rock bottom
Member
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Earth
Posts: 607
Well, you just reminded me why I don't drink any more so thanks. It seems overwhelming to give up the comfort of the bottle until it gets real uncomfortable. Sounds like that's where you're at.
My social life also revolved around drinking. I was scared to death to give it up but I would have lost so much more if I had kept it up. Once you are clean for a while you'll see how ridiculous the drinking scene is anyhow.
You can do this! You've already taken the biggest step in admitting to yourself that you have a problem. You just have to make a commitment and stick with it. I'm not going to get into recovery methods. If you really want it, whatever you decide will work. If you don't, it won't.
Good luck and good night!
My social life also revolved around drinking. I was scared to death to give it up but I would have lost so much more if I had kept it up. Once you are clean for a while you'll see how ridiculous the drinking scene is anyhow.
You can do this! You've already taken the biggest step in admitting to yourself that you have a problem. You just have to make a commitment and stick with it. I'm not going to get into recovery methods. If you really want it, whatever you decide will work. If you don't, it won't.
Good luck and good night!
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2018
Posts: 28
Originally Posted by esinger 
Well, you just reminded me why I don't drink any more so thanks. It seems overwhelming to give up the comfort of the bottle until it gets real uncomfortable. Sounds like that's where you're at.
My social life also revolved around drinking. I was scared to death to give it up but I would have lost so much more if I had kept it up. Once you are clean for a while you'll see how ridiculous the drinking scene is anyhow.
You can do this! You've already taken the biggest step in admitting to yourself that you have a problem. You just have to make a commitment and stick with it. I'm not going to get into recovery methods. If you really want it, whatever you decide will work. If you don't, it won't.
Good luck and good night!
My social life also revolved around drinking. I was scared to death to give it up but I would have lost so much more if I had kept it up. Once you are clean for a while you'll see how ridiculous the drinking scene is anyhow.
You can do this! You've already taken the biggest step in admitting to yourself that you have a problem. You just have to make a commitment and stick with it. I'm not going to get into recovery methods. If you really want it, whatever you decide will work. If you don't, it won't.
Good luck and good night!
Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: UK
Posts: 2,937
Drinking made me really unhappy, especially towards the end.
The shame, self disgust, worry, anxiety made my life hell.
When I came here first of all, I was still drinking.
I always struggled and still do with calling myself an alcoholic.
I probably debated in my head for a few years what name or category I fitted into - binge drinker, alcoholic, heavy drinker, alcohol abuser.
The problem was I still kept drinking all the time I was trying to define and apply my drinking title.
In the end i realised it didn't really made what my description I fitted, drinking made me and the people I loved unhappy and that was enough for me to stop drinking.
I never made any loud announcements, or pledges or promises that I would NEVER EVER drink again to friends and family.
I believed and still do believe that this is my battle and I will fight in the way I decide and for me that was quietly and by myself. I do not need to tell everyone I meet why I don't drink. Its none of their business.
I spent time coming on here to read and post. SR has become my cyber space family.
If I feel lonely or fed up or frightened or need support I come here.
I also go to AA meetings when I can.
If you can find a meeting and go.
Some of the nicest, kindest, wise people I have met are the people that go to AA.
I have 6 years without a drink in Feb.
At the start of all of this if someone had told me I would not drink for a weekend, I would never have believed them. I would of laughed at them.
Yet here I am 6 years later.
Most importantly the shame, self disgust never happens any more because I never drink.
As long as I don't pick up the first drink, I never ever have to feel those awful thoughts again.
For me some of what we call slogans have helped.
My favourites are
1. I have never regretted NOT drinking.
Think back to the events were you you drank too much. Where you said only 2 drinks and no more and then it turned into a 20 drink session.
2. I never have to feel like this again. The only thing I have to do is not pick up that 1st drink.
For me this was crucial as I would have plans to have 2 drinks, then after 2 I would think, 1 more can't help, then 1 more, the 2 more, then after that I didn't remember how many more as I was blackout drunk.
Never picking up the 1st drink means there will never be a 2nd, 3rd, 4th or 5th drink.
I would also recommend going to a doctor to ask for help as stopping alcohol abruptly cam be dangerous.
I wish you the best xx
The shame, self disgust, worry, anxiety made my life hell.
When I came here first of all, I was still drinking.
I always struggled and still do with calling myself an alcoholic.
I probably debated in my head for a few years what name or category I fitted into - binge drinker, alcoholic, heavy drinker, alcohol abuser.
The problem was I still kept drinking all the time I was trying to define and apply my drinking title.
In the end i realised it didn't really made what my description I fitted, drinking made me and the people I loved unhappy and that was enough for me to stop drinking.
I never made any loud announcements, or pledges or promises that I would NEVER EVER drink again to friends and family.
