Alcoholism

I have reached a point were I see I need to give up alcohol. I thought I was a high functioning alcoholic but I was kidding myself. I'm hurting my family especially my wife who has stood by me enabling and helping me, taking the burden on her shoulders. My children are still young and I don't want them to grow up and realize their dad is a drunk and too hungover to have energy for them.
Has anyone cleaned themselves up from booze? Any tips to share, stories, or advice?

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Switch to kava tea.

just fucking stop drinking and smoke weed for a few weeks to deal with withdrawal. also don't mix weed with tobacco or you'll get addicted to cigarettes.

Never heard of it. What are the benefits?

Replace your crippling alcohol addiction with a crippling Sup Forums addiction

Or do what my dad did and just drink assloads of coffee

Makes you relaxed and feel buzzed. Warning through, tastes like dirt.

Switched to that over binge drinking booze.

I've done the lot man. I've an addictive personality. I had to stop weed and psychotropic drugs due to laziness and paranoia. Alcohol was the only thing left to numb my brain.

Why do you want to escape reality so much, if you don't mind my asking? I get it, but your family needs you man.

I will definately look into this. Thanks.

When you say you're alcoholic, how much are we talking here ? I was having 70 ish US standard drinks a week last year.

>Drunk tards have wife and kids
>I will probably die alone

I want to just cruise through life with little complications. I should have done more with my life and achieved more but I found friends with drugs and squandered it. Now I feel I need to numb myself or else my mind has nothing to do.

12 500ml cans of 6% cider every night. More if it's available

You need something to replace the pain that alcohol gives you, thats what you actually are after, alcohol is fire in the mouth, you wont be able to replace it with water

Do something that damages you but in a good way, exhaust your mind/body in some way that is benefitial for you

if you quit for a year or two it gets easier to enjoy yourself without it. maybe even have a drink once a month or something.

but he is a binge drinker, one drink = 100 drinks

Seconding this but not necessarily kava. I was getting hooked, OP, and had the same realization as you. Replaced the drinks I'd have after work with decaf tea and that has helped me.

Can I still drink or should I completely steer clear.

switch to water and you'll be fine, I was on a bottle of black velvet each night for a while

>not avoiding alcohol from the get-go so you don't have these problems

smoke weed before bed instead of drinking alcohol because it's gonna be hard to sleep for awhile, and join AA

you're welcome

I feel you man, life can be a bitch. As cliche as it is it's never too late. Better to die trying to unfuck your shit than to keep your shit fucked up.

This too. Chamomile is fucking excellent for anxiety/feeling on edge. Drinking some now in fact.

This sounds good. Giving myself something to sip on.

I know.

I still have not.

I am trapped with daily 5th of whisky.

T.28 y/o alcoholic

Always steer clear

I just feel I owe it to my my kids and my wife. My kids didn't ask to be put in this world and Indon't want to fuck them up.

I joined AA in the Ottawa valley here and they literally would meet in a fucking bar like fuck I told them to go fuck themselves after two visits.

Half the guys would come in clearly hungover or even drunk.

I quit for one month last year and I'm gonna try again soon. I can usually stay off it for a few weeks then there's a party and it's fantastic again. You just gotta stop. It's a habit, and you can change it. I fell off the wagon but I'm gonna get back on again.

I would like to try the Sinclair Method of curing alcoholism, but I don't know if the drugs would flag my insurance since it's also used to cure heroin (which Ive never taken). Plebbit has a number of really positive stories.

youtube.com/watch?v=ZbkUxaWwmF4

I feel you, Sweden brother. I try to quit beer and end up drinking shit loads of wine. Move to hard alcohol and drink too much of that, then go back to beer cause at least it's not hard alcohol. Ugh

I heard AA has religious connotations and I don't like the sound of that.

Yeah, be an honorable father. Do what you can to have your kids look up to you and, hell, better to confidently state in the future that you got out of an alcoholic rut so if, god forbid, your kids go through similar shit you'll be well-equipped to help them out.

I felt like I was drinking too much and decided to take November off. So far 12 days in and it hasn't been easy. This weekend is probably my peak of temptation so far but I refuse to go buy anything. Something interesting is that even on Friday and Saturday nights I get super tired around midnight. When I drink I always get so much energy and stay up way too late. Something that has been good to keep in mind is remember how good you feel when waking up the morning after a night of not drinking. Being up and feeling good on weekend morning is great. Catch that feeling and use it as motivation. I live alone at the moment, but think about all the quality time you can have with family in those mornings. But you sort of already pointed that out. Good luck, op.

I will look at that when I get a chance.

>2010+6
>Still drinking cuckahol
>Not taking the true green pill
Haram af tbqhfam

realize alcohol withdrawals can come days later and can lead to seizures/death. that is what stopped me from drinking because I would get scared I was going to fucking die.

it gets easier the longer you go without alcohol. first week is the hardest, then you'll every once in a while get a craving, but keep the willpower strong and that craving gets easier to overcome over time.

