giving up alcohol

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reggie1979
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Joined: 11 Apr 2019

26 Jul 2019

Plastered. I tried, but life is just too shitty.

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motuscott
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26 Jul 2019

Each day is a new start.
Who’s using the royal plural now baby? 🧂

reggie1979
Posts: 1181
Joined: 11 Apr 2019

26 Jul 2019

motuscott wrote:
26 Jul 2019
Each day is a new start.
No. Each day is a new POS that infests enterprise. Awful forums, awful people, awful circumstances, awful life. If I could catch a break, I'd be golden. I've proven I can go significant periods of time w/o.

But even though this is hypocritical in some ways, being w/o was more tasking than with.

I mean, between my bills and my cat, I'm now running a balance on my VISA bill. Is 3-4 bucks a month going to kill me? No, but it's ashamed none the less. It's gonna be a while before I dig myself out of this hole. Booze makes it easier.

I realize this doesn't sit well with others, but you are not in my situation. You don't get (nor do you probably care) what I'm going through. I went nearly two weeks w/o booze and it didn't improve anything (including my financial situation)

Think what you want, and understand that I do wish to be sober, but I'm drowning in life. No fucking "rehab" is going to fix that!

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Zac
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27 Jul 2019

I've been meaning to write here for a while so this is only partially in response to your post Reggie. I hope you find some peace with or without booze.

I'm on sober day 56 which amazes me more and more each day. For me, I had to replace booze with something. Booze was such a huge part of my life that just going without always failed. I am an alcoholic, I hated to admit it but I am. I'm 47 and fairly bright and still I spent most of my life in denial. Alcoholism is a disease that tries to convince me I don't have it.

I have replaced booze with AA and it is working for me. I am very grateful. I needed to change and slowly I am. Life is getting better each day. I used to think about booze all the time, even when doing something fun.... are we going for a drink afterwards?? The obsession and compulsion rarely affect me at present and it is a huge relief. I did step 5 with my sponsor yesterday and that was another bit of progress. I needed help and thankfully I am getting it. I like myself a lot more, the more I try to remove my will from my life. Weird? but true.

I hope this doesn't sound sanctimonious or the like. I know AA isn't for everyone, it's just working for me :)

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motuscott
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27 Jul 2019

That's good to hear Zac.
Who’s using the royal plural now baby? 🧂

reggie1979
Posts: 1181
Joined: 11 Apr 2019

27 Jul 2019

Congrats Zac, keep it up!

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boingy
Posts: 791
Joined: 01 Feb 2019

27 Jul 2019

reggie1979 wrote:
26 Jul 2019
Plastered. I tried, but life is just too shitty.
You fell off the wagon. It happens.

You can get back on the wagon or you can choose to stay off it. Both choices have a downside!

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reasonsuser88
Posts: 272
Joined: 29 Apr 2019

27 Jul 2019

Zac wrote:
27 Jul 2019
I'm on sober day 56 which amazes me more and more each day.
Good job man. Wow time flies. I'm on Day 124. I never thought I could do it after 10+ years of continuous drinking. I'm coincidentally going through a difficult time on a personal mental level and I'm probably gonna break up with my cohabiting girlfriend. I've come too far to numb myself now and this is just part of facing reality. There's a lot more to it than just not drinking which I think is important for people to understand.
The time has come for you to take care and comb your hair. :wave:

reggie1979
Posts: 1181
Joined: 11 Apr 2019

27 Jul 2019

If I had a life, it would be so much easier. I went about 14 days and there were some really good things about it. But I have a less then ideal (to put it mildly) living situation and there is always a lot of tension.

Mr Wallet gave up. I am now, for the first time in over 15 years, running a balance on Mr Visa. And I've got about 1000 bucks worth of bills that I've been putting off so fuck it.

Damn, why can't I win the lottery.... oh that's right, I can't afford to play (crying)

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Zac
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27 Jul 2019

reasonsuser88 wrote:
27 Jul 2019
Zac wrote:
27 Jul 2019
I'm on sober day 56 which amazes me more and more each day.
Good job man. Wow time flies. I'm on Day 124. I never thought I could do it after 10+ years of continuous drinking. I'm coincidentally going through a difficult time on a personal mental level and I'm probably gonna break up with my cohabiting girlfriend. I've come too far to numb myself now and this is just part of facing reality. There's a lot more to it than just not drinking which I think is important for people to understand.
You sound in a good frame of mind despite the possible break up. Facing life on life's terms is not something I'm used to but it makes me feel better when I face reality - I diversified my problem by gambling away some money but I've got through it.

