New start giving up alcohol on Monday

[sahara]

Ok it's my birthday today. I have a boozy weekend lined up but I know I drink too much full stop. I want to give up alcohol but I need people on my case. I had an alcoholic mum. It was lung cancer that got her. She was hitting the whiskey or wine at 10 am. I am scared and don't want to be like her. I don't drink before 7pm but still drink too much. Who's gonna nag me?

[TooMuchToLiveFor]

Hi, Sahara,

First off- HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Secondly- congrats on the plans to give up alcohol!

I want to encourage you to check into AA- that real life support is going to help you much more than an online community, but we are certainly here to root you on and give you some added accountability!

[Fishmanpa]

Happy Birthday! Why wait until after your birthday? It would be an ideal birthday present to give your body and help your anxiety by not drinking.

I echo TooMuch's suggestion to join AA. They have a support system that can help. Ultimately, you're accountable to yourself and nagging you would only be saying what you already know.

Positive thoughts

[RoseEve]

Congratulations on taking this important first step! My dad is a raging alcoholic and I don't drink because of that so I understand where you are coming from. Happy birthday as well. Best of luck!

[Catherine S]

I drink also every evening, from around 9pm to midnight when I go to bed. My drink of choice is brandy mixed with lemonade and I usually drink about a quarter bottle each evening. I often take the last drink of the evening to bed with me, read my book then settle down to sleep, I sleep well and wake up feeling fine.

However, if it were not for the propranolol that I take, my BP would probably be a lot higher than it is because I drink every night. But am I a functioning alcoholic, or just drinking what suits my system...going on the 'everybody's system is different' logic...as in, some people can smoke into their old age without any problems but not everyone can. The question is...do we berate people for their bad habits from a moral point of view, or can we accept that some people can be OK with their habit of choice without harming themselves? Or am I just kidding myself and need help!

---------- Post added at 01:46 ---------- Previous post was at 01:41 ----------

Happy Birthday too by the way...hope you had a good day :)

[sahara]

I guess I could stop now but I figure it's similar to the way I gave up smoking. I had a date and stuck to it. This has been my date for a while. I Am excited for a new start. Perhaps nagging is not the word but knowing I have people rooting for me....! :) I have never thought about aa tbh. If I can't this time that will be my next step. My mum was always in denial x

---------- Post added at 01:26 ---------- Previous post was at 01:23 ----------

I have no idea how Many units that equals. I am normally half or 2/3 a bottle of wine. With a week off here and there. No scary stories plS. Just getting back on track from a health anxiety blip x