95 replies to this topic

[Sikfreud]

Hi,

I would like to tell my story about drinking and quitting I hope that it sparks something in someone I'm new to this forum so I hope I don't seem to be over-stepping.  Don't get me wrong some people can handle their drinking but honestly I think any one that uses it on a regular basis has some negative effects and or consequences.

 

I quit after 30yrs of drinking.  I was a drunk a functioning drunk but a drunk non the less.  I couldn't handle myself.  I told myself I could but any how.  Almost every bad decision, almost every ruined relationship involved alcohol.  I would never admit this until I truly realized it.  I had a lot of excuses.  I thought it was cool to have the fortitude to drink till 3 am and wake at 6 go to work and survive.  Ugh makes me kind of sick thinking about it now.   It was Cannabis that finally got me to quit but not the way you may think.   I decided to grow cannabis,  I invested in everything I needed, got some beans, started growing and  everything was going great.  I tended to my ladies everyday making sure they had what they needed.  About half way thru my first flower I was drunk and found myself in my grow room (thinking I knew what I was doing) pouring more of this,  more of that, way to much shit.  I burned my flowers with nutes. I had invested so much time, money and effort I was enjoying myself, growing this living thing then in one fail swoop......   I flushed them and salvaged them for the most part but at that moment when I realized What The Fuck I Had Done. It was that moment that I got fed up with it.  I was tired of alcohol controlling me.  I had had it.  Alcohol was not my friend any more I was not going to let it have power over me any more.  I quit cold turkey I quit letting it whisper in my ear.  It was there whispering in my ear for way to long like a best friend you realize has been banging your wife for as long as you knew him.  

 

Well that's my story on how I quit.  I craved it for maybe 5 months I told myself I could have a near beer hear and there probably not a good choice but I got thru it.  I almost relapsed a few times fighting with the wife or getting stressed at work but then I remembered that Fucker and what he had done to me for that many years.  Anyway that's what worked for me.   A lot of my friends still drink and we are still friends.  I feel uncomfortable around people that are drunk because I see the way I acted.  Like I said some people don't have a problem with it and I do believe it has its place.  Quitting was the best decision I have ever made.

 

I apologize for the poor grammar.  I decided drinking was more important than English class :P  Thank god for spell check. 

 

If my story could help anyone in anyway it was worth sharing.

[Alder Logs]

Anyone might go to Y'ube and search, "Paul Hedderman," my favorite AAer.   He has combined recovery with Buddhism, Advaita, and just traveling lighter.    I love listening to that guy.

[SteampunkScientist]

Sikfreud, that is a great story, thank you for that. Many will say about various crutches they have "I can stop anytime"... But as the saying goes: "If you can't show it, you don't know it."

I like vaping high flavor nicotine, and bud, but I lay it down for a week or a month every few weeks - I need to know that I can...

[riseabovethought]

Here's what I mean by changing one's habit from a bad one to a good one

[Direct Link]

Edited by riseabovethought, 04 December 2018 - 11:29 AM.

[Sikfreud]

YES! Thank You!

[SteampunkScientist]

Wow! That is and excellent video.  I was immediately inspired to restart my meditation practice in earnest.  Thank you!

[Ambient74]

I know we have full control over these things, its just weird that I sortof forget and automatically want more and more and more and never really see the problem, or cloak it from myself.  Its like who's driving here? 

No-one. Absolutely no-one.

[SteampunkScientist]

[Direct Link]

[riseabovethought]

I gave up drinking again... almost a month down already.  I mostly forget about it...trying to keep busy if it does cross my mind.  The first 7 days were the toughest part.  I've given it up for a year several times now and this is the 4th time.  I feel like these year long breaks are good for my liver because it has time to fully regenerate.  Anyhoo, just letting you know its what Im doing if anyone cares to join me.  Damn buzz aint even that good for all the trouble it causes.  I have other better options to go- to for mental clarity and consciousness expansion, which is really more to the point anyway.  So far, so good.

[Oldpunk]

If you can put it down for a year at a time then you've got some semblance of control over it. That's more than I could ever say. And if it's causing more problems than enjoyment then what's the point? (That last sentence is a classic example of someone who's never struggled with it.....should be easy right? Just quit.) Ooooh those people.....