I've been sober for about a few months now and yeah sometimes I crave a beer but I just get addicted to other stuff on the side (energy drinks) to halt that craving. it works, and then I just have to ween off the energy drinks.

don't worry OP it will get better. if you feel you can't quit on your own though then go to rehab. just remember booze is expensive and a waste of time. it also leads to trouble majority of the time and very rarely will contribute any good to your life. god bless you OP.

Well done mate. Stay off it. I really would like to not wake up tired with no energy like that.

Seems like comfy thread sooo... high anxiety binge-drinking, chain-cigarette smoking user here. I need something non-alcohol/nicotine to cope with stress.

No drugs, pls.

How fat are you

>I would get scared I was going to fucking die.

>not wanting to die

Excuse me?

Interestingly, I do know a "moderate" Muslim husband and wife. From what I can make of it, they just don't drink alcohol or eat pork. No praying rituals. From what I know they don't visit mosques, or if they do it's very rarely.

Thing is I've gone a week fine thinking alcohol has no grip on me. Then back into the old ways I slip drinking a box of cider a day

Get profesional help. We're a bunch of people who unironically believe we memed a guy into the oval office. Look into AA

See a doctor and get antabus. Take it and keep taking it. Seriously don't skimp on it. It's a wonderdrug, but only while you take it. Talk to those around you and make sure they help you. Maybe even have your wife give it to you so you can't cheat? I dunno I'm sure the doctor will know wheter stuff like that is a good idea

Realize that you will never be touching alcohol again. Wheter it's been 2 years or 15, that's how people fall in again. And it's not just a slight risk either. You take a drink, you're more likely to fall bak in than not to

Finally: Changing your life is not a finite hard uphill climb. It's a continuous effort for the rest of your life. I don't say this to discourage you, but because it's important to know so you don't have the wrong expectations going in

i love beer. i love it so much i'm careful to monitor my intake lest i have to give it up forever.

yeah you might seem "boo hoo I want to die" when you're feeling fine but when you do get the feeling you could potentially die, life starts kicking you in the butt real hard and you actually realize whether or not you want to die. I realized I actually didn't, I just wanted to improve my life. I also was going to such a dark place in my mind when recovering from drinking that I felt like I was in a mental/spiritual anguish nonstop for days. That woke me up to turn my life around.

I thought the same thing and I quit for the same reasons.

You're always going to want it a little bit, man. But it's always a lie. I've relapsed so many fucking times, because alcohol never seems sweeter than when you haven't had it in a long while - your brain only remembers the good things, it only remembers the sweet feeling of all your tension dissolving, the feeling of freedom from worries and cares, always there at your fingertips. Your mind will constantly try to convince you that that is the nature of booze, and that will be all you viscerally remember.

But every time I've given in to that feeling, within an hour or two I was hammered, not even enjoying it like I thought I would, fucking up my life again. And generally just sitting there thinking "why the fuck did I do this?" It's never worth it. In the long run, alcohol will only ever make you feel mildly content at best - and you'll sacrifice long-term fulfillment for it, ending up a sad old drunk who needs it just to get by.

It helps to remember we're not here just for ourselves. You have a family. Remember, every time you get hammered to feel a certain kind of happiness, you're robbing your kids of a day of happiness to pay for it. Every time you are relieved to feel relaxed, you're making your kids and wife feel anxious. Every day you escape some depression, you're increasing the problems your kids will have to deal with when they grow up and deal with your alcoholism.

It's been a long time since I've kicked it, and I relapsed many times over the years. But now I can safely have a drink or two with friends or a girlfriend without relapsing. Not everyone gets there, but you don't have to be apocalyptic about saying "NEVER AGAIN!" either.

Hang in there bro.

LET US BIRTH THE ALT-LEFT

that happened to me too. I eventually one day realized "enough is enough, every time I go back to drinking it's just a matter of time before I end up in this state again", so I stopped completely. I imagined putting up a gate in my mind and closing it off for good. that chapter of my life is over and I've moved on.

feels good too. I look healthier, I'm sharper than ever mentally and I feel better in general.

>tfw taking antidepressants while being an alcoholic

im so messed up. nothing seems to erase the pain

Very. I'm 6' 4" and big built. When I was a skinny teen on speed looking skeletal I was 17 stone. Now I'm 28 stone or 178kg

I'm not trying to be edgy, but i nearly died several times, too, and the only thing i regret is that i didn't, to be honest.

I'm sorry user. get some professional help and find God again. that gets me through the hardest days.

just move off the hard stuff brother

Thank you for your advice. I think I'll book an appointment for my doctor.

