Anyone in the First Week of Their Unpteenth Quit?

[Lizann]

Sounds fun daisy! I love weddings! I here you on the exercising. My treadmill awaits.
Sadly the scale was not kind this morning.
Going to visit CJ and joe at the cafe, then on to mom and dads for a bit. Doctor later this afternoon.

[NoraC]

Quick check in.....Sounds like everyone is doing well...focusing on what needs to be done.

Have a great day!!

[blue1]

You guys are doing great!!!
14 days????? Wow Bri!!!!

I'm almost done wwith coloring my picture....how do I post it here?

My sister said she's going to give me some more....plus these connect the dots pictures that you can color afterwards.

Have a successful day guys!

[daisy45]

Had my friend in to visit. She stayed 3 hours and I told her all about the drinking. When she left I just felt like drinking....must have been talking about it. I didn't but a close call. Thought it through and went to the local chinese restaurant and ate the biggest feed! Job done!

[paulywogg]

Daisy,I try to avoid talking about al,especially with people who have no problem with it,for some reason casually talking about it ignites a fire,my coworker went to the movies last night and was saying that she and her hubs pounded a beer before they went in and for a fleeting moment I got that urge,pushed it aside quickly, good for us not drinkin

[daisy45]

Paulywogg, I needed to tell her but, like you say, a lesson learned. She couldn't see that I had a big problem as she knows people who, in recovery now, had drank all day or night. She understood after I explained, but when she left I was very tempted.
There are not many I would be as honest with, so I will definitely take more care over where my conversation leads me to......

[paulywogg]

Yeah Daisy,we do hafta talk it out but it can trigger, I don'tknow why? even when I was talking to the addiction counselor I'd sometimes get like that,maybe I just want to sweep it under a rug and pretend its not real,but that won't help

[open halo]

I feel the same Pauly!!! It's ironic that we are talking about how talking causes triggers. After seeing my therapist today and talking about my issues with AL, my craving was through the roof and it was 9 30 am. Wondering if "talking it out"is actually going to help???

[paulywogg]

Ugh,I dunno OH,I do need to get back to the counselor but he spends too much time on my childhood and past,then I start thinking about it all,drives me bananas, I want to focus on what I can become, not where I've been if that makes sense, how are you doing? I hope good

[briseus]

Blue - the third last icon when you're posting a message (looks like a picture) is where you can insert your image (it actually says insert image when you hover over it with your mouse). And yes! Actually today is Day 16. 17 tomorrow. Hope you are doing well!

Pauly - I totally get that...no sense in dwelling on the past. What's done is done. I did a lot of that while actively drinking, don't want to continue that in sobriety...it's time to move forward...and be in the present. Not living in the past and constantly reliving it. It's so senseless.

OH - I like you, Pauly and Daisy sometimes get triggered by talking of drink. When I first starting seeing an addictions counsellor, a lot of the time I went straight to the liquor store afterwards...eventually it got easier talking about it...as I talked about it thoroughly for a good hour every week.

I actually went for a massage today (ahhh, so relaxing) and we were just randomly talking and somehow wine came up...she started going into detail how she made her own wine in the same building we were in. $120 for 30 bottles (WOWZA!) and she offered me to use her name to get a discount...at one point while she was talking she said "I'm not an alcoholic or anything HAHAH".
Hmm...little did she know.
I had a fleeting moment of "I'm going to go down there and just check it out"...but I didn't. I packed up and went home and had coffee instead.

I'm not dealing with a lot of *intense* cravings to be honest...I'm lucky in that regard at this point in time...only is it until the anxiety gets intense...or if it's a weekend...does it get particularly bad.

[open halo]

You know one of the things I love most about this sight is that everyone is focused in not living in the past but putting our energy into creating a better future for ourselves. Also the sense that people here understand so easily what we are going through. Sometimes I can't explain the "why" all the time, as in why do you binge drink, why do you not have control over alcohol, why do you use AL as a crutch... it just is, and I just want to focus on a better future.

Okay I'm rambling, but want to thank you all for your continued support and understanding!!:thanks:

[open halo]

Pauly I hear you about analyzing the past driving you bananas! Family dynamics are a struggle in the present without bringing up everything from the past as well. I've started to let things go and feel more free. Hope the heat isn't that bad for you!!

[abcowboy]

Pauly, I asked my counsellor why they always ask about our childhoods the first thing. She told me that in a lot of cases, there's things in our past we need to deal with and let go of before we can move on, that makes sense to me. And as I always say, remember where you came from, just don't let it get in the way of where you're headed.

[NoSugar]

She told me that in a lot of cases, there's things in our past we need to deal with and let go of before we can move on, that makes sense to me

This probably is true for many people but it isn't for all. There are different schools of thought on this and some contend that nothing is to be gained by going over and over things that can't be changed but rather, it is best for the person to be helped to acknowledge where s/he is right now and to work with the counselor/psychologist/psychiatrist to develop a plan for attaining future goals. This isn't to encourage "living in denial" but rather to accept what happened and its consequences and move on.

[All done drinking]

This probably is true for many people but it isn't for all. There are different schools of thought on this and some contend that nothing is to be gained by going over and over things that can't be changed but rather, it is best for the person to be helped to acknowledge where s/he is right now and to work with the counselor/psychologist/psychiatrist to develop a plan for attaining future goals. This isn't to encourage "living in denial" but rather to accept what happened and its consequences and move on.

I agree NS that they are just two different schools of thought for psychology. The childhood one is more Freudian where Freud believed understanding one's past gave insight into the reason for current problems. I think you know this NS but for folks reading this who don't, many other therapies emerged from Freuds and many alcohol abuse counselors tend to prefer CBT (Cognitive Behavior Therapy). Two men named Ellis and Beck rejected Freud's theory and started to focus on the role of thoughts and beliefs that caused psychological problems. Simply stated, the counselor helps the client recognize the thoughts, beliefs and attitudes that make them feel bad which can lead to drinking, and they help them to think and feel differently. I much prefer this therapy as I look at the history people may have (Freud's concept) as just a way to make an excuse for their drinking and not be accountable for their own recovery. We all have "stuff". I say get over it and move on! I do applaud good counselors out there though, and folks struggling to quit or not relapse should try to find one if their insurance allows or they can pay for it.

Addy :love:
p.s. Pauly, just read your post (I read backwards sometimes LOL) and I think you'd do better with a counselor who is not working on your past so much but helping you to move forward from now. Google REBT therapy and tell the counselor you would like to focus on that type of therapy more for the help you need or perhaps find one who does. All counselors are different and have different beliefs of the counselors before them who they like to emulate. You may not be with the right one for you. Just a thought. :-)