After some support

[Beatrice]

Hi all again, this is the 2nd time on and feeling a little more comfortable. I've been 3 months AF, then I started again. Then after some alcohol disaster I'm AF again for 2 weeks now I'm back on again, until the next disaster. Red wine is my dilema. I can drink beer/spirits but it just doesn't do the trick - I just don't get that KICK!. Do you think its easier to give up completey than to try and cut down. At least you don't have that nagging choice of what to drink in order to handle yourself respectfully. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. I've read the book and am on the Kudzu but maybe I need to go the whole hog. Not sure where to get the Topiramate in Oz. Don't know if they will hand it out.

[satori]

After some support

Hiya B,

Welcome back

Well - I tried moderating - pretty successfully considering my history - but to be honest, I found it was almost as much of a strain as when I was drinking uncontrolledly.

Sure, you don't drink so much - but you (well I anyway) was STILL obsessing about whether I could allow myself to drink, how much to drink, when I could drink. I worried if my moderating started to creep in the upward direction (strangely - it never seemed to want to creep DOWN! ) .
Etc etc
TBH I was spending as much emotional energy on alcohol as I had been before I was supposed to be moderating.

I eventually decided to go for a 30 day AF attempt - just to see if I could do it really.
At that point - I was still afraid to really consider not having SOME alcohol in my life - I had always associeated it with "fun" "relaxation" "comfort" - the usual.
Anyway - that was 86 days ago!

I now feel better than I have done in over 20 years - I feel I have got my life back.
AF is great - total freedom - no worrying / obsessing about when and where to drink, no planning when you can / can't drive, being "there" 100 % of the time - no hangovers wasting big chunks of my day - no being sat inebriated in front of the TV wasting time - when I could have been out achieving something useful. Saving a HEAP of money - spending more time with kids.
The list just goes on and on.

I now LOVE being AF - I have no plans to return to drinking any time soon!

I would suggest that you try a 30 day AF stint - if nothing else, you will have some distance from alcohol and will probably be better placed to judge whether you want to continue AF - or whether you want to try moderating again. But as I said - by the time I had done 30 days - there was NO way I wanted to go back "there" again!

Just my experience - hope it helps.
Talk to Chief (and others too) - his experience is similar


Take care

Satori

XXX

[Beatrice]

After some support

Thanks Satori you said exactly what I was really thinking. I have been 3 months without drink but always felt I was missing out on something, my husband is very social. Now being back on the drink - not so sure. I have just read 'Allen Carr's Easy Way To Control Alcohol'. Even though I did not completely agree with his entire way of thinking (otherwise would have comptletely given up) but he does have some justifiable comments.
Thanks for your thoughts

[retteacher]

After some support

Bea: I cannot drink a little. 2, 3, or even 4 glasses doesn't even seem worth it to me, because being an alcoholic, I want to get drunk. I'm going AF for 30 days. After that, I'll set another goal. I can see Satori's point about the obssession involved in trying to moderate. Why bother?

I've been to quite a few social gatherings & stayed AF. It's not easy at first, but now I'm getting the hang of it. I like it much, much better than going home headachy & slurring my words.

Mary