Haven't touched a drop in...

MaceFace

Best of luck tdf7187

anplaya27

Since December 2018. Just choose not to drink. I had my fun and thats all that matters. Not bothered with it is all.

Chalk McHugh

Ray Donovan wrote: »

I can scarcely believe that I will turn 40 this year!!

You're still a young man. Will you ring in the birthday with a few drinks or will you keep up the sober life?

Chalk McHugh

tdf7187 wrote: »

I'm in rehab right now and glad to be. Day 17.

Fair play. Hope it works out for you. Not an easy place to be.

BK92

23 days now and dead happy, the increase in positive mood, feeling much less tired in the morning are incredible ! First thing when I get up I spend 10 mins meditating. I go for a 2km walk every morning and give 20 mins study each to French, English and Norwegian. I'm drinking a lot more water and are more conscious of eating healthily, buying the right foods.

Someone posted somewhere in the thread that to keep you on track it's good to remind yourself that alcohol ALWAYS takes away more than it gives. In my case it couldn't be more true !

Keep up the good work everyone, whether you're on day 1 or 10,000 you're already winning :-)

Tinwhistle*

Chalk McHugh wrote: »

How long are are you alcohol free?

I quit July 3rd 2018. I set the date July 4th. Independence Day but couldn't wait any longer

Chalk McHugh

Tinwhistle* wrote: »

I quit July 3rd 2018. I set the date July 4th. Independence Day but couldn't wait any longer

Ha very good . Hats off.

Tinwhistle*

tdf7187 wrote: »

I'm in rehab right now and glad to be. Day 17.

Well done, you're giving yourself the best chance of living a better life

BK92

One month tomorrow, it's now at the stage where not drinking is an automatic habit. Not missing it at all.

Ray Donovan

Chalk McHugh wrote: »

You're still a young man. Will you ring in the birthday with a few drinks or will you keep up the sober life?

It’s not until November so definitely haven’t thought that far ahead at all.

S4albarn

Over 2 years off the booze now. I recall reading most of this thread when I started out.

My housemates drink. I brought their bottles to the recycling centre yesterday while they were in bed hungover. The smell of the alcohol from the bottles made me feel nauseous and so glad that I don't drink any more.

I started this journey thinking I would still drink on special occasions and/or holidays but after 2 years I don't see myself every touching a drop of booze again. Life is just better without it. Keep going.

Tinwhistle*

S4albarn wrote: »

Over 2 years off the booze now. I recall reading most of this thread when I started out.

My housemates drink. I brought their bottles to the recycling centre yesterday while they were in bed hungover. The smell of the alcohol from the bottles made me feel nauseous and so glad that I don't drink any more.

I started this journey thinking I would still drink on special occasions and/or holidays but after 2 years I don't see myself every touching a drop of booze again. Life is just better without it. Keep going.

Same here, 2 years in a few weeks and I’m sure I’ll never drink again. Thank God!

Tinwhistle*

S4albarn wrote: »

Over 2 years off the booze now. I recall reading most of this thread when I started out.

My housemates drink. I brought their bottles to the recycling centre yesterday while they were in bed hungover. The smell of the alcohol from the bottles made me feel nauseous and so glad that I don't drink any more.

I started this journey thinking I would still drink on special occasions and/or holidays but after 2 years I don't see myself every touching a drop of booze again. Life is just better without it. Keep going.

Same here, 2 years in a few weeks and I’m sure I’ll never drink again. Thank God!

anniewilkes

Day 69 today - powering through.

Apprehensive for the future, I was always more of a weekend binger so worried about pubs reopening and finding new friends aaah!

Feeling good though!

Tinwhistle*

anniewilkes wrote: »

Day 69 today - powering through.

Apprehensive for the future, I was always more of a weekend binger so worried about pubs reopening and finding new friends aaah!

Feeling good though!

If I can do it when the pubs are open, anyone can! I avoided all social situations and changed my routine, I take a lot better care of myself now. My life is so much better, my children, in particular, are very proud of me

Keep going and take one day at a time

Chalk McHugh

Day 100 today. Feels good. Next milestone, 150 days. Break it down to more manageable timeframes.

Sigma Force

Chalk McHugh wrote: »

Thanks. So far so good. The lockdown has actually helped me to stay alcohol free. I don't drink at home (bar heading to a house after an all day session in town or local) so with no pubs open i've no real urge to drink.

What i am worried about however is when the pubs reopen whenever that may be. I , ike so many others, will no doubt be feeling like celebrating our new found 'freedom' and i just know it will be very hard for me at that time. May be only a month or two away. Could be longer. We dont know yet.

I was doing well and keeping busy by walking up to 2.5 hrs every day until i heard a popping noise in the back of my leg last Sunday week and ive been struggling to walk to the shops ever since. It has got me down a bit as that release valve is now gone. My leg must have a pretty bad injury so resting up is all i can do. I thought i was doing great with the exercise but was overdoing it and suffering for it now.

Fair play to you doing 2018 alcohol free. Im not sure i can do it to be honest but good to hear others that have done it as it is not easy in this country.

