How Did You Do It?

[rie]

How Did You Do It?

congrats on the interview

one of the things that i've done is not carry cash, debit, or credit card w/me. if i can't buy it, i can't drink it. simple but effective. :thumbs:

[not tonight]

How Did You Do It?

Chillgirl;960698 wrote: Not tonight - I love the iPhone photo idea! Brilliant.....

Not one for the Facebook profile though!

[Sunnyvalenting]

How Did You Do It?

I use baclofen to suppress cravings. The hypnosis tapes may help with craving reduction as well. I use to blow my chances off regularly. Created the very things I feared the most. Good luck. Remember that in time the reward pathway which may currently be mostly commandeered by alcohol CAN be rewired for other successes and you get a whole lot of life back. What feels awkward now (handling things sober) will become more comfortable in time. Go for it!
Sunny

[mama bear]

How Did You Do It?

this is a great thread.....Not Tonight...the thought of aging sick really brings it home..prayers for your parents.....
keep em coming...we are so blessed to be here for each other...and Chill....I will do my happy stretch every morning!!!
Thanks everyone......love you all to bits

[mama bear]

How Did You Do It?

thanks sunny..so far bac and tope have not been ideal for me.....and like caysea said somewhere....i want to get to the bottom of my relationship without al....so if i can do it without meds, I will...but I am so happy for your success.....

[RV434]

How Did You Do It?

mama bear;960631 wrote: I have the opportunity for a fantastic new job....final interviews are next week.
This is critical to my self esteem and my family's finances. Alcohol is NOT part of a successful plan here....
My question is this.......how did you long term abstainers, or anyone with periods of sobriety, do it? What was your "AHA" moment?
Did you use meds? Cold Turkey?
I am looking for pearls of wisdom to help me keep my head in the right place.
I know what I need to do....now i just gotta do it.
I want to blend all of your stories into my mental "Sobriety Quilt", if you will.
When I am feeling anxious or weak, I will mentally wrap myself in my quilt and hear all your sweet voices whispering words of encouragement and sucess.
Please share!!!
Maybe my quilt will comfort others, as well
Thanks and much love to you all!!

Very interesting topic. My last time in detox, and in meeting other former alcoholics I always ask "what was the final straw, what finally made you stop?"

Unfortunately, I didn't like what I heard. Not one said they were simply tired of drinking; it was always some major life screw-up while drunk, attempted suicides, 3rd or 4th DUI, jail, or some quit or die situation.

My devine moment was when I had a seizure in the middle of a store and woke up in an ambulance on the way to the ER. Have a documented siezure and it's like getting a DUI - license pulled for 6 months (although this varies state to state). If kept pulling this sh!t, I was going to die and quickly. How selfish and sh!tty to everyone who cares about me.


Experimented around with meds and found Naltrexone works wonders. This in conjunction with one-on-one counseling has worked for me. To summarize, like others I've talked to, it took a very big life altering event for me to say screw this, I'm done and I'll do ANYTHING to stop.

RV

[mama bear]

How Did You Do It?

wow...RV...thank heavens you did...cute puppy!!!!
did u try topa and bac too??

[RV434]

How Did You Do It?

mama bear;960811 wrote: wow...RV...thank heavens you did...cute puppy!!!!
did u try topa and bac too??

Hi mama bear,

No, I got lucky - NAL worked right away and I stopped there. I should preface "experimented" though. Experimented with Campril a year or so ago and it did nothing. I heard of topa and BAC before, but not in the detail I know now from this site.

The pup replaced our 1st Maltese - talk about a drunkfest when I had to put our 1st to sleep.

Oh, and best of luck to you on your interview, I'm rooting for you

[mama bear]

How Did You Do It?

oh shit...I can only imagine

[Guest]

How Did You Do It?

