Quit Alcohol - Support Thread

[med_breeder]

I respect those that abstain.
But there are other ways.

I drink once every 300-400 days.

It's good to have I can drink every once in a while.

"For" me it's good to know when I want a lil I can.

 

[outsidegrower]

i seem to be in the same boat as you young trees. I have been try to kick the habit for couple years now. i have been able to cut back many drinks a day to just drinks at night and instead of vodka just beer. slowly but surely i hope to be sober also. except for pot im got use that till the day i die

 

[BornToBeWild]

I myself am a binge addict, I can go clean for weeks and just little things triggers emotions and without thinking I'll have a bottle in my hand for twice as long as I was clean. But screw AA so many people there not wanting help, just meeting new friends to drink with. Hope this thread stays alive so I can check in often, and cut down as we have great people here!

 

[Rob547]

Many props to all you sober and cutting down, and the best of luck to all!
I wouldn't classify myself as an alcoholic... I do drink basically almost every day however. Although recently, since meeting a great girl (with family alcohol abuse issues) I have cut down, at least on the getting drunk/wasted part. Yea I'll have 2-3/4 drinks whenever and more when I'm not working but I'm not drinking to the point of blacking out anymore. Like many of you and others, its the first thing I turn to when hurt, sad, angry etc, I'm not really sure why, just an escape I suppose. In addition I have hung out with my share of friends that drink about the same as I do for years. I've never been a very happy, optimistic person and when I read above about depression and turning to it for emotional reasons it really hit a chord with me.... I really can't see myself quitting cold turkey but for me quitting a few days a week and not binging to excess is a strong step forward. Thanks for letting me rant lol

 

[Ben Tokin]

abuse of any substance is just that....abuse. abuse of your body, your mind and abuse of those around you. i personally will never use alcohol and tobacco. tobacco has nothing i'm interested in. alcohol is ok for some people, but not all. cannabis is preferred, if you use it in moderation......and it doesn't use you.

 

[NUG-JUG]

proud to be alcohol free since May 1st of this year!

I was/am an alcoholic and didn't even know it. Almost all my family, and extended family have alcohol issues. Looking back now, they openly encouraged the use of alcohol(so does MSM,NFL,etc). This only leads to abuse.

It only took a few doctors visits to know for sure it was damaging my body, and making me depressed. I wasn't even a heavy user, but it was FREQUENT. I.E. 1-3 beers every weekday, 6-7 Sat/Sun.

gave up some friends(alcoholics), changed my habits, and quit cold turkey.

Health has improved, I smile more, laugh more.

I am a very young adult, but I plan to never have another sip in my life. Not even wine/champagne at my wedding. I wish only the best to all those just starting their alcohol-free journey. Spread the love of the healing plant, the safest medicine in existence.

this is me to a tee except sometimes the 6-7 turns into way more. i just turned 23 and i drink when i get off work around maybe 2-3 beers. i want to quit since i actually hate alcohol. i hate that alcohol is a poison first and foremost

 

[fredcdobbs]

alcohol is horrible stuff.

I was on a road to know where when I was like 19-22, I started drinking almost every day in the 10th grade so by the time I was 21 I was already a full fledged drunk. A friday night consisted of a litre or either rum or vodka and a 6 pack of red bulls, this is not a healthy way to live let me tell you. everytime I would go to a party I would feel the need to be the drunkest person there.

it took being in a very serious drunk driving accident to smarten me up.
I was on a 15 minute car ride with a driver than was totally wasted driving like 50mph down one way streets at like 3am. that had to be the scariest point in my life since I was much less drunk than the driver I remember way more than they did. it finally ended ramming at warp speed into a few parked cars. the car we hit went over the hood and stopped maybe a foot away from my head.

