I Cant Stop Drinking

You sound like me 5 months ago. Realize if you want to quit, it is possible. Do you feel ashamed that you drink so much? Has your partner said anything about your drinking? Look at the reality of your situation, assess it and know that there are good people on this board who can help you by giving you support. It helped me and I've been sober almost 5 months. Good Luck.

Yes I do feel ashamed by my drinking, I hate it and my mood changes and I find it hard to remember things the next day, wich I hate!!
My husband has spoken to me about it and he is a very supportive person but at the moment he is helping me stop smoking then we want to battle the drinking but Im not sure how to go about it, what has helped you stop?

You ca'nt stop drinking or you don't want to stop drinking? Now that is the question. Start with getting the heck out of deniel and face the fact you have a problem. Good way to start ya know.

A.A. Alcoholics Anonymous helped me to stop drinking.

the first step is noticing you need help.
the hardest step is getting up and going to get some help.

just think about it like this:
your not only effecting yourself but the ones you love.
so be strong and do it for them

and dont be afraid because your not alone
goodluck

And just remember. We are behind you all the way. Always feel you have somewhere to come for support. It is so very iimportant. Let us know when you are ready to hit this thing head on and we are there for you. Like Yogahoneybunny said, AA helps alot. My uncle went to AA and got sober and a year later got killed by a drunk driver head on. Now you see why I have a very special hard core place in my heart for the subject. My mom was also an alcholic and has been sober for 14 yeares now.

Carrie

Thanks for your support guys, its good to know that I have people to help me through this. I will defently find out where there is a AA in my area and I will let you know how I go.
Thanks again

What helped me quit was knowing that there were other people out there like me and they had quit. It was hard, but they did it. I learned about that from AA. I'm not religious and I was looking for a base or a starting point to build up my life. I wanted nothing more than to quit drinking. I gave up my old job and my husband became my rock. I was lost. I thought about suicide because I hated drinking and I hated the situation I was in. I couldn't see a way out so I kept on drinking because I thought it couldn't get worse. But it could worse. I could have gotten a DUI, I could have lost my family, I could have ended up in jail or dead for alcohol poisoning. I was in such a pit of despair and hopelessness. there was nothing else for me to do except stop and get my life back. AA was ok. it's not for everyone. BUT IT IS A START. I don't attend meetings anymore because of my own beliefs and the people in the group were really stuck in their past. I believe that the past is part of who you are and so is being an alcoholic, but it doesn't define the nature of my whole being. I am in charge and responsible for my life. So, I found a new job that pays less than 1/2 of what I was getting, I went back to school and I keep my mind busy. In my early days of withdrawal, I read alot of books on the disease, how it effected the people around me and what I could expect in recovery. When I drank, I was an overachiever, I compensated for my drinking by working extra hard at my school work and place of employment. Anyway, It's tough at first, but each day I am farther away from alcohol, the better my life is becoming. I honestly feel more free and not such a slave to the drink. It helps to have the immediate support in the house 24 hours a day from your husband. If you are resolved in your heart and mind to quit, you can do it.
good luck.

Hi
I've never posted on a website before. I have a serious problem with alcohol which is getting so bad I need to stop altogether. I binge drink and make phone cals and then cant remember what I've said the next morning. I drink out of habit and have been a heavy drinker for over 20 years now. I can go without for about three days then I cant get it out of my mind, it pops into my head all day long to get a bottle of wine which I can drink easily in an hour then I want more so I start another bottle. My husband doesn't understand why I need a drink so bad as he has no problem having a couple of glasses then he puts the cork in. I often wait till he has dozed off then sneak his bottle of wine and fill it back with blackcurrant juice so he doesn't know so I can replace it the next day. I just don't know why I cant be normal like most people. I don't know how I can get past the first week and then the rest of my life without wine.

Well this is a good place to start. Look through past posts and see if you can relate to what anyone is saying. Read replies and suggestions and really start to look at yourself. Are you hating the drinking or does it still give you a thrill? Have you gotten to the point where your husband is so angry at you for drinking and other people have made comments about it? I was is love with alcohol. I loved it, couldn't get enough of it and what ever was in the house was MINE, only mine and I hid it. In many stupid places. I used to think I was being sneaky, or getting one over on my husband. But he'd know. And then I'd feel like a jerk and go through a couple of days of remorse and not drink. Then I'd get that feeling of wanting the wine, or the whiskey or the vodka, then anything. I'd drink for days straight, then I got to the point that I didn't care if my husband or kids saw me drinking. But eventually, I couldn't live my life life that. The thrill was gone and I knew I had to quit drinking or I would end up killing myself and destroying my family. Alcohol just plain sucks. I hated that part of my life. I've been sober 5 months, I haven't had the desire to drink. The first couple of weeks I really really wanted to drink. I knew I couldn't, I went to AA. I heard the stories of recovery and I gained the hope that I could do this. While I don't believe in all of AA's philosophies, I have to say it really is pretty basic. Realize you have a problem, DON'T pick up that first drink, and then start to change your life. I quit my job. I make considerably less money and we struggle but it's worth the change. I keep myself busy reading and learning. Every person has it within themselves to quit drinking. They just have to find it. Good Luck. And post if you ever want to vent. I went through a period of self loathing for a while...sometimes it pops up, but I have a great support system. Talk to your husband candidly. If he won't listen and you think you really have a problem, make him, show him, don't hide it. Tell him what's been going on. I felt a HUGE weight lifted when I blurted everything out to mine. He was responsive and helpful and I couldn't have done any of this without him.