I had tried just about everything going, home detox, expensive treatment centres, librium, campral, topa, L-glut, Kudzu, AA, counselling the lot. One day I'd just had enough and came to a quiet understanding with myself that I wanted to change things. I then turned off the phone and went to bed. Lay there for a long time until I was well enough to start looking after myself, giving myself the space I needed before I re-entered life again. By this I mean I put my sobriety absolutely first. This often meant offending people, turning away well-meaning friends who wanted to offer company and activities to fill my time. I just gave myself peace and quiet. During that time I made sure I played back how awful my drinking had been, how it felt and made sure those images were implanted in my mind. Then I started very slowly to get back into a routine ODAT. The ODAT technique I used so many times and it really did work, not counting the days just this one and often 1 minute at a time.

I didn't use any meds but did start camomile tea, which I grew to like over time and threw in L-GLut for good luck. I didn't have a clue if I needed librium and I didn't care because I'd decided I would face whatever happened to me physically. I got wobbly legs, was sick a few times and then the panics, awful dreams with insects in them(common for drinkers detoxing), night sweats, fear all sorts of things but I rode it through. I avoided simple sugars where I could and ate a high protein, slow release carb diet. In the early days I used iplayer a lot watching mindless soaps in bed and this got me through most evenings in the initial 6 weeks. After this I was able to read a little sometimes, as well as start to study again. I still use going to bed and watching iplayer when I feel in danger of drinking as it's guaranteed to keep me safe.

I cleared the house of alcohol, still don't have any here and did not go in off-licences unless my life depended on it. Remember going in once for a chocolate fix and it just threw me right back, like de ja vue. Horrid. I only go to places with bars if there is a very good reason for being there. For me I do go to music events, night clubs but that's to dance and when I get bored, fed up I clear off home. Pubs?I never go just to sit with folk or for company. I go because I'm having a good meal, or to see a band - but once the band is over or I get bored I'm off and not sitting around with drinkers. The same at parties and it isn't rude to leave, it's your choice and remember it is rude to be an alchy in public.

When things started to feel to heavy that's when I looked elsewhere - to AA even though I'd been seeing my own counsellor throughout this. The human contact with others who had been through the same really does help.

Last but not least I started to post on here regularly again.

[one2many]

How Did You Do It?

SUPERB post Sheri!

[OverIt2007]

How Did You Do It?

Hi Mama!!!

Congratulations on this new job opportunity!!! I am so happy and excited for you!! This sounds like something really great, I look forward to learning all the details soon!

Mama, you know me, and all the struggles I have had... even recently. Im close to three weeks sober again (YAY) and this time around I just try to wake up every day and have gratitude. Sounds pretty simple and I guess it can be that easy if you let it.

For me as well, I think I am at a place of just acceptance. I posted yesterday about how having 2 glasses of wine is pure TORTURE. Now If I could have 2 glasses of wine and be good, then I would not be here would I?? The simple truth is that I always want at least a bottle or more of wine. Period.

Knowing this, and accepting the fact that YES, I DO HAVE A DRINKING PROBLEM, makes it just easier to accept. No more fighting, just be done and accept. Im not a person who is good with alcohol and never will be. Ok... NEXT!

So the feeling of gratitude everyday and acceptance that I am not a normal drinker. Its working for me, and I know you have so much to be grateful for Mama. Dont let alcohol ruin your wonderful dreams.

Love

Lisa

[K9Lover]

How Did You Do It?

Hi Overit!
I'm gonna hijack Mama's thread real quick just to say Hi to you and tell you I'm proud of how well you're doing! I went back on Antabuse today...so I am definitely back in the saddle. Like you, I have admitted to myself that my body can't handle alcohol, plain and simple. Some people can't eat peanuts. I can't drink alcohol. But there's lots of other things I CAN do Have a good night sweet girl! :h

(Thanks Mama. You can have your thread back now. LOL)

[OverIt2007]

How Did You Do It?

K-9!

Hi Girl! I am so happy that you made that decision to get back on. You have done so awesome with it, there is no reason you wont go right back to doing great with it!!

I am aware that we cannot stay on Antabuse forever. Thats ok. What I like is that it gives us enough time to gain ground and learn to live our lives alcohol free! That is what I like about Antabuse, it trains you in a way to live your new life. The longer we go, the better it should get! We can set up more permant stratagies along the way as well. Learning processes.

You did not seem happy back drinking. Neither did I. No matter how much we think its going be be fun (drinking), I think by now in both our hearts, deep down we know that it simply is not for us.

