Co help in stopping for new year

I think this is gonna be a case of suck it and see,  I personally don't think I'm dependent but maybe that the stubborn in me, I've never felt the need in stopping, it's the thought that scares me, that's what I was looking for is others in same position for mutarral support ie text ect 

I understand that, but I felt the need to advise you not to take risks Good luck with it and Happy New Year

I'm sure there are support groups nearby and I'm sure they are very good but I don't think I could do that, maybe its denial on my part but I couldn't do anything face to face. To do something like that would make me feel awful, and when I feel awful I drink more! I'm just about to reach the end of day 2 without a drink, something that has not happened for a very long time, the saying take one day at a time is defiantly ringing very true at the moment!

Hi good luck with it - you sound like me - work  hard, come home and get plastered but don't want outside intervention. I'm also giving up for January but I'm only on day 1 as I lapsed earlier. I've promised my husband that if I don't do it this time (this also means giving up smoking as I drink and smoke together to excess) he can book me on any quitting course he likes. This scares me to death so it's probably the motivation I need to give up. The other reasons would be the money I spend and the weight I've put on, plus general tiredness and irritability from drinking too much. One thing for me: I'm not interested in taking any drugs to help with drinking. I'm determined to gain control off my own steam and taking a drug will just make me feel helpless and like a victim. You've done 2 days; that's great. Keep going!

I accept what you say about your own personal situation, regarding drugs to help you, Bromley, but I need to point out that, for some people, it is extremely dangerous, even life threatening for some people to attempt to stop drinking without medication to help them do so. I am only doing this for the benefit of people who may read this and be in a potentially risky situation.

Hi Paul, I'm sure you're right. The irony is drinking to excess is by definition 'extremely dangerous, even life-threatening for some people'  (the risk of accidents much higher etc, let alone the affects on the body from heavy drinking). The people you refer to who 'may read this and be in a potentially risky situation' are already in a confirmed risky situation because we're alcoholics. Yes, take medication if there's a risk of dropping down dead if you stop drinking - only remember it's just another substance that could cause it's own problems. For people like me alcoholism isn't physical - it's a mental battle.

Bromley, I wasn't suggesting that you were doing anything dangerous yourself. Of course, if people can stop drinking without medical help, that is good, because excessive alcohol consumption, itself, is risky to health.

I just didn't want people to be determined to stop without any medication if that is going to pose a danger to their health. People DO die from alcohol withdrawal symptoms and, in their case, they also need to stop drinking, but should do it with a closely supervised alcohol detox.

Please don't take what I said to have been aimed at you personally, you are doing really well (I assume you have managed to keep off the alcohol without any physical withdrawal symptoms and, if that is the case, you are past the danger period) and I hope it continues

 

Hi Bromley, sounds like we are both in similar situations, I promised my wife I'd stop for January. I had been drinking pretty much everyday for years, not sure if that makes me a alcoholic, in my mind it was something I done because I enjoyed it. It gets annoying people thinking your a alcoholic when you are perfectly able to function and it never intefears with work or running a home ect. I stopped because my wife decided I must be a alcoholic and I was going to die, something I guess I will do one day! I did find it hard to stop but I guess my stubborn side kicked in. It has made me realise I had got into a cycle and it was just habit, which was costing a lot! As far as drugs go like you it was a road I didn't want to go down, I think my wife was expecting me to drop dead after 96 hours as she had read heavy drinkers can after stopping but here I am still! Lol. I hope you manage to do it, I do believe a big part of it is boredom of a evening and getting trapped in the routine of drinking, I've even taken up candycrush to keep me busy! Good luck and I hope it works out for you.

Agree with your comments. Its not physical for everyone. It can be psychological and believe me that can cause problems too. Drugs may be a help for some and whatever helps is good _ for me is understanding the psychology.

Its really nice that you're helping people overcome their problems but in my opinion physical addiction or not _ and i believe the physical issues are easily overcome with help _ its the psychological issues that need addressing. This is only my opinion based only on my thoughts on my own alcohol problem

I agree with you 100% Daisy Jo. My main thought in what I posted, though, was that there is little chance of a person who IS physically dependent on alcohol, dealing with the psychological issues that led to the problem, if they can't find a way to get sober enough to talk through those issues.

