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8 years ago 0 +0 / -0 5

Virgo, congrats! I have not made it past day four, I'm starting again today. I really appreciate reading your stories, they are very motivational and absolutely true. It baffles me why I get to day four, feel awesome....and then choose to suffer again.

Reading these posts certainly keeps focus.

I'm new to this and started just over a week ago. Today I start my day one again....I can't wait for "week 1";). Rosa

8 years ago 0 +0 / -0 115

Virgo, congrats on one week! You just got through the hardest part of quitting drinking- those first few days. I guess you have already noticed that withdrawal symptoms are all gone???

I am headed towards 6 months beimg alcohol free. In this new state of being alcohol free, I have discovered lots of new stuff. Like you, having more time on my hands is one major benefit. I have more time to read, think, workout, etc etc.

I never realized how much time drinking took until I stopped. Planning to drink, actually drinking, then dealing with the dehydration and/or hangover tooks hours and hours.

In fact, the more I keep thinking about what alcohol does for me (nothing), the more I keep saying to myself "Why would I drink again? What benefit will get from drinking? What could possibly make we want to feel drunk and/or hungover ever again?????" My thinking has changed so much over the last 6 months that I cannot come up with one reason TO DRINK anymore. Offering me a drink now is like offering me battery acid - sorry not interested.

Good on you Virgo. Keep up the good work!

8 years ago 0 +0 / -0 12

Wow, Jake. That's pretty powerful motivation! Congratulations to you on your success and your new life! Thanks for reminding me that this is definitely a life-threatening problem.

Thanks for the welcome, Lynn, and congrats to you, too for going strong for 75 days! Hope you're finding ways to reward yourself along the way, in addition to the best reward of all, feeling great!

Thank you, Julie,too, for the welcome and for the suggestions. I'm definitely going to check out those blogs. Suddenly I have more time on my hands so that I can follow up on these things.

I'm really glad to be here. Tomorrow I will be free for one week. Doesn't sound like much, but it sure feels good!

8 years ago 0 +0 / -0 315

Trust me if you truly have a problem it will get much much worst if you don't do something about it. The poor man dying of cancer has no cure. Alcoholism like cancer is a sickness without a cure only remission. I have a daily remission from my alcoholism. Where alcoholism is very different then cancer is the fact that most alcohols are convinced that they are healthy when in fact they are dying a very painful death. Websites like this one, a means to reach out to others in support are like medicine to me. There are other ways also, you will find them if you are willing to do anything to get and stay sober.

I hit a rock bottom on March 9/2014. Tried to kill myself in a drunken haze. My soul was rotten. March 10 something changed and have not had a drink since. My life is amazing now.

8 years ago 0 +0 / -0 347

Hello Virgo and welcome to the site. I am a few days past 75 alcohol free days and I hope you find the happiness that I and others have found being alcohol free. Reading your post and your reason for deciding to not drink sounds a lot like my reason. I realized that right now I have a choice whether to drink, that may not be true in the future. Once the days began to go by and I realized they were so much better without alcohol I began to change my thought of future moderation to possibly having a life without alcohol. I will evaluate where I am after 90 days but truly believe I will continue to be alcohol free.

After the first 30 days I have not had any major problems staying on my path, maybe it is because I know that I never want to go back to where I was and know that there is simply no other option. Right now I find comfort in knowing that I shouldn't drink, that it could lead me back to where I was. Will that be enough later? Who knows! I guess I will deal with that when/if it comes, for now I am enjoying the freedom.

Good luck to you Virgo!

8 years ago 0 +0 / -0 286

Welcome Virgo and congratulations on day three! I can hear your determination and resolve. It sounds like you have lots of ideas for self-care and that is great! I found some sober blogs very helpful when I started out. If you google "tired of thinking about drinking" and "unpickled" and "mrs. d. is going without" they are all blogs of women who have quit drinking and their journey. I joined "tired of thinking about drinking" 100 day challenge and I found this very helpful. Lots of sober books were a support for me as well. Rooting for you Virgo and looking forward to hearing more from you. Stay strong!

8 years ago 0 +0 / -0 12

Thanks, Ashley. My goal is abstinence. I tried the moderation route years ago, and was unable to do it. Taking alcohol off the table will mean I don't have to count, measure, alternate drinks, ect. It would still be on my mind way too much of the time.

Today is day 3. Last night was when I decided I am done.

I doing yoga and meditation to keep the anxiety down along with bubble baths and using essential oils. I'm treating myself with extra doses of self-care. I'm baking, playing with my dgd, and getting a whole lot more done than usual!

I opened my trunk at the grocery store today and sitting there, unopened, was a 12 pack that I had totally forgotten that I'd purchased! I called my dh right away and asked him to take it to a family gathering he's attending today. I only had a momentary, "dang!", and then I remembered that I've taken back my power, and I'm not giving it up for any substance, no matter what. I imagine I'll use that statement like a mantra for future cravings. It worked well today, thankfully.

I'm not feeling cocky about this. I know that there will be challenging times. And I'll need to build a toolbox with many tools. I also think that I don't need to make it harder than it has to be. I skipped the alcohol-soaked family gathering today, not so much because I would be tempted, though I might be but why put myself in a potentially uncomfortable or unsafe situation.

I'm looking forward to learning about lots of tools on this site, along with what's helpful to other folks.

Thanks!

8 years ago 0 +0 / -0 11214

Welcome Virgo,

It was great to read your post. I am so glad to hear that you feel so motivated to get going on this. Have you decided to abstain or moderate? When do you plan on getting started? How do you plan to handle the cravings?

I look forward to reading more from you!

Ashley, Health Educator

Here to help :)

8 years ago 0 +0 / -0 12

Hi everyone,
I wanted to introduce myself here. I've known I had a problem with alcohol for a long time. For the past few weeks I've been looking into rehabs, because while I accept I have a problem, I could not get to the motivation and will to stop drinking. I knew I didn't need a medical detox, but I thought they could somehow get me over the hump. The costs of the programs are outrageous! And many of them just basically send you to AA and put you in a few groups a day.

Yesterday I found this site. I did some of the exercises and quizzes in the toolbox. Then later last night, I saw a post from my niece on Facebook. Her young husband is lying in a hospital bed, in horrific pain, dying from lung cancer that has spread throughout his body. And there is Nothing anyone can do about it. And it hit me: here I sit slowly killing myself when there is Everything I can do about it. I have a choice. This catapulted me into the land of the willing and the able. I think that doing the exercises here prepared me for this amazing moment. I highly recommend doing them if you haven't yet.

I'm looking forward to getting to know you, and I can say I'm actually looking forward to the journey.

Best wishes,

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