Last night I drank half a pint of lager

That's good that you managed not to go to the pub thats an achievement in itself.  Alcohol is a puzzle I to am trying to get my head around it.  Have a good day

Good fory you

The puzel is different for each one of us, because it depends on how our body reacts to it. The same as when someone can stop (not easy though) and others have to cut back before they can quit. I have lost three people to alcohol, watched them suffer while trying to stop, unfortantley the drink got them before they could stop

Yes, congratulations for showing your will power and not stopping at the pub.  It's all so mental isn't it?  Talking to oneself, planning and making decisions, hoping, wishing, wondering......  It took me to the point where it had to be a rational decision, and I had to know exactly why I was stopping.  Medical reasons won out in the end, and it only took a few months on the ersatz beer to learn to hate that and quit completely.  At 6 months I had very little desire for alcohol.  Now I find I can still drink one beer on a hot afternoon, or a glass of wine with dinner, but i don't dare take two.

Keep up the positive thinking and stay away from temptations......  Good fortune to you!

charley

Well done Daisy Joe. you  must be pleased with yourself and big congratulations are in order. Absoluttely brilliant and keep going and you will be proud of yourself.

Hello Daisyjo,

I found my own cravings for alcohol very disturbing and difficult to understand.  In France it is more and more accepted that alcohol simply modifies the brain chemistry, so it is virtually impossible not to have these cravings.  Resisting them is incredible difficult (a little like as not drinking a glass of water after 2 hours playing football).  So Bravo for resisting this one. 

I have stop trying to resist and went onto medication (50 000 of French people are on Baclofen so I did not felt too alone!).  This drug interferes with Gaba b brain receptor and for a majority of patient it stops the craving all together : simply no more overwhelming desire.  Sometime I think about having a drink/going to the pub and within 30 seonds the thought is gone. It is such a relief not to have to fight all the time. 

I hope that, with time, your brain chemistry will be set back to normal and the cravings will stop.  All the best.

S

Thanks for your replies. It's nice to have encouragement and hear about other people's experiences. My strategy has been to stop drinking during the week and find other ways to unwind. I do get a lot of cravings. Walking past a pub nearly kills me😀! None of my family drink much at all so they view me as a bit feckless but the cravings are like being starving hungry with a roast dinner in front of you and not being able to eat it or only have a mouthful. Good luck everyone!