Another newcomer

[cassy]

Another newcomer

Hi Beano and welcome.....dont panic just read on here and get support from others.

People on here have done amazingly well in stopping or cutting right down BUT you have to do some personal work on what your own goal is and get walking on the journey into change.

small steps at first add up to big strides...so for today set a goal and tell your wife what it is(once you have said it out loud it might make you feel you at least have to try and achieve it)

lots of people have turned to looking at their diets, fitness levels, state of their relationships, their faith and beliefs etc.

For me i try and keep positive and review my goals each am(after a little prayer time)..i dont always achieve my goal but i have stopped denying the problem.

what is lovely is reading the experiences of people who have shared so honestly about their struggles, failures, strategies to cope and better still the amazing achievements.


wishing tou the very best for today...good luck with your plans to make some changes..rock on ..you can do it with support!!

Every now and again I go off tthis site for a while but then i use support from other sources ..friends and spiritual guidance..as i know i cant go it alone.

.

what helped me was giving up the booze for 46 days over lent..it was scary but refreshing to have clear thinking and feel so well physcially too.....I hate hangovers!1

take care...cassy

[BeanoC]

Another newcomer

Hi all,

Just "checking in". Day 3 AF is bright and clear! No headache, and I'm not dragging around from lack of sleep. I slept 8 hours last night - first time in quite awhile. I feel really strong at this point - like I would almost dare someone to offer me a drink, because I damn well don't want it and could easily turn it down. I know it will likely get a lot harder but right now I am just trying to use the momentum to stay strong. Today will be a very busy day at work, and of course work isn't a trigger anyway. The only hard part about last night was going home and trying to go through my regular routine, with everything except the beer. So, I just substituted water and had a great evening. There's still beer in the house - I am not making a big deal of this with my wife and kids because I don't want to disrupt their lives too. I don't want them to feel like they have to walk on eggshells, and always feel like they have to watch every move I make. I know my wife was listening very closely to me when she heard me open the fridge last night - waiting for that familiar 'crack' of the beer can! I am sure she was very relieved to discover I had simply opened a bottle of water. My confidence is very high right now and I am ready to continue the challenge.

Beano

[Doggygirl]

Another newcomer

Congrats on Day 3 Beano!! You sound terrific and I am happy for you. I truly believe that Positive Mental Attitude is a huge part of this. Feels that way to me anyway, and I'm happy to go with that flow. Sure - I suspect I will have plenty of tough times ahead. But each moment that feels liberating, and awesome - I'm gonna enjoy those times to the fullest possible extent!! I bet your wife is proud of you too. Life is good in the Booze Free Zone. (Life is bad in the Free Booze zone....)

DG
Day 21 AF

[Chaaku]

Another newcomer

Well done Beano on your 3 days AF. I have just come across your thread and read it from beginning to end - you have clearly come a fair way so far! Keep going...

All strength to you.

Best wishes

K-M

Day 2 AF

[retteacher]

Another newcomer

Hi Beano: I use the one day at a time approach. Just for today, I won't drink. I'm too new to look into a future wo/alcohol. I've been 22 days sober & haven't felt this well physically, emotionally, & spiritually in many a year. Keep coming & don't be afraid to post. Mary

[BeanoC]

Another newcomer

retteacher, chaaka, doggygirl, cassy:

Thanks for the kind words and the encouragement. Today was easy because I was at work; tonight is a little harder than I thought it would be, but my resolve is still strong.

I'm psyching myself out a little though by thinking "wow if I am already struggling some at day 3, how am I ever going to make 20, 30 or more days?!" I know they say we have to take it 'one day at a time', but I can't imagine having this kind of struggle every day from now on! I need to figure out how to be at peace with it. Somehow it just doesn't seem to be enough to simply tell myself "you can't drink, and that's it". So I guess I am in the logical/examining phase?

"SURE I can drink. I am just sitting at home doing nothing. I am not going anywhere tonight. So why shouldn't I??" NO

"I haven't had anything to drink since saturday. Why shouldn't I reward myself for good behavior?" NO

"Maybe I would be less cranky if I did. The kids are going to start wondering why they haven't seen me with a beer. Maybe it would be easier on everybody if I just went ahead and had a few." NO

:H And so on...



