Tough time quitting the bottle

This is great advice!! The last few weeks I've kept track of what I spent on the whiskey and bar tabs. It was amazing what it added up to, especially over a few month's time! I think I'll put that money in jar starting this week. Then buy something I could really use. Thanks again... keep the advice coming!
 
steve-in-kville said:
My doc advised me it was time to quit drinking. I was contemplating this for some time, but its going hard. I might have a dozen beers a week plus I have a special place in my heart for bourbons.


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Can anyone offer some advice on quitting? I always thought this was gonna be easy when the time came, but I'm finding it harder than I imagined.
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Steve,you have to want soberity . I picked a day,drank up to it & the burbon went down the sink.

Out work crew killed a fifth [ 4 & sometimes 5 of us ] each pm in about 1/2 hour. When I said I'd quit they'd hold their drinks under my nose & watch my mouth water.

My resolve was so firm that I started mixing their drinks & the pestering quit.


Strangely,my bank account grew & I developed a better class of friends.



Uncle Alan :D
 
Broh--- You must quit. If you can't, go for help. In two weeks you'll be on your way to a whole new beginning.
I know. ;)
 
In one of the Johnny Cash biographies that I read, Cash said that his daddy told him:
"You start out drinking out of the bottle. Keep at it long enough, the bottle starts drinking out of you."

Better health, better friends, more money, what's not to like?
:D
 
I've been sober (drink, pot) since Nov 22 08. For me it was my first DUI. I got caught b/c my RR tire was flat. Passed my field sobriety tests with flying colors but blew .18 on the breathalyzer. I've had worse rock bottoms than this but that was it. Went back to AA the next day, got a sponsor before the week was over. Today I have no urge to drink.

Are you a religious person? I'm not but AA has helped me in the right direction. I ask a God of my understanding to remove my urge to drink and use. I did this only because I was willing to go to any lengths to have sobriety. The pick below is what I see when I wake up.
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Hang in there.

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Alcohol can defeat you in two ways: The obvious way is to beat you down and progressively make you a worse person to yourself and to all whom you love. You continue down that path despite the fact you are on a collision course to lose everything that's necessary in your life. That is addiction.

The other way is to convince you, or at least strongly suggest to you, that you must quit when you really don't need to. Completely quitting when you don't need to undermines your ability-- and negates the possibility-- of controlling the substance that you think may or may not control you.

Do you really need to quit? Is it possible to moderate, or will even moderation still be detrimental to your overall health, moreso than if you removed a simple pleasure from your life? Don't listen to your doctor, listen to yourself. If it makes sense to you....if it makes sense for your "self" to quit drinking, then by all means do so.

Ask yourself important clinical questions: 1) is your drinking progressive? Does it get progressively worse? 2) Have you been unsuccessful in cutting back on your drinking when you believed to yourself that you should?

If you answer yes to any one of those two questions, then you may need to quit entirely. If you answer no to both questions, and your overall health can be improved by making other adjustments in your life, then you might be able to allow yourself several drinks a week when you deem them the most enjoyable and beneficial.
 
Congratulations on your sobriety Solid Soldier. I let God intervene, I did little, He did alot. I am sober for 4 plus years now. I never went to AA, but kept my butt in church and my nose in the bible, and I have no desire to drink. I much rather would buy my kids some ice cream, or myself a pocket knife, or some other tool than spend it on alcohol or a bag of weed and cigarettes. Living life large now, with no regrets, second thoughts, and enjoy all of the day hangover free, with no wheezing or coughing. I always worried about my lungs and throat from all the smoke damage. I no longer worry about that either. Just want to say "way to go", and enjoy sobriety for what it is, living life to the fullest. Don't forget to reward yourself sometimes, even if it is just a good cup of coffee, a really good quality hand tool at the hardware store, knife etc. As you hold it, remember that it cost less than your last binge, but will be there much longer than one blood sugar wave trip of way up, and way down....
CJ
 
The smokes and dip are the last things I'll quit. Today they are a crutch I still need.

Don't forget to reward yourself sometimes
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I did that when my VA backpay happened. I bought myself an SD. That's my "holy grail" watch, my be all end all. Every time I look at my wrist, I'm reminded of how much money I literally pissed away with booze and drugs. Now I have something to show for my money. You can't drink or smoke a Rolex.
 
I'm sorry but I'm going to have to disagree with komondor.
If one feel's the need to quit (as well as being told to by an MD), it's time to bite the bullet and just do it.
You speak of the alcohol lying to you and telling you that you need to quit.
I'm thinking it is the other way around.
The drink (actually the addicted part of your brain and body) is telling you, a little is OK, just keep feeding the addiction.
Then when a little turns to a lot, as it will, your brain and body will say 'never again' 'just a little from now on'.
Then the cycle begins anew.

No one quits when they aren't ready.
When you're ready... get'r done :D

Congrats to all the survivors :D
 
Well folks... took some the advise here. Determined I really don't need to quit all together so this week I cut way back. Figured I will reward myself today and have a nice bourbon after all thw rok is done around the house.
 
Steve, the only way to quit drinking is to quit. Slowing down helps in the short run but sooner or later you have to quit. If you are not ready to stop drinking than you are not ready but don't fool yourself that you can successfully "slow down".
 
kamkazmoto said:
Steve, the only way to quit drinking is to quit. Slowing down helps in the short run but sooner or later you have to quit. If you are not ready to stop drinking than you are not ready but don't fool yourself that you can successfully "slow down".
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Amen to that.
 
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