Hi everyone, today I decided to stop kidding myself, all of those stomach bugs, migrains and just not feeling good were actually hangovers. Today I have had the worst one for quite a while so bad I had to go back to bed this morning, and I know it is not helping the reflux, and I have an appointment for a scan today at 5pm so hoping I am o.k. for that.
So.......
I need and want to stop drinking, I am not an alcoholic but I think I might be alcohol dependent.
I don't want to stop my hubby drinking I know it will be harder but thats how it is.
We can get through 3/4 of a bottle of Captain Morgan each night with me drinking more than him, it has slowly crept up.
I don't want to go to AA, the meeting by me is in the evening but there is an option to contact them by email.
I want to do this myself just like I stopped smoking.
I know the first couple of days will be fine but I will need some support after that.
Has anyone been in the same situation and could offer me some help?
polly xx
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pollyjj
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Very brave of you to be honest...I wish you all the best with stoppung drinking. Im a smoker always struggling to stop..and I know it must be hard, but if youve managed with the smoking, im sure you will be able to cut down the drinking too. Good luck with the scan and hope you feel a bit better by then.xxxxx
Well it sounds as though you have just taken the first step Polly and deep respect for that. I can only offer an ear and a shoulder if you need it as I am sure many others would too. Holler if you need anything and the warmest of wishes - if you kicked the smoking, I think this will be as successful for you. xx
I agree with Jaynie, you are ever so brave in admitting this, & isn't that half the battle won? Sorry I cannot be of any more help as I'm not a drinker, but I do wish you well, & offer what support I can to help. Would calling the BLF helpline be of interest? Judy x
Pollyjj you have taken the first step but please do not try to do this alone. Alcohol can be a powerful addiction. I would try the BLF as they do have a counsellor that you can speak to. Your GP may be able to help too and refer you for counselling or medicinal treatment. I had a son-in-law who had problems and was helped by a tablet that was prescribed for him. Good luck. x
Hi polly
I know someone who has this , she drank a bottle of red wine every night some times 2 she had migraine , stomach problems , and often complained about soreness in the liver area she had been doing this for a few yrs, I suggested she go to AA but she refused , said she had got into a habit , and she liked a drink, what she does now is self help, where she sat down for the evening around 6 pm she now leaves the ironing until then and any other small jobs, she also downs 1 pint of water before sitting down for the rest of the evening she has one glass in an evening, if she has the urge to have another, she downs another pint of water quickly , she looks. So much better and says the soreness around her liver area has gone, ,
High Polly, I was once a heavy drinker and smoker when I was diagnosed with C.O.P.D. had four attempts at stopping smoking and started again when I was having a drink, so I had to stop drinking to be able to stop smoking that was eight years ago and have been on antidepressants for eight years but we are all different good luck!
Very honest of you to admit that you want to reduce your drinking.. I hope you set realistic goals and achieve them.
My support
Kevin
Well done you for taking this first step in acknowledging you are drinking too much, and it isn't doing you any good, health-wise. I have to agree with Toci, it's not something you should attempt to do on your own.
Please talk to a medical professional - your doctor or the BLF nurses/counsellors. But remember, we are all here too, and I know from experience the encouragement and support I've had to wean myself off my own addiction has helped enormously.
A few years ago a friend's liver results weren't too good - the doctor said he was drinking too much, at the time about a litre a week of whisky. He was told not to stop suddenly, as this could cause him problems, but to accurately measure 100 mls, which he had to have each night for a week; then 90mls for a week, and so on until it was down to zero. He didn't seem to find that too much of a problem, and is now a non-drinker apart from a very occasional single measure of whisky (25mls) or a small glass of wine with a meal. Maybe he was just lucky, but it may work better than suddenly trying to stop - also made it seem like medicine rather than pleasure!
Hi Polly, They say the first step is actually admitting you have a problem with alcohol .. and you've just done that. AA is for anyone with a problem with alcohol. (My ex-husband is an alcoholic and has never made it to sobriety). I was in Al-Anon, which is the support group for friends and family of those whose drinking causes them problems. You've come on here for help with your lung problems, AA helps those with alcohol problems.
In AA they have 'sponsors' who will be there for you 24 hours a day, just a phone call or visit away. Having said all that you'll know yourself if and when you're ready to take the next step. I know from listening to others how difficult it can be to stop ... it's not just willpower and you'll need plenty of support. Where better than to get it from people going through the same struggle?
By 'eck Polly, that took some courage saying that. We all like to fool ourselves with these things but it is only when we admit to ourselves that we have a problem that we can start to deal with it. Send that Email Polly and start on the road back. Everyone on here will give you what support we can.
Well done Polly, that cannot have been easy. Guess you probably needed a drink to manage to write it.
I know, when my marriage broke up some 25 years ago alcohol was my escape.
Eventually I new I had problems and went to speak to my GP. he gave me a course of medication to help me come off it.
Your doctor is the place to go, he will help you through this if you cannot face going to meetings. To be honest, it was much easier at that point in my life than giving up smoking.
Please do go and talk this thro' with him/her ~ they are very sensitive to this. You do not have to tell anyone else, he will help you do this on your own.
Good for you girl!!! I admire you for saying what you did.
I 'upped' my drinking in September last year when my son was diagnosed with bowel cancer - I didn't realise that I was drinking more until my grocery bills got bigger and bigger.
My mother was an alcoholic (although not drinking for the last ten years of her life) so I'm afraid that I'll turn out the same way.
Anyway, I truly wish you well and hope that you get the support you need. PM me if you want to.
First thing though - go to see your GP and ask him or her for help.
I truly admire you Polly for your honesty not with us but with your self. My sister is a recovering alcoholic she's 4 years on the waggon now. She had a lot of help coming off the drink from her dr. If you're dependent on alcohol you will need some help from your gp if you're over indulging like a lot of us from time to time then try cutting down by one drink at a time. You'll be fine now that you've acknowledge to yourself that it's a problem that you want to end. Best wishes to you. xxx
My heartfelt admiration and good wishes go out to you polly. It is not easy giving up anything but you did it with smoking so very good luck to you with the drinking. I like a drink but do try to limit myself to just the one 2 or 3 times a week. Our son is a bit like you I feel and is alcohol dependant. I do feel that he has to sort this one out in his head first but we are here to offer all the support necessary as and when he needs it. I really feel for you and again, wish you all the very best. Let us know how it goes. xxx
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