My first day here and hoping the forum can help me stay positive.
I was/am a very functional alcoholic. A 1.75 bottle of vodka lasted 3 or 4 days. Run to the liquor store and buy another bottle for about $60 (Canadian with taxes and deposits). That amounts to close to $600 a month, $7,200 a year. I just retired and that is a HUGE chunk of my pension. I need a new vehicle and there is no money for it. Reality just smacked me in the head. I can afford things if I don't spend all my extra money on vodka. So I quit buying vodka 10 days ago. I quit drinking about 7 days ago. I am now about $120 richer than I would have been.
I gave some thought about how to drink cheaper but that is like putting a band aid on a gunshot wound. I love the taste of vodka and I would drink it straight on the rocks. Never passed out or blacked out although some times I would be more drunk than I thought I was. Moderation is always the best path but once you cross the line for as long as I did that option may be off the table. I have to cross this bridge at some point but I need to be able to resist for a month at least. I have not had any physical symptoms of withdrawal but that little voice in my head keeps reminding me how much I enjoy drinking.
Good for you Hors Control ! For me it nice just to look at my bank account and not see it drain down to nothing as I spend money on booze. I just recently moved back to Canada after living in the US for 20 plus years. I now need to create a credit rating as I have none. I hate not having a car but it should only be a short term problem. Man, it is crazy how we let alcohol rule our lives and not even realize it until we are neck deep.
It has been 9 days and I was shooting for a month, I may have to rethink that goal now reading your 3 month habit thing.. I may be to addictive to drink again. When I quit smoking around 2000 I promised myself a cigar if I lasted a year. When that year came up I knew if I had that cigar I would be a full fledged smoker in a week or two. 19 years later and still no cigar but that is ok as I am so happy I don't need that crutch anymore, nasty habit even if I did enjoy it . lol.
Foxman - I spent several hours looking over AA sites and such. Nothing I found seemed to resonate with me at this time. If I find I am unable to keep to my goals I would consider revisiting the AA avenue. Thank you though for the advice and response to my post when you are reaching out to people it is nice to know that there are others out there. This site is quieter than I expected.
Keep the faith so to speak and find out what works for you. That means trial and error. Learn from the past but do not become it's prisoner. It sounds like your getting stronger and stronger with every step you take. Way to go !!
As I am new here and just started my own journey so to speak there isn't a lot of insight I can give you but know that I am hoping you achieve your goals both short term and long. We gain strength from adversity, it just sucks while it is happening.
If I can help in any way, reach out, as a group we are stronger.
I have stopped before although not totally. For about the last 30 years I poured about 3/4 of an ounce of kahlua in my morning coffee. Several times in the past I have quit all other drinks when I went on a diet except my coffee routine. I have done that several times in the last 15 years for a couple months at a stretch. This time I have completely stopped and I am retired. Before I retired I owned my own business and it took a LOT of my time, a 10 hour work day was not uncommon and more during the busy seasons. I think more free time equaled more drinking time.
My main reason for quitting is the money issue other benefits are bonuses. I am hoping also to drop some pounds (20 - 30) as a even extra bonus. Not dieting but not eating any more than I did before, in fact I also quit eating all junk food when I quit drinking. Chips, buttered popcorn, pretzels and such may have equaled my calorie intake to the vodka I was drinking. I am finding I don't miss the junk food at all and it may have to do with the booze not messing with my blood sugars. I read somewhere having a drink or three can greatly increase your appetite.
Wow, I was going to write a quick reply, this is turning into a novel..lol
Keep the faith and keep the replies coming. This forum does help me organize my thoughts better and we are stronger as a group than we are alone.
After reading this thread I hope you are staying strong. One day at a time and focus on the successes and learn from the setbacks.
Hi hors controle
The bowl and plate story brought a smile to my face. There is a bit of humour in it from this end. I was wondering if you should put those dishes on the counter or somewhere you would see them every day. They could be used as a reminder of one of the reasons to not drink. It might even make a good conversation piece for those who you would be willing to the story of your journey. It didn't happen very often but the few times I drank so much I could not recall what I did, said or eat really bothered me. I was really good at not drinking so fast as to get to that point. Start early and maintain that buzz was my MO.
For me it helps to look at all the positives of not drinking, the intended ones and unintended ones. I live in a house with 2 other people and they consume a lot of beer in the evenings, lucky for me they drink Budweiser beer. Not something I would ever buy, swill is what comes to mind with that brand ... lol. A couple times I have went to the liquor store to get them some beer and have not been tempted to buy any for myself. A small hurdle but one I managed so it is a win in my books.
The longer you can stay alcohol free the less you need to defend it. It does get easier a little bit every day. It sure was that way when I quit smoking. That for me was much harder than this was. I was sick for 2 months, it seems my body wanted me to know I needed that nicotine. I would have such vivid dreams of smoking that I would wake up thinking I had become a smoker again. It would take like 30 minutes to sort myself out. That lasted at least 2 years. The frequency would drop though as time went on. The last several dreams were months apart. The dreams were so vivid though I remember them all too well. This alcohol thing is way easier for me than the smoking was so I should be able to handle it without too much trauma I hope. I still need to keep focus on why I am doing this. I still think about drinking way too much and the urge is always nagging at me to come back for just one drink........
You did good, glad to hear of positives as they can be very motivating. Focus on what works for you and don't be afraid to revaluate your goals as you journey on. Keeping things positive should help you reach those goals also.
Reading through this forum helped me learn more about triggers, setbacks and such. The information here can help us learn from what doesn't work and get back on track.
Today was not a good day. I ran into several financial road blocks that will make things a bit more difficult in the future. Nothing devastating but a definite setback none the less.
The AV was strong today, just a couple drinks of your old friend vodka will make you feel better and you will care less. Win Win in the old days. The good news is that I held off,
I decided to read old posts on this forum. I went back to 2015. A couple hours of distraction and inspiration. I need to fill out several forms to try and rectify this situation but I didn't want to deal with all that paper work this afternoon. I decided to procrastinate and not focus on this until tomorrow. One day isn't going to affect things much at this point.
I think I am over the urge now and ignored the AV until he shut up. I am committed to being alcohol free for 30 days and this was my biggest test so far, I think today is my 2 week mark so I am half way to my goal.
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