Aaaaaaargh!!!!

[minny]

Its been 18 days since I had a drink and Im struggling! I really didnt realise what a dependency on alcohol I had until today. The first week without my beloved red wine was fairly easy but this week has been so hard. I have been so close to buying wine today and Im still fighting the urge! I think my problem is down to giving up smoking at the same time! I smoked 20 cigarettes a day but decided to drop them with the wine!!

Now its "I want a drink!" which automatically leads to "I need a cigarette!"

Maybe I shouldnt have given up both at the same time! I havent had either a cigarette or a glass of wine for nearly 2 weeks but Im so close to giving in to the "need!"

Has anyone else experienced the withdrawal symptoms from either of the above? I would really appreciate your input!

Thanks.... Love Minny...xx

[Meg]

Just another few days and you'll be over the acute symptoms.

You have done sooooo well .
Get some exercise , bake bread , drink a pint of orange squash to curb the thirst factor.

Get out and do something or visit someone - distract !!




Meg

It is impossible to get out of a problem by using the same kind of thinking that it took to get into it.
- Albert Einstein.

[seh1980]

hi Minny,

I gave up alcohol and cigarettes last summer at the same time. I still haven't touched a drop of alcohol but I started smoking again 10 months later. My boyfriend smokes so it was always in my face and was too hard to resist. Maybe you should slowly cut down instead of just suddenly stopping...

Sarah

[tara]

Hi Minnie, I gave up alcohol a year and a half ago after realising that i was drinking too much, a least two and a half litres a day, everyday, this went on for about 8-9 months. So one day I decided that it was time too stop and I did. For a few months after I always felt like having a drink but i choose not too, it was hard but the following morning i would be so proud that i hadn't hadn't one. Even to this day I love the smell of beer and wine and it always makes me want a glass, but i choose not to and feel real proud of myself for not giving in, so hang in there it gets easier, as for smoking, i smoke and haven't decided thats its time to give up that yet!! Tara xx

[nomorepanic]

Hi Minny

I can feel for you cos I am on day 5 and finding it hard. The only difference is I CAN'T drink at the moment cos I am on anti-biotics and will be very ill if I drink. This has made it easier to accept that I can't have a drink but I am scared that as soon as I can (next Friday I should be able to), I will go straight back to drinking every day as I did.

I keep watching TV programmes and they are there with a glass of wine in their hand and I am thinking "Oh I could muder a glass of wine". I am finding it hard cos I also had a few glasses a night to help me sleep. My sleep is very bad at the moment since I stopped drinking (yes I know alcohol doesn't really help you sleep).

What I want to do is restrict the drinking to weekends only and cut out the Sunday - Thursday drinking and I am hoping I will be able to do that.

I thought that giving up would help me lose some weight but I have put a pound on this week!

So I can feel for you and I am wishing you all the best.

You may want to PM vern (that is his login name here too). He gave up after many years of not drinking so he may be able to offer some advice. I talk to him about it too. Or PM me and we will help each other.

Best of luck and stick at it OK? You are doing so well!

Nicola

[minny]

Hi all!

Well the day didnt turn out to be so bad after all!!

First of all I took Megs "distraction" advice and I wrote myself a list of "things to do" when the urge for a drink or cigarette struck! What a difference! Not only did the urge pass but it also had a very calming effect on me.

Secondly, as I felt so calm, I made the 20 minute walk to my daughters school again! Thats twice in 1 week!

Thirdly, my counsellor set me the task of speaking to one of the mums at the school who is aware of my condition and inviting her for coffee at my house! I did it and Monday morning, I will have company of my own choosing for the first time in nearly a year!

Im still shaky and slightly anxious but I know I can do this! The need for a drink and a cigarette is still there but Im learning how to control it!

Nicola if you decide to stay off wine when your anti-biotic course is over then I will support you in any way I can. The 2 things I find help the most are firstly taking it 1 day at a time. I began by telling myself "I will not have a drink today! I can have one tomorrow if I want to!" Then the next day I felt such a sense of acheivement in not having a drink that I repeated the process! I told myself every morning, "I will not have a drink TODAY!"
The second thing I found helped was the advice Meg gave! Distraction! My "to do" list worked a treat and Ive already written a similar list for tomorrow!

I hope that one day I will be able to enjoy a social glass of wine simply because I enjoy it and not to block my thinking mechanism. At the moment I still feel fairly weak and one glass would easily lead to another. Im not going to chance undoing all the good Ive done in stopping drinking.

Another thing that keeps me from drinking was the humiliation I felt when my GP sent me to the hospital for bloodtests to see if my heavy consistent dependence on alcohol had done any damage to my liver. The nurse looked at me with such contempt. Maybe she was a bad nurse I dont know, but I do know I never want to feel that way again.

To anyone who is considering giving up alcohol.....

Be strong... be positive and BE IN HERE!!!!

Thankyou all for being there!

Love Minny...xxx

[jill]

Hi Minny

I've just read your post, you have done so well,
Things will get easyer the longer the time goes on the easyer it gets.

Good luck

Thinking of you

Jillxxxx

May you troubles be less
and your blessings be more
and nothing but happiness
come through your door..

[nomorepanic]

What a lovely post Minny - you sound so much happier.

I have been tidying cupboards out lol and my wardrobe. Trying to keep busy like you!!

I have some alcohol-free wine tonight cos I am sure it is not the alcohol that I crave all the time it is the fact that it is a glass of wine. I am sure it will be horrid but at least I will feel like I have had a glass of wine!

Some of my liver tests were high too. I am going back next week to repeat the LFT to see if a week off booze has made a difference.

The weekend is the worst time to stop drinking for me - but I am going to stick at it.

Thanks for the offer of support.

x

Nicola

[Meg]

Minny - Hurrah !!!!!!

Many congratulations you very strong lady . You should be very proud indeed .

She was a bad nurse or you misinterpreted the look by thinking thats what you thought she looked at you like.

I worked on a liver unit for ages and we had pts who needed transplants due to alcohol but never judged them.
Now I realize that we didn't do enough to help them recognise why they drank and support them to work through those initial issues though .

Nic - have you actually booked in for your repeat bloods ?




Meg

It is impossible to get out of a problem by using the same kind of thinking that it took to get into it.
- Albert Einstein.

[nomorepanic]

<b id="quote">quote:</b id="quote"><table border="0" id="quote"><tr id="quote"><td class="quote" id="quote">

Nic - have you actually booked in for your repeat bloods ?

Meg

It is impossible to get out of a problem by using the same kind of thinking that it took to get into it.
- Albert Einstein.
<div align="right">Originally posted by Meg - 01 October 2004 : 19:38:08</div id="right">
</td id="quote"></tr id="quote"></table id="quote">

Yes Meg on Tuesday

Nicola