Alchol is destroying my life
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Join Date: May 2019
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Alchol is destroying my life
Hey this is the first time I've ever posted anything, besides on Facebook. I can't stop drinking no matter how hard I try. I've been to detox twice and currently on Campral and Naltraxone. Once I start drinking I can't stop. I go through 18 beers and if I can't afford that up to 3 litres wine per session. On average 3 times per week sometimes more. I never bothered with aa because I use to go to church and believe heavily in God so I don't see it as a spiritual defect.
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Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Atlanta
Posts: 8,674
Glad you are here- and I echo the same question. What have you done, and what will you try? Many of us do "come into recovery" believing in God or whatever we call our higher power- so that can be a good piece of the puzzle as you get to the part about exploring your spiritual condition and what it means in the context of AA for example.
The first thing you have to do is stop drinking. If you have those 2 meds, you must be seeing a dr - personally, no drug was going to stop me when I wanted to keep drinking. Once I quit, Antabuse was ONE tool in my recovery plan. I'd personally suggest reading here and joining the Class of May (or Jun) 2019 group with folks starting now, too - and go to AA.
Call you dr and go back to be fully honest about your drinking and what's going on. I sure didn't admit to the true amount I was drinking til I literally had to do so.
You can do this.
The first thing you have to do is stop drinking. If you have those 2 meds, you must be seeing a dr - personally, no drug was going to stop me when I wanted to keep drinking. Once I quit, Antabuse was ONE tool in my recovery plan. I'd personally suggest reading here and joining the Class of May (or Jun) 2019 group with folks starting now, too - and go to AA.
Call you dr and go back to be fully honest about your drinking and what's going on. I sure didn't admit to the true amount I was drinking til I literally had to do so.
You can do this.
Member
Join Date: Mar 2019
Posts: 87
Hi Adam, another nice part of AA is the human conections you make. Especially when you find a group you really enjoy. I can relate to the part of not being able to stop, it's truly awful. However, it can be beaten with some hard work. Please try a meeting and use any possible support you can. This was a great first step for you.
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Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: northern michigan. not the U.P.
Posts: 15,281
Originally Posted by Adam26 
I never bothered with aa because I use to go to church and believe heavily in God so I don't see it as a spiritual defect.
AA doesnt consider alcoholism a spiritual defect,too. a spiritual malady? yes, but not a defect.
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Join Date: Nov 2018
Posts: 363
Go 24hrs...that's it. Don't worry about the 18 beers...worry about the first 1. '
I may not have the direct answer for you, but I do believe you can do it. I believe most people can. The fact you posted on a social board about a problem is a sign you have the ability and strength to do this, with the right tools. There are many ways to go about it. It starts with your first post, congrats on taking that step..you're here.
I may not have the direct answer for you, but I do believe you can do it. I believe most people can. The fact you posted on a social board about a problem is a sign you have the ability and strength to do this, with the right tools. There are many ways to go about it. It starts with your first post, congrats on taking that step..you're here.
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Join Date: Apr 2019
Posts: 412
While I am not in AA I have read through the big book and have been to meetings before. The steps and method to me read more like a logical psychological approach than anything else but has gotten criticism from people who are non religious because it can come off as preachy. Given you are religious as well I think it would be a great fit for you and your recovery. As an above poster has said it is a spiritual malady, they don't believe praying the disease away but hard work and dedication to sobriety
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Join Date: Nov 2018
Posts: 5,169
Lots of people go to church, believe in God and still drink. Many are alcoholics. Some even run the place. AA is designed to appeal to those who believe in some sort of higher presence, so you should be able to adapt to the philosophy easy enough. As a former confirmed Lutheran, I don't remember anything from church about learning how to live without alcohol.
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Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 8,637
In my experience, one can 'go to church and believe heavily in God' and yet be deeply spiritually deficient. And vice versa.
I'm not saying you are - just commenting that perhaps your foregone conclusion could be questioned.
That aside; your description of your own behavior certainly aligns with the description of the alcoholic.
Let me ask you; are you willing to do whatever it takes to achieve sobriety and a better life?
I'm not saying you are - just commenting that perhaps your foregone conclusion could be questioned.