If you really don’t want to go down the drinking road again, don’t go to the pubs when they open ..find a different way to celebrate and with the leg injury although you can’t be as active as you want, focus on the physio u might need to do and strengthening exercises that will get you back to where you were. Maybe come up with some others interests in the mean time. Try not to focus on when the pubs are opening, maybe even something like focusing on who you can give a hand to once restrictions have been lifted. Could be an elderly neighbour who can’t keep their garden in check or volunteering etc. Helping others out does give a feeling of wellbeing and productiveness. Now your routine has changed hopefully it’ll be easier to do.

Sigma Force

Tinwhistle* wrote: »

If I can do it when the pubs are open, anyone can! I avoided all social situations and changed my routine, I take a lot better care of myself now. My life is so much better, my children, in particular, are very proud of me

Keep going and take one day at a time

My bf is the same he chose not to put himself in situations where he’d be in a pub etc. Unless we are going for a meal and we’d sit in the lounge not the bar. He still keeps in touch with his old drinking buddies but he can’t see that’s all they are they’re just users who don’t have much interest in him now they can’t use him as an excuse to stay out drinking. You really find out who your true friends are in situations like this but it’s not a loss it’s a new start.?

Sigma Force

tdf7187 wrote: »

I'm in rehab right now and glad to be. Day 17.

Good on you and the fact you want to be there and go through the process is really positive rather than someone forcing you do go which I don’t think really works well, you have to want it for yourself. Hope the food is good at least my bf ate like a horse in there he could taste good again where before he literally might only have a slice of ham all day.

amygdaladfd

Hello all, this seems like a good support group, I've been posting on boards under my usual name for a while but this is all a bit personal and raw to post under my own name.
Anyway I've realised I have a terrible relationship with alcohol. I have all my adult life. I thought I was managing it ok for the most part, or I just ignored the problems as I've always done ok career wise and have a house and money etc.
I got a big slap in the face last week when my partner left me. She basically found it very hard to go out with someone who was up and down with moods and hot and cold on her all the time. So yeah she did the right thing. We didn't live together, so she didn't know the extent of my alcohol problem except that I liked a drink, a good few drinks, and probably thought it wasn't all that bad.
However I've been getting messed up every weekend at least once, and drinking almost every other night, for as long as I can remember, with only a few breaks, of maybe 4 nights, or once I did 4 weeks, last year. I would consider it such an achievement to get from a Saturday to a Friday without a drink, and that rarely happened.
So I was either freshly hungover or getting over a hangover all the time. It makes me irritable and moody. And I have sabotaged so many relationships because of it. It makes me think very little of myself and I have low self esteem, even though I have always had everything going for me. Lovely family, wealthy, have always been called good looking, smart enough...
But I never made the most of it, I just drift through life hungover waiting for the next time to get messed up and have the craic.

I turn 40 next week, and I don't want another decade like this. I don't want to lose another love. I have zero contact with my ex now and I don't have anyone to talk to really, I've mentioned it to my friends and no one really wants to know, they've heard it all before.

So I'm 5 nights off it now, have no desire to drink. I'm not going to say I'll never drink again but I have to go at least a few weeks or a couple of months without it or there's no hope for me at all.
It's just such a struggle being so alone now, no one to talk to and not a lot to do. I've been exercising and reading and doing all the stuff you're supposed to do but I still have a crazy amount of down time where I feel sorry for myself.

So yeah I just needed to get it off my chest. I've no one to talk to, I'm not going to have any social life even when the country opens up, I've few friends these days just a few drinking buddies, and no family in Ireland. My birthday will be spent alone.

On the plus side I feel healthier than I have in a long time. I've lost weight from eating well as my appetite only wants good food when I'm not drinking. There are glimmers of hope sometimes but right now I'm in the pits.

How do you get through something like this? I've spent 20 years living the old way and I don't know how else to live.

Blueshoe

Chalk McHugh wrote: »

Thanks. So far so good. The lockdown has actually helped me to stay alcohol free. I don't drink at home (bar heading to a house after an all day session in town or local) so with no pubs open i've no real urge to drink.

What i am worried about however is when the pubs reopen whenever that may be. I , ike so many others, will no doubt be feeling like celebrating our new found 'freedom' and i just know it will be very hard for me at that time. May be only a month or two away. Could be longer. We dont know yet.

I was doing well and keeping busy by walking up to 2.5 hrs every day until i heard a popping noise in the back of my leg last Sunday week and ive been struggling to walk to the shops ever since. It has got me down a bit as that release valve is now gone. My leg must have a pretty bad injury so resting up is all i can do. I thought i was doing great with the exercise but was overdoing it and suffering for it now.

Fair play to you doing 2018 alcohol free. Im not sure i can do it to be honest but good to hear others that have done it as it is not easy in this country.

You still have arms, shoulders,chest ,back etc that you can exercise to keep the interest up and the mind focused.
Even some bicep curls and shoulder presses with water bottles is better than sitting on the couch.
There's always a way. Stay positive

tinpib

Hey amygdaladfd.

There is a reason "one day at a time" is almost a cliche, that's how you get through something like this. I'm guessing today might be trickier for you as it's a Saturday so probably a day you always drank. Just focus on getting your head down on the pillow sober tonight.