For me, realising that stopping drinking was just curing a symptom, and that my thinking was the main issue was huge.

Hope things work out ok with what you're going through.

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Zac
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27 Jul 2019

reggie1979 wrote:
27 Jul 2019
Congrats Zac, keep it up!
Thanks Reggie, all the best.

OliverBlack77
Posts: 19
Joined: 08 Nov 2018

24 Mar 2020

I quit drinking for over a year. I have used CBD oil while withdrawing and it definitely helped curb my anxiety which triggered my drinking. I did clear my plan with my doctor, because CBD won’t (AFAIK) prevent seizures triggered by alcohol withdrawal. I needed to be sure that the amount of drinking I was doing wouldn’t trigger DTs before I quit cold turkey.

OliverBlack77
Posts: 19
Joined: 08 Nov 2018

27 Apr 2020

I consider myself to be a recovered alcoholic here (if there is such a notion as a former alcoholic). Alcohol should be made illegal. It ruined my family, actually I ruined my family with the help of alcohol. For all these who are planning to quit drinking, I highly recommend the book Drunkard by Neil Steinberg. Read it and more, and if you see yourself in it, seek help. Also addiction resource helped a lot.

If it makes sense in your life to move on from drinking and explore all of the other things that life has to offer you then that's great- just don't let friends try to make you feel guilty for not joining them in their imbibing.

telecode101
Posts: 14
Joined: 28 Mar 2019

02 May 2020

yup, i am considering giving up alcohol end of June. Its going to be a big decade turner for me. My big worry is peer pressure. I hang out with too many friends who drink too much fucking tequilla -- we keep drinking until you totally black out. You can't remember how got left the party and got home. Not good. :-(

But I am confident I can do it. I quit smoking 15+ years ago after smoking for 10 years. Its all doable. Just do it and take it one day at a time. And if you fall off the path, just get back on.

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demt
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02 May 2020

they say getwell drunk n party 4 times a year, sorta christmass,summer solstice. easter n fireworks night even monks are advised to party to celebrate the 4 seasons quarterly.
yup yet ive got enough for a comfortable crack habit daily with many frends ,its a f*****n heavenly drug compared to alcohol n sigs just very moreish and very expensive im also taking heroin substitute subbies as we call them and thats a heavy dose of opiates daily but the real problemsd are benzos like valium etc they dont have a way off and are life changing there was a a website where we could all give up vals benzos etc but the n,o of people dying live(the drs refused them a script) got to the mods n it closed so theres noware on the web at the moment for benzo withdrawls lethal though they b,
Reason 12 ,gear4 music sdp3 stage piano .nektar gxp 88,behringer umc1800 .line6 spider4 30
hear scince reason 2.5

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motuscott
Posts: 3420
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Location: Contest Weiner

02 May 2020

What they say about getting off benzos is truly frightening and I seen some shit in my time.
Who’s using the royal plural now baby? 🧂

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demt
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03 May 2020

motuscott wrote:
02 May 2020
What they say about getting off benzos is truly frightening and I seen some shit in my time.
help me help me!
Reason 12 ,gear4 music sdp3 stage piano .nektar gxp 88,behringer umc1800 .line6 spider4 30
hear scince reason 2.5

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Oquasec
Posts: 2849
Joined: 05 Mar 2017

03 May 2020

Too much of anything can kill ya. too much oxygen...too much carbon...
This alcohol shit's one of the healthiest drinks you can put in someone's body.
Producer/Programmer.
Reason, FLS and Cubase NFR user.

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Scruffager
Posts: 19
Joined: 02 May 2020

03 May 2020

I'm two years sober and I literally have never felt better in my life. Quitting was probably the hardest thing I've ever done, but once I got past the first 6 months I started feeling way better. It's important that you allow yourself to just be a vegetable at first, don't push yourself too hard and just focus on being kind to yourself.

