Howdy folks
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Lake Charles, LA
Posts: 1
Howdy folks
I've been sober for a little over 5 weeks now. Well, for the most part...I had a margarita..only 1..when I took my mom to lunch for Mother's Day. I also have a tiny bottle of wine that I have been holding onto to have a drink from after my spring semester is over at school...that's a story for another time.
I got to a point last semester when I was taking a psychopharmacology class, which exposed all the heinous things booze does to one's body, where I realized that I might have a problem. Realizing I had a problem made a bigger problem because the anxiety I was facing over having a problem made drinking seem like the only viable option to relieve the anxiety. I don't have health insurance or a job (i'm a full time student), so seeing a doctor for anxiety meds is too expensive for me. Alcohol WAS my anxiety med. But, as I'm sure many of you have experienced, that is a vicious and neverending cycle of sh%t. Drink to make the anxiety go away, pass out, wake up feeling panicky, lather, rinse, repeat. Before I knew it, I was going through a 1.75 of Jim Beam and a case of beer every 3 days. By myself. Wowzers. I did a slow detox because my background is in pharmacology and I knew the risks I would be taking if I jumped in the 'sober pond' cold turkey. I bought a box of cheap wine and picked a day to start my detox. I drank 3 glasses of wine for the first several days, then scaled it back to 2 glasses of wine for several days, then 1 for about a week, then stopped...and, well, here I am.
Oddly enough, I found this group because I realized yesterday that I was developing acne for the first time since I was a teenager. I'm in my early 30's, and, even when it is my 'time of the month' (many women break out during that time, but not me), I DON'T GET ACNE. So I ran a quick Google search for acne as a side effect of quitting drinking, which led me here. I read through a few threads as a guest and decided to join.
As the Sheryl Crow song states, "Every day is a winding road." While I don't particularly like Sheryl Crow, I can relate to that sentiment at the moment. While it has not been particularly hard for me to quit, minus the anhedonia I experienced during the first couple of weeks sans booze, it still sneaks up on me from time to time. I'll be driving home from school and thinking, 'Man, I can't wait to get home and crack a beer and take a shot!' Until I remember that I can't. Well, WON'T is more accurate. We all CAN drink, but our choice NOT to, or in my case, 1 drink for very special occasions, but dry otherwise, is what binds us together as a community.
So, all that being said, I'm glad you guys are here and I am thankful that I might be able to share this journey with some like-minded people. I'm at a disadvantage...my field of study is such that I cannot make this problem of mine known in any way, shape, or form. And it is only by the grace of GOD that I decided to quit before my actions landed me in any real trouble. For that, I am eternally grateful!!!
I got to a point last semester when I was taking a psychopharmacology class, which exposed all the heinous things booze does to one's body, where I realized that I might have a problem. Realizing I had a problem made a bigger problem because the anxiety I was facing over having a problem made drinking seem like the only viable option to relieve the anxiety. I don't have health insurance or a job (i'm a full time student), so seeing a doctor for anxiety meds is too expensive for me. Alcohol WAS my anxiety med. But, as I'm sure many of you have experienced, that is a vicious and neverending cycle of sh%t. Drink to make the anxiety go away, pass out, wake up feeling panicky, lather, rinse, repeat. Before I knew it, I was going through a 1.75 of Jim Beam and a case of beer every 3 days. By myself. Wowzers. I did a slow detox because my background is in pharmacology and I knew the risks I would be taking if I jumped in the 'sober pond' cold turkey. I bought a box of cheap wine and picked a day to start my detox. I drank 3 glasses of wine for the first several days, then scaled it back to 2 glasses of wine for several days, then 1 for about a week, then stopped...and, well, here I am.
Oddly enough, I found this group because I realized yesterday that I was developing acne for the first time since I was a teenager. I'm in my early 30's, and, even when it is my 'time of the month' (many women break out during that time, but not me), I DON'T GET ACNE. So I ran a quick Google search for acne as a side effect of quitting drinking, which led me here. I read through a few threads as a guest and decided to join.
As the Sheryl Crow song states, "Every day is a winding road." While I don't particularly like Sheryl Crow, I can relate to that sentiment at the moment. While it has not been particularly hard for me to quit, minus the anhedonia I experienced during the first couple of weeks sans booze, it still sneaks up on me from time to time. I'll be driving home from school and thinking, 'Man, I can't wait to get home and crack a beer and take a shot!' Until I remember that I can't. Well, WON'T is more accurate. We all CAN drink, but our choice NOT to, or in my case, 1 drink for very special occasions, but dry otherwise, is what binds us together as a community.
So, all that being said, I'm glad you guys are here and I am thankful that I might be able to share this journey with some like-minded people. I'm at a disadvantage...my field of study is such that I cannot make this problem of mine known in any way, shape, or form. And it is only by the grace of GOD that I decided to quit before my actions landed me in any real trouble. For that, I am eternally grateful!!!
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 211,445
Hi and welcome canucksgirl 
The best approach for me, and I think most of us here, has been complete abstinence.
Any alcohol, even just a little, changes me.
But we all have to find our own way - and you're certainly sounding miles better off than you were
glad you found us
D
The best approach for me, and I think most of us here, has been complete abstinence.
Any alcohol, even just a little, changes me.
But we all have to find our own way - and you're certainly sounding miles better off than you were
glad you found us
D
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