It's first things first. Sometimes a detox is a life saver (if a person is in a serious physical mess due to their excessive drinking) and the other things need to wait until the life has been saved.

Certainly, any person with any sort of alcohol problem, needs to get to the bottom of why it occurred in the first place.

Of course and its a shame that people don't feel that they can ask for help before it gets to the dangerous to stop point which is what co and Bromley are doing (and me)

I think you are right DaisyJo, and it is far better if people realise that they have a problem before it gets to that point. Unfortunately, there are many who have done themselves serious physical damage before they recognise that they have a problem. For those people like yourself and Bromley, counselling services should be available and in many areas, they are not or, if they are, people have to wait months to get access to them. They should also be accessible for those who have reached a life and death situation, but medical help should be available on the NHS to help them to get to the point where they can take advantage of them.

Unfortunately, the NHS has very limited access at alcohol detox services, even moreso than counselling which puts lives at risk and results in billions of pounds of NHS money being required for the long term effects of excessive alcohol consumption.

Basically, it's a mess and nobody is doing anything about it because there is a serious lack of understanding among health professionals and NHS management. It's scandalous that there are solutions which are effective and not that expensive, but which are ignored because of bad attitudes towards those who get into difficulty with alcohol.

 

* to alcohol detox services

Thanks prburgess - you do sound like me. It is a cycle and a habit and one, if I'm honest, I don't really want to stop - but I do want to be fitter, leaner, have more money and stop my husband worrying. I love the bit about 'candycrush'! Have you managed to stop so far this January?

Thanks Paul and I'm not offended at all - but I don't think you're understanding me. When you say' I wasn't suggesting that you were doing anything dangerous yourself', I'm saying without a shadow of a doubt I am absolutely doing untold harm to myself. That is the weirdness of it. You can be an intelligent person with a good job, care about people etc, but are quite willing to put your health at risk in order to keep drinking. I'm doing danger to myself all the time and I know it. A year or so ago, there was a news piece about a 16 year old girl who had died at a party from alcohol poisoning. She'd drunk a lot of Vodka. They told you exactly how much Vodka and other alcohol she had drunk at the party, and when I totted it up I realised I had on occasion surpassed that, gone to bed and gone to work the next morning. I am absolutely harming myself; I absolutely know it and that is the madness of drinking. Even now I'm contemplating leaving work early to go and drink, although I'm supposed to have given up for Jan. Nothing personal to be taken - your comments are plenty valid but I did wonder if you worked for the drug company that manufactures the drug you were talking about. Thanks again.

I understood you, Bromley. I was saying that YOUR method of stopping was ok if you were able to do that without any risk. My only concern was OTHER people who read what you said, who may be in danger, if they suddenly stop drinking without medical help. It was just a warning to people to be careful

I don't work for any drug company or get any commissions from the sales of Librium, more's the pity!

Hi Bromley, I know that feeling of not wanting to stop, getting away from work just a bit earlier to get a extra drink in. I really hope you manage to stop, although its been really hard stopping once you've made it past those few first days you'll feel proud of yourself having done it. I do think it is getting out of the routine and keeping yourself busy. I've managed to get to 14 days, it is just the stubborn in me keeping myself going, but it is defiantly noticeable how much money I'm saving. All the best with stopping, let me know how you get on, do it and prove any doubters wrong!

14 days - that's brilliant! Keep going. I agree with everything you say. I'll keep trying and keep you posted.

Yes, I see. I'm very literal - and don't mean to offend when asking if you work for a drugs company. People must take care of course.

Congratulations, prburgess, you must be feeling pretty proud of yourself.  I am like you were...an habitual drinker, drinking every evening in order to wind down and be able to get to sleep.  

I wanted to ask you how you have been dealing with getting to sleep since you quit.  It's the thing that concerns me most.  I haven't gone to bed without a drink for years and years.

No offence was taken, Bromley