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Day 90

8 years ago 0 +0 / -0 2

Part of me wants to stop completely; another part says maybe moderation. If moderation is the goal, then I did ok this weekend, I guess....limiting myself to 2 glasses at dinner. But there is this part of me lurking in the background when I do that...the part that says, "what the hell, have one more now," or "walk to the wine shoppe when your husband is doing something else and buy some more for yourself." The thought of NEVER having a glass of wine again kills me....I love the whole process, you know? From deciding to buy a bottle...to opening it, to seeing it poured into the elegant glass. But I know that's only one side of it. The other side is not so nice: the hangover, the shame. My goal this week is to not drink during the week, and re-evaluate how I feel Friday. That seems so far away. But just for today, I will not drink.

8 years ago 0 +0 / -0 286

Welcome Hope1234,

It is a tough battle but one that can be won. Is your goal to moderate or quit completely? I have found that working through this website's toolbox and reading through other people's posts and blogs on here was very helpful. There are also lots of good blogs online that are written by people in similar situations. Check out some books on the subjects. There are lots of resources available to support you. Best of luck and I look forward to hearing more about your journey.

8 years ago 0 +0 / -0 2

Help...I can't even seem to string more than 2 days together without wine. I have the best intentions every morning, and then, I just give in to the voice that says," oh, who cares...you deserve a nice bottle of wine...the buzz gives you the lift you need to get more things done..." I feel like a failure. My goal this week is to go 4 days. I think if I can just stretch it out a little every week, I will start to feel better and reinforce the behavior.

8 years ago 0 +0 / -0 348

Hello Dave,

I am doing well, thank you for asking. As you know, I have been away from this site for awhile. I returned the end of August and have been alcohol free for 40+ days. Peace and freedom are carrying me through this journey and I suppose it is because it is something that I truly wanted to accomplish. It was not always easy, I started a thread under General Health and Wellbeing, named Sometimes It Is Really Hard because it was exhausting in the beginning; literally. I barely slept and felt as if I was in a fog for about 3 weeks. Looking back, all was worth it to feel the way I do today.

As a daily drinker my goal was to be alcohol free for 2 weeks then return to alcohol only on the weekends. With that goal accomplished I set my sights for a month. I then discovered that to truly break a habit/addiction one should go 3 months and then reassess. After much reflection I decided to go through with this break, I do not want to go back to what I was doing before or have to go through the 3 weeks of my body recovering.

I hope things are going well with you! Thanks for what you do.

Lynn

8 years ago 0 +0 / -0 1009

Hi Lynn123,

How are you doing? It's been a while. Keeping things in check? I hope all is well.

Dave

8 years ago 0 +0 / -0 348

Congratulations Julie on your successful journey!

Lynn

8 years ago 0 +0 / -0 286

Dave- It is great to hear about your experience and what you have found out along the way. It sounds like quitting has been very positive one for you and your family. Hope to hear more from you in the future!

Simmy - Thanks for congratulations! I will be planning a reward for when I hit 100 days! Planning to sign up for the 180 Day Challenge next.

8 years ago 0 +0 / -0 72

Wow Julie, only 9 days to go for the big 100! I hope you plan yourself a special sober treat. Keep up the great work.

8 years ago 0 +0 / -0 1009

Hi Julie,

I decided to get things under control in July '13. I made a decision to stop the nonsense of living under the influence of alcohol because, like so many here, it had become a major detriment in my life. I started drinking as a teenager and grew up in a family (and surrounded myself with friends of the same mindset) where excess was the norm. While it's easier to manage that when your younger (hangover's were much easier to recover from :) and don't have to deal with the ever-escalating responsibilities that life brings with career, family, and friends, the problem continued to develop until the scales tipped against what was best for myself and my family. It's a huge challenge at first, however, the longer you stick with it the better life gets. There is a lot of anxiety that goes along with quitting (as you are experiencing) and we have to take each situation on it's own. What I found was that as I made it though one situation, like going to a party and everyone is drinking and they're accustomed to you joining in , I was anxious and stressed. And you know what? That's a good thing! It's your mind re-wiring itself to your new, positive way of living and the development of your self-control. You're building new pathways in your brain. Take those situations and embrace them, stand your ground, and crush that challenge under your heal. You'll feel better about yourself and it will enable you to cope with the next one. Otherwise, you're destined to repeat it until you do or slide backwards. What I learned is that no really cares if you drink and you'll enjoy the social aspect of your life SO much more. Since I quit the friends that were the heavy drinkers and were a negative influence in my life have dropped off and I've kept the one's that really matter. The new friends I've made since do drink, however, very little, if at all and they just accept that I don't.

We all have would have preferred to have done things differently but we're the sum parts of our lives to date and we need to look forward to what lies ahead and not dwell in the past. You're doing an amazing job Julie! I smile knowing that you're making such great progress and you have so much to look forward to. Well done!

Dave

8 years ago 0 +0 / -0 286

Thanks Dave for taking the time to offer such encouraging words. The knowledge that others have gone or are going through similar experiences is a reassurance. How long since you have quit drinking? Glad that you are back here!

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Day 90