can't do it anymore....I don't want to drink

[Gumby]

I haven't been very good. I keep slipping back. I don't want this life any more. Why is it that I have to have a hangover to remember why I don't want to drink. I find they are getting worse, by that I mean the older I get the less tolerant I am of feeling like crap and it seems smaller amounts of alcohol give me a hangover...... killer hangovers.
I would love to post a thread that says I am 30 days AF, I don't think I can though.....I know that doesn't sound like someone who wants to change, but I really do!
So I am going back on the supplements and trying to adjust my thoughts. I still can not envision a extended period of time AF. I don't have enough strength in myself I guess.
So I'm back, need your help and words of strength and encouragement. Today I will not drink. Thats about all I can do and all I know to say......to scary to think past that.
I have managed a few days back in the early fall, 3 days....I felt great and I guess feeling great wasn't enough, because I just can't seem to stop......so any words will help. Thank You all as you have helped me in the past and I am looking forward to the future. :upset:

[betty boop]

can't do it anymore....I don't want to drink

Hi Gumby, one day at a time ........ today you will not drink! that is a really positive statement ........

Keep us informed of your progress .......

Love & Hugs, BB xx

[Cinders]

can't do it anymore....I don't want to drink

Gumby,

Okay. For today you and I will not drink. Man it hurts but we won't, Okay??

Call on me tomorrow and we will work on tomorrow.

One day at a time and I will be here.

Love you,
Cindi

[charlee]

can't do it anymore....I don't want to drink

Gumby
It can be sooooooo overwhelimg......If you are willing to make the committment, you will be amazed at how fast all those "one" days can accumulate by taking it One Day at a Time. Just keep remembering how good you felt those 3 AF days. We can do this together!!

[nancy]

can't do it anymore....I don't want to drink

Hi Gumby

The fact that you are coming here to the website and seeking support shows that there is hope for you. You know the booze is making you feel like crap and I bet if you keep coming back and writing the same things it might sink in that you don't want this lifestyle anymore.

My advice to you is to read through some threads by Retteacher (Mary) who struggled with numerous failed AF attempts before she finally made it. I really think that might help.

Keep trying and before long maybe you will see AF as a better way to live.

[Cynspr]

can't do it anymore....I don't want to drink

Holidays are even harder than regular days. I find that I can hold on to the new year/new leaf thing and be positive that I can change for good this year. It is truly one day at a time but each day does get easier if you can avoid or overcome the triggers.
good luck

[Ripple]

can't do it anymore....I don't want to drink

Gumby, did you ever think of rehab? Just one or two weeks to get away from the alcohol. You need a distraction like a vacation, I think it will help you. You sound fed up.

Luv Ripple~ :h

[Gumby]

can't do it anymore....I don't want to drink

Thank You for your thoughts and encouragement...it does help. I feel positive today about quiting(hangover always help) and hope to sustain this feeling. I will continue to work on my mindset, adjust my thoughts and keep them, need to remember the reasons...so many, so many!!

For now I am chasing grace....but grace ain't so easily found. I will find it!!

[retteacher]

can't do it anymore....I don't want to drink

First, Nancy, thank you so much for thinking I can help someone w/my posts. Yes, Gumby, I slipped on & off for the first few months I came to MWO. I came here in April, & May & June were absolutely awful...worse than before I came. I stopped drinking for most of July & all of August, then slipped in Sept. & Oct.

On Oct. 6th, I decided for that day I wouldn't drink. We started the Newbies in Need ODAT thread (one day at a time) on the Just Starting forum. Each day we say we will not drink today. I guard my sobriety closely, constantly reviewing the minuses of drinking & the pluses of not drinking. At this point, I can actually look into an AF future, but when I was just starting, I couldn't. It was too overwhelming.

Come to MWO & post every day. You can do this. Mary

[WA]

can't do it anymore....I don't want to drink

Hi Gumby,i have not had the pleasure yet as im new...one thing i can say is ive now been 22 days AF now and it was bloody hard,but its getting easier now as every day goes by,please keep it up as it is so worth it...Love jacqui xxxx

[paula]

can't do it anymore....I don't want to drink

It's hard but very possible Gumby, as long as you have the motivation and keep coming
back to this site you can do it. Best of luck.
Paula. x

[satori]

can't do it anymore....I don't want to drink

Gumby,

The problem is you ae trying to imagine life without alcohol - and it is TOO overwhelming to consider that.

Once I stopped looking at the big picture, it all became relatively easy.

One day, one hour , one minute at a time - whatever works for you is the way to go.

Just concentrate on getting through each PRESENT MOMENT not drinking - and the future takes care of itself!

Really!

After twenty odd years hard drinking - I am now 160 or more days AF.

But - I had to do it just as I described above - just trying to make the right decisions for "right now" as the need arose!
What I mean by that is - you know you can get thru the next hour AF - easy right - but the reason it is easy is that you are thinking of it as "only an hour".
but - if you just keep doing that easy "only an hour"s as they come along, you will find it is really easy to rack up whole days.
As soon as you start thinking in terms of months , years or lifetimes - it all falls apart!

Worked for me - and if I can do it - anyone can!

Best of luck

Satori

[Chief]

can't do it anymore....I don't want to drink

Gumby... Read what Satori said a few times and really let it sink in....

It's all about your thinking. Don't look at not drinking as some kind of curse or monumental struggle. Look at not drinking as an easy way to eliminate the terrible hangovers and guilt you have for letting something in a bottle make you feel so bad.

All you have to do is not drink today. That's it. Just today. It really is One Day At A Time. I think people hear ODAT and have a negative reaction because it's a term used in AA and most of us don't agree with AA's approach. We hear ODAT and think, "My God, does that mean I have to battle this thing every freakin' day?" The answer is no, you don't. You are the one who chooses to think of it as a battle, but once you make a committment to yourself to stop drinking, what is there to battle? You have decided to stop doing something that has been hurting you. You wake up everyday and if the thought of drinking enters your mind, you say to yourself," No, I don't do that anymore...it's something that makes me sick..."

Just worry about today, or this hour, or the next 15 minutes if you're having a hard time. It's like the old saying..." How do you eat an elephant?........one bite at a time"
That's the way you have to look at it.

You can do it. I did it and I was a heavy drinker for 30 years. I'm no stronger than you. It's all about how you think. Make a committment to yourself. Drinking is not an option.

If you are having a hard time, get on here and read and post. Pm me or anyone else. Someone will be available to get you through the moment. Vitamins, kudzu, l-glut, lots of water and exercise will really help. Do whatever it takes to get you through the moment.

We fail when we let taking a drink remain an option in our mind. Take that option off the table. Be stubborn. I will not drink today. Period.

Hope this helps...

Don
Day 140