So how do you kill the next few hours? An idea might be to read through this thread from the very start, and then start reading the links posted in it.

You can worry about tomorrow when you wake up hangover free, regret free and hopefully rested in the morning.

edit:to add that when you focus on one day at a time, that time starts to build up, you build new habits, rediscover old hobbies or some new ones, eventually it becomes routine and then your new normal with your drinking days firmly in the rear view mirror.

But it all starts with 1 day at a time.

amygdaladfd

Thanks tinpib. I actually have no desire at all to drink now. I'm just kind of grieving or something, for my old life which was so wrong. I wouldn't mind if I gave it up in my early 30s or something but to keep going till now is such a waste of life. And I've lost some amazing people who I'll never see again because of it. I'm also hopeless about how I'll create a new life, although in reality anything has to be better than the last one.

BK92

5 weeks today. My mood has lifted a lot this past week, I'm just buzzing for no reason at all !
When I used to drink and read about alcohol being a depressant it didn't really make sense to me - I wasn't depressed or feeling bad about myself so I assumed my alcohol consumption was very modest and didn't have a major effect on my overall mental health.

Now I know that while I mightn't exactly have been feeling down in the dumps, the difference between my mind with drink and without is day and night.

tdf7187

BK92 wrote: »

5 weeks today. My mood has lifted a lot this past week, I'm just buzzing for no reason at all !
When I used to drink and read about alcohol being a depressant it didn't really make sense to me - I wasn't depressed or feeling bad about myself so I assumed my alcohol consumption was very modest and didn't have a major effect on my overall mental health.

Now I know that while I mightn't exactly have been feeling down in the dumps, the difference between my mind with drink and without is day and night.

Well done. I am 30 days sober today. A lot of people don't make the connection between alcohol and depression because sometimes the depressive effect doesn't hit until a day or two later. Alcohol can be unpredictable in its effects.

Chalk McHugh

Blueshoe wrote: »

You still have arms, shoulders,chest ,back etc that you can exercise to keep the interest up and the mind focused.
Even some bicep curls and shoulder presses with water bottles is better than sitting on the couch.
There's always a way. Stay positive

Yea for sure. Hadn't done press ups or sit ups in years. Last week i did 100 of each for five days. Have a taste for it now. But its not the same as a good walk/jog. And my leg is getting better. Can do 30 minutes brisk walk with little pain now. Will build it up slowly for fear of tearing that calf muscle again but its 6 weeks since i popped it (Easter Sunday) so ive been looking into the injury by googling it and the fact im able to walk now shows it must be a Grade 2 tear and that usually heels in 6 weeks so fingers crossed i can get back at it without a relapse.

Was great to get out these few days, if even for a short while. Will keep the press ups and sit ups up too. Since the lockdown ive sorted my diet out and even though haven't walked in guts of 6 weeks i've lost 10 lbs since end of March. I've plenty to lose but now im back pounding the pavements i hope to see more weight come off. One nice thing to happen due to this crazy virus ive lost bit weight for first time in years and i want to keep it going.

Chalk McHugh

amygdaladfd wrote: »

Thanks tinpib. I actually have no desire at all to drink now. I'm just kind of grieving or something, for my old life which was so wrong. I wouldn't mind if I gave it up in my early 30s or something but to keep going till now is such a waste of life. And I've lost some amazing people who I'll never see again because of it. I'm also hopeless about how I'll create a new life, although in reality anything has to be better than the last one.

Yea for sure. I feel the very same. And its not easy. Im struggling myself every now and then. I miss the fun and have to remind myself that the initial fun ways ended up with me in the gutter. Thats working for now. I wish you well. Keep in touch. Everyone's story is worth telling.

tusk

Tinwhistle* wrote: »

Same here, 2 years in a few weeks and I’m sure I’ll never drink again. Thank God!

In the exact same boat.

Currently organising my wedding and there are on and off considerations of being able to have a few on the night, but when it comes down to it I don't think I'll be able to. Thankfully

I'm at around 3 1/2 years..
tbh I don't miss it,..drunk people annoy me, but I kind of do find I miss the social aspect..
Do kind of half miss the odd meeting the last while too..
It's surely tough for anyone trying to stop now..

drydub

tusk wrote: »

In the exact same boat.

Currently organising my wedding and there are on and off considerations of being able to have a few on the night, but when it comes down to it I don't think I'll be able to. Thankfully

For what it's worth i was drinking at my wedding and although you are too busy during the day to drink too much etc. All i remember was looking at my pals on the day in the bar and i was getting wooshed around to do X Y or meet Z and it consumed me. Why couldnt i have a rake of pints too.

Then i just drank until black out and was dying the next day where i topped up and was bladdered from early on. I see my photos from the second day and I was visibly swollen from drinking so much.

If i could take it back i would have drank less or if i had been in the right frame of mind , not drank at all.

In choosing the hotel we picked i remember one of the main negotiation points was to have a Heinken tap in the main dining hall, like it went back andforth quite a bit and i look back with complete embarassment about it to this day.