This made me realize how destructive drinking to excess can make you. from that day I slowly weened myself off of alcohol and gradually started smoking more and more marijuana. now many years later my desire to drink has all but gone away, I still drink a beer or two here and there for the enjoyment, I just happen to like the taste of beer. but the desire to get drunk is not really there, feeling drunk just makes me feel gross. I live an otherwise healthy life style with excercise and healthy eating so poisoning myself doesnt really interest me. I have fallen off the wagon a couple times over the years, mainly drinking too much to remedy my social anxiety at like weddings and stuff, those seem to be the worst.

I went to AA with a friend when I was in my early 20s, not for myself but to support my friend. I didnt like AA very much, too much emphasis on god, and whiny people that just like to wallow in the fact that they can not use drugs and alcohol any more and given the right scenario they would go back to their old ways in a millisecond.

The power to over come the demons in your life is within you, no religious icon can provide that for you. I also dont think quitting everything is the best way to go, these peeps seem to go back to their vices eventually. I found marijuana to be the anti drug, and I know many other ex hardcore drunks and drug addicts that will tell you the same.

in my experience,you couldnt be more wrong about aa...it saved my life..not the god stuff but sharing our experience,strength,and hope,one day at a time...i drank from 15 to 42 years old when i joined aa...been clean,sober,and very humbled for 16 years...free at last free at last!!...it works if ye work it!

 

[cannadelic]

2 or 3 glasses of wine for me each day (instead of an apple) to keep the doctor away, strictly medicinal purposes.

 

[Classic Seeds]

if you suffer from drinking the only way is to stop i stopped over 20 years ago and the first month is the hardest but one thing you have to do is get a new set of friends who do not drink or have control over their consumption and do not drink all the time .it is poison and kills everything it touches in time AA is a wonderfull place to develope your tool kit for staying sober and learning how to overcome your self .

i do believe anyone who wants to live without the bottle can the first step is wanting too! without that desire you never will quit it has to be for you ,your going to have to learn to love yourself more than that bottle it really as simple as that but far harder than it sounds it takes real commitment i wish all of you who are still fighting it a sober wonder filled life in the days ahead and that your life becomes better from your own efforts and you realize the gift that being free from alcohal is its the best thing that can happen to a drinker aloha classic seeds

 

[strawbrrygirl]

420 420 420:friends: Whiskey river take my mind:friends: i drink probaly a bottle of whiskey in a month give or take !!! i do not comprehend all the abuse what a waste of life and energy ambition POISON!!!!!!!Abuse effects me by other peeples drinking!!!! alcaholics allways have excuses for their drinking or their lifestyles it very sad and disapointing to me!!!OHhhhhhhhh yea its my 420 post THANK YOU ICMAGback to the topic POISON!!!!!!!Try to stay sober all if you have to!!!!if i sound like a A-hole im just sick of losing good friends and brothers and sisters over this addiction take care all

 

[SuperSizeMe]

in my experience,you couldnt be more wrong about aa...it saved my life..not the god stuff but sharing our experience,strength,and hope,one day at a time...i drank from 15 to 42 years old when i joined aa...been clean,sober,and very humbled for 16 years...free at last free at last!!...it works if ye work it!

Hey all, my name is SSM and I'm a grateful recovery addict.

My drug of choice was pain medication.It started innocuously enough, I had to have several surgeries, concurrently, and before I knew it I was making excuses as to why I needed another script.I was good at it too, the best.

All of the skills that I honed in my professional life I then applied to acquiring pills and one by one, all my coping skills had left me.

What a dark, fucking place that was.

I could glorify my story with how ingenious I was and how I 'justified' my use, but that's what I did when I was using, that's what addicts do, and that's not me anymore...as long as I don't pick-up another pain pill the rest of my life.

That was almost 10 years ago. Not sure how relapses work for others, but for me, I pick up right where I left off...there is no gentle curve, it's more like stepping off a cliff.

Occasionally, I still get pissed off that I can't just have 'one or two',like I see others do, and just shrug it off the next day like it was no big deal...but those feelings are getting much less frequent, and it is getting better.