For me, what worked in the end (after like 7 relapses) was framing it not as "I need to quit drinking" but "I'm choosing to care about myself, and I am worth caring about".
Mac OS 10.14.6, Reason 11, Presonus Quantum 2 TB3, Adam Audio A7X monitors, Roland Aira System 1

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EdwardKiy
Posts: 760
Joined: 02 Oct 2019

04 May 2020

Problem of any addiction is that it substitutes core values (goals, aspirations) with a purely bodily craving for the effect, because fulfilling an addiction releases dopamine and/or provides simple and effective hormonal conversion pathways, which to our brain is good math, because it's basically stupid and cannot calculate long-term results. The brain then commands to repeat behavior to get more of the effect. This neural behavior loop is extremely quick to solidify and hard to get rid of.

Here's what you need:

1) Motivation: revise your values and aspirations. We require an idea to live or die for to make our bodily desires secondary. You can be great and you know it, and that's why you MUST be. Realize that life isn't over until it's over, but you have little time left, so it's about time to make it count. There will be no second chances. If you want to end up a pathetic shadow of yourself and have everyone you know witness it - keep drinking/shooting or whatever it is you fell for. Get angry with yourself.

If you don't have this sorted, you don't even need an addiction to fuck you up. All that stands between you and complete self-destruction is a bit of cash.

2) Abstain. The physical-dependency drugs, like opiates, alcohol and others, will require drastic measures and outside help to abstain. Be man enough to ask for help and then take it. 3 weeks is typically enough to start building replacement neural pathways which MUST also produce dopamine, such as sports or learning a new skill. They produce relatively minuscule amounts, so you should only do these BEFORE activities that produce more dopamine (such as watching TV/youtube/porn/gaming/eating), but they are valid replacements for your brain and are beneficial to discipline and health. It will take discipline and repetition so keep your motivation in sight.

This is why the Jewish have sabbath - they don't do anything, including the fun stuff, to reset the dopamine system and lower the excitation thresholds.

I couldn't sleep for the first week or so of my abstinence, so every evening I would train to exhaustion to get a few hours of shut eye.

3) Surroundings. Don't be afraid of losing contacts. Your drug buddies (alcohol included) are not your friends. They are just a visible part of the herd that you joined that is running towards a cliff and there's comfort in numbers. Your real friends (who may also have this problem) will benefit from your example and your bond will only grow stronger.

If you cannot get out of your surroundings, like going on a vacation or visiting some distant relatives in the countryside - that's hell'a tough, but you can get some perspective with psychedelics. An LSD trip took me out of a drug-and-drinking stupor that lasted for years. It showed me exactly where I stood, how pathetic I was and how much better I could have been. This got me angry and it was a starting point to getting my shit together. I wouldn't recommend this as a method though, because this can also destroy you mentally, especially if you have a predisposition to schizophrenia or have it in the family. But if you're taking crack/heroin/fentanyl and then pop benzodiazepine tranquilizers for dessert, then go for whatever works, man. You're already on a ride that always ends quickly and unexpectedly. Getting off NOW is a question of survival.

The most dangerous part about any addiction is that it leaves you with an illusion of free will, whereas in reality you become a robot following the dopamine loop, slowly replacing even traces of past ambitions with things, people and habits that would be more accommodating towards the addiction.

Summary:
1. Are you dead yet? No? Then it's time to be You in all Your glory!
2. Trick your brain, replace the dopamine-releasing habits with beneficial ones.
3. Forget what "your friends and people think" - be resolute and show them an example.

"Do not go quietly into the good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light."

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Zac
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01 Jun 2020

One year sober today 👍

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MrFigg
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01 Jun 2020

Zac wrote:
01 Jun 2020
One year sober today 👍
Fuck yeah!!!!!!! :):):):):):):)
🗲 2ॐ ᛉ

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DaveyG
Posts: 2499
Joined: 03 May 2020

01 Jun 2020

Zac wrote:
01 Jun 2020
One year sober today 👍
Nice one, and doubly so because of the pressures of lockdown. My drinking has doubled....

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Zac
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01 Jun 2020

Thanks guys. A lot of the achievements in my life have felt hollow but this one feels real.

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motuscott
Posts: 3420
Joined: 16 Jan 2015
Location: Contest Weiner

01 Jun 2020

You da man Zac
Who’s using the royal plural now baby? 🧂

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