Comments on: How to stay sober when all your friends are drinking

By: EDDIE

EDDIE — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 11:52:22 +0000

I never saw drinking in my home as I grew up but I saw the result of it. My Dad was a alkie who went to A.A. but who never got that inner peace that I now find myself so desperate to find. I knew a fair bit about alcoholism from an early age but that didn’t stop me becoming an alcoholic and as events unfolded I became more like my Father than I would have cared for. I found myself cherrie picking the 12 steps and couldn’t understand why I kept slipping back into my old way of thinking. Then it occured to me I wanted the programme to work around ME!. As an alcoholic I know I am a very complicated person but I can find that peace I crave and I hope that everyone who wants the same gets it. I need to be reminded daily I’m a recovering alcoholic.

By: Teresa

Teresa — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 09:56:52 +0000

Hi guys, I’, 39 and only recently realised how much of an alkie ive become. One book which has really helped me stay positive and think differently is Allen Carrs Easyway to control alchol. I would recommend this to anyone wishing to ditch the booze, it really is inspirational and different to any other books Ive read on the subject. Since reading this I’ve got 14 days sober BUT HAPPILY SOBER thanks to this book. Good luck everyone

By: Helene

Helene — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 13:23:12 +0000

I sure can share your concern. Ive been drinking on and off for 30 years. Recently, the last few years it seems to be out of control. I finally got sick of making bad choices and figured I should take back some control. My boyfriend of four years was my drinking buddy. Try finding something in common when your not drinking and he still is. All of my friends still drink so its very hard to find something to do that does not include alcohol. I am on two weeks sober and find myself angry and aggitated (not all the time but throughout the day). It’s actually my problem, because no one made me quit drinking, the decision was my own. I guess I need to find a hobby, but I’m not sure what that is right now….lol. Just hang in there. There has to be a light at the end of the tunnel. Good Luck everyone….Hang in there….Im trying.

By: grant

grant — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 16:18:33 +0000

what about going to a singles night with some of your friends i know alot of women do go to single nights together there you can relax with your friends and maybe find your true love?…..good luck.

By: todays the day

todays the day — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 09:22:18 +0000

Hi Lucy what you have said sounds so similar, over the last year have started drinking on my own at home as a way to fill the void of being single. Am fine monday to friday. On Friday evening its knowing everyone else is going home to loved ones, mine a bottle of wine or vodka. Have spoken to family about it and had stopped but had a ‘blip’ this Friday that lasted till Sunday! I think/know the way forward is not drinking at all, can’t see to set my limits. Am now at the stage where am worried its going to affect frienships, my job. All other aspects of my life are fine, good job, fab friends etc. Need some support hope chatting and reading stuff on here is going to help.

By: I understand

I understand — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 17:34:20 +0000

Hi
I read your email and can understand your dilemma, I started drinking a lot after my Mother died and smoking again, it was the only way I could cushion the loss of losing both parents (my Dad had died 7 years prior) I got a grip for awhile but then my beloved dog died and left me totally bereaved so back to drinking too much and smoking again. Now again I struggle because that is what cushions the blows and makes life bearable but in reality it does the opposite it cushions the blows for a short time but the next days are rife with deep depression and epidodes of dizzyness , stroke and heart attack scares as well as intense anxiety. What a cycle!! Well I have found out that when you quit drinking and or smoking and its worse if its both at once , your blood sugar levels just plummet and actually its very dangerous to go cold turkey if you are a heavy drinker. I am right now sticking to two drinks a day either wine or beer nothing heavier, later plan to go to one drink a day for a woman thats the healthy amount. I had to quit smoking because of my blood pressure (not fun!) I have high BP and low blood sugar what a living hell. Anyway I have found eating small meals throughout the day (eliminate all white stuff like flours and sugars and replace with whole grains) eat a carb a protein and a fat in each mini meal. this helps tremendously and strangely enough if you get those depression and panic attacks take a few bites of an apple its like magic I kid you not. Please dont let the doctor put you on meds you will never get off them. Just do some research online about alcohol and blood sugar and how it causes the depression/anxiety. I swear to you , you WILL feel better. Good luck to you, I hope this helps.

By: lucy

lucy — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 08:13:03 +0000

It’s hard. I’ve been sober three years now and I’m 30. I was a binger and I also drank at home alone, easily a case of beer or a bottle of vodka. I also got a drink-driving arrest under my belt. The main thing for me was watching my life lurch from crisis to crisis, all because I took my eye off the ball because I was too busy getting drunk.
Now and then I get the urge, and now is one of those times. I want to go out and party, I’m single and I want to go meet people – but everyone but me is drinking. Being sober for so long has been a great achievement for me and my life is immeasureably better but I still haven’t worked out how I can convince myself I’m still ‘cool’! I know falling asleep under tables in clubs isn’t cool, and neither is half the stuff I used to do. I just want to be able to be the life and soul again. Maybe its just blues at the big 3-oh…
Oh, and a tip – I changed jobs right after I gave up drinking, and introduced myself from the start as a non-drinker, it’s way easier than trying to explain to your old drinking buddies!

By: Pete

Pete — Mon, 31 May 2010 12:59:33 +0000

Folks,

Do not despair. I have been drinking for the last 25 years continually getting worse and now over the last 6 months the shakes – you know what I mean!

Drink in the morning – me never -it happened.

Losing control of my life.

Then got admitted to hospital with pheunomia and the hospital had to give me
benzodiazepines and thiamine and I have been clean for 7 days.

I have no cravings and plan to get prescribed temposil and stay off that crap for life. If I can do it so can you!

By: jim

jim — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 10:22:03 +0000

I originally stopped drinking 5 years ago – My partner at the time stopped also – we were together because we both could drink for days and no one would tell me I had a problem, she was a terrible flirt when drunk and I was not to be relied upon for anything at all. We both stopped and started to go to meetings (not AA)for 2 years, life was grand, until she needed to give the drink one more try – my addict in my head decided if she could do it then so could I, wrong! she left me and I drowned my sorrows and went back to dark days yet again – luckily I stopped again with the help of meetings and honesty, 2 more years then 2 months ago started again… the old saying that whatever chased you to stop drinking, is most definitely waiting for you. This I found to be true, the greatest feeling I have had is being sober, but alas this is a full time job and I’m only one drink away from disaster. I live the other side of the world from my family and friends and right now feel very much alone, but I have learn t some very good tricks when I was sober – read read and read some more and hand it over to a higher power if that’s what you are into – This is very much the road less traveled – try and distinguish when your addict is feeding you bullshit – be 100% honest for one day, see how often the bullshitter addict actually speaks. There’s a lot of us out there and the ones I know who manage to stay sober are some of the most honest and wise trustworthy people i know.

By: admin

admin — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 22:01:02 +0000

Or even better, the forum on this very site.