I did my 100 in a 100, I leaned on my 'higher power' and I just did what they told me to and it worked for me.

Just because you haven't lost everything, and aren't living in a cardboard box, doesn't mean you don't need help 'yet'.


Man, I almost just hit the delete button, but if it helps just one other person to know they're not alone it's worth it.

 

[dottore]

high mates!
big thx for this thread! here´s a little input from europe.
i started drinking at 14, started smoking at 13. when i was 23 my father died from lung cancer, six years later my mother died from lever cancer and a year ago my brother died from lung cancer too. there´s one brother left.

i´m a male and 42 now, was sexually abused when i was in the age between 6 to 8. i´m married and have to kids with 15 (a girl) and 13 (boy). last year when my brother died, i started drinking more and more. when i reached the amount of 2 bottles of wine a day i was so depressed that i wanted to commit suicide. i was sitting in the house of my brother with a gun and there was one bullet inside.... in this moment my daughter sent me a sms asking "is everythin alright daddy... ?"

this was the moment i knew i have to go to the doc and do a therapy. first i got med´s against the depression, second med´s against the craving.
now, one year later i´m still drinking wine, but only about 0.5l a day, still too much, but i know in the end i want to get rid off.
and i agree with KG, there´s an underlying problem. and as long as this exists, it will be hard to quit with alc.

mary was very helpful when i quit smoking a few years ago. every time i tried to keep cigarettes away i get aches in my arms and legs and mary blew the ache away.

in my therapie i started with qi gong and this one is really very impressive and healthy for your spirit. i really recommend this.
asking me what´s the reason for my depression: hmmmm...i´m married, but not very happy with that. and for sure, there are the dark shades from my childhood. but in the end KG´s "underlying problem" is perhaps the key for the solution to quit with addictions.

good luck to you if u wanna quit with items that control your life. i think it´s really worth the efforts to enjoy the new quality of life in the end. and for sure there´s a stimulus for me to quit with things like alc or cigarettes. i don´t wanna suffer from cancer like my mum, dad or my brother did. may they rest in peace.

love
dottore

 

[SCF]

high mates!
big thx for this thread! here´s a little input from europe.
i started drinking at 14, started smoking at 13. when i was 23 my father died from lung cancer, six years later my mother died from lever cancer and a year ago my brother died from lung cancer too. there´s one brother left.

i´m a male and 42 now, was sexually abused when i was in the age between 6 to 8. i´m married and have to kids with 15 (a girl) and 13 (boy). last year when my brother died, i started drinking more and more. when i reached the amount of 2 bottles of wine a day i was so depressed that i wanted to commit suicide. i was sitting in the house of my brother with a gun and there was one bullet inside.... in this moment my daughter sent me a sms asking "is everythin alright daddy... ?"

this was the moment i knew i have to go to the doc and do a therapy. first i got med´s against the depression, second med´s against the craving.
now, one year later i´m still drinking wine, but only about 0.5l a day, still too much, but i know in the end i want to get rid off.
and i agree with KG, there´s an underlying problem. and as long as this exists, it will be hard to quit with alc.

mary was very helpful when i quit smoking a few years ago. every time i tried to keep cigarettes away i get aches in my arms and legs and mary blew the ache away.

in my therapie i started with qi gong and this one is really very impressive and healthy for your spirit. i really recommend this.
asking me what´s the reason for my depression: hmmmm...i´m married, but not very happy with that. and for sure, there are the dark shades from my childhood. but in the end KG´s "underlying problem" is perhaps the key for the solution to quit with addictions.

good luck to you if u wanna quit with items that control your life. i think it´s really worth the afforts to enjoy the new quality of life in the end. and for sure there´s a stimulus for me to quit with things like alc or cigarettes. i don´t wanna suffer from cancer like my mum, dad or my brother did. may they rest in peace.

love
dottore

What medication are you using to stop the " cravings"? out of curiosity.

