Silver11

Hello friends.
So Day 5 here and not doing too well. This always happens on Fridays. Part of me is happy because it's Friday and I don't have any work for 2 days.
It's hard to distinguish whether I'm happy just for that... Or because my body expects beer.

When I make that firm inner affirmation that I WILL NOT drink tonight, I can feel my inner self silk like a little boy, yet hang on to the chance that I'll change my mind.. that inner me is always hopeful.

Tonight and the weekend will be a struggle. Planning to head to a meeting after work. And hopefully one tomorrow night.

How do I get over that feeling that's whispering in my ear : 'whats the use? Have fun tonight, you totally deserve it's ...

Aaargh! This cycle needs to stop!

Dee74

I drank for a lot of years on a Friday - then I didn't.

My advice is to read around - read other peoples stories and find the similarities to yours.

Accept that this is a real problem and those thoughts of you not being that bad, or you deserve it, or just one won't hurt are lies.

A lot of us call that Addictive Voice and it always lies.

Anyone can change with a little determination and effort. Stick by us for a while until things get easier

D

TYG2

"What's the use?" Depends. Clean and sober for 5 days is wonderful for an alcoholic. Did you only drink on weekends? Are you serious drinking is ruining your life/health? If you're glad it's Friday and you know you gotta stop drinking this sounds to me like a perfect opportunity. What's the worst that could happen? You wake up without a hangover. I know that nasty voice saying Get Beer. Tell him not tonight. Drink anything else not alcoholic. Binge on Netflix or whatever. Eat. Read different posts on here. Remember it's your 1st Friday you may feel challenged . Tomorrow pls post us. So much advice and love here. You are worth it. Godspeed

soberandhonest

I think what you will find is that there is a lot of wisdom in what Dee said: "I drank for a lot of years on a Friday - then I didn't." Your body and especially your brain are looking for that Friday reward and it is a bit of a shock when that reward doesn't come. But you'll be surprised at how quickly your mind changes and the "new normal" sets in. I drank for years and years at certain times and certain places and when I quit it was very strange and somewhat difficult for a short time, but only for a short time. And then my new routine just became normal. Give it another Friday or two (or maybe even a few more) and it won't be a big deal. Trust me, before long you will be thrilled that instead of wasting your Friday nights with getting wasted, you are doing something productive or being present for a loved one or enjoying a great night of rest.

tekink

That's not actually your inner self! It's your AV pretending to be you so it can fool you into having a drink!

D122y

Clark,

For me it is all about suffering.

There was no easy way through it.

Drinking, relapses, after a week or more led to a deeper and deeper hell.

Even after all this clean tIme I still suffer issues booze distracted me from.

I relapsed years ago after 8 months clean because I was uneducated about booze.

It is highly addictive and causes brain damage in the form of dopamine alteration and central nervous system long term manipulation e.g. balance issues, spatial disorientation, anxiety etc.

Knowing was half the battle, wanting to quit was the rest.

Me knowing this, and still craving the drink, shows how strong the addiction to the euphoria is.

Thanks.

EliL

Yep the adult makes the informed decision then the inner child throws a paddy...if the inner child was content and at peace then it wouldn’t kick off, but then the inner child is not living in the present...something to look at, or not, in the many years to come if you keep sober.

t1psy

One thing that really changed the way I think about addiction was a book by Alan Carr called "Easy Way to Stop Smoking" Yeah, it's a book about quitting smoking but if you replace smoking with drinking or cigarettes with alcohol, it easily applies.

january161992

awesome demonstration of willingness ...

willingness is the key ... willingness to follow direction

when i was new i was going to lots of (aa) meetings ... still do

the old timers told me to get involved in being of service to others at the meetings

coffee maker - the most important job in aa
chair setup/ cleanup
secretary
greeter


thinking more about helping others and less about myself

my selfish/ self-centered nature ... the REAL problem ... my drinking was just the symptom