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    Great to find you

    :new:I found this site - not sure how - on Sunday night while AF (I never drink on Sundays :-) and pondering as ever that maybe (lol who am I kidding) I drink too much.

    After reading a lot I've ordered Naltraxone (? spelling)

    Have been drinking alcohol every day (bar Sundays :-) )for the last three yrs; not always more than 2 - 3 glasses of wine, sometimes it gets to 2 - 3 bottles.

    I've in the past tried to use antabuse (disulfiram) and it works - in that it makes me feel deathly ill if I take it; but being motivated to take it is such hard work; so mostly I don't take it. I have a whole drawerful of the stuff, ordered online ages ago.

    I had a patch of one whole month AF two yrs ago, and several patches of two weeks at a time, or three sometimes, but no sustained AF, and when I drink there is often no moderation.:upset:

    If I start early, I keep drinking all day. If I have things to do, I don't drink. It's almost a boredom issue!:upset:

    To be fair, I function fairly well (don't drive anyway, so that helps), work from home part time, run the house and my kids, and dh who is teetotal and hates alcohol does not know I drink, except on special occasions.

    I do have untreated depression and a majorly stressful life (and early menopause - other issues) so mood swings are always put down to that (and probably are due to that at times)

    Thankfully I've never had blackouts, seizures, and all my medical tests are normal (just had another round of full blood tests for another issue); and liver function was normal. (v thankful!)

    BUT I want to quit while I am ahead, if you can call this ahead.

    It's not ahead. I am the queen of deceivers. Only ever drink in my (home) office (never anywhere else round the house, and I am not often out, so hardly ever drink outside of the home), I use air freshners, breath freshners, burn incense, spray deodorant, eat spicy foods and garlic; all to try to convince the household that they can't smell wine. (I only drink wine)

    dh (dear husband) definitely is unaware, cos he'd let me know asap. He has done in the past, and we've had our moments.. .. we have good communication (other than this d*mn drinking issue)

    I feel hideous and pathetic and useless.

    Why the bl***dy h*ll can't I stop drinking??

    I drank all day Saturday (0900 till 2200), prob 2.5 bottles of wine 18 units of alc over 11 hrs), hard to tell cos I drink from wine boxes, not bottles.

    (Easier to store, and easier to recycle. Less obviously alcohol)

    (Dh and kids out doing other things, I was alone in front of the TV, or surfing)

    Then I went to sleep, fairly calmly and reasonably and not obviously drunk - ie not slurring words or tripping up or irrational (which all do happen sometimes)

    Spent all of Sunday and most of today (Monday) determined not to drink anything.

    But eventually - around 1700 - which is late for me, I did.

    And now I feel guilty. SO I got online and ordered meds, hoping the Sinclair method might work for me. Going cold turkey isn't going to work for me, at least not right now; and there is no way with my home life I could get to AA meetings (not that think that would work for me, tbh) (not knocking anyone it does work for)

    Ditto listening to hypno CDs etc. Can't do that, cos no one really knows.

    I am so glad to have found this group:h:l

    Sad we all have to be here.

    And there is no way on earth I could ask a GP for help, I can't even discuss depression with him, far less alcoholism.

    Is it really an illness, or just my own fault? I guess I'll always battle with that one.

    Hope

    #2
    Great to find you

    :welcome: D2M, you're among friends here with similar problems. I've read about naltrexone - looks good. I hope it works for you. I think there's a book by Dr Sinclair that might be worth reading at the same time. Also, don't forget healthy food, lots of water & some exercise - these will all help you get to where you need to be.
    xo

    Comment


      #3
      Great to find you

      Nice to meet you drinks2much, Good name should have thought of that one myself. Just curious why you can't talk to your G.P. Setting aside the embarrassment factor shouldn't you talk to him about how much you drink and he should be aware of your depression too. I take an anti-dressant, doesn't make me quit drinking but I do feel better. The fatigue and achiness is much less while on them.

      I haven't spoken with my doctor either. I was honest about how much I drink but I honestly don't think he paid it much attention. I guess that's a non-alcoholic for you! But if I went in and say I need your help to quit his ears would be wide open.

      Comment


        #4
        Great to find you

        Hi D2M and welcome to MWO! It is nice to have you hear. I, too, hope your plan for the meds works in your favor. It sounds like a great plan and a good start. I agree with Nearly that you should try to talk to your GP at least about the depression. I am on anti-depressants and I am feeling so much better taking them. Just a thought.

        Welcome again. Keep posting and reading. You are amongst a great group of people who understand what you are going through. I hope to get to know you better.

        Comment


          #5
          Great to find you

          Hi drink2much,

          :welcome: Good luck with your plan. There are daily threads you could join to get regular support, either AF or moderation, which can be a big help. There are some threads on the Sinclair method too, in the meds section.
          sigpic
          AF since December 22nd 2008
          Real change is difficult, and slow, and messy - Oliver Burkeman

          Comment


            #6
            Great to find you

            Nice to meet you drinks2much, Good name should have thought of that one myself. Just curious why you can't talk to your G.P. Setting aside the embarrassment factor shouldn't you talk to him about how much you drink and he should be aware of your depression too. I take an anti-dressant, doesn't make me quit drinking but I do feel better. The fatigue and achiness is much less while on them.

