I need help. I am an alcoholic.

[Sagan]

I have a serious problem with alcoholism. It runs in my family. My mother and grandmother were very heavy drinkers. I drink every day and it is only making everything worse in my life. Everything from pushing away the people that care about me the most. To coming on here drunk saying stupid things and making a fool of myself.

I am wondering if any former drinkers could give me some advice on how to stop or at least cut down. It's become a daily habit I have found to be terribly difficult to break. Even for one day. I am sick and tired of the person I become when I drink. But it's so hard to stop. Any advice is appreciated.

[life]

please dont go cold turkey as it can kill you or cause serious damage to your body, please go and see your doctor. Imho i can give you no advice, from my personal experience, no treatment or groups will help you cut your drinking, if you are not ready and in the right place emotionally to quit. The only advice i can give is never stop trying to give up alcohol. Good luck and if you need anyone to talk to pm me any time.

how to contradict myself

[Koalafan]

Sagaaaannnn alcoholism runs rampant in my family too which is exactly why I try to stay away from alcohol and am a very occasional drinker at the most. My advice is to slowly ween yourself off....depending on how much your drinking, quitting cold turkey can be BRUTAL and even life threatening in extreme cases. And while you're weening yourself off it's important too replace the drinking with another healthier habit in it's place (harm reduction). This is why you see former alcoholics drinking alot of coffee and smoking lots of cigarettes...cant say I recommend the cigarette part at all . Then after that try to take yourself out of ANY situation where alcohol might be present. Take it out of your house, avoid stores that sell it (or at the least liquor ailes) and just try to limit oppurtunities where alcohol might be present. The less alcohol you come in contact with the less chance of a relapse. And of course the most important thing is that you surround yourself with people who support your decision and make sure you can stay clean (like the people on AS for instance that really care about you!! ).

Remember quitting alcohol isn't going to be easy and relapses are PERFECTLY normal. No one gets it in one shot and you shouldn't blame yourself if it does take more than one shot. So don't beat yourself up about it if it does happen! And also don't forget about some koala hugs as well!!

[Coffee]

Do you have an AA group near you? That's pretty much the go-to move when people realise they have a drinking problem. It's actually really helpful and you can get a lot of advice on what to do. It definitely helped me in the initial stages and it has helped other people I know that have drinking problems.

[Sagan]

Thanks for the advice guys. I will bring it up next doctors visit. I guess the first step is realizing and admitting there is a problem. I initially thought about AA meetings. But my SA is such that going would be very difficult. I used to only drink casually a little over a year ago. Then after my best friend moved I began drinking by myself. A couple times a week at first then it became an everyday thing. I think I am going to try and cut down by half today. When I get a craving go for a run or bike ride. If I can give up smoking, which was very difficult. I can give up drinking. It's going to be tough. But I have to do it. For me, and for my family.

I suppose I should have this thread moved as it doesn't fit the forums purpose (Off-topic. Stop thinking about problems and relax!)

[Sagan]

I looked online to see if there were medications to tread alcohol addiction. I found that Benzos are often prescribed when one quits drinking. I'm already on a Benzo so I don't know about that. then there is a medication that makes you literally sick if you drink at all. I think the latter would be a last resort type thing. If I can't find the strength to cut down on my own.

But I am ready. No more denying it, and no more excuses.

[VickieKitties]

Good luck, brother. Be strong, you can overcome anything.

[Coffee]

Antabuse has been shown to work but as you said I think it's a last resort thing. I'd stay away from additional benzos because as mentioned previously it's really easy to get hooked on to something else while trying to get rid of alcohol, so try to stay clear of anything else potentially addictive. Have you been managing to cut down?

[Chantellabella]

Do you have an AA group near you? That's pretty much the go-to move when people realise they have a drinking problem. It's actually really helpful and you can get a lot of advice on what to do. It definitely helped me in the initial stages and it has helped other people I know that have drinking problems.

I agree with coffee. I've tried to kick addictions alone, but found it was impossible. Either AA or CR groups might be helpful because they make you accountable for your actions and slip ups. If you're too anxious to go to a group, there may be online groups. You may also be able to contact a group leader and find out if he would be your sponsor one on one until you felt comfortable enough to join the group. CR (Celebrate Recovery) for me was a life saver with the addictions I had.

Alcohol is a depressant btw. When I was in grad school for counseling I learned about how alcohol and drugs mess up your ability to produce hormones that you need to feel good. If you keep filling those spots in your brain with the fake stuff, your body stops producing what you need on it's own. That's basically why when you start cutting back you feel depressed and like shit. You have to rev up your exercise, take B vitamins and get your butt with someone who will sit on you if they have to, to get you to not drink.

Believe me, I've played addiction games for years, so if you truly want to get rid of it, get some humility and seek help. Pride was my biggest enemy and once I admitted I had a problem and couldn't do it on my own, I started heading in the right direction.

[Sagan]

I tried cutting down my intake by half but was unsuccessful, though I did drink less than I normally do by about a quarter. I am defiantly going to ask for my doctors help. I read about another medication that I guess makes you unable to get drunk or a buzz when you drink, taking the point out of it (for me at least). I'm already on Mirtaz. Klono. Effex. and Risp. I don't know If I want to ad another to the cocktail. But I will wait and see what my doctor says.

[Sagan]

Strong urge to drink. Trying to resist. I dumped all the alcohol I had at home down the drain. It would foolish to go to the store just to buy more, and a waste of money. I can do this!

[Sagan]

Almost 2 weeks sober!

[life]

congratulations

[Sagan]

Thank you Life! Whenever I think about drinking, which is often. I go outside and go for a nice long run, and by the time I get back home all sweaty and hot. I take a nice shower and relax. It really helps a lot. I found it important to replace the absence of alcohol with something else, something healthy. So far so good. It's not easy, it's a battle. But it's a battle I am determined to win!

[life]

i found boredom was the worst thing to overcome, sounds like youve solved that problem with your long runs