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Having no joy with giving up the drink

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  • 18-01-2015 6:24pm
    #1
    daveyboynire
    Registered Users Posts: 105 ✭✭


    I've had a few posts on here over the years and well I am still drinking. I am not a big drinker, I'm a Saturday night only man, I knock back 6-8 drinks. The problem is its every week, even missing 1 week is a damn struggle and it generally only happens once a year if even.

    I said 1st Jan this year I would do this dry January thing, I caved in the first weekend.

    Its the fact It has become such a habit I can't break that's the problem. I have read countless books on Amazon on the subject, all books with excellent reviews, if a book had a 99% success rate it seems I fall into the 1%.

    I think I am at the stage where I am beat. Any help or advice?


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    #2
    harrymagina
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 126 ✭✭harrymagina


    If your only drinking 6-8 drinks on one night a week your not too bad. Just go to cinema or something. Is it effecting you mentally and physically? My usual is min 12 drinks on a Saturday night and plenty of pints after work during the week. Quit at the start of January as too much of my wages going on the grog and badly affecting my health, physically and mentally but grand now. Need to find something else to do on a Saturday night but 6-8 drinks one night a week isn't too bad.


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    #3
    daveyboynire
    Registered Users Posts: 105 ✭✭daveyboynire


    harrymagina wrote: »
    If your only drinking 6-8 drinks on one night a week your not too bad. Just go to cinema or something. Is it effecting you mentally and physically? My usual is min 12 drinks on a Saturday night and plenty of pints after work during the week. Quit at the start of January as too much of my wages going on the grog and badly affecting my health, physically and mentally but grand now. Need to find something else to do on a Saturday night but 6-8 drinks one night a week isn't too bad.

    Its not bad, I used to drink Thursday to Sunday but found I couldn't handle the hangovers anymore, now I'm down to just Sat night, its the fact its every Sat night and I find it difficult to stop. The cinema etc doesn't interest me, I've tried it in the past, all I could think about was the movie being over so I could get a drink.


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    #4
    Amazingfun
    Registered Users Posts: 3,161 ✭✭✭Amazingfun


    Why do you even want to stop?


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    #5
    daveyboynire
    Registered Users Posts: 105 ✭✭daveyboynire


    Amazingfun wrote: »
    Why do you even want to stop?

    The hangovers, the feeling ****ty, the anxiety, the depression. Yes I still get this the following day even though I have cut my drinking down


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    #6
    Amazingfun
    Registered Users Posts: 3,161 ✭✭✭Amazingfun


    daveyboynire wrote: »
    The hangovers, the feeling ****ty, the anxiety, the depression. Yes I still get this the following day even though I have cut my drinking down

    Just a query:

    Can you control how much you'll have when you start? Like....can you say alright I'll have 7 and stick to that? Or do you end up having more?


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    #7
    daveyboynire
    Registered Users Posts: 105 ✭✭daveyboynire


    Amazingfun wrote: »
    Just a query:

    Can you control how much you'll have when you start? Like....can you say alright I'll have 7 and stick to that? Or do you end up having more?

    Its not that I control it more I can't drink any more, I get drunk out as I call it, you get that with beer, you can only drink so much, then you'd go onto the spirits, I learnt years ago that me and spirits don't mix so don't touch them.


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    #8
    Amazingfun
    Registered Users Posts: 3,161 ✭✭✭Amazingfun


    daveyboynire wrote: »
    Its not that I control it more I can't drink any more, I get drunk out as I call it, you get that with beer, you can only drink so much, then you'd go onto the spirits, I learnt years ago that me and spirits don't mix so don't touch them.

    I'm just trying to find something *solid* to work with in thinking about this. And keep in mind it's just my opinion although I do have a lot of experience; my own and those I've known over many years in AA.

    Like for me, reflecting on my drinking over years past, even back to the very beginning, and doing so through the lens of there being a possible physical component at work here (AA terms it an *allergy to alcohol* ) explained many things I'd previously been somewhat baffled by.

    For example I couldn't stick to a rule like "no spirits" no matter how much I'd like to. I'd just get drunk and then all my high ideals and great resolve went and I'd most likely end up drinking pretty much anything put my way (especially if there was nothing else to be had). So the concept of " I took the drink-the drink took me" made very much sense in my case and I could see that after years and years and years of trying to control and enjoy my drinking that plan was doomed to failure. It would never happen and my only option now was to accept that my drinking days were over.

    I guess you just need to sit with this, be honest with yourself and see whether or not you can live happily and successfully with drink in your life, and if not, open your mind to the vast array of solutions on tap these days. AA is certainly not the only option and even though I am a very grateful member I really don't recommend it for people who can or believe they can control or modify their alcohol consumption. It's not that kind of club lol.

    Anyways-you've always an *ear* on here no matter what so never think you're alone. There are millions of people who deal with problems like this....some more successfully than others ;)


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