I'm lost
 

So I am new to the site. Thank you guys for your amazing posts. So I have been an addict my whole life. I have 14 years clean from drugs but it's the alcohol I can't beat. It makes me feal like I'm myself. I'm terrified to be sober. The anxiety kills me. I pray to God it will stop but a new day comes and I start again. I was in healthcare for years so I know the risks of cold turkey. Rehabs don't help . I just need someone who understands. Thx for reading

If you were in healthcare then you know that you just have to get past the physical detox then it's all psychological after that.

We aren't much help with the detox part. Get to a doc and get some meds for the week of detox. You know what to do.

For the psychological bit - we're pretty good at fighting the thoughts...like telling yourself that you drink because of anxiety? Drinking [withdrawal] is causing the anxiety, you know that. We've all been there, and it gets better when you just jump out of that cycle.

Welcome to the site. :) Congrats on 14 years off drugs - but alcohol is a drug too, ya know?

Welcome!

It's normal to feel a lot of anxiety at the point where you know you need to stop drinking. You will be able to find ways to enjoy your life as a sober person and you will find lots of support here.

Welcome to SR, you will find lots of support on here!

What helped you to stop using drugs? Can you take some of those same strategies and use them with the alcohol?

If you were in health care I'm sure you are well educated on alcoholism and withdrawals etc...If you can beat drugs, you can beat alcohol as well. its about an action plan. We must practice what we preach, eah?

Welcome!

I was addicted to Meth and have been sober from that for over 10 years. That was super easy for me to stop... I then picked up alcohol and struggled with that for the following 10 years off and on.

There was a point where I wished alcohol was illegal and the consequences were as strong as meth was. Meaning: if you were caught with it it was a felony charge, as I got one with Meth but was able to get that removed from my record since I got was convicted so close to my 18th birthday.

Then I realized alcohol is not a social issue (well, I now kind of think it is) but I had to look at myself, it is an issue within my self.

Drinking to hide emotions and to be socially excepted... Well, that all disappeared when I would be the obnoxious, immature, disrespectful drinker.

I accepted the fact that any drug and myself were not friends. I could not have a healthy relationship with any substance, whats so ever. As they would change my core values.

Once I cleaned up the substances, my life has been cleaned up in all aspects. I still have shortcomings that I work on all the time, but now I am better able to handle those situations and will continue to grow.

There is nothing in the world that I want more than to remain sober and reap the fruits of my labor within sobriety.

If I can do it, you can too!

Take that first step, detox with the watch of a doc.
Go to meetings
Make a plan
Find hobbies to do when the AV speaks to you
Work out
Eat healthily

There is so much to explore in the world, to see it with a clear mind will be that much more rewarding.

Nothing is solved at the bottom of a bottle, including anxiety and depression.

I wish you the best.

You are WORTH it!

Hi Nums, cross addiction is not uncommon. Where you give up an addiction to one drug, to become dependent on something else.
The people I knew who gave up stimulants like coke or speed, usually became more dependent on drink than those whose primary addiction was drink.

You cannot manage anxiety while drinking. The depressant affect alcohol has on the brain, causes it to release a lot of stress hormones, (which are stimulants) to counteract that depressant action. Our brains get efficient at this, the reason we can, after drinking a lot often, still be on our feet and functioning at amounts that used to knock us out.
The stress hormones, take much longer to clear out of our systems than the mentally relaxing effects of drink.

Get off the drink, the best way you see fit for your situation, then deal with the anxiety.
In my case I went cold turkey. Some people don't want to do that. Or feel they can't risk it.
The drink induced anxiety was gone within a week. Then, you will be able to assess what anxiety needs treatment, if any.
No one is lost, we all belong to the whole.

Some great advice here already Nums.

This is a place of great support - and its the support here that finally got me sober. We;re glad to have you join us :)

D

I second everything Dreamcatcher said right there.

Welcome to you

You can so totally do this. SR is a great place for support. You are not alone. :)

I waited 25 years for a miracle lightening bolt to strike in the night and I would wake up and no longer crave alcohol.

Things improved much more rapidly when I started to put in the work.

You can do this. :ring