I believed and still do believe that this is my battle and I will fight in the way I decide and for me that was quietly and by myself. I do not need to tell everyone I meet why I don't drink. Its none of their business.
I spent time coming on here to read and post. SR has become my cyber space family.
If I feel lonely or fed up or frightened or need support I come here.
I also go to AA meetings when I can.
If you can find a meeting and go.
Some of the nicest, kindest, wise people I have met are the people that go to AA.
I have 6 years without a drink in Feb.
At the start of all of this if someone had told me I would not drink for a weekend, I would never have believed them. I would of laughed at them.
Yet here I am 6 years later.
Most importantly the shame, self disgust never happens any more because I never drink.
As long as I don't pick up the first drink, I never ever have to feel those awful thoughts again.
For me some of what we call slogans have helped.
My favourites are
1. I have never regretted NOT drinking.
Think back to the events were you you drank too much. Where you said only 2 drinks and no more and then it turned into a 20 drink session.
2. I never have to feel like this again. The only thing I have to do is not pick up that 1st drink.
For me this was crucial as I would have plans to have 2 drinks, then after 2 I would think, 1 more can't help, then 1 more, the 2 more, then after that I didn't remember how many more as I was blackout drunk.
Never picking up the 1st drink means there will never be a 2nd, 3rd, 4th or 5th drink.
I would also recommend going to a doctor to ask for help as stopping alcohol abruptly cam be dangerous.
I wish you the best xx
Member
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Oldsmar, FL
Posts: 22
Welcome. Im new to recovery again too. I just turned 50 and drank daily for 25 years....at least a 12 pack or more a day. I was never a binge drinker, but had a 2 week one during the holidays Im not proud of. Time to call it quits for good. This forum is a great support system - you will see.
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2018
Posts: 28
Originally Posted by Sasha4
Drinking made me really unhappy, especially towards the end.
The shame, self disgust, worry, anxiety made my life hell.
When I came here first of all, I was still drinking.
I always struggled and still do with calling myself an alcoholic.
I probably debated in my head for a few years what name or category I fitted into - binge drinker, alcoholic, heavy drinker, alcohol abuser.
The problem was I still kept drinking all the time I was trying to define and apply my drinking title.
In the end i realised it didn't really made what my description I fitted, drinking made me and the people I loved unhappy and that was enough for me to stop drinking.
I never made any loud announcements, or pledges or promises that I would NEVER EVER drink again to friends and family.
I believed and still do believe that this is my battle and I will fight in the way I decide and for me that was quietly and by myself. I do not need to tell everyone I meet why I don't drink. Its none of their business.
I spent time coming on here to read and post. SR has become my cyber space family.
If I feel lonely or fed up or frightened or need support I come here.
I also go to AA meetings when I can.
If you can find a meeting and go.
Some of the nicest, kindest, wise people I have met are the people that go to AA.
I have 6 years without a drink in Feb.
At the start of all of this if someone had told me I would not drink for a weekend, I would never have believed them. I would of laughed at them.
Yet here I am 6 years later.
Most importantly the shame, self disgust never happens any more because I never drink.
As long as I don't pick up the first drink, I never ever have to feel those awful thoughts again.
For me some of what we call slogans have helped.
My favourites are
1. I have never regretted NOT drinking.
Think back to the events were you you drank too much. Where you said only 2 drinks and no more and then it turned into a 20 drink session.
2. I never have to feel like this again. The only thing I have to do is not pick up that 1st drink.
For me this was crucial as I would have plans to have 2 drinks, then after 2 I would think, 1 more can't help, then 1 more, the 2 more, then after that I didn't remember how many more as I was blackout drunk.
Never picking up the 1st drink means there will never be a 2nd, 3rd, 4th or 5th drink.
I would also recommend going to a doctor to ask for help as stopping alcohol abruptly cam be dangerous.
I wish you the best xx
The shame, self disgust, worry, anxiety made my life hell.
When I came here first of all, I was still drinking.
I always struggled and still do with calling myself an alcoholic.
I probably debated in my head for a few years what name or category I fitted into - binge drinker, alcoholic, heavy drinker, alcohol abuser.
The problem was I still kept drinking all the time I was trying to define and apply my drinking title.
In the end i realised it didn't really made what my description I fitted, drinking made me and the people I loved unhappy and that was enough for me to stop drinking.
I never made any loud announcements, or pledges or promises that I would NEVER EVER drink again to friends and family.
I believed and still do believe that this is my battle and I will fight in the way I decide and for me that was quietly and by myself. I do not need to tell everyone I meet why I don't drink. Its none of their business.
I spent time coming on here to read and post. SR has become my cyber space family.
If I feel lonely or fed up or frightened or need support I come here.
I also go to AA meetings when I can.
