Ace at fooling myself!!!

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[satori]

Ace at fooling myself!!!

Hey Star.

There is no easy answer - but the main thing is that you have to get to the stage that you REALLY WANT TO kick the booze into touch.

Alcohol DOES make anxiety worse - been there - done that.

When the time comes to make that decision - you will just KNOW.
You will no longer be able to fool yourself! You sound like you are pretty much there already!

I had been drinking very heavily for 20 years plus - and got to the stage about 4 months ago that I decided that I did not want to live my life like this any more.
Anxiety has now all but gone away, I am healthier, and have got back into exercise - so I am fitter and leaner.
I have more money to spend, I do not spend my life hiding the evidence of my drinking, I do not let my friends and family down any more - I perform better at work - I sleep better - I look and feel better, the list goes on and on.
If you have kids - do you really want to have them remember you as less than there for them through drink?

I am a Scot too - the drinking culture here is a problem - but you CAN do it I (and loads of others on here ) ARE doing it
We are nothing special - just ordinary folks like you who have decided "enough is enough" there is more to life than this!

If you need help to make that final decision - I suggest you make two lists.
One of the good things about drinking the amount you do now, and one of the BAD things.

Be brutally honest - list everything you can think of - once you see it written down it is a no brainer.

Doesn't mean it is easy - but it is SO worth making the change.

Everyone here has been there and will support you to the hilt.
If you hit a rough patch - and you will at some point - there is ALWAYS someone on here to talk to.

Go on - make the decision, get through the first couple of weeks and it gets a lot easier - I promise you wont regret it - you CAN do it.

PM me if you want to talk "off the air".

Take care

Satori

[Breez]

Ace at fooling myself!!!

Hi Star~

I responded to you in Monthly Abs with something like this:

Have a plan & a goal. Start with small things & work your way up.

Have you read the MWO book? Good place to start. Getting the supps/Topa/cds to help with the cravings. You have to want it badly enough. To want it badly enough you have to arm yourself with full artillery..........

[Crystalballz123]

Ace at fooling myself!!!

Hi Star,

I know what you are going through. For the longest time I would drink for 3 days, off for one, then drink 2 more days, maybe 3. Then recently, I started drinking every night for approx. 2 weeks. Each night was 14 beers. Always telling myself when I woke up in the morning, no beer. I would feel great during the day and right around dinner time,I'd say to myself, "I'll drink tonight and not tomorrow." Yeah right. I won't necessarily give "advice", but will tell you what I am doing. Last week, 1)I went to my therapist and talked about it a little; 2) posted my first message on this MWO website and got some really encouraging feedback. The replies made me cry and smile and feel relieved all at the same time; and most importantly 3) my child asked me not to buy any and finally 4) made an appt. with my physician this week so I can ask about the Topa., etc. I am just trying small steps by not drinking EVERY day, then hopefully,3 days a week or just the weekends, etc. Plus finding excuses to why I can't drink. For instance, my kid is starting soccer this Saturday, which means no drinking on Friday night. Stuff like that.
The fact that you are here means you are trying. I am too. I think, just by trying will make things feel better about oneself and when that happens, there's no stopping.
Take care.

[lushy]

Ace at fooling myself!!!

Star, I can say from experience as well that the nightly bottle causes the anxiety. It can seem so daunting at first but if you can get through one day you will feel so much better. Get all alcohol out of your house. I find if I have it in the house I will drink it, so when I am trying for AF days I just do not keep it around. Take the supplements. They really work, especiall the kudzu and l-glutamine. Just try for one day and go from there. You will see that anxiety go away the more AF days you can get in. Good luck!!

[ScoobyDoo]

Ace at fooling myself!!!

Starlight, nightly bottle of wine absolutely categorically gives me a constant feeling of anxiety. I have been abstaining during the week, and by Thursday/Friday all anxiety is gone and I'm feeling on top of the world.

As the others have suggested... get rid of all the alcohol in the house. Find something to deviate your mind. Hire some DVD's or play a board game with kids. The first 2 nights are the hardest but by the 3rd night it's a breeze (so why do I drink on friday nights you might ask?? Ugh)

Doo xo