Day 5 almost lost control and as very close to having a drink...

[Byrdlady]

Day 5 almost lost control and as very close to having a drink...

I tried the NA wine. #1...I found myself wanting to chug it like I did regular wine (what the heck??? old habits die hard) #2 it was disgustingly sweet...and I like sweet things, but this was like syrup...I thought, this is just not worth the calories! Where was THAT thinking when I was drinking a bottle or 2 every nite??? The AL mind is a weird thing. I found that it just wasn't worth the trouble. And I agree with K9, why flirt with disaster. Well done to all for pushing thru the cravings...they are temporary and you will get thru them....don't give in no matter what and no matter who!! B

[stumpy]

Day 5 almost lost control and as very close to having a drink...

I'm with Byrdlady, the fake stuff is awful, it really does make you want the real crap even more. True the fake beer (small glass) helped me on day three but I'm not a beer drinker.
Allen, try reading Allen Carr's book I think it's called the easy way to quit drinking, it really helped my husband through the hard times and he drank for 40 years and quit.
Reading all the posts on MWO makes me feel proud to be AF.

[tiredofthis]

Day 5 almost lost control and as very close to having a drink...

Hi allankay, the first days and the first weekend are hard I am on day 13 today and as has already been said above I have also tried to avoid going out or getting myself into situations where I would normally drink. One was difficult to avoid last week so I drove and arranged to pick and drop off others ... that way I couldn't drink as I had not only to get myself home but them too. This also stopped pressure from people saying go on have a couple get a taxi as I was taking them home half cut and they certainly didn't want to pay for a taxi themselves! Good luck allankay you are doing fab, it is extremely hard but for me and I hope for you too it does get easier :l

[dixon]

Day 5 almost lost control and as very close to having a drink...

allankay;1374079 wrote: Day 5 almost lost control and as very close to having a drink...

Today was the hardest day yet. My cravings usually attack in the evening as I am busy to think about them during the day. Was walking past a bar, the weather was great, people were drinking and smoking. Then it hit me, pulse fastened got very red like a heat wave just hit me. I am so used to alcohol being my way to relax in the evening and especially on Fridays and Saturdays that it’s hard to break this habit. Also I have noticed that since I have given up alcohol and nicotine at the same time, the cravings seem to reinforce each other and its unfair as it is 2 gainst 1.

I eventually talked myself out of it, bargaining with myself and settled on a bribe. With the money I save this month I will either go away for the weekend at the end of the month or buy myself something equivalent in monetary terms.

What I have noticed is that writing and reading here on MWO helps a lot. I feel like by talking through my problems I feel stronger and by the time I am finished my cravings go away, at least for a short while.

Thank you everyone on MWO!

ALLAN K.

Hi Allan,
Just remember that every disastrous difficulty brings great opportunity in life.If you pass these crappy hours , you will be awarded with plenty of energies...This is just an ordeal for you , once you achieve it definitely you will be awarded by countless blessings.
With love and strength ,
Dix

[allankay]

Day 5 almost lost control and as very close to having a drink...

Thank you all. It means a lot to me to hear your kind words. I dont think there is anyone else who can truly understand what I am, we all are going through and been through.

ALLAN K.

[mama bear]

Day 5 almost lost control and as very close to having a drink...

Allan -
I have become a virtual hermit the past 90 days....that's what is good for me...
I have read, and read, and read!!!!!

[planetjanet]

Day 5 almost lost control and as very close to having a drink...

Allan,

Congrats on Day 5 and YES, do whatever it takes to keep yourself from any temptation. Treat yourself this weekend to a nice take out meal or desert OR BOTH!! Find out if there is going to be any movies on TV to watch, take a couple of cat naps....WHATEVER it takes! Trust me, by Monday, you are going to feel great physically and mentally.

Looking forward to reading your progress : )

Hugs,
Janet
AF Day 124

[kuya]

Day 5 almost lost control and as very close to having a drink...

Hi Allan, like you I am at day5, or rather have just woken up on day 6 cos I am in NZ and always half a day ahead of you and most on MWO.

