Finally decided enough is enough
 

As you will gather from my username, today is going to be the day when I finally quit drinking alcohol.

My husband died 20 months ago. Up until then I had the occasional glass of wine with a meal. When he died I started drinking more and more to try and block out the sadness and loss.

I now drink between 1 and 2 litres of wine a day. I am hoping being on this forum will help me to stop. A similar forum helped me quit smoking 10 years ago.

Wish me luck.

So sorry to hear about your husband Quit, that must have been really rough for you. You can do this! Take one day at a time and use SR for support. I was drinking a bottle of wine or 2 a day for years. I’m now on day 12 sober and have found everyone here is so supportive, which gives me strength to keep saying no. We can all do this together by supporting each other. Good luck! 😊

Very sorry for your loss, Quit. Congrats on the life-changing decision. One day at a time! We are here for you when you need us :)

Hi and welcome Quit250518 :)

I'm sorry for you loss, but you've found a great supportive place here.
SR helped me turn m y life around - I know we can help you to do the same:)

D

Struggling a bit now but determined. This really has got to work if I am going to have a new life. I am going out for a walk to see if that helps

Hi Quit, I am sorry for your loss. I lost my wife just over ten years ago, but as a recovered alcoholic it did not occur to me to drink. I did suffer from a range of powerful emotions and for a time thought I was going nuts. This was an experience I had never had before. I really thought I was losing it.

I went to a grief counsellor, who explained everything. What was happening with me was completely normal. I just had to go with the flow. Grief has a mind of its own and I just had to let it ride its course.

Your post just made me wonder if you might be medicating the grief. My housekeeper lost her husband around the same time. She was a bit like you, hardly ever drank anything prior to Bernie’s death. After he died she got into the wine and crashed the car, resulting in a drunk driving conviction. Then she somehow found herself in AA.

She doesn’t do AA anymore. She just went through a bad patch, and when she came out the other end, the drink problem had gone. She is back to hardly drinking at all. And the worst of the grief is behind her.

We were married for 44 years - together for 46 years. The last two years of his life he had dementia and I was his carer.

After so many years being a couple (no children) I found it difficult to cope alone.

I feel it is now time to throw away my crutch (alcohol) but it is proving to be harder than I thought it would be.

Welcome, Quit. You will find a lot of support here. My condolences about your husband. I really started spiraling out of control after the suicide of my ex and the death of my father. I've come to the conclusion that they would want me to be happy and free, not destroy myself slowly. It's rough though. I've only been sober for 20 days but it's a start. Glad you are here.

Welcome

Glad to have you with us.

Welcome to SR, Quit!

All of my family has died and it is a very challenging and different life, so my condolences.

It's much easier to face the grief sober, though. Good choice. Just get past the initial first few weeks and you will find new ways to stay busy and fulfilled.

Maybe a volunteer position could be helpful? I love volunteering at the pet shelter.