DuhDave

bobdrop. Nice to meet you. I can feel your pain. It's like we could be twin brothers. My story is so similar to yours. I quit along time ago for 12 years! I remember how good sobriety felt, how productive I was. But I started again 18 years ago and to this day I have stopped 50 times, at least...only to start again! I

I've really been trying since 2011 to stop the madness. Maybe not trying hard enough. It's hard. Damn hard and I'am still looking for the answer! I will say SR and these boards have been a great help to me.

I hear so much of me in you. I love my football and would'nt you know it, I'am season ticket holder with (brace yourself) none other than... FSU ! the tailgating for football AND baseball is so ingrained in me! I'am FSU alumni and it doesnt make it any easier. I'am 64 yo and know I must turn this around...and quick! I'am just tired of feeding those Clydesdale's. And when I get myself under control AB stock will drop out the bottom...trust me!

Stay in touch and I'll do the same. We'll get each other through this hell.

Dave

bobdrop

Thanks!

bobdrop

Dave. I went on endlessly looking for motivation to quit. Seeing my heart function on video was finally it. I had made plans many times for how I was going to do it and that I was strong enough to do it. Never wanted to tell my wife because I didn't want to be a failure. Now that I have the motivation, I've made it past 2 weeks now and passed a big hurdle today. Very stressful day at work and then came home and had a disagreement with my wife. Stress has always pushed me to drink, but I held my ground and had something to eat. Maybe I won't get fat.

Gottalife

Bob,
Just a couple of thoughts to keep in the back of your mind.

The hard drinker can stop given a good enough reason. They can get into serious medical issues through their drinking, but when they stop, everything gets better. Their problem was drinking too much to often.

When the real alcoholic stops drinking, everything gets worse. They get restless irritable and discontent because they are suffering from untreated alcoholism. They may have all the other medical issues, but the problem for them is that a,coholnwas their solution to life. The only way guys like me could feel half decent was with a few drinks in me. Stopping drinking removes the old solution, but unless it is replaced with a workable alternative, I will get progressively more miserable to the point where I will either drink or take my own life.

There is a huge difference between the two types of problem drinkers, and it is very important to know which group you are in.

bobdrop

One thing I forgot to mention. While talking to my cardiologist, he told me that I should take up to a couple weeks to taper off. I've been seeing him for 22 years so he knew me well. I was a hard Vodka drinker so for 2 weeks, I switched to beer. 2 to 3 a night. I could really feel the difference and after the 2 weeks, I was not afraid to go cold turkey. Has been good so far. I anticipate eating a lot with the start of football season upon us.

DuhDave

If thats the case, I question if you're a real alcoholic! I could never do that and never will be able to! For me to stop the insanity I have to stop it ALL !...forEVER! thats the hard part...the "Forever" part.

But then...you're at 2 weeks clean and sober!
That say's something!

Keep it going. It only gets better, day by day!

DD

DontRemember

I'll say this from my experience with this website.. IF you are looking for a way to quit/cut back,ect... on drinking; your life has become out of control to an extent that led you/him/her/me/whatever to this site..

hpdw

I'm glad you came here and decided to quit drinking . 30 years ago I could drink for 2 weeks and it would take me 2 days to get back to normality but now if I drink for 2 days it takes me 2 weeks to recover so if I kept drinking there is only one place for me and I know my wife and family don,t want to see me there so here I am on day 29 sober .
I wish you well on your sober journey and as mentioned above work out a plan away from your old ways .

bobdrop

Great on 29 days. Yes, being older and drinking is much tougher. Hope I didn't give the wrong impression in an earlier post. Mine is not cutting back. That is a failed idea from the word go. I simply went 2 weeks of cutting back from a fifth of vodka a night to 2 or 3 beers a night as a 2 step process to quiting altogether. I was terribly afraid of going cold turkey from the heavy vodka. Most mornings, I was already waking up with a tight chest and panic episodes. I would sometimes start drinking early the next day, not because I wanted to but because I wanted that feeling in my chest to go away. It was never like that when I was younger.

Once again, congrats on 29 days. Looking forward to making it there myself.

bobdrop

Dave, I hate hearing you say that you could never do something. You can, if you're properly motivated. With me, it was going to see the Doc. You, who knows. If it is something you want, you'll find it somewhere. You may not even see it coming, or you just find a way to make your own motivation(that's tough). Just don't give up.

bobdrop

OK. I think this thread has turned an unhealthy direction. some of it my doing, some of it not. I am going to take a break from this, very happy to be 16 days sober. I'll be back when I hit 30 days.

bobdrop

Not 30 yet, but making it through a football game without drinking. Have 2 events that we're going to during the Gator game on Saturday. Was reading another post about itching. My scalp has been itching a lot. Worse than that though is I have an uncomfortable tender area in my gut just below the belt line. Is this normal?

Given my age, 57, I think my mental outlook has been pretty good. A little more irritable than normal and sometimes just blurt things out that I wish that I hadn't.