DRY 7!!!

[mollyonthemove]

The new thread for the alcohol free and the wanna be free . come and join us

BadWool well done :) Nauseous is normal for you yes? Any shaking hands? If you start to feel seriously unwell please get medical help. You are doing a great job and holding off for as long as you can before you start to drink is a good strategy. You are tapering off nicely and this is the safest way to stop for you. Keep us posted with how you're going.

Yes, nauseous has become normal. As has shaking hands, sweating and feeling exhausted. Bloated, running to the loo urgently about four times every morning, zero appetite. Honestly if I stop drinking, I eat so little now that I reckon I'd lose a stone in a week. I am being very careful - had a tiny half glass of wine. I want to do less than a bottle today. I know I can't go full cold turkey as it's dangerous. Really appreciate your advice.

Lucy just to say congratulations on day 600. An inspiration for us all.

BadWool - I am thinking of you. It is hard. Please hang in there and please be nice to yourself, don't load any more stress on you and just do what you have to do. I am now on day 134 after any number of false starts. There is no right way of doing this and it is tough however you do it - but not beating yourself up, and looking after yourself are key. For some reason, this time it seems (touch wood) to have 'stuck' for me after numerous occasions when it didn't. No rhyme or reason to it. Good luck!

Thanks SmallFox. I am so disillusioned with my failed attempts that I am extremely realistic this time. I'm not putting pressure on myself, just gently reminding myself each time I go for a drink that I don't actually even want it - half the time it makes me gag nowadays. If I start to feel sweaty and shaky I'm having a tiny sip of wine as I don't want to end up very unwell by stopping too soon. The days seem so long ... there's nothing to do but try not to drink and hope that at some point, like with quitting smoking, I reach a day when I realise I haven't even thought about it.

BadWool it sounds like you are approaching this brilliantly. So sensible to taper off gently (though i am sure it doesn't feel gentle right now).

I think that in the first few days and weeks of sobriety I didn't do anything at all other than think about drinking. Or not drinking. I went to work, looked after the kids, but pretty much on autopilot: the whole of my headspace was taken up with the enormity of Not Drinking. It was novel, terrifying, amazing and overwhelming. What did it mean, was it forever, how would I cope, what would I do? These are huge thoughts and they can be crippling. So many platitudes and truisms, but really it is one day - one second - at a time, and as much distraction (baths, colouring books (really), tempting soft drinks (if that's not an oxymoron)) as possible. The days are long - but try to hang on to the fact that without drink in them, ultimately they are long AND fulfilling.

Thinking of you. Take care.

Thank you so much. Your words mean a lot x

GO LUCY!!! catching you up

BadWool, I so feel for you . It is very very hard but you can do it. You know you must and you clearly want to. The first week I stopped I was literally in bed for the week. The psychological effects were as bad as the physical to be honest, but it will get better Keep slowing down, take it easy, remember why you're doing it and you'll get there. Honest x

Thanks Molly. I really do hope so.

BadWool You are doing a GREAT job of managing this. It sounds like you have symptoms of physical addiction so yes taking sips to keep you from getting really unwell is a good move. Are you taking vitamins as suggested before? The way I look at this is it is like you are recovering from a serious illness - which you are. So you need to care for yourself as if you were convalescing - lots of sleep, water, vitamins, little and often amounts of food of whatever you fancy. Just getting through it
Thanks smallfox and right behind me molly

I bought the vitamins yesterday. I haven't taken one yet ... don't fall about laughing as it's so ironic given my 'self-medicating' with booze, but I'm tablet-phobic! I got worried about the iron in them in particular making me feel more nauseous. It wouldn't though, would it? It's the recommended daily allowance. I need to stop being so weird ...

You'll be fine. If you are eating so little you are going to be malnourished so you need to take the vitamins to help start to heal your body and recover :)

Hello

Can I join in please. I have managed 4 days sober and I am aiming to stay completely alcohol free. Just need somewhere to pop into every day to keep me on the straight and narrow....

Hi all. Not been around for a few days. Hope everyone is good. I am on day 126 of being sober and feel great!
I found a great phone app a couple of days ago called 'clean time counter'. Wish I had found it earlier. There are many apps around but this one really sits well with me. It counts your sober/clean time in days, hours and seconds. It is a great little booster to remind you of how well you are doing. I am new enough in to remember how another hour without a drink was difficult to imagine and get through. It is free and I downloaded it through Google Play
BadWool you are doing great. Hang on in there and I will echo what Lucy says about Vitamins, but also to seek medical help if you are having a lot of withdrawal symptoms. I also think it would be good for you to have someone in RL to talk to. Keep going at it, it is so worth it!

Welcome Petra and well done on your 4 days

Welcome Petradreaming and congrats on 4 days! :)
mortil love my app - counts days, calories and £'s and is a great motivator! 126 days - great stuff :)

Hello Petra - I'm new too but I'm not yet anywhere near where you are. Today has been all right though, just under a bottle of wine. Hoping to drink nothing else for the rest of the evening.

Way to go BadWool :)

I use the clean time counter too welcome petra. Stay with it!

Hi all, welcome BadWool and Petra

what plans for the weekend?

I have a friend over for dinner tonight. Am making it easy and just doing pasta and pesto and a cake bought from Waitrose. Might buy some Shloer.

Might take DS to a local zoo tomorrow.

That's it really.

Hey Corn going to a workshop in Brum tomorrow being run by someone who's been sober for 12 years!! Apart from that no plans :)

evening all
badwolf you are doing amazingly!
petra welcome. 4 Days is great!

well, I have had just about the worst week ever! work has been just one disaster after another. and of course I have had SATS, GCSEs and A levels all kicking off in my household!
BUT I haven't drunk! and even more amazingly I have come in tonight after a hideous day, and not even really wanted a drink! I am tired - completely knackered - and hungry. But I can recognise that and all I want is food and sleep!
going to eat now, then chill for a short while befor early night with a book!

Well done to you too!! bobbly. Enjoy dinner and an early night

That's fantastic bobbly, well done.

Hope you got on ok today badwool? You're doing really well.

Welcome petra

I have a counter app myself but only a basic one that counts days not money - but I get to tick off each day to add to my total which appeals to me.

Quiet one here Corn. Ds away to a sleepover so just me and the girl tomorrow morning and I'll have to wait around until he's dropped off. Maybe park oh the excitement in the afternoon if the weather holds up.

Friend's status today (she's in recovery). 'I got clean, I didn't get perfect'. Love it! Going to remind myself of that next time I give myself a hard time.

Please help, years of sobriety, fell off the wagon 24hrs ago, can't stop drinking. I can't tell you the hell I'm in. I have slept on and off all day so probably won't sleep tonight. I'm freaking out & need to stop, I just need to suffer the consequences don't i? I've been here before, need to sweat it out I guess, urgh.