            I haven't spoken with my doctor either. I was honest about how much I drink but I honestly don't think he paid it much attention. I guess that's a non-alcoholic for you! But if I went in and say I need your help to quit his ears would be wide open.

            Comment


              #7
              Great to find you

              Hey drinks2much. Just open your mind to what's out there. Im not always AF...but i am more AF than i have been in the past. I have an incredible AA social life and when i am not with my AA friends (which i try to be with until late in the evening) or on line here, i am working or with my kids. This leaves very little time to get away with drinking. Anyway...we all love to talk.

              Comment


                #8
                Great to find you

                Hi thanks.

                My GP (I am in England) is so anti it is impossible. He thinks depression is self obession; obesity is lack of self control, and alcohol or drug abuse is criminal behaviour.

                I kid you not.

                Have not done too bad tonight (I mean there is more than half the box of wine left, so I've not had two bottles yet)

                Am sweating a lot - could be HRT (hormone replacement therapy) issues, but also Al Abuse.

                Sigh.

                Typical night, kids and dh went off to watch a movie at 1900, I went to watch TV or surf till now.

                Now I feel tired, but twitchy, miserable and above all GUILTY. But I won't be able to sleep for hours unless I take valium. . .

                I know, I know, pull myself together. Drink plenty water. Keep drinking water.

                Then go to sleep asap

                Thx a lot, good to know someone out there is listening. I love the internet!

                Comment


                  #9
                  Great to find you

                  Hi drink2much,

                  Welcome! There is a lot to learn here from a great community of people.
                  Have you read the MWO book yet? It's filled with very useful information and will help you make a plan that is good for you - something you can stick too.

                  Good luck & best wishes,
                  Lavande
                  AF since 03/26/09
                  NF since 05/19/09
                  Success comes one day at a time :thumbs:

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Great to find you

                    Welcome!

                    Hi, there Drinks,
                    Welcome to the best support group around. I love this place! I have a wonderful husband, too, that I have so many times tried to fool that I wasn't drinking as much as I was. But, my slurring would almost always give me away. And I could have sworn I wasn't slurring at all!

                    I do know that the medical system is different for you in the UK, but honestly, I would ditch that doctor of yours. You, in fact NO ONE needs a doctor that thinks weakness is the cause of such problems. Get someone who is supportive. There must be great docs there, too.

                    Good luck, keep posting, and definitely get the MWO book. It is worth the price, believe me.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Great to find you

                      Hi drinks2much!

                      So many people (myself included) just kind of find their way here, almost by accident - but I wonder...!

                      First - WELCOME! You'll find this place to be full of inspiration from Fantastic people. I know for a fact that I never would have made the headway I have w/out this site.

                      I can't imagine that your dh hasn't figured out you're drinking, though. It's (sometimes) easy to hide from people who don't know you well, but someone close? My brother (who I see only every couple years) knows Instantly on phone if I've had even 1-2 drinks!!

                      While there are many things good about not drinking (and I'm kind of a newbie!) is to wake up without the Guilt and Shame! It's horrible -- and we choose to do that to ourselves!! Or... we choose not to...
                      Sometimes you have to take the leap and build your wings on the way down... Anais Nin

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Great to find you

                        Hi, still awake - groan. Re dh, it's complicated. Although we live together and get on great, we live in separate parts of the house, sort of, and don't have much contact in the evenings, really.

                        I do childcare/home business in the day, he takes over at night, and I sit quietly in the office and drink, then sleep in the office (I have a sofa bed)

                        That is our standard routine. He does realise that I have a glass of wine now and again, just no idea of the extent. It would kill him if I told him. I never would tell him.

                        What irks me is that if there is sthg else going on in my life, I don't even think about drink. Like if I am on vacation, or away on business meetings etc.

                        A lot of my life sucks - so I drink. If I had a better life, I wouldn't. But I'd have a better life if I didn't. And on and on goes the cycle. . .

                        Good to hear from real people with similiar issues, though. Huge support.

                        Waiting for the nal - whatever it's called, and reading up on the Sinclair effect.

                        D2M x

                        Re my GP -it is complicated too, but where I live I find little or no support for trying to drink less

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Great to find you

                          :hello2::colorwelcome::wave::groupluv:
                          :beach: life does change as long as you are willing to change yourself ..
                          best thing about the future it comes one day at a time..

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Great to find you

                            Hi D2 and welcome.
                            How about you find another doctor? When I went to my doctor it was with a great deal of trepadition, but he was terrific.

                            Hmmm, the cycle you describe in your last post sounds sooooo familiar. And the absurdity is that as we all know drinking neither masks or removes the problems in our lives, but adds to them... but we still do it. What would happen if you were to tell your husband you have a problem and you really need his help and support? Would it really kill him? It will be one less problem/secret in your life if you let him know, and who knows? He may be the support you need to help you.

                            Comment

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