Good on ya if it's what you need. I struggled with That demon for years. And can look back and be grateful I escaped. It's been quite a few years now and life is definitely better. For what that's worth. Life still sucks sometimes.....ok. More than sometimes. But at least now when I have a good time I remember it in the morning.

[Sidestreet]

It's definitely time for me to chill out too.  I tend to do fine during the week but then go HAM on Friday.  Really takes the quality of the weekend down a few notches. 

[FLASHINGROOSTER]

I noticed I have been enjoying the friday night beers a little too much as well. Not so hard to see how easily people can fall into a serious drinking routine. Especially when you start to get good at the hangover part. I have a buddy that has been taking these vitamins and some acid supplement that he claims get rid of his hangovers. Part of me thinks that is actually a bad thing, the hangover might have been slowing him down a tad

 

After some lengthy discussions on friday I am worried about the guy, he gets on these anxiety traps that always seem to make him play Icarus and fly to close to the sun. Every time he goes to the doctor and gets a prescription to treat his anxiety he starts acting bizarre. I think the drinking is a huge part of it. He said that anxiety has troubled him all his life and obviously the drinking is something he does to try to manage it. The trap part being that the alcohol actually makes the anxiety worse come the next morning. So it becomes a cycle to try to manage the anxiety.

 

Anyway he just broke a rib and tore a bunch of muscles on the farm so he went and got some pain pills... I went oh this is not going to be good. I met him at the bar for a drink on friday and it was worse than I thought. Come to find out hes drinking on the pain meds but its "safe" because there is no Tylenol in them. (Face palm) This was to be expected so did not come as that much of a shocker, then he admits to going to the doctor and getting benzo's to help treat the alcohol addiction, however he seems to be popping them like happy pills rather than as a treatment for alcohol withdrawal symptoms (That which can be deadly) The thing with the guy is he always seems to be lying about it so its hard to get the true story on anything. On friday he admitted a decade old lie where the offical story was he said that he took to many pot brownies and got kicked out of a rock concert we were at together. The reality was he said it was too much anxiety so he went and sat in car and waited for the show to be over.

 

So back to friday the guy was talking about getting the alcoholic shakes and a couple of days before said that he went over to the house he is watching for a sip. The stores were not open yet and he felt bad enough to drive into town to go to their place. He knows how bad that is but didn't seem to be showing any signs of slowing down. Coupled with the benzo's (One of the other rare drugs where withdrawal symptoms can kill you) I am seriously starting to get worried about him.  Said he drank 18 beers the night before and then was asking me for stronger drink at 4 in the afternoon when his legs started shaking. Not an hour later he tried to stand up off the couch and collapses down to the floor. We went to the bar and I didn't make it to much longer to be honest I was a little bit embarrassed to be with a guy who could barely stand at 8 pm. He said he woke up at 3 am in one of the rooms above the old country bar. I think we started hanging out at around 2 pm that day for a sandwich and a drink and he said he barely remembers anything. My guess is the good conversations we had about quitting drinking  that night went the way of the dinosaur as well. If anything he took the first step of admitting it to his friends I guess. I told him that he needs help, trying to quit when you live out on that farm all alone and no job during the winter months you don't stand a chance.

 

Life is funny that way, we hide the things that can kill us from the people that we care about the most.

Edited by FLASHINGROOSTER, 12 December 2021 - 10:28 AM.

[Cuboid]

That's tricky. Going cold turkey from very high levels of alcohol consumption can be physically dangerous. I think your friend needs professional help to taper off and deal with underlying issues.
(I'm not a Dr or addiction expert but have read a lot about drugs and addiction)

[Sidestreet]

Damn Rooster, I'm sorry you have to watch your buddy go through that.

[FLASHINGROOSTER]

Yeah a severe benzo addiction can be just as bad if not worse than a serious alcohol one. I almost feel like an enabler at this point I am unsure what to do, it does make one reflect on their own habits. Realizing my group of freinds don't often socialize unless there is alcohol involved

[Nichrome]

I quit drinking in 2016. Best thing I ever did. I am still working on healing and am thankful for every day. I couldn't agree more with "no amount of alcohol is safe".