Stopping Drinking

[Doberlady]

So many here say this happened or that happened and you packed in drinking but how did you stop just like that?

[Superscared]

The fear of damaging my health further. I want to be here for my kids and at least get them to adulthood.

[gnillo]

The fear of having the same thing happen to me that happened to my twin brother, and not being able to support my daughter and wife while being selfish and drinking day after day. He had ESLD (alcohol/hep C) and just had a liver transplant last month. Seeing him since being diagnosed in 2019 should have been my wakeup call, but it wasn’t. And we’re 33 years old with plenty of life to live. There’s more to life than pouring a drink. If u have a problem, admit it, seek help but never give up. All my best.

[alexpbower]

Plenty of ways to do it but you need to want to do it in the first place otherwise you will fall back into it fairly easy. Think of why you want to do it and focus on this when someone asks you is you want a drink. Plenty of alcoholic alternatives. Clean liquor is one example. Their gin and tequila are excellent. If you still cannot stop I highly recommend hypnotherapy. I did it to give up smoking and haven't done so for 10 years...

[Hidden]

Hi,

If you are, or have ever been, alcohol dependent or an alcoholic, discuss this with your doctor. In these circumstances it is important to get medical help to give up drinking, as stopping suddenly can, in some cases, lead to severe withdrawal symptoms, including hallucinations and seizures. There are many sources of support and help they can give you or direct you to. Here is the NHS link to alcohol support:

nhs.uk/live-well/alcohol-su...

[Richard-Allen]

There are many different reasons as to why someone will turn to alcohol. For some, it may be just a general need to want to socialise and be with others. For others, it may be a form of self-medication to lift a depressional mood. It can even be used to help blank out a painful, traumatic experience.

This has become quite evident in recent months as more people are drinking at home than ever before, due to Covid-19. Home sales of alcohol have risen by over 30% in the last 12-months, as more and more people are drinking at home. Loneliness and low self-esteem is a big problem for many people.

The need to want to drink is deeply embedded in our culture. Being an ex-serviceman. I grew up believing that the best cure for a hangover was the hair of the dog. What an idiotic ideology?

I like to use this video to illustrate the point about drinking habits: youtu.be/5k5nnsKgfpk(Not working as expected?) If you look at Mary’s lifestyle in this video, you’ll notice that she is drinking because it has become a routine, a habit. She needs the companionship of others and she goes to the pub each night after work. Mary is now drinking not because she wants to, but because it’s 6 o’clock and every night at 6, she goes to the pub and has a drink.

For many people who go on the develop an alcohol problem, the reason as to why they started drinking in the first place may have become lost. If the drinking gets to a point where it becomes an addiction, then the person is drinking because they have to, not because they want to.

I firmly believe that if a person wants to stop drinking, they first need to sort of psychoanalyse themselves and understand why their drinking in the first place. Understanding the alcohol mindset can be hard, as no two people are the same, one size doesn’t fit all. I could go on for ages about this subject, but there are a few things you’ll need to do. What stage of alcohol abuse do you think you are at? Would you describe it as being at a problem stage, or an addiction stage? This is important. If you are at the addiction stage and was to just suddenly stop drinking there is a risk that your body could go into shock.

Firstly try and find out why you need that drink, what is the urge, the drive. Are you drinking because you want to, or because you feel you have to? “alexpbow” is right, to stop drinking YOU have to want to do it, not because your doctor tells you to, or because someone is emotionally blackmailing you (if you don’t stop drinking, I’m leaving you). It has to be your choice.

Do you happen to know what condition your liver is in?

18-years ago I used to live in the States, a small place called Peebles in Ohio. This was a dry state, but the whole community was strung out on meth. It was so sad to see this town disintegrate as it did.

There are many support groups out there in the US, so I'd Google some for your particular area. AA isn't everyone's cup of tea, and this was also founded over in Ohio. You might want to have a look at American Addiction Centres: americanaddictioncenters.or...

Good Luck

Richard

[Seannabanana]

I used the HARM reduction method. It took a month. Cold turkey never worked for me due to physical withdrawals

[Katewaj]

Hi! For me I finally realized that I was drinking to forget how miserable I felt drinking. It was a vicious cycle that I knew had to stop. I hated depending on alcohol to get me through the day. Unfortunately at the point I realized I had to stop I knew something was very wrong. When I chose to go to the ER I walked in knowing that if I walked out alive I would never want to touch alcohol again. What my body went through after being diagnosed with cirrhosis was something out of a horror movie but I pushed through it and now 2 years later I feel great and am probably healthier than I've been in a long time! I was very lucky with the fact that I hardly had any withdrawal, surprisingly because I drank ALOT, but I also was in the hospital for about 2 weeks so I was closely monitored. I highly recommend discussing quitting alcohol with your doctor. Everyone is different and you want to make sure you are safe. I wish you the best!

[SoberDrunk1]

One afternoon, I came to the realization booze is not working. And then I took some action and then eventually led me to AA. There I learned about the 3 kind of drinkers. Normal ones, the hard drinker and the alcoholic. The alcoholic, will drink again perhaps after a day or a week or even months/years of abstinence if he/she doesn't change the way they live. Yes the first step is realization and then taking action to stay awake. The 12 steps helps us stay awake and be of maximum use to others.

[Dogbot]

Hi Doberlady I was in hospital with liver failure and getting a lot of treatment but I will always remember the specialist nurse that came and sat with me one day and just said you have a choice go and buy another bottle of vodka or don’t and live to see your grandchildren????? I have three grandsons and a granddaughter now 🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳, you must have a reason that you can focus on plus help and that comes in many different ways find the one that suits you, I wish you all the best of luck it’s hard but worth it.

Stay Safe All

Dogbot 🐶🌈

[Richard-Allen in reply to Dogbot]

Sometimes a stark reality check needs to be pointed out. There is a fine line between saying the right thing, or being afraid to say the wrong thing in case of upsetting the patient. It's a shame that even if you do point out the cold hard reality of their condition they still don't listen, but then at least the nurse gets to walk away in the knowledge that at least they tried.

Some years ago. "The Alcohol Health Alliance" tried to run a campaign whereby every MP in the country paid a visit to their local hospitals liver ward to see first hand the damage that was being done by alcohol abuse. I tried at the time to get my then local MP to support this campaign. She refused, because she said that there was a conflict of interest. It turned out that she was receiving funds from CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale).

She never got re-elected I wonder why.

[Busterlee]

AA. Going to meetings, hearing others, recognizing the power it had over me and not taking that sip or having just “one”.

[MsTrixi7]

I got treatment for my anxiety/depression which was the reason that I was drinking. I quit the day that I started Effexor. I was able to stop right away because I dealt with the reason I had been drinking.

[Calimom20]

I asked doctor for prescription of naltrexone. Within a week, my cravings disappeared. I haven’t had a drink for 45 days. I sleep better and have saved a lot of money. I am hoping to begin tapering down soon! My husbands cirrhosis diagnosis was my wake up call.

[Hidden]

1 is to many and 10's not enough.....not going to go into a long story but others have given good advice 👍 but its even worse at moment as no face to face meetings or groups are open its a struggle alright. Wish you the best. Ashley