That aside; your description of your own behavior certainly aligns with the description of the alcoholic.
Let me ask you; are you willing to do whatever it takes to achieve sobriety and a better life?
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Join Date: Aug 2016
Posts: 1,645
Hi Adam,
That kind of drinking, especially with intermittent periods of sobriety, can be very hard on your brain chemistry. Your central nervous system responds to the presence of alcohol by releasing excitatory neurotransmitters (because alcohol has a strong depressive effect - your CNS tries to counteract it). As your system processes the alcohol, those exhitatory neurotransmitters stay behind, so your system goes into a rebound effect. This is the anxiety and jumpiness you probably feel when you're forced to stop.
The bad part is that your system gets more and more sensitive to this rebound effect as you continue to binge drink. At some point, it will likely lower your seizure threshold during withdrawal to the point that you're putting yourself in terrible danger of having a seizure.
Please stop drinking. See a doctor, go to AA, post here; do whatever it takes. Your style of drinking is the most dangerous style of drinking.
That kind of drinking, especially with intermittent periods of sobriety, can be very hard on your brain chemistry. Your central nervous system responds to the presence of alcohol by releasing excitatory neurotransmitters (because alcohol has a strong depressive effect - your CNS tries to counteract it). As your system processes the alcohol, those exhitatory neurotransmitters stay behind, so your system goes into a rebound effect. This is the anxiety and jumpiness you probably feel when you're forced to stop.
The bad part is that your system gets more and more sensitive to this rebound effect as you continue to binge drink. At some point, it will likely lower your seizure threshold during withdrawal to the point that you're putting yourself in terrible danger of having a seizure.
Please stop drinking. See a doctor, go to AA, post here; do whatever it takes. Your style of drinking is the most dangerous style of drinking.
Member
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 25,373
I'm with TWTOM -
Here's the NIH article about Kindling (to which his post refers)
Kindling
Please stop drinking. See a doctor, go to AA, post here; do whatever it takes. Your style of drinking is the most dangerous style of drinking
Kindling
No Dogma Please
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: SoCal
Posts: 2,562
I think your realization of "once I start drinking I cannot stop" is hugely powerful. Because this means that if you want to avoid the negative consequences of drinking you can't take that one sip. Which is true for nearly all addicts everywhere, but is a hard lesson that many of us took time, even years (some never) to truly get.
There are many ways to get there, and more importantly, STAY there. Build on that realization. Use AVRT (explained in the secular forums). Sounds like you're also exploring the medical route to stop, there are medical options for treatment if you are dual diagnosis. Cognitive therapy. Individual psychodynamic therapy. Sober recovery itself. 12 Step programs like AA. Use any of them, or as many as resonate in combination.
Stick around and explore the site, we are all here to help others.
How is it going today?
There are many ways to get there, and more importantly, STAY there. Build on that realization. Use AVRT (explained in the secular forums). Sounds like you're also exploring the medical route to stop, there are medical options for treatment if you are dual diagnosis. Cognitive therapy. Individual psychodynamic therapy. Sober recovery itself. 12 Step programs like AA. Use any of them, or as many as resonate in combination.
Stick around and explore the site, we are all here to help others.
How is it going today?
Member
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: West Tn
Posts: 3,043
Adam -
We really appreciate your reaching out to us.
You and I drank quite similarly.
I would be open-minded about the help you get with this life-threatening problem.
I certainly never wanted to join AA and I was a regularly attending member of a great faith (the Episcopal Church) during the late stages of my active alcoholism.
But I went into treatment, which herded me and the other patients, into AA meetings, and I haven't had a drink since.
And it's been a good while, now.
I hope that you give serious thought to AA.
It has saved my life.
Please come back here and keep us posted.
We really appreciate your reaching out to us.
You and I drank quite similarly.
I would be open-minded about the help you get with this life-threatening problem.
I certainly never wanted to join AA and I was a regularly attending member of a great faith (the Episcopal Church) during the late stages of my active alcoholism.
But I went into treatment, which herded me and the other patients, into AA meetings, and I haven't had a drink since.
And it's been a good while, now.
I hope that you give serious thought to AA.
It has saved my life.
Please come back here and keep us posted.
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