Now if you'll excuse me... I need some water. :thumbs:

[PinkLady]

Another newcomer

Beano,
Good chat with yourself! I have had that talk many times, except I never said NO until yesterday and today. I am going to join you with that glass of water. Cheers! Ahhhhhhhhh! That tastes good!!!

:goodjob:

[retteacher]

Another newcomer

Beano: Talk to yourself. Come here. For me, Days 3 - 7 were absolutely awful. Every thought in my head was about booze. Now, it hits me occasionally. I can handle that. Mary

[BeanoC]

Another newcomer

Thanks pinklady, thanks retteacher.

Tonight has indeed been much harder than I thought it would be, but I have no doubt I'll get through it. There is no way I am taking a drink, and that's all there is to it. I am going to wake up tomorrow refreshed, feeling clear and feeling proud of myself.


It's amazing to me how, when I was so terribly hungover on saturday, all I could think about was how badly I wanted it to go away, and how I actually looked forward to not drinking again and not feeling like pure hell. Now, a whole 3 days later, I really really want an ice cold beer. Hmmm, I believe they call that "addiction".

Ok, I am off for another bottle of water!! :thumbs:

[gabby]

Another newcomer

Hi BeanoC,
I'm Gabby. My drink was beer too. I'm glad to see your on day 3. When I tried to quit days 3 and 4 were always the hardest. And then the first weekend. Whew boy. I would do about 8 to 10 a day too. Consistantly. Anyway I cant tell you how many times I got to that 3rd and 4th day. So I'm thinkin about ya dude.

But when I found this site it changed me. I read the book, started all the supps, read and posted every day. Mostly read and read and read. My gosh there is so much info here. But really really helped me the most was the topamax. And I think it was really helpful BECAUSE I was a beer drinker. Aside from triggering something in your brain and just makin ya not want to drink period. Not have those cravings for alcohol, it really makes beer taste crappy. Like peroxide. Especially at first. If your willing I would really consider tryin it. It could help a lot. It sure did for me anyway.
(I feel like such a topa pusher)

Anyway....huge welcome and very big good luck. And ya.....water water water!

[gabby]

Another newcomer

Oh ya.....I forgot to brag about the 14 months alcohol free! Its meant to encourage you that it can be done. Water, water, water.....

[BeanoC]

Another newcomer

Thanks for that, gabby! Your comments helped me tremendously.

I would be more than willing to try the topamax; not sure if I can take it with my heart/bp meds though. I take 100mg of Toprol XL every morning. I'll have to look into the interaction precautions and ask my doc about it.

Thanks again for the encouragement!!

[gabby]

Another newcomer

Check Interactions - DrugDigest

[Doggygirl]

Another newcomer

Hi Beano! Just wanted to say good morning, and congratulations on your success yesterday evening. You were wise to come here - LOL I call it "Touching the Life Line!" Saturdays are a tough day for me - we host dog training every Saturday at my house and it's a big drinking trigger, and people here drink. I dash up to my office several times during the day to "Touch the Life Line" and get myself grounded.

I also like your strategy of "I'm not drinking today and that's that." No matter how bad things get, I have found that I can stick to "absolutely not today - no way - not gonna happen, not even close."

I enjoy visualizing my life down the road being free of alcohol and cigarettes and even caffeine, and being healthier and all that. But...for me, the "heat of the battle" is when the BoozeBeast is active in my head telling me the sorts of things you mentioned - fake justifications. At that point, whatever tricks I have to use for myself to win THAT battle, and that one only come right out of the bag.

Welcome to your next AF day!!! Happy NO Hangover!!

DG
Day 22 AF * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

[BeanoC]

Another newcomer

Good morning everyone,

Day 4 here for me. Feel pretty damn good too!!

Doggygirl, you mentioned seeing yourself down the road being alcohol free. That's a big motivator for me, too. I try to envision how much better life will be, and how much more I can accomplish without it. I used to smoke cigarettes too, and I quit that cold turkey over 9 years ago. So I keep telling myself thatif I can do that, I can do this!