I’m drinking too much

[DrinkingIssues]

That’s it, really.

I’ve done so pretty much constantly for the last year since I had a very close bereavement

I can manage without alcohol, but I prefer not to and drink pretty much every single day.

I want to cut down but I know that really I need to stop completely.

I went to AA years ago after another close bereavement but it wasn’t for me. Made some friends and enjoyed the environment but went home and poured a drink ffs

Where else could I turn for help to stop?

Please no judgement, I live alone and it’s very easy to slip into this spiral but I hate myself for it.

thank you.

It's good that you recognise this and want to try and change.

It sounds like you need to fill your life with something else that distracts you in the way that alcohol does, maybe?

Is there something else you can do that interests you? A sport, a class, art, drawing, yoga ... something you can learn and become invested in that also lifts your spirits?

None alcoholic drinks are good for home to start with - would this help? Stock your cupboard with a good non alcohol gin, tonic, peroni, or whatever you drink and research the best and drink those whenever you get the urge. Maybe insert those into your life whilst you work out a plan or get advice from those with more experience:

I wish you luck - you are amazing to start this journey xx

I can manage without alcohol, but I prefer not to and drink pretty much every single day.I want to cut down but I know that really I need to stop completely.Can you see the disconnect here?Someone I know got sober using The Naked Mind book.and videos and Smart Recovery meetings. I heard people see the weightloss jabs stop the desire to alcohol.

@Lilactimesthats actually a really good idea. I drink Tanqueray zero when driving and have no idea why I didn’t think of this at home! Thank you that’s a good way to start!

@VariousPuddingsi can absolutely see the disconnect but I just don’t know how to stop the craving- some days I can. Or I don’t even get it. But most days I just drink.

I’ll look up those books - thank you.

Maybe thinking about the cost versus the rewards of drinking and not drinking might help clarify what you want more

This is an exercise worksheet from SMART Recovery https://share.google/K7fJwSnhEQrA0qJw3

Try Bee Sober or SMART recovery or one of the many online support groups, This Naked Mind has their own one too I think. Bee Sober has the 30 day experiment.

It truly is the perfect time to stop because it’s Dry January and everyone will be doing it. Look up sober podcasts and listen to a few. Read some books- The Sober Diaries, The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober, and yes, This Naked Mind may all help.

I went to AA years ago too. It was fine, but wasn’t for me. It planted a seed though. I finally stopped when I realised life was not going to get better by drinking. Grief is only magnified by alcohol, not soothed. It really was only after I got sober that I could finally deal with the grief and move on with my life.

Bee Sober, a fancy AF drink every afternoon while listening to a sober podcast and lots of walking is how I did it. I was drinking 3 bottles of wine a day for the last year before I stopped. I’ll be 3 years sober in April. It really is possible, you just have to trust it and make the leap. I didn’t know if getting sober would make things better, but I knew they couldn’t possibly get any worse, so it was worth giving it a try. It took a couple months to get over that initial hump, but I’ve never looked back. Zero desire to ever drink again and much, much happier.

I understand i think. The most startling thing I have noticed since quitting (i was lucky, Ozempic gave me an aversion and I cant even bear the smell now) was the overwhelming feeling of being helpless, its never going to stop and I couldnt do anything about it. Hangovers we're destroying my relationship with myself, I basically hated myself but I couldn't get past that opening a bottle at the end of a day and pouring that first glass. Which always turned into 2 bottles, probably 4 days a week. I was so lucky that I was given a miracle side effect but it does qualify me to say that the alternative is so incredibly empowering and exciting. I have had touching all my routines because I get anxious when I follow the old rituals and routines, it reminds me of those days, I have replaced getting drunk to reward myself with a nap before dinner for example, I have a horse and I got a dog and walk at those scary times of day. Good luck ❤️