Anyone in the First Week of Their Unpteenth Quit?

[NoSugar]

In the US, insurance often pays for a certain number of counseling sessions. I certainly would rather start where I am and see how far I can get in 10 sessions than find myself at session 9 and realize we're only up to my high school years!! I hope I didn't sound like I was saying that the dealing with the past type of counseling is useless - I just don't know if it is practical or will achieve the goals we're looking for. Especially when that type of counseling in some ways makes a person feel worse, I think it is important to realize that rather than giving up therapy all together, there are other types to consider.

I have a colleague who when challenged on his behavior always responds, "I'm the adult child of 2 alcoholic parents'. Counseling helped him figure out the basis for his problems but unfortunately, they didn't take it any farther. In my view, that's the starting point. So, he grew up in an alcoholic household and experienced all the bad things that go with that. Now to move forward... Sadly, he never will.

[paulywogg]

I'm just over my childhood traumas,had some bad times,had some good,parents were bad,but good too,I started drinking to sleep, it just spiraled from there,I feel like if I was drinkin to drown out the past,I'd have been doing it all along,not starting in my 30's,I'll bring this up to the counselor when I ever do go again

[blue1]

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!

Good job Daisy!!!

[blue1]

20150820_165334.jpg
I hope my picture posted! lol

[blue1]

Oh....there it is!!! Even tho it's sideways lol
Thanks Bri!

[NoSugar]

I'm just over my childhood traumas,had some bad times,had some good,parents were bad,but good too,I started drinking to sleep, it just spiraled from there,I feel like if I was drinkin to drown out the past,I'd have been doing it all along,not starting in my 30's,I'll bring this up to the counselor when I ever do go again

Plenty of people with horrible childhoods aren't addicted and plenty with apparently great backgrounds are. From all I've learned, it all comes down to stress and how we handle it. Some stresses are huge and some are small but we vary in our innate and learned abilities to handle it. The one thing that is almost impossible to do is live with chronic stress without trying to reduce it one way or another. If a person consumes alcohol, he or she soon realizes (maybe on a subconscious level) how much better s/he feels (or like you, sleeps better!). So s/he has some more. And some more. Maybe some people are genetically primed to become addicted and others may become addicted as a consequence of repeated exposures but the end result is the same. Other people come upon different stress-reduction techniques. Some are positive, like meditation or exercise, but others have bad consequences similar to what we've experienced - other drugs, sex or gambling addiction, self-harm, etc. To me, the key is to learn attitudes and behaviors to enable us to live with whatever stresses we face. Those of us who made it here happened to discover one of the most effective and fast acting (and legal!) stress-reducers. And it seemed great until it started causing much more than it alleviated.

[briseus]

Blue - that's awesome! Great job!! I love it...now I wanna colour! Lol.
I am going to have to agree with you fully NS...I'm not very eloquent when it comes to explaining things like this sometimes...but it's like you took what I was thinking out of my head and posted it on here...
I personally feel that for ME...it is absolutely pointless to bring up my past...there really is nothing there...and nothing I can do to change it. All I can do, is be a better person NOW and live for the future...not live for the past....
And I had to laugh when you explain about the 10 sessions and about only being in the high school years. It's so true! LOL.
I really make it a point when I go and see a counsellor that we really don't go past the two year mark...oftentimes I don't remember what even happened 5 years ago...you know what I mean?
I understand how it would help some people, TOTALLY...but for me, personally...it isn't something that I want to focus on and put work into because it's not going to get me anywhere. That's just ME though!

OCD was lurking around this week...but not as bad as last...grateful for that...and happy the weekend is here.
Went to the grocery store...didn't even look twice at the wine store...this a good thing I guess.
Oh...I have a psych appointment coming up next week. I'll let you know how that goes...and see if he asks about my childhood..

[NoSugar]

I'm glad you understood what I was trying to say, Bri. Hope your appointment goes well next week. You're sounding so good about being done with drinking. Have a nice weekend, NS

[briseus]

Thanks NS. I hope you have a nice weekend too...am going to try and keep as busy as possible...

[daisy45]

You all have got me motivated to start a project. Sanded down a wee mahogany table last night, ready for painting. Gonna paint it off-white and paint a few designs. Been in my garage for about 4 years waiting for me.
Gym soon.

[briseus]

Very quiet on the boards...

Daisy you have to share pics once you're all done!
Today is my off day for the gym. My weight is bouncing around like crazy. :/ and I am eating so healthy and going to the gym often. It's so frustrating. I feel like I am missing some sort of big piece of information or something.
I would love to train and make a huge transformation but am wondering if I can in fact do it on my own?
I guess I did quit alcohol on my own...

[Lizann]

Good morning. After work yesterday we went to a jets football game. We tailgated. It was a lot of fun, a very long day!
Bri I dealing with anxiety today. Nothing planned and I'm sure that's why I'm anxious, home alone too, dangerous combination. I will sit in the pool and read.

[daisy45]

Lizann, I felt like that all day yesterday. Didn't lift until I went to the gym and a swim today. Water is calming so that should help you.
Bri, I put on a stone since relapsing so am trying to put in extra exercise. No movement on the scales yet but it will.....persevere. My weight can get me down as twice before I have been really overweight at 13 stone and when I see it creeping up it gets to me.......working on it now as I don't want it to go up any more.
Going to a family bbq this evening so won't get working on my table but looking forward to it.

[All done drinking]

Today is my off day for the gym. My weight is bouncing around like crazy. :/ and I am eating so healthy and going to the gym often. It's so frustrating. I feel like I am missing some sort of big piece of information or something.

Daisy,

I thought the weight would drop the minute I gave up the sugary alcohol but am finding my sweet tooth has increased so am now eating more desserts! My drink of choice was wine so it feels like I'm substituting one sugar for another and have actually gained a little bit. Not happy either. NS come around and give us some advice. I have also been enjoying a near beer or a glass of tart cranberry juice at night so I'm sure that's adding to the calories count as well. I'm off to the gym today too. Maybe we can be gym buddies Bri! :-)

Addy

[NoSugar]

Well, you can tell by my name what I think the first step is, Addy :wink:. For me, the drive to consume alcohol and 'sugary carbs' are tightly linked. Eating real, unprocessed food and avoiding bread, pasta, etc. (the obvious things which are themselves highly processed) makes the difference. I eat a lowish carb, modest protein, highish (good) fat diet (how is that for vague??). This is an interesting blog post on the subject (although the writer consumes AL periodically and I personally have no interest in that experiment - why drink poison?).