I know you'll all Growl

[Muppett]

Had three a/f nights in a row and tonight I am having a whole bottle of wine. The good news is that I KNOW I can do it now (even though you will all roll your eyes - I'm sure). My real question is, how do you deal with the sleeplessness? Apart from that, my A/F nights were great.

[BlondeAFAmbition]

I know you'll all Growl

No growls, just hugs!

Hi Muppett! No one here will "growl" at you...rest assured that we have all been there! Or else we wouldn't be here! Well done on 3 sober nights. I am on my 3rd day starting today. I still get those witching hour cravings (around 6PM when I get home from work) but I just have to be firm with myself and affirm that I do not drink anymore...it's just not an option. I'm taking it month to month as the rest of my life seems a bit overwhelming. Day by Day even better. Learn from your mistakes and get back on the horse. Today is a new day. Get all of the AL out of your house so you will not be tempted when those cravings come up, cause in the beginning, they always do! Stay busy and make a plan for the day. Write it down if you have to! Whatever it takes to not drink. Then each day will get easier. Even though this is only day 3 for me...I did manage over 2 months AF in January, February and some of March. Now I'm getting "back on the horse" again too. We have proven that we can get through a few days sober, now let's prove that we can get through 30 days and take it from there! Read as much as you can on MWO, the toolbox and posts by newbies and the beloved senior members all have inspiration and valuable tips that have helped me on my AF quest. Best of luck to you and thank you for posting! Again, no one will roll their eyes here, we just give hugs :l

[Barbara1234]

I know you'll all Growl

Hi Muppett,

Blonde is right, we don't growl, we just reminisce on when we did exactly the same thing. And yes, all we give here are hugs and encouragement for being strong enough to ask for help.
The sleeplessness.....Oh how well I know about that my friend.
For me sleeplessness is built up tension, anxiety, and fear that once again I am not going to be able to sleep. I started drinking because I couldn't sleep.............what a world.
I have to be able to relax my MIND. I have the MWO book, which is wonderful, and a member here sent me the CD's which I can tell you have changed my life.
The CD's are a set of 4 that contain Sleep Learning, Clearing, Hypnotic, and Subliminal. It took only 1 night for the Sleep Learning to rock me to sleep like a baby. I have had sleep deprivation for over 20 years and I can tell you this works for me. You hear the sound of the ocean, yet there is a voice talking to you that was recorded at such a low decibel that you can't hear it, yet it reaches your subconscious mind and changes your idea about drinking while you fall asleep. It's so soothing that sometimes when the CD stops, I wake up. Not to worry, I just put it on again and fall into a very deep uninterrupted sleep. I don't always wake up after the CD plays the first time, it's only happened twice in the last 2 weeks.
You can order the CD's here, or you can ask to see if any members have them and will send them to you. I have found that people here are very generous. When I am through with my CD's I plan on passing them to a newbie. I think that passing things on to others is like passing on part of your spirit with the gift. Hope this helps.

[choice]

I know you'll all Growl

Grrrr!!!
I miss having a bottle of wine, but the problem was it started not being enough and I was starting to drink it to quickly. I only think I enjoyed about 10-20 min. of it and the cons were outweighing the pros. How did it go? :l (teasing about the grrrrr)

[autumn]

I know you'll all Growl

Hi Muppett,

The witching hour was awful for me too, so lonely and bloody bleak!. This site really helps me stay sober, i would post and read old post for inspiration. In the early days, my DH went away for a week, I think I was on here solid 24/7! But my word it helped, I stayed sober!

If I feel a wobble, I come on here, trawl through the archives, reply to fresh posts etc with a cup of tea, and before you know it 2 or 3 hours have passed and I am yawning. (in a good way lol)

My sleeping too sucked, used to think AL helped me to sleep, ha ha ha, know I know it messed my sleep up terribley. The relaxation CD's were a god send for sleeping, they really helped put me out for the count and 5-HTP, a suppliment from health shops re-set my sleep pattern so I wasn't waking up at 3:30 am craving a drink.

I hope it helps. The one thing I learnt early from this wonderful site is throw every tool at it you can to get you through it, especially the early days.

Be strong, your worth it!

[lil.michelle]

I know you'll all Growl

Can I just ask... If you can do it.. Why a whole bottle..? You'll get shit faced. If you can do it, you'll have a glass and put the bottle away for another time. Just a thought. Also, you'll never get over the sleeplessness if you drink. You'll just keep starting back at square one again. Also if you can do it now, surely you can pull 30 days AF off? That way you should be able to get you sleep problem under control... Just a thought! I'm growling a little bit tho *lol* sorry!

[dancingon]

I know you'll all Growl

Not too many of us can do just one glass and put it away, especially on Day 3.
Muppet was probably being honest in knowing that opening a bottle would mean drinking a bottle.

OK, this is not a growl,just a question. What is it you know you can do, Muppet? Was this an experiment to see if you can go AF? OR Were you trying to prove to yourself that you can stop if you want and therefore don't have a problem? OR Just that you can beat the problem if you want?
Just be a bit wary, because many people on here have given up for months or years, only to find themselves back in a spiral once they allow themselves a drink again with no rules.
To gain a measure of control you need a plan that suits what you want to achieve.

[Muppett]

I know you'll all Growl

Thank you friends.
I guess the bottle of wine was a reward. I've decided to be AF Sun - Thursday and allow myself a bottle in the weekends.
I don't think I was trying to prove anything. Just moderating with a reward system in place.
A bottle is not much compared to what I WAS drinking every night. Feeling pretty good about myself (although hit a big clitch earlier in the week). I'm back on track.

[madmans]

I know you'll all Growl

Hi Muppet , have you though about going 30 AF before trying to moderate? Using Wine as a reward for not drinking during the week can end in a 3 day binge at the weekends , i did the reward for not drinking for the last few years, at the end i was not drinking for 2 days then big reward , it was a sad way to live

[dancingon]

I know you'll all Growl

Yeah, see how it goes. But I tried this approach about a year ago and found the same. The bottle as a reward at the end of the week often turned into a binge Friday to Sunday, and then I felt so bad that I couldn't always see the point of going AF on Monday. I also tired having a bottle on Wednesdays and Saturdays, but often found that Thursday and Friday crept in there as well.
Each to their own and if it works for you it's not a bad plan.