Happy to see the New K-9 right back up and at em!! YAY!!!

Sorry Mama! I know you didnt mind the temp highjack

[paguy]

How Did You Do It?

Hi Mama: Good luck to you with your interview - I think you'll hit a homerun!

Here is a bit of my story including my AHA moments and how I continue to motivate myself to stay focused:

After abusing alcohol for 30+ years, my drinking started to become everything that I was about – always planning to make sure I had plenty of vodka ready in the freezer and I always had my eye on that level at the bottom of the bottle. I never started drinking until I was sure there was enough in the bottle for the night and if there wasn’t, then that was the trigger for an automatic trip to the liquor store to get another bottle. I hated myself for doing this and since I was hitting the liquor store 3 or 4 times a week, I made sure to keep track of which store I went to last for fear that I would be recognized. What a loser! I remember getting busted on this approach when the clerks started to rotate the stores where they worked so my strategic plan for avoiding humiliation was a failure – duh! :nutso:

I tried moderating over the years and about 9 years ago I actually went AF for as long as 10 months. However, I eventually lapsed and since then, my drinking just got worse and worse. Over the last year, before becoming AF, there was rarely a day that went by when I didn’t knock down anywhere between 4 and 6 vodkas with a ‘dash’ of cranberry. That was my drink of choice. Oh, and if I was in a situation where wine was being served, I never drank less than what amounted to a full bottle.

My first AHA moment came about 3 years ago when I participated in an employee wellness program at work and was mortified with my test results. I was 35 pounds overweight, borderline hypertensive, borderline diabetic, high cholesterol, elevated liver enzymes and impaired renal function. I thought to myself, this cannot be true! I’ve always been fit and healthy. What an idiot – I had been in such denial. :eeks:

So, step #1 for me was to get physically active. I worked with a personal trainer, learned how to eat healthfully, and I took the pounds off. Additionally, I discovered that I really enjoyed running and have since become an avid jogger/runner and have run a multitude of long distance races including half-marathons and 10-mile races. What I learned through all this is that I am capable of accomplishing a goal if I have the determination and motivation to do so.

However, even with these accomplishments, I continued to drink and my blood tests were no better. So, I knew deep down that I had to stop the drinking. And for me, I knew that I had to stop completely because the beast just won’t allow me to moderate. Once I have the taste, it is that slippery slope down the Venus flytrap (Allen Carr’s analogy) and all I want is more until I pass out into oblivion. nfire:

My next AHA moment came this summer after I finished running a series of 7 different 5-K races. I did much better than I hoped, finishing in the top 10 for my age group (55-60) for 5 of the races! I felt so good about myself and my accomplishments but I was very well aware of the monkey that was still on my back – ALCOHOL. So, I started thinking, if I applied the same determination and motivation to being AF as I did to my physical fitness and running, perhaps I could lick this once and for all. :cheering

So, that was it. In July, I made a pact with myself that I was doing this for ME, not anyone else. I wanted to apply the same steely determination that I used to lose the weight and get into shape to be a runner, to become AF. I did my research on the internet, downloaded a couple of self-help programs to stop drinking and got re-acquainted with the MWO community which, by the way, I find to be an absolute godsend.

I started my AF journey on 7/13/10 and am so thankful for making the decision to do so. Is it EASY – heck NO! Just as it was not easy losing the weight and learning how to train for aerobic endurance and efficiency. It takes A LOT of determination and motivation. What keeps me motivated is a keen awareness and understanding of what ALCOHOL does to me and believe me, it is not pretty. :shocked:

Anytime I think I may be ‘deserving’ of a drink for some type of celebration, I immediately remind myself of what that would mean for the next day: endless guilt, exhaustion, dehydration, lack of ambition, worriment of what I may have said or done or even worse, the realization that I may have injured someone or myself in the car. That is enough for me to stay motivated to just say to myself, “No, I don’t drink anymore.”

My real payoff will be when I receive my wellness profile from work later next month. I am expecting to be in the GREEN zone for all of the measures and I won’t settle for anything less! :waving: