Hello Everyone British Expat Living in Germany starting mission today

[Lasha]

Hi WT,
Little steps not large leaps works and I know someone whose been in rehab 10 times and still goes back on the booze about a month after coming out.
It's all about re-educating your mind slowly. One day you'll think I've cracked it!
I agree with Mick, forgot to mention it but a diary is a must, write down every unit and also write down how you felt the next day.
Don't know about Germany but in Blighty the units are printed on the bottle at the back in small writing, I think it's compulsory.
I look back at my old diary and think "god I was in a right mess wasn't I".
Where are you from in England?

[wyldetymes]

Thanks guys - diary great idea - the i can measure progress - yes the ac content is printed EU law weiss bier is normaly 5% light beers 2 -2,5 3 depending on the brewery . im taking it real slow and easy . I just do simple challenges - I mean I need to find my safety zone and limits. This morning was not really a challenge I just managed to get mor sleep and I didn't feel the usual frizz of withdrawal - so to be honest it felt good to be lazy and not pant around after a drink to stop the frizzle
I do apreciate your advice and concerns after all who are the experts - you guys not me . But I have been reading through the thread below and of course Im trying to build up confidence in myself that I can walk this tight rope . For instance I found an article on the internet with practical advice ... If you are at say 10 beers and you fail to get to get to 9 - do not panic stay at 10 until you get to 9 - BUT DON'T go back to 11 because very soon you will be back at 20. That is good advice another one suggests at certain point like 7 you can wait until you feel the badness then drink - of course it depends on many variables

But I am following the prtogram you suggested - I do need to know what happens if I am 10 - 20 mins late ? I will need to start meeting with the insurance and medical staff in the new year so I will have to go to meetings - thats is why I wanted wine - If its a 3 hr trip I can;t carry beer - but discrete wine minature each with 1 unit make travel practical .. but suppose there is a traffic jam I don't want to flip out in a taxi

so its all practical jiuce and thanks

I hope an wish for all a happy healthy and prosperous 2015 :goodjob:

PS Sheffield - city on 7 hills (not really but it does have a couple )

[wyldetymes]

Mick
I would truly love to do that - be AF for jan 1 but I that would mean cold turkey and Im not up for that :yay:

[See the Light]

wyldetymes- Sorry, to hear about your wife, but I agree the best way to honor her is to get sober..she would not want to see you harming yourself …Great that you are ready to stop the damage you are doing to yourself, and I agree that it could be potentially dangerous to quit cold turkey considering the amount of your daily consumption, your lack of immediate support around you, and potentially your age. Tapering is a tricky business, but could get you back on better starting point for the next steps. Do keep in mind, though, that tapering is not the same as moderating, in that the tapering is a phase that is meant to get you to the next level, not a reason to just keep drinking less from now on.

A few suggestions that might help are mixing in other NA drinks (and non-caffeinated) to help slow your daily pace. Water (especially with B vitamins) is especially a good mix for every other or every third drink..it will re-hydrate you and make you feel more full (and to help the feeling full thing, obviously eating well with small healthy frequent meals/snacks will also help). If you want, maybe mix in a few NA beers or mocktails to help stem the cravings of just drinking something you were used to and recue your AL pace. DO NOT CONSUME CAFFEINE however…that will surely make things harder. If you have any serious withdrawal symptoms, make sure you seek medical attention.

Use this thread to keep yourself accountable too..be honest and report what you are drinking each day like it was a diet log, (like the diary idea, but post it here too)..there will be support and you feel more accomplishment. If you plateau, just relax and take your time…drinking less than you were is still better than going backwards. You will get there, just be safe and healthy. You are not alone in this. This is your life, so start taking it back.

[wyldetymes]

Thank you see the light - my goal is 0 and as soon as possible
I started on 17 dropped to 14 but it was too big of a drop. And everyone told me to slow down. So I am on 16 today (I think that is slow enough ) Im dropping a beer every 3 days and so far minimum discomfort from monday every 2 days and when I get below 10 every day. I am trying to find a balance between too fast and too slow . When I get to 5 I will only take a beer when the discomfort feels threatening or unbearable. I bought a fluid measure to measure single units of wine - I need these when I travel to my insurance and find a GP etc .

so thanks

and all the best for 2015 for everyone !!!

[spiderwoman]

Hello WT - like you I got to know AL far too well after my husband died, terrible place to be and a year is very early in the roller coaster ride grief is, my heart goes out to you particularly this time of year. Knowing you must stop is the hardest bit - stopping is the next hardest. Can't advise on tapering as I just stopped though I had subconsciously cut down for a few days beforehand. I was on a bottle to a bottle and a half of wine a day, backed up with gin and cider (or anything else I could get). Besides the tapering and other stuff my only advice for you is to think about something else you enjoy and can have as a treat - it doesn't matter a damn what it is so long as its not alcohol related and be sure you enjoy whatever it is every single day - make it your new priority.

Wishing you well for a sober 2015, keep reading, keep posting and for God's sake come straight back when you're having a hard time, you won't have done anything that hasn't already been experienced here.

Take care Sylv

[wyldetymes]

Thank you very much spiderwoman

and I wish you the best for 2015

I think i'll make it

[Mick]

hiya wildthymes ..happy new year...well how did it go ? 1st today..get that diary on the go........my daughter lives in Sheffield,its about an hours drive for me from here....what did strike me on here is...Ive read all the posts on here..and everyone me included is giving all sors of advice on how to what to....now thats kind of like the tail wagging the dog....you need to decide what you want to do...quit, cut down all sorts of things..then take out of the posts what applies...better still come back and say ok ..heres what I want to do..how do I go about it

[Lasha]

Hi WT and happy new year or as they say where I'm from lang may yer lum reek.

The alcohol advisors always go on about units not % proof and always round them up not down, doesn't really matter if you go for drinks or units I'm just used to units.

I had a Grand Mal on a flight to Shri Lanka as I stopped drinking for the journey. French for large illness but known worldwide as seizure, I woke up on the plane with a doctor telling me I had had a Grand Mal and should seek medical help, first time I new I had a serious problem. Time to stop.

My trick was to have a "time to start drinking" and amount of drinks written on a piece of paper stuck to my fridge door, weekly raise the "time to start drinking" and lower the units then congratulate yourself every morning. I did slip from time to time but always got back on that horse. You wont have a Grand Mal if you come down 1 drink a week but don't stray from your home or prepare as you say. At the beginning my time was 9am and 20 drinks, you're not the first one I can assure you. At the end my time was 8pm and 3 drinks.

Safe drinking is 3-4 units or 1.5 drinks per day for a man with 2 days off a week but that's in the future you have to get down to a safer level for now.

Never give up.
Lash

[Eloise]

hi Wyldetymes... just checking to see how goes it?

looks like you are handling things, I am sure you wish you could fast forward to February and March when you will be so much better.
It will come, baby steps.
I think you should definitely see your hausarts, get SOMETHING (anything) to quiet your nerves and some advice. Don't think about if you like the doctor or not, not relevant. You need some professional help. I know they have walk in hours almost every day, pass by tomorrow?
Great you are drinking lots of teas! Keep posting, we are all worried about you. x

[Eloise]

But I am following the prtogram you suggested - I do need to know what happens if I am 10 - 20 mins late ? I will need to start meeting with the insurance and medical staff in the new year so I will have to go to meetings - thats is why I wanted wine - If its a 3 hr trip I can;t carry beer - but discrete wine minature each with 1 unit make travel practical .. but suppose there is a traffic jam I don't want to flip out in a taxi

so its all practical jiuce and thanks

oh dear, wyldetymes- you are eventually going to have to make a commitment to yourself to stop all this. You are not going to self-destruct without alcohol in your system. Yes, it is a huge change for you, you will have to change your lifestyle but it is a choice. Your choice to decide what you want for yourself and your future.
Right now you are having trouble coping with the idea of a meeting, a short journey without your best friend. I am pretty sure that if you look at this statement objectively you will be very surprised at where you are in your thinking.

[marie23]

James I am so sorry to hear about your wife's accident. That is heartbreaking. I hope that you get the red tape sorted out soon, so that you can get some detox help at the Klinik. I'm new here too, I am a Londoner living in Ireland. Good luck with it and feel free to chat to me. Best wishes, Marie

[shambles70]

Hi wyldetymes,

How's the taper going? I read your thread with interest, I'm a newb here too, and recently (Christmas Day) quit after a month of stabilising and reducing/tapering. I never thought I'd be able to do it. I posted some thoughts about the experience just now; they might be useful to you:

https://www.mywayout.org/community/showthread.php?90828-Stabilisation

Best of luck with the process...if I can help in any way please holler. And I agree with the above. Quitting is the best way you could honour your wife.

Take care mate.

[Mick]

hi wildthymes..Ive got to agree with eloise...dont think for one minute..af comes gift wrapped to your door wrapped in a pretty nice bow...mate you have got to work at it...yes it is a huge life change ..and thats what it is..not a fad or a faze but a complete way of life..cant comment on your journey and the planning into how to drink ...seems there was a lot of thought went into that ...wine beer ,minature etc..would it not have been more prudent to think ok how can I do this without booze?take a book,pencil paper ,bottle of pop,even a bottle of af wine??

[wyldetymes]

oh dear, wyldetymes- you are eventually going to have to make a commitment to yourself to stop all this. You are not going to self-destruct without alcohol in your system. (So why do they recommend hospital or tapering) Yes, it is a huge change for you, you will have to change your lifestyle but it is a choice. Your choice to decide what you want for yourself and your future.
Right now you are having trouble coping with the idea of a meeting, a short journey (how short ?) without your best friend. (Thanks for that - so why am I stopping ?) I am pretty sure that if you look at this statement objectively you will be very surprised at where you are in your thinking.( Yes Im trying to follow a tapering plan jointly developed with Lasha )

Now Im really confused - I have you telling me to go cold turkey and everyone else is saying don't taper too fast without a doctor. Those wine bottles are for my tapering schedule - i have decided I want to to be AF - but I was told without medical support - I should taper down to a reasonable due to my age and my previous intake - so what is it to be Taper to avoid any possible seizures / hi blood pressure or cold tukey ? I was aksed to slow down a bit on tapering
scratches head ?? starts to feel the AWS thinks what is going on here ??
"you are eventually going to have to make a commitment" I made that on the anniversary of my wife's death I think that is a commitment greater than you can ever give me read the thread.,,

damit I spent honey on my keyboard


"Right now you are having trouble coping with the idea of a meeting, a short journey without your best friend." - how compassionate of you - you don't know me I have no problem I just want to stick with plan - your sarcasm is superb and let me guess you are AF for years - well if you can only make fun of me - how on earth is that going to help me taper from my "best friend" i thought this was a support group not lets kick a man when he's down
who are you to lecture me - you will see I am going from 1 hr to 2 hr to 3 hr to 4 hr
ok boys Im going cold turkey and to hell with my "little friend"
support forum ha more like confuse the hell out of people
So to keep you chaps happy I am now AF so what to the blood pressure seizures hallucinations etc Im obviously not good enough for you people

I was going to report a major advance in my tapering schedule but I guess thats not interesting anymore.