>Has anyone cleaned themselves up from booze? Any tips to share, stories, or advice?
Yes. I'm coming up to 6 months sober. I tried to quit quite a few times in the past, but managed to make it work this time -- relatively painlessly overall but I do get cravings every now and again.

If you're physically dependant then use benzos for the detox (you can find dosing schedule online if you want to DIY it) - this is what doctors prescribe anyway - benzos + vitamins.

Cannabis did legitimately help me for the first few months as did alcohol-free beer, kind of past using both of them now though.

AMA you want to know specifically

you have a family and kids you piece of shit why did you even start?

anyway, mate you will realise that stuff like fresh air and family time is more valuable than booze. You were not born to be a pisshead its just the social pressure condemning you to do it.

Big built?

Those are fatty boombalatty numbers, mate.

Lay off the Gregg's you tubby cunt.

I want to quit for a while after this weekend. I've gotten it a bit more under control in the last few months after being checked out on weed and IPAs for a year straight. No withdrawals aside from whacked out dreams a day or two after but it's so boring being sober on the front end.

Thanks for the pep talk. I need that.

Alcohol would not help at all in a race war il can tell

you have to make new associations - basically new pathways in your brain. you have to disassociate things that used to go hand in hand with alcohol, and your brain will eventually form new neural pathways, and the existing ones will atrophy. its an actual physical process that occurs as a result of your actions.

If you arent' already getting shakes and whatnot, you probably aren't too far in. once you are physically dependant on alcohol, not just mentally, then you need outside help i.e. rehab

Look into Kratom. It might be illegal in your country but you should look into it. Its this plant that grows in southeast asia that they grind up into powder and you can either take capsules, mix it into a drink , or make it into tea. It gives you a nice buzzed feeling but it doesn't get you fucked up. My uncle used it to quit drinking and he hasn't relapsed one time.

Are you me?

17 stone with my cheeks looking drawn in I could possibly be 16 without an ounce of fat. I used to move cars into the middle of the road for a laugh when I was young.

lol i'm actually at an aa meeting right now OP

according to aa, if you are an alcoholic, you will never be able to control your drinking. the only thing that can is a power greater than yourself.

get praying and try aa

Read to your kids. Doesn't matter how young they are read to them and allow yourself one cider/book.


Find something worthwhile to replace the alcohol with, like time with your kids.

join a different chapter, then. there are lots of different groups for a reason, the biggest one being that not everybody sees eye to eye on certain issues. there are some religious connotations but if you're going there to quit drinking and only quit drinking then you will make peace with those connotations. some people find religion helpful when going somewhere else,some people think you have to stop smoking weed, some people don't.

the only reason you go to an AA group is because it helps motivate you to stop drinking when you need that motivation. it's not to find god, which in the context of sobriety is simply a concept that represents a non-egocentric purpose so that you delay gratification beyond a craving for booze

Dude unless you are a complete terminal alcoholic who literally can't quit I would stay away from antabuse. Definitely see your doc though.

How long have you been drinking and have you ever tried to quit before and what were the results?

more power to you if it works, but horses for courses. I went once and it turned me back to the drink, lmao.
not a fan of their dogma personally, but as I said if it helps, then more power to you

How do you know if you're an alcoholic and not just a heavy drinker?

I quit for a year or so. felt 100 times better. first few months were rough. I used weed to help with the addiction. I highly recommend it. after the first month or so it gets a lot easier.

You came in this thread on Sup Forums to brag.

Fight your problems, head on OP. Your wife is there to help you; your kids' development depend on you.

>efNPIfwc

You're unironically saying two things that are completely contradictory: (1) the power of memes is bullshit because the power of the mind can have no affect on the "real" world; and (2) you can use the power of the mind to control "real world" behavior to curb drinking habits.

Discovering the *truth* that your mind does control reality is the only way to address addiction problems or entrenched habits or problems of thought of any kind. This isn't new age shit; our universe is made up of matter and energy which transmute back and forth between these two states.

Use your mind and take control. AA and 12 step programs can help get you started. Just don't let that become another addiction. Graduate and move onto something else that's a positive thing to obsess about.

Picked up weight training. A buddy joined a gym and kicked my ass into going. I don't think I was a hardcore alcoholic, but I was spending $60-80/wk on beer.

Don't worry, I read to them my son is 6 and I have read all of roald dahl books and the narnia chronicles, Harry Potter books and other classics like stig of the dump, the borrowers etc.. I love reading bedtime stories.

I made it 3 years. Thought I'd have a drink and could control it. You end up worse then before in a month. At the 2 year mark your diagnosis even changes medically. I really had no cravings. Just a mistake cause a girl I was dating at the time drank. It's really hard to stop man but it gets easier the longer you go.

asking yourself that question is usually a sign
honestly the lines are very blurred, as an ex-drinker i'm convinced that most heavy drinkers have a problem to some degree or another

extraneous exercise + a physical hobby e.g. carpentry.