 

[Young Trees]

Thank you so much for the great input and stories. I think I realized today , through this thread and other things in my life that I possibly am an alcoholic or at least compulsive with alcohol. I crave it when I try to stay a few days without it, I look for excuses constantly to drink a few beers almost daily, I associate different types of food to alcohol consumption, and can't eat them without a few beers (ales). I do exercise alot and I believed that it would keep me healthy and not addicted, but I'm starting to think otherwise. I can't only drink one glass of wine, I need at least a bottle and maybe more. I never black out, but do get tired and sleepy, if I drink near lunch time, my day is shot. I get so heavy headed and useless. I guess I am an alcoholic in training and from some responses here and my wife agrees, I am compulsive in most things in life. That is good in some areas, but can be really bad if not controlled or used the wrong way, and alcohol is one,

It has created so much confusion and so many problems to my mind, body and my marriage. I am so compulsive about that chemical reaction I get, that warm fuzzy allergic reaction the alcohol creates in my brain and stomach that I know I shouldn't even drink at all. I need to stay a good 20 years away before I can even think of drinking a glass of wine with a steak and enjoy just that glass...

Funny how the addiction is so strong yet subtle, even with the nasty side effects of alcohol - lessened sensitivity, nasty breath, headaches, intestinal disorders, stomache aches, heartburn, depression for no reason, anxiety, irritability, confusion, nausea etc. We keep coming back for more. Why?

Why would I kill myself slowly, kill my marriage, kill my relationship with my kids, kill my soul slowly?

I'm not, so today I realized, in my own eyes, I am a compulsive drinker which to me is an alcoholic. I decided today that I will not drink anything, not one drop anymore. For myself, my kids and specially my wife. I'll check in daily if possible to celebrate another day. Very cool to hear about people quitting alcohol and even Heroine, very inspiring, thank you again everyone who posts!

48 hours so far!!!!!
Keep 'em coming!

 

[love?]

Congrats on the decision!

Since you have identified the negative things alcohol causes in your life so well I'm sure you will succeed. Keep them in mind when your mind tries to trick you into taking a dose of this hard drug.

I haven't had a single drink in two years, or maybe more, can't remember. Quitting drinking was the second best thing I ever did. Sure my social life may have suffered a bit but that's mainly because watching those drunks gets old so fast when you're sober (and will make you understand your wife's feelings towards alcohol better).

P.S. Wine is a waste of perfectly good grapes.

 

[dottore]

What medication are you using to stop the " cravings"? out of curiosity.

SCF, the meds are called "revia" and the active component is Naltrexonhydrochlorid or Naltrexone HCl. if there is craving this component blocks the opioidreceptors in the synapses. cause when you addicted to alc you feel euphoria when the opioidreceptors are "buzzing".
after taking this med, there will be much weaker "buzzes" BUT:
in case of you´ve not stopped drinking and you take this med, you´ll need twice oder triple amount of alc to aim the effect of getting drunk.
so it´s indicated to stop drinking first and to accompany the sober phase with revia. it´s a very expensive med (cost for 28 tabs around 300$) but fortunatly i´ve a health insurance who covers the costs.
the second med is Buproprion which (i heard) is the most prescripted drug in the us. these two really help. but in the long run i want to get rid of these drugs.

YOUNGTREE, the first step to get rid of addiction imho starts in your head. when you identify the pattern and you´ve the desire to change your life. so, you are right and the first step is done. good luck!