If you can find a meeting and go.
Some of the nicest, kindest, wise people I have met are the people that go to AA.
I have 6 years without a drink in Feb.
At the start of all of this if someone had told me I would not drink for a weekend, I would never have believed them. I would of laughed at them.
Yet here I am 6 years later.
Most importantly the shame, self disgust never happens any more because I never drink.
As long as I don't pick up the first drink, I never ever have to feel those awful thoughts again.
For me some of what we call slogans have helped.
My favourites are
1. I have never regretted NOT drinking.
Think back to the events were you you drank too much. Where you said only 2 drinks and no more and then it turned into a 20 drink session.
2. I never have to feel like this again. The only thing I have to do is not pick up that 1st drink.
For me this was crucial as I would have plans to have 2 drinks, then after 2 I would think, 1 more can't help, then 1 more, the 2 more, then after that I didn't remember how many more as I was blackout drunk.
Never picking up the 1st drink means there will never be a 2nd, 3rd, 4th or 5th drink.
I would also recommend going to a doctor to ask for help as stopping alcohol abruptly cam be dangerous.
I wish you the best xx
Member
Join Date: Jan 2018
Posts: 172
Welcome! We are all glad you are here and this site can provide a lot of insight, support and answer so many questions if you post and read on here a lot. Alcoholism is progressive so the earlier you stop it the easier from what I have heard!!
Get any help you can from any means (besides drugs and alcohol of course 😉
I know it’s a long hard road but so so worth the freedom and feelings in the end!
Get any help you can from any means (besides drugs and alcohol of course 😉
I know it’s a long hard road but so so worth the freedom and feelings in the end!
Member
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: York County, PA
Posts: 302
I remember what you described well.
I always drank at home. I can count on one hand the number of times I went to a bar to drink in the last 10 years of my drinking. In the end, when Ken drinks the way he wants to drink, my spirit and soul go to a very deep, dark place that is very lonely, isolated.
And I didn't want to tell anyone.
That ended when I tried to quit on my own and went into terrible withdrawal. I called 911, went to the hospital and told the truth to the docs. They never expressed disgust or judgment. I went off to rehab, then AA when I came back home.
As Sasha mentioned, neither I nor you never have to feel this way again. If I don't pick up the first drink, I can't get drunk. And for me, once I start I won't stop until I drank far more than what I intended, far more than what is healthy.
I have also never woken up one morning and said, "You know, I would have had a lot more fun last night had I drank a little (which would always turn into too much at the end)." There are were many days I woke up and said, "I shouldn't have drank last night."
I second the comment, you have no idea how false that statement is. The reason you think that is because you only chose to go to social activities that involve drinking. Your world has shrunk.
I do all sorts of things today that don't involve anyone drinking around me. I do more things today that I did when I was in the throws of alcoholism, b/c all I did was sit at home and drink, and I don't see any beer or booze being knocked back at them. And if I do go someplace where people are drinking, it's fine with me. It's not their problem, it's mine. Actually, if I go to a restaurant where alcohol is served, I don't even notice anymore.
Reach out for help. If you are like I was, you won't be able to do this alone. Your family doctor, AA, or some other program. Bottom line - find someone/someplace you won't be judged, but supported, and ask for help.
I always drank at home. I can count on one hand the number of times I went to a bar to drink in the last 10 years of my drinking. In the end, when Ken drinks the way he wants to drink, my spirit and soul go to a very deep, dark place that is very lonely, isolated.
And I didn't want to tell anyone.
That ended when I tried to quit on my own and went into terrible withdrawal. I called 911, went to the hospital and told the truth to the docs. They never expressed disgust or judgment. I went off to rehab, then AA when I came back home.
As Sasha mentioned, neither I nor you never have to feel this way again. If I don't pick up the first drink, I can't get drunk. And for me, once I start I won't stop until I drank far more than what I intended, far more than what is healthy.
I have also never woken up one morning and said, "You know, I would have had a lot more fun last night had I drank a little (which would always turn into too much at the end)." There are were many days I woke up and said, "I shouldn't have drank last night."
Originally Posted by notrealname333
i've tried to stop before but it's so hard with how every single social activity involves alcohol
I do all sorts of things today that don't involve anyone drinking around me. I do more things today that I did when I was in the throws of alcoholism, b/c all I did was sit at home and drink, and I don't see any beer or booze being knocked back at them. And if I do go someplace where people are drinking, it's fine with me. It's not their problem, it's mine. Actually, if I go to a restaurant where alcohol is served, I don't even notice anymore.
Reach out for help. If you are like I was, you won't be able to do this alone. Your family doctor, AA, or some other program. Bottom line - find someone/someplace you won't be judged, but supported, and ask for help.
Currently Active Users Viewing this Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
