This is a forum for people with alcohol problems to share their experiences around trying to quit drinking, trying to cut down, or just sharing their problems with alcohol consumption.
It is provided in the hope that people can support each other - offer advice or ask for it, and receive a non-judgemental response. Anyone consistently not offering that sort of respect in their responses will be removed from the forum.
This forum is not based on the principles of AA or the 12 steps, but merely informed by your own experiences - what you have found that helps you, or not, as the case may be.
The forum differs slightly from others you might have seen, in that we have many 'perpetual' threads - which started years ago and just keep going. That's unlike some forums, where each thread is recent but may only last for a few days before it is replaced by more. We've done it this way to maintain a continuity in those discussions. This means that you need to go straight to the final page of each thread to read the latest posts, rather than starting at the beginning (the symbol will take you there).
Moderators (you'll see their names in green) are strictly volunteers and are not experts in addiction or withdrawal and are not counsellors, they are here to offer advice and support based on their own experiences as well as to perform admin tasks such as starting new threads and keeping people on the subject matter. If you read any posts that you find offensive or inappropriate, then please report it to us using the '!' icon provided. They will be deleted if necessary. The moderator team are online to check new posts regularly, however they cannot view any private messages you send or receive, so please forward anything to us if you find it offensive or upsetting. Likewise, think carefully about giving out your contact details to other members until you've had plenty of interaction with them on here and you're sure they're genuine.
You obviously don't have to be sober to post, to suggest that would be foolish. But lengthy drunken ramblings that make little sense will probably be edited or removed by one of the moderators. People who consistently have a presence on here may potentially become moderators themselves, and so contribute to making this something helpful.
Most people using this site will be concerned about their anonymity, so please do not share publicly what others share with you in Private Messages. If you do so, you may be banned from the site. Similarly, consider carefully any information you share which could identify you.
It's up to you to create whatever you would like to see here, so tell it like it is. If you want to start your own topic, please make a suggestion in the 'Ideas / Improvements / Requests for the Forum' thread first and see if other members agree. That will help to keep the overall number of topics down, otherwise it gets rather confusing to follow.
If you need urgent help, try the SOS thread first, but if there's no-one online right now, you'll find some emergency contact numbers in the first post of that thread.
Please also remember that any advice received here regarding detoxification or withdrawal from alcohol should not replace direct consultation with a medical professional.