Lasted until Thursday and slipped up. Feel ashamed however I have not had a drink today.

I got Sober in March last year and lasted 5 months and 9 days, I am still proud of that.

Relapse has lasted 6 months, time now to bring it to an end.

I will read through the previous thread as there is some really good advise on plans.

The most difficult time of day for me is leaving work that is when I am at my most vulnerable! I have tried leaving my bank card it work but that has not worked.

It is so frustrating fighting this battle!

I need to stay positive and keep trying.

Part of my recovery plan has been to physically call three people if I’m struck with a really intense craving. Sometimes the craving is gone after the first call, sometimes it takes all three.

There was one day I was in the parking lot of a grocery store and I was certain I was going to buy alcohol, but I called my three people and read some posts on here, and I managed to go home without relapsing.

Is this something you’re able to do after work as you’re going home to help you ride out that difficult time? The call doesn’t have to be about alcohol. You can just catch up with a friend. Sometimes it’s easier to actually talk to people instead of just reading here or fighting with yourself. You can get stuck in your own head and the AV can be very convincing.

Just an idea. I hope you manage to come up with a solid plan and put it into action to stay sober. Rooting for you.

There is something about leaving work which makes me particularly vulnerable. It must be the stress!

It’s also probably habit to some extent. That’s why I suggested calling someone to keep your mind off it.

Other ideas could be taking a different route home, leaving at a different time, or scheduling something after work to help change up your schedule/habits.

This all needs to go hand in hand with an actual recovery plan, though. I know everyone keeps harping on it, but that’s because it works. It’s hard, but you have to really put the work in if you want to stop drinking and stay sober.

I think it’s always comforting for an alcoholic to agree to give up alcohol for a set amount of time ie Lent. The reason being it leaves the possibility of drinking again open.

i will stop drinking permanently because I am an alcoholic and a gambling addict!

I have identified my vulnerable time of day and like the idea of going to the gym.

Instead of focusing on what you’re not going to do (drinking), focus on what you ARE going to do (ex gym, coffee on the way home). As soon as the alcohol enters my mind I immediately refocus on my PLANNED activity. We have the power to choose what we think about. This has worked really well for me so far (day 61).

If I have a yearning for it (hasn’t happened yet) my plan is to immediately refocus on the negatives of alcohol. I’ve been brainwashing myself with as much negative info on alcohol I can find....which probably explains the lack of yearning to a degree.

Keep trying because every fail is a learning experience that will eventually lead to long term success.