank ~ 400 days in a row, you are going to need to do something different to stay sober today.

As you have probably figured out, will power alone isn't doing it.

So, what's your plan?

Thank you so much for your replies/comments. It really is encouraging to know I have the backing of others who know how it feels.

I have planned to go out for a walk at 4 pm to get a book from the library so that I can concentrate on reading over the next few days (I love reading but haven't done it in a while because I've been watching TV instead with my vino). I also don't plan on cooking as that's when I usually crack open my first drink. So it's take away dinner. Not ideal I know.

I'm trying to think of things to do that I don't associate with alcohol, but realising that almost everything I do revolves around drinking. Going to have to re-train myself to enjoy things without it..

Thanks again :)

Hang in there; you can do it! Just take it one day, or sometimes one hour, at the time.
You are wise to avoid triggering situations during the early days. Lots of folks start yoga, walking or some other healthy activity to fill some of the time they would normally be drinking.
Wishing you success and want you to know we are glad you are with us.
Croutie

You can do this. Will power may not be enough but it has to be a significant effort on your part. So every day for over a year has been the same...waking up feeling compelled not to drink, but ending up giving in and feeling disappointed in your self. Tomorrow morning you can wake up feeling proud. How great would that feel? you may not feel well physically or mentally, but you will have that feeling of accomplishment to hold on to.
Every one has great advice and here's mine for what it's worth.
If your drinking is out of such a routine as it sounds like it is, are there any non alcoholic beverages you like to replace your wine with? Sparking apple juice or something yummy? I'm a beer girl so I just changed up my beer for diet sodas at first..not super healthy but better than drinking alcohol. Now I mostly drink herbal teas but if I feel like I'm missing my times of just sitting drinking beer I get diet mountain dew and feel like I'm being bad lol... all the best...you can do this.

Yup.

I also looked back at my life and recalled the things I enjoyed doing before alcohol took over. Hiking and woodworking both made comebacks in my life as a result. Love doing both those things.

Sounds like you're on the right track. Stick with it!

It's all of us against this insipid addiction. Welcome to the fight! :ring

I actually just helped my self lol.. getting back into old hobbies or starting new ones is awesome....I have had stretches of up to 3 weeks where I kept my self so distracted but couldn't keep it up so always went back to drinking, sitting by my pool to occupy my time..why can't I sit by my pool enjoy non alcoholic beverages? I can :)