LoveForMe

Here I am sitting in my car thinking about were to go to get booze. 164 days without alcohol. I was doing great this morning and now, just like a switch, it's hell.

asixstringnut

Call a friend, find a meeting, talk to me, Just don't drink.. It will pass.

LoveForMe

Well my best friend just called me and needs to kill some time while she's in my area. That's enough to keep me from drinking. Funny how things like this happen. It's like the universe is doing it's best to keep me sober. But just drove by a liquor store and had to stop. And it's funny how things like this also keep happening. Ugh.

Anna

The universe is on your side. I'm glad you got through that.

DarklingSong

Keep posting until the danger passes. You just need to get through the next few hours. You know this will pass. It is just the AV rearing its ugly head. Play the tape forward. Remember that the AV is neither rational nor wise. It is not the voice to listen to.....
Support to you.

LoveForMe

Thank you. The urges, I guess, are getting shorter. Mainly, cause I don't want to be drunk. But I really just want something to take away the pain sometimes.

HTown

I wish alcohol took away pain, but it does not. It kept me from feeling the full brunt of grief after my wife died and that delayed my journey through grief. You have to walk through it, and takinge multiple breaks drinking just delays the inevitable and wastes time and creates more problems by itself.

It is dead end. Feel the pain and move through, it gets better the further you journey.

LoveForMe

It just seems like the easy way. I know it's not anywhere close to it, especially after playing the tape forward. But I just want to forget everything for just a moment.

joandmelandhan

It is funny how that sometimes happens. In fact I'd go as far as to say I've been utterly convinced somethings been looking out for me sometimes.
The good thing is too that you did accept your friends invitation. When I was drinking I saw no-one and did nothing that interfered with me and my beloved bottle.
Well done tonight. Dig a little deeper and it'll pass. I hope these times become less frequent for you. Plus thank you. It's a useful reminder to stay vigilant every day.
Damned booze I hate it......

MindfulMan

These cravings seem random, but there's nearly always a trigger. If you can, see if you can figure out what it was, so you can recognize and avoid it if/when it recurs.

Once you get into the craving cycle, it rapidly progresses through stages. The last one is using, but many times that decision is made long before you actually take that sip. Trick is to try and recognize it early and take immediate steps to work against it.

Every sobriety plan should have a cravings management strategy...because everyone gets them.

Who are you going to call first and foremost. What alternative behavior strategies can you use? Hot bath? Walk? Eat? Don't get anywhere near H.A.L.T. (Hungry/angry (hangry?), lonely, tired). Eat, chill, reach out to someone or sleep.

Here's a link about using cognitive tools to manage cravings. That'll distract you. There's a link to a book at the end; I have no idea how good it is, but for $16 it might be the outline of what I got out of my cognitive-based IOP.

https://terrygorski.com/2014/06/08/c...for-addiction/