41–50 of 600 posts
Honestly, cutting something cold turkey is the hardest thing and requires hard willpower.
It might work better if you wean yourself off, don't turn down the drink but just zip a bit and leave it. If the foggy head feeling still happens with a zip your body will eventually just reject that idea.
When I decided to stop drinking, I decided my new identity was someone that does not drink. It took about 6mo to fully get ok with not drinking, but I am happy I did it :)
It's all about self control. My dad was an alcoholic and my sister is an alcoholic. I'm about to uncork a fresh bottle of cabernet, but I'm only going to have half a glass with my dinner. I never touch anything stronger than wine, and I rarely have more than one glass. I probably drink on average one glass every two days and sometimes less.
I’m sorry to be so harsh, especially here, where I know etiquette is important but this comment needs to be shut down.
The dismissive suggestion that alcoholism can be cured simply by using “self-control” is toxic.
Yes, self-control is PART of it, but to say that it’s “all about self-control” is damaging.
There’s a reason the person is struggling to control their behavior. There are underlying problems.
Sociological? Biological? Societal?
Yes.
Working on those problems takes great effort and many cannot do it alone.
Yes, SOME can do it on their own but the dismissive anecdotal examples are more damaging than helpful.
People suffering from addiction are beat down. Exhausted.
Yes, they still need to help themselves but they also need support from others who can guide them to a healthier life.
Would you tell someone with a broke leg to use willpower to fix it? No, of course not. You’d get them to a hospital.
It’s the same here. The advice needed is ‘where to get help from professionals that can guide them through their problems’.
The only organization I know like that is AA but I’m sure there are more. Someone who knows, please add support groups.
Take the first step and reach out to a group. Give their program a genuine try and beat this problem one day at a time.
One day at a time.
For me, I am becoming wearier and wearier of drinking - but having the access to an external and accessible release is appealing. I don’t have advice but I do have a personal target: I smoked cigarettes starting 20+ years ago. And over the years I got distance from it little by little. Now I have, what I like to think of as, a good relationships with tobacco. I enjoy a cigarette once every 6-8 weeks. Sometimes it’s good and tasty and I enjoy the experience, other times it tastes like crap and I know I’ll feel even worse later so I cut it 1/4 in.
That’s where I want to get with alcohol (and I’m certainly getting closer).
The idea with replacement is that it's hard to say no to something, but easier to say yes to something slightly different (a nonalcoholic alternative).
Don't have any booze around, but do have lots of seltzer and tea.
Eventually went to the doctor to discuss my issue that I can’t stop. Yet I have no problem not to drink.
So I stopped drinking. Naltrexone for the cravings the first couple of weeks. Now sober. Don’t even miss it.
Dig in deeper on this and then make yourself do it. It’s a good initial skill to hone.
The first thing is just saying no thanks when offered. This will be easier/harder depending on your friends. Ordering something nonalcoholic is a good. But next problem is being sober around your drunk friends isn’t usually such a fun thing. So you’ll ultimately need to just stay out of the bars, make friends that don’t drink that much, or alter your friend group nights.
I'm hopeless for quitting my compulsive browsing habit though. I keep trying and relapsing.