Like you I am on my second try at abstinence, did 9 weeks last year on my own before finding MWO after the slide back to AL. I am an emigrated Pom originally from Willesden.

I have been following your posts and like the intelligence of your questions,mate.

To add to all the great stuff all the folks have said I observe that you, like me were an evening drinker( common) and that differs from all day drinkers and binge drinkers.

Like you day 5 saw me struggling and I genuinely had an AWFUL day at work, and will probably have the same today. But this time round I have really recognized the root of my problem drinking ..... Low blood sugar.

What got me through yesterday was a good solid meal. I think it is often overlooked that drinkers don't eat when they are drinking. I used to eat badly all day, drink all evening then eat late before crashing into bed uggh!

I also posted on here that my day was shite and got the wonderful caring support I now so value and will continue to need. I truly believe if I had found this site before my slip last year I would now be nearly at one year sober.

Whilst we all know that eventually exercise is a wonderful thing to replace the endorphins released by drinking but in the early days we are to exhausted by the detox to exercise.

Sadly whilst everyone knows healthy eating is good most people don't realize that A FULL STOMACH ALSO causes the release of endorphins.

Last night at 6pm, when I had just finished the shite day from hell I really feared I was going to crack and drink. So much is said about the day 3-5 slip I had about a half hour debate as to whether I would use my AWFUL day as a reason/justification to have 'one lasts night'.

I literally had to force myself to have faith that most of my craving was JUST low blood sugar. I had nothing much in the house and managed to shop, not even look at the offy that was next to the veg shop, and bought the makings of an amazing dinner.

After stuffing myself with salmon , broccoli, asparagus,new potatoes with Thai sauce I was absolutely fine. I spent the rest of my evening feeling great with NO CRAVING TO DRINK ALCOHOL WHATSOEVER! I was in awe of how close I came and how easy the solution was!
Supper was fruit and yoghurt( but to be honest I was stuffed and probably didn't need it , but whatever).

So my point is eat well and eat LARGE! It is the stretching of the stomach wall that releases endorphins not the content or the change in blood sugar. Obviously loads of veg give you volume, vitamins without many calories so stuff these down.

Be very careful of using sugar hit foods cos they mimic AL and don't give you the endorphin hit of a FULL stomach. You will crash in an hour and then spend the night craving 'something' and you will think it was AL but it is just low blood sugar.

Anyway hope this helps.

So good luck with day 6, and everyone who is in their night ....... Sleep well,

KY

[allankay]

Day 5 almost lost control and as very close to having a drink...

Kuya, thanks for that. Let’s keep it up. On paper it is such an easy choice; AF: saves you money, makes you healthier and fitter, happier, gives you more free time and better quality lifestyle. We know exactly what the consequences of drinking are but subconsciously we crave it, possibly because of conditioning we acquired over the years. We falsely assume that alcohol helps us relax, socialise and even reward ourselves (the ever popular image of champagne). I guess this is a battle between our conscious and subconscious brains and we need to recognise the signs as written in Allen Carr’s book.

BTW I love New Zeeland and am hoping to move to Auckland's suburbs at some point in the future, just got to complete my professional qualification first and gain some post q experience here. I would love to hear about your experiences and history behind the move. It’s my medium to long term goal. I love the fact that NZ has low population, amazing climate and the people who live there.

ALLAN K.

[kuya]

Day 5 almost lost control and as very close to having a drink...

allankay;1374237 wrote: Kuya, thanks for that. Let?s keep it up. On paper it is such an easy choice; AF: saves you money, makes you healthier and fitter, happier, gives you more free time and better quality lifestyle. We know exactly what the consequences of drinking are but subconsciously we crave it, possibly because of conditioning we acquired over the years. We falsely assume that alcohol helps us relax, socialise and even reward ourselves (the ever popular image of champagne). I guess this is a battle between our conscious and subconscious brains and we need to recognise the signs as written in Allen Carr?s book.


ALLAN K.