I completely get where you are coming from, drink every night and would start early but I have kids..............am i an alcoholic or not. Days without, side effects are only to drink and on most cases I do. My mother died age 32 of serosis of the liver and I am now 32

I think that some people need to stay away from labeling themselves. First look at yourself and decide if you like your life the way it is. Does drinking interfere with the way you could be living your life? If so, then maybe you need to think about adjusting your train of thought. I used to think I wanted to die when I drank. Now I have both undergraduate and graduate school. I have a great job. Not without some bumps in the road, I did drink during extreme changes that I thought i couldn't handle. We can help. No one is alone. Start with healing on the inside. Think good thoughts and know that we all have the power inside us to stop drinking and hurting the people we love.

I think alcohol is a hard addiction to get over. Most drugs are because they make you feel good for the most part. I too had an alcohol addiction up until I was 23. I had an event that changed my life. I got behind the wheel and crashed my car, which left me with two broken ankles, a fractured back, severe headaches, and a cracked tooth which caused me a lot of pain. This helped me realize that it was not worth it. It costs so much money. It costs you family and friends sometimes, because sometimes the things you say and do are messed up when you drink, and it was the cause of failure in all of my past relationships. I was not happy and decided enough was enough. I learned to have limits. I no longer feel the need to go out and drink everytime i am stressed. Instead I vent and go for a walk to cool down. I guess you just have to find other things to do to keep you busy. Pick up a second job? Alcohol never made anything better. Although you have tons of "friends", when you drink, because everyone wants to party, which is an addiction itself when people call u non stop wanting to hang out with you. Its a great feeling and its hard to get away from. I moved to get away from everyone I knew to start a new life. And I got away from most of it. Only problem I have now is my boyfriend is a bad alcoholic... being around it makes me want to drink sometimes. But for the most part I kicked drinkin every day and now only drink for special occasions.

I also was unable to stop drinking, and the progression of addiction is baffling. The time restraints slowly drifted away to where there was none. I drank whenever my eyes were open. I had to have it with me on all times. I was paralyzed by alchohol. For me, counseling and AA was such a gift. AA taught me how to live, how to breath, accept, and get out of the terrible isolation I was in. I listened to what everyone told me there. Six months into my sobriety, I wanted to quit smoking. And I did for two months. That was the one time I didn't listen as I was told to wait until after the first year. I still smoke and am past the first year. I now know to wait until I am ready. I would rather smoke than drink anyday! It gets soooo much easier and sooo much better every day. I don't live in the past or worry about the future anymore which is a miracle in itself! One day at a time. You can do this! My thoughts and prayers are with you!

I am 73 years old. I have tried stopping drinking from 1990. I am now retired. Every day is hell. After 5 pm I get into a frenzy, I don't want to drink, but must, every drink is hell, I promise I'll give up today, the next day I am at it again. I fear evenings. I have prayed but Jesus has not helped yet. There is no proper AA in my town. I am depressed over my problem. The whole day is rotten. I am forever weak. I don't want to go out. Today I was to do marketing but felt lousy and canceled it. I am just sick. In my place seeking psychiatric help is taboo. I cannot talk to others about my problem as I feel I will lose face. I am writing this in frustration. Please help.

Hi, i found this site today and felt relief. I have had a drinking problem for a long time now. One two maybe up to three bottles of wine a night. I wake up in the middle of the night some times and worry about how i could end up dying from this but as the next afternoon rolls around i go and buy more. The last day or so i have had a very sore and swollen stomach/liver/kidneys? and lower back pain. This has given me the nudge i need to try and kick my 'habit'. It is a sad way to be, and i hide it from as many people as possible. I would be horrified if they knew how much i drank. Reading these posts i will now make myself a doctors appt, then see where to go from there. And to everyone else good luck

Good for you for making a Dr appt. I hope you followed through with it and were completely honest with the physician. You will not be the first patient he/she has seen with an alcohol issue. Although you probably feel alone and as if you are the only one who has felt the way you do, it is all too common unfortunately. I have been sober now for over 2 decades and understand the compulsion despite one's common sense telling you otherwise.
It is not an issue of bad character or poor morals. It is a medical condition. If you attend an AA meeting you will find that you are not alone, I would also recommend that you acknowledge your own worth by giving yourself permission to take the time to enter treatment in an abstinence based program. I did and it changed not only my life but the lives of my loved ones and friends. It basically gives you a whole new perspective on life and how you live it.
I remember well thinking that I was hiding my drinking "problem" from most but discovered when I sobered up that EVERYONE knew. Few judged me but rather were happy and proud of me for getting help with overcoming. The ones who matter were all very supportive.
Sounds like other than who may know of your drinking you do not seem to be in denial about having the problem...that is always the hardest part of recovery and the first step in AA " I am powerless over alcohol". It's been a couple of weeks since you posted, I hope that you have reached out and are on your way to a better existence without alcohol. My worst day sober is far happier than my best day drinking.

So do you mean you want to stop drinking now? But can't? Or won't? There's a difference between the two. Now, if you're sure you cannot stop drinking, you can seek help from professionals or enroll in an alcohol addiction program.

i got sober through a 12 step programme and it saved my life! drinking nearly killed me lots of times and made me want to take my own life but today through the help ive recieved and the changes ive made i have a life beyond my wildest dreams. there are always going to be ups and downs because although im an alcoholic i am human first!! but i have the tools today to help me deal with life and its been an amazing journey.
these forums are great to get advice from if you are scared and ashamed, when you are ready there are people u can call and noone will judge you
i hope it all works out and you can inbox me if need be