Where to begin? Need help to get sober

[Fedupwithitalll]

Hi I just wanted to ask if anyone has advice on where to start. I know I have an alcohol problem, drinking two bottles of wine every day. I have done for about 6 years. I drink to try and ignore childhood and adult trauma, anxiety and depressed, and am also being assessed for asd and ADHD now. I have a lovely husband and kid and I don't want to risk losing them because of this. Sometimes I get so drunk that I do something stupid. I did this last night and it feels like it was the last straw. I don't want to be like this anymore. I don't work and don't have any friends or family to confide in other than my (very supportive) husband. Where do I start? I know I should go to the GP but what will they do/ say? Are there any useful websites to talk to people about it or get advice?
Thanks

AA. Look up meetings in your area. There are hundreds/thousands online, too. Very low pressure, you don’t have to talk if you don’t want to, and there are plenty of women who drank like you who have completely recovered. I’m one of them!

Join Alcoholics Anonymous U.K. on Facebook you can talk to people there. Hopefully you will go to a meeting. Or you could ring them:
https://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org.uk/
Your GP can also offer you help. You’ve taken the first step, well done. X

Wanting to stop is the first step.

It's worth going to your GP. He/she can test your blood to get an idea of how your liver is currently performing (and also something to do with the size of red blood cells I think, I know when I was first tested mine were too big or too small, that's all a bit hazy!). The GP can prescribe some food supplements or folic acid to help in the early stages of recovery. I had a liver ultrasound done as well.

The book that really helped me was this one: https://amzn.eu/d/40UvrvJ Totally non-judgemental and practical. It offers alternatives to AA if you think that isn't the route you want to go down.

There is tonnes of online help and support, both here on Mumsnet and other forums, podcasts and so on. Not my area of expertise, but others will have recommendations. I see the Sober Awkward podcast mentioned quite a lot from a google search.

Other steps to take:

1. Tell people you are stopping. You don't have to say why but I think it's worth hinting that it's for medical reasons.
2. Keep yourself distracted. In my early days I used to play on a Nintendo DS to keep my hands busy. Now I knit and sew for the same reason.
3. Watch for your triggers. Mine were around starting to cook tea, that was always the cue to open a bottle of wine. But it could manifest itself in weird ways, like getting off the bus. Because I did that just before I got home to start cooking tea, the 'wine bell' would go off in my head whenever I got off the bus. Watch out for these triggers, they are sneaky little bastards.

You will never regret giving up. I was drinking as heavily as you, over a longer period of time. I used to read posts on MN about people talking about how much better they felt for being sober and thought 'that can never be me'. It was. I've been sober for 12 years and I have never regretted it once. Good luck.

I would really recommend Bee Sober. Look them up. You can join the Facebook group, but there is also a separate private members group. Been life changing in terms of support and accountability for me.

I could have written this post! I'm in the same boat. Ready to stop but don't know where to start.
Hope you're doing OK x

You should really speak to your GP or local alcohol service. 2 bottles every night is a lot of units. If you try to stop suddenly the withdrawals could be dangerous. Your GP will be able to help you.

Check out 90dayslater.co. I just found this (I'm listening to Anna's podcast). She also works with people 1-1. May be worth a try?

That’s a lot to suddenly stop, have you read about tapering?

Try reducing gradually, keep a record of what you are drinking. See how you get on, there are a lot of support groups and books, if like me you are put off going to meetings because you know local people who go then consider online meeting. If you can’t cut down then seek help, professionals are non judgmental, they will have encountered much worse difficulties.

the feeling of cutting down is brilliant, reward yourself along the way. The feeling of going long periods without drinking is even better!

I know this is a thread from earlier in the year, I could have written it myself 🙄 woken up again feeling at my whits end, like yourself desperately need help, be curious to know how you got on? No worries if not 🌸