This is it, my day 1

[Stopthisshit]

I drink too much
I need to stop
This is my day 1
Join me

I’ve just truly admitted I have an alcohol problem after a VERY boozy weekend. Fallen over and bruised all my body, embarrassed myself. Feeling awful, insides hurt. Unfortunately this isn’t as unusual as it should be and I drink every night so my tolerance for alcohol is very high. Alcoholism runs in my family and we do pussy foot around it, telling each other it’s fine, because we don’t drink in the morning and we’re not as bad this person or that person. Need to sort myself out for my little girl. 15 years of heavy drinking and I’m scared I’ve left it too late.

Love the username cats no of course it's not too late, start now, your daughter is the best reason to quit. Do you want to quit? Is that the plan?

@CatsOnCatnip It's never too late. 20+ years of abusing my body with alcohol at 56 I'm now 119 days sober.

It might not be easy (it was for me this time but this wasn't my first attempt) but it is doable.

As for family? Own it! Tell them the truth. If they ostracise you they're the ones that will miss out on the sober person that you will become. You might not be an angel or a good person when you're sober but you'll be a Hell of a lot a better person when sober.

THEIR loss!

Thanks 😊I’d love to have a healthy relationship with alcohol, rupert, but at this stage it totally runs my life. I’ve finally truly admitted it to myself and my family that I have a problem and I can’t continue like this and asked for support. No more laughing it off. It is serious and I need to change. Each day as it comes, I guess. 2 days from now I usually just cave in as I feel ok, but that simply can’t happen this time.

That's how I felt too. Being sober is amazing so many benefits it's strange to understand why I continued drinking for so long!! I guess that's the addictive nature.

My advice for now, if you want to tell people do, I left it for a while as I assumed I would fail again, I was sort of forced to tell my parents as I was given alcohol for my birthday so I just blurted it out. My DH knows because you do need some support. Look after yourself don't worry about diet at the moment, once you get to week 4 it begins to feel less daunting and more like normal.

If I could do 4 weeks I would be so proud. And I know I can do it if I put my mind to it! Even though my willpower is crap. I went to a friends for a bbq today and had to address it as it was really obvious I wasn’t drinking and they thought I was pregnant again. My husbands drinking habits aren’t great either so I need to communicate with him. He’s being a bit sheepish about it. I’m just so angry with myself to have slipped back into my old ways even after having my child.

If any of you use Facebook I thoroughly recommend joining groups. They are private and your posts don't show on your wall.
I use Alcohol Explained
The Unexpected Joy of being Sober
My favourite because of the swearing has to be - soberpunks the quit drinking club
A warm welcome awaits in all of these groups.

I managed today and even refused a glass of champagne. normally I would have drunk it and then bought a bottle if wine or 2 on the way home.

step by step.

user1483387154 sounds like me. Is it your first day of trying?

cats this is my 3rd try in 3 weeks. the last 2 weekends I messed up and binged more than ever but I am trying again and hopeful.

user that's not unlike my story I kept saying tomorrow then I would have another few, the night before I finally stopped I had too many, I woke up with that feeling of dread and a banging head, my DH said to me I need to talk to you later about last night, I honestly felt sick.

That was it for me it will happen for you to just know you can't have any, that was the difference this time, I wasn't saying ok 3 days dry and then drink at the weekend when I did this it's all I could think about and as always I would bring it forward and drink sooner, it was destructive. I am just off for a 13 hour shift and I feel amazing no dread, fear or self loathing. Have a great day.

It’s the dread and self loathing that I can’t bear anymore, especially looking at my child now. It’s a million times worse. I’ve barely slept all weekend and woke up this morning still feeling dreadful. Spent all last night thinking about all the stupid things I’ve done and said when drunk, I’m really lucky I still have friends and a husband too be honest. And that I haven’t ended up in hospital somehow...

I can with certainty there will be no drinking today.

See you will loose all of the worry about what you did, because if you don't drink it can't happen.

I used to watch TV but never remember what happened, it sounds strange but I almost have to pinch myself if I forget something because this time it is not drink related, I woke up with a headache yesterday but felt good because it was not drink induced.

How old are your DC mine are 10&11 and my ds said to me recently when he saw someone drunk he wished noone had made alcohol ☹️. So innocent. I can look at my DC and hold my head high now.

She’s only 7 months. The drinking just crept back up the last few months. I don’t get paralytic when she’s in my care. It’s on nights out when my mum or husband are looking after her. But I do start my evening routine with a glass of wine, then when she’s in bed quite often finish the whole bottle and don’t even feel tipsy, although I’m sure of course it is altering my behaviour and god knows what my Insides are like because of it. She’s becoming more and more aware and so lovely and interesting she deserves the best mummy, not some horrid drunk. I also smoke when I’m drinking a lot which makes it even more disgraceful. My husbands tolerant laid back attitude maybe hasn’t helped me, although he means well. Did your children notice your behaviour around alcohol, rupert?

User, keep being hopeful. Maybe the shame we feel just has to be used to make that positive change and stop us. Although, I totally realise it’s also the same thing that makes us start again, sometimes. Easier just to block it out and feel ok about everything for a couple of hours.

Yes my children did notice I don't get drunk as such?? but, my behaviour changed, I am so ashamed of allowing my DC to see me like that. They know Mummy does not drink wine now, they are too young to know why, I just told them it's not healthy so I have stopped.

My DH said the odd thing but not enough to make me stop, I started with a glass of wine In the evening whilst making dinner but I would finish the bottle, if I had another bottle I would open that and have a glass or two, not usually more as 2 bottles made me feel bad.

I didn't ever drink early morning or everyday I hold down a demanding job so I convinced myself I was not an alcoholic. When I looked at my behaviour and the selfish impact on those around me I knew it was over.

It is still work everyday to keep this going but it's worth it.

The wine cooking dinner routine sounds like me. Bottle, then a bit of another... maybe too much of another. I was running my own business, so again, felt totally validated that it wasn’t bad. Social drinking outside of the house was always much more excessive, but I never drank in the morning, again, that made me feel it wasn’t that bad. Unfortunately I can’t remember a day I didn’t drink since my baby was 3 months old, which makes me feel absolutely vile.

today has been shitty . I really wanted wine and looked at it in the shop but managed to avoid it. keep trying to distract myself but today isn't essy

But you didn’t buy it. That’s brilliant! A bad day would usually break me. If my gut didn’t still hurt so much I’m sure I’d have caved by now.

userstay strong these first days can be difficult you are your most vulnerable. Be kind to yourself and buy something special to drink for tomorrow.

cats you have a chance to change that and the guilt will subside the more sober days you achieve I promise you, that is how I felt. My poor children. Here is too a lovely sober free day tomorrow.

Day 1 for me and it's also been a shitty day and work and was so hard to get through that first hour after coming home from work without a drink.

I drink half a bottle of wine most nights and the frequency of my non drinking is more sporadic, and I'm creeping up to a fourth glass sometimes. DH is a bit of an enabler but I've asked him to stop normalising it.

Feel really encouraged by the posts here. Fingers crossed for a good nights sleep for once.

My husband also, Wilderness. Although I certainly can’t blame him altogether, it’s a bit of a toxic mix for my addictive personality. I very rarely say no, and he has never mentioned how much I drink as a negative without my instigation. He likes a drink also, so I suppose there’s a codependency element.

Had better quality sleep even though I woke up once, and my back still aches but not as badly, so it's a step in the right direction.

Yesterday, I told a colleague that I was quitting and his reaction made me realise how bad my drinking was. I really needed that rather than my husband saying "we don't drink as much as some people".