 

[fredcdobbs]

Thank you so much for the great input and stories. I think I realized today , through this thread and other things in my life that I possibly am an alcoholic or at least compulsive with alcohol. I crave it when I try to stay a few days without it, I look for excuses constantly to drink a few beers almost daily, I associate different types of food to alcohol consumption, and can't eat them without a few beers (ales). I do exercise alot and I believed that it would keep me healthy and not addicted, but I'm starting to think otherwise. I can't only drink one glass of wine, I need at least a bottle and maybe more. I never black out, but do get tired and sleepy, if I drink near lunch time, my day is shot. I get so heavy headed and useless. I guess I am an alcoholic in training and from some responses here and my wife agrees, I am compulsive in most things in life. That is good in some areas, but can be really bad if not controlled or used the wrong way, and alcohol is one,

It has created so much confusion and so many problems to my mind, body and my marriage. I am so compulsive about that chemical reaction I get, that warm fuzzy allergic reaction the alcohol creates in my brain and stomach that I know I shouldn't even drink at all. I need to stay a good 20 years away before I can even think of drinking a glass of wine with a steak and enjoy just that glass...

Funny how the addiction is so strong yet subtle, even with the nasty side effects of alcohol - lessened sensitivity, nasty breath, headaches, intestinal disorders, stomache aches, heartburn, depression for no reason, anxiety, irritability, confusion, nausea etc. We keep coming back for more. Why?

Why would I kill myself slowly, kill my marriage, kill my relationship with my kids, kill my soul slowly?

I'm not, so today I realized, in my own eyes, I am a compulsive drinker which to me is an alcoholic. I decided today that I will not drink anything, not one drop anymore. For myself, my kids and specially my wife. I'll check in daily if possible to celebrate another day. Very cool to hear about people quitting alcohol and even Heroine, very inspiring, thank you again everyone who posts!

48 hours so far!!!!!
Keep 'em coming!

youngtrees,alcohol is a depressant and if you drink enough long enough it will drive you crazy tryin to figure out whats wrong...i was such a compulsive drinker i turned myself into a hospital because of the fear,paranoia or whatever i was goin through..at 6 months of sobriety,all this crap left me and it hasnt visited me since..(16 years)..just remember this..it aint about what you think or feel its about what you do...we create our own results...how brave of you to start this thread..

 

[mule420]

I'm hanging my hat in here! Been fighting to cut down for weeks... I have a feeling some very close friends are going to ask me to stop drinking. The good part is none of them drink or drink very little. When I see the concern on their faces and the questions they ask me,,, It tends to hit home with ones self...

I use it to sleep, however I have slept more soundly after cutting down. I'm being way more active now that helps, pisses the DR off because I have a couple going under the knife sessions looming in the near future and he worries I might damage stuff further before then...

You are only blessed 80 summer harvests if your lucky... I'll be dammed if I'm spending my time left drunk...
I drink after work and on the weekends, so those times I need to fill with other hobbies...

Drinking to forget what a fucking farce, "it" just gets bigger when you wake up. I feel good about stopping drinking! My goal is to stop drinking before the 16th or on Friday night. A second goal is to not have one last blowout... Last night I had 5 beers and 2 shots over a period of 4-1/2 to 5 hours. Tonight I plan on cutting that in half and then Friday half again...

Wish me luck peeps! I will confess my sins if I miss my goals... Peace and puffs

 

[dottore]

*ThumbsUp* Good Luck Mule from an European Country here

 

[GanjaIsMyLife]

Hi my name is GanjaIsMyLife and Im an alcoholic, started on the weekends when I was in highschool. Realized I liked the feeling of not having to feel, and always wanted to reach that point when I drink. I find I make excuses to drink, like it was a productive day or I want to celebrate but in the end it has ruined my friendships and relationships with people.

Got a DUI when I was 21 almost killed myself and 2 other people got really lucky and no one was hurt, blacked out took out a phone pole in a little toyota truck 20 feet from the house so blacked out didn't know what was going on. Still trying to fight it, I noticed all the people I pick to hang out with have the same problem love to get shitty, I do good for awhile then relapse. Mary has definitely helped supress my cravings, wish they had ganja bars and what not instead of dive bars.

27 now and still on the journey to make myself a better person each and every day. Props to all the other people out there trying to control their demons. Have a good day and take it one day at a time.