You wont quite entirely, but definitely wont binge.

Oh yeah, btw, it wont be easy senpai

You could just stop being a weak willed faggot.

Time will, if not erase it, mute it and put distance between you and the pain. Trick is you gotta find some way of passing the days that makes you feel good. Try doing something totally new to push yourself out of your comfort zone--or at least start to be open to it, and something new will visit you. Trust me.

Exercise

I've tried before and slipped back into it. I definately now agree I need the doctor, thanks to you guys in this thread.

Realize that alcohol is poison, then stop. If you fail, try again. If you fail again, try again! Set realistic breaks 2 days, a week or Homers month. You can do it, I did. Good luck friend
youtube.com/watch?v=h5WmHTK8-N8 oh, and smoking doobies is a great help too! Lesser evil for sure!

so much hope and hopelessness simultaniously captured in that post
lol

i really would like to be able to drink like a normal human at some point. guess its not a good idea to test it though.

I'm both

That's a lot of sugar too, you might be as addicted to a sustained sugar high as the alcohol itself.

If you're thirsty for something that has that carbonated tickle in your throat, try to thread in some san pellegrino if you can

It's not gonna be easy mate.
You have to have a fundamental shift in the way you think. You have to realize that your own brain is your enemy, because the reward pathways in your brain have been conditioned for the ANTICIPATION of getting drunk.

Keep in mind the word "anticipation". The vast majority of addicts feel pleasure prior to engaging in their drug habit. The key is to shift that anticipation to a positive habit, like exercise, or perhaps a new hobby.

It won't be easy, but recognizing you have a problem gets you half way there.

is that what your mom told you when you failed the 9th grade the third time?

That's silly. Weed and kraytom are both silly suggestions for medical detox from booze. Liberiam is what doctors perscribe usually it's a mild benzo. Benzos are cross tolerant with alcohol and used for detox. Stop giving bad advice you could kill someone.

depending on how heavy and how long you were drinking for you should not just quit or you can have seizures and possibly die

see a doctor and explain them the situation

learn to drink slower, much slower, trust me on this. Just buy 4 cans and drink each over the course of one hour, start drinking a little later in the day.

I recently stopped drinking cold turkey

Would drink 4-8 32oz budweisers every night then eat a bunch of greasy, fattening foods before bed. Woke up one morning short of breath and my face felt numb. Thought i was going to die or some.shit.

fuck me, thats a lot, what ever you do don't just stop, you need to cut down by slowing down.

I bought one of those spic citrus juice squeezer things, and just sipped fresh lime water constantly, when I needed to quit for a while.

I always go back eventually but sometimes I can make it an entire month completely sober just by working out and crushing those lime waters.

I'm off now. Thank you everyone. I reached an epiphany about my drinking just before I posted this thread and I just wanted your advice on how to tackle it. You have helped me and I'll go see my doctor on Monday and start drinking decaf tea Instead. I don't want my son or daughter to become a low grade fuck up like me.

That's the hard part man. You really can't because 1 is too many 1000 is never enough.

I'm in kinda the same boat. Bouncing back from a relapse is very difficult. I can verify that around the 2 year mark life has color again and there really isn't any cravings. You can't get weak though and have to put your soberity first above all even your family because without it you won't have anything.

Where do they even sell 32oz?
I only know of 24 and 40oz

You can do it. The first two weeks will not be fun mentally, but soon you forget about the alcohol. Just stay away from parties and bars

Look into consulting with a doctor about Libriam and take a lot of vitamins. Particularly Niacin. Alcoholics have next to zero niacin in their systems.

Hoo boy do I know exactly what you mean.

>beer makes you fat, miserable, and eventually gets too expensive as you need higher and higher abv
>switch to wine, which gives me horrific headaches and dehydration
>switch to liquor, which gives me psychotic thoughts, waking nightmares, desire to kill myself
>can't kill myself because I have a kid

Sober up for about a month then start the whole thing over.

I had a similar problem brit fag. I have found that you need to find a new habit that replaces alcohol. I personally now drink a shit load of tea before I go to bed, where before I would have alcohol. Keep doing this and tea will become your new habit. Also try doing something healthy like working out each day. You will soon begin to see improvement in the gym and not want to hurt your development by feeling shitty each day.

Lose some weight, the self control you'll learn from calorie counting and exercise will spill over into drinking, my alcohol consumption went way down when I was on my first cut though admittedly I wasn't even near your levels of consumption. Still it's harder to have a drink once you realize how calorie heavy booze is and how much extra food it makes you crave. You'll also find alcohol will hit you a lot harder at a lower BMI, it might help you drink less.