A couple of points worth thinking about ...... I think we only crave alcohol when we are detoxing because our bodies know it will end the uncomfortable feelin of detoxing. Once sober we then crave because we think we are missing something.

Also as Allan says, alcohol and nicotine only 'help' us relax by removing the desire for alcohol and nicotine by actually ingesting it. Socializing without alcohol is a new skill to learn, you are no more interesting drinking than you were sober , almost certainly less....... You just think you are! :H And as to reward ..... As the saying goes.... Sobriety is it's own reward! Sounds a bit pious but when I leave a party sober knowing I am driving legally and have had as good a time as anyone else I get a huge amount of satisfaction.

On my last AF I was 9 weeks with ease but fell at Xmas ,with all the alcohol consumption associated with that holiday and everyone around me ---- except my 13 year old, drinking. I thought I was safe to do it once, secretly, just the once ......... You know where that lead!

But on later analysis I realized that I had not put my diet in order, I was going hungry in anticipation of the over-eating that was and always will be the Xmas tradition. People around me were drinking and getting drunk and not eating in a healthy way so I was going hungry too and surprise, surprise the desire to drink came back BIG time.

This year will be different, and good regular eating habits are my main focus.

Anyway hope to keep up this exchange as we share the journey back to sanity

KY

[allankay]

Day 5 almost lost control and as very close to having a drink...

Kuaya,

You make some good points about the correlation between being hungry and having cravings. It’s true for alcohol and true for nicotine. There were countless times that I would get home, buy groceries to cook a nice dinner or get a take away. Then I decide to have pre-dinner drinks. This would frequently turn into a drinking fest, completely masking my hunger. I would wake up the following morning with the worst stomach ache and the food that has gone bad or is stone cold.

Very good post. Thank you.

ALLAN K.

[allankay]

Day 5 almost lost control and as very close to having a drink...

planetjanet;1374231 wrote: Allan,

Congrats on Day 5 and YES, do whatever it takes to keep yourself from any temptation. Treat yourself this weekend to a nice take out meal or desert OR BOTH!! Find out if there is going to be any movies on TV to watch, take a couple of cat naps....WHATEVER it takes! Trust me, by Monday, you are going to feel great physically and mentally.

Looking forward to reading your progress : )

Hugs,
Janet
AF Day 124

Thank you Janet. For the first time in a long while I am actually looking forward to Monday and dreading the weekend...

ALLAN K.

[lagataloca]

Day 5 almost lost control and as very close to having a drink...

I know 2 recovering (sober for over 10 years) that drink the NA beer, and they have no problem. I could probably even drink regular beer, as I have NEVER been able to drink more than 2 w/o feeling bloated and burpy... LOL

[Slaythefear]

Day 5 almost lost control and as very close to having a drink...

Kuya has some good advice on the food issues. Eating a good filling meal is satisfying and the fullness makes drinking or desert very unappealing. I do think I went for a drink often to fill a need for food my body was needing, but I wanted the alcohol. I need to change my diet more and it is on my list/plan. I always drank on an empty stomach. I think a lot of us do for various reasons. I'm still fighting the sugar cravings even while on L-Glutamine. It doesn't seem to help with that at all for me. So, in the final analysis, I'll have to put together some meal plans that work to address that. I'm adding in exercise today, and that should help as well because I tend to keep my diet on the low side as to not gain weight. Oh the vanity of women at any cost. Here's to being fed adequately and exercise to keep it all in check.

[Slaythefear]

Day 5 almost lost control and as very close to having a drink...

mama bear;1374192 wrote: Allan -
I have become a virtual hermit the past 90 days....that's what is good for me...
I have read, and read, and read!!!!!

That's something we have in common. I don't mind it either and it is what is good for me. I actually enjoy my own company, but I used to go out for my socializing. I no longer go out at all at night or late afternoon. I have a lunch date today with someone I used to see at night. I told her I had to do lunch and won't meet her at night in a bar any longer. This board helps a lot to fill in that night socializing. Even though I don't know people here personally, the common bond and sharing does fill in a need and it does it in a positive way.

Thank you all for that!