Tricks you use to stay off the hooch

[Old Man Marsh]

[fairbecca]

It's not how much one drinks, or what type of alcohol one drinks that can be used to determine a drinking problem. Sounds odd, but hear me out. All a person must do is think about what happens to them when they stop drinking. Social drinkers or even heavy drinkers report being irritable and restless for a while, but soon are back on track. Their life improves and they are in control. This is not true for an alcoholic. When an alcoholic stops drinking the situation deteriorates rapidly into disaster. So, bottom line, if you want to quit and can then do so. Don't put it in your hand and it won't go in your mouth. If you sincerely want to quit, but find that you can't quit on your own then ask for help. It's that simple. Wish you well, Thanks.

[GirlyMan]

(15-09-2016 09:27 PM)fairbecca Wrote:  When an alcoholic stops drinking the situation deteriorates rapidly into disaster.

What in hades are you talking about? You mean like dying from the DTs or something? They got valium for that.

[Anjele]

(15-09-2016 01:59 PM)unsapien Wrote:  Perhaps.

I've never had a person ever show me where the line was, to keep from crossing over it. So at one point in college, I decided to draw my own line.

I grew up in a family where alcohol was considered a fifth food group.

This is why I stopped drinking years ago. My family tree is/was crammed full of alcoholics.

[Thumpalumpacus]

(14-09-2016 10:14 PM)GirlyMan Wrote:  So I'm recalling people talking about using rubber bands to snap themselves every time they felt the need for a cigarette and I'm thinking I need one of those every time I feel like a shot. So I came up with this one. Every time I feel like a shot there's a voice in my head which sounds exactly like Aunt Bee from the Andy Griffith Show asking "Would you like a nice cup of tea, dearie?" "Why yes, now that you mention it, yes I would."

You got tricks?

Yep. I ask myself why I want a drink. If the answer is "No reason, just want a drink," then I do myself a gratitude list -- thinking of the good things in my life today, today only, that make sobriety a good thing.

If the answer is "Because Person X did Thing Y to me", then I either address the fallout from the interaction and work on a plan to deal with it, or, if I don't have the power to change it, I get into the Serenity Prayer.

Other times, I simply say "Fuck off" and white-knuckle it.

Most urges last less than ten minutes, I'm told. My experience seems to bear this out.

A dear old friend of mine, now long deceased, had quit smoking in the late 70s. Even to his death in 1994, he carried an unopened pack of Marlboros in his breast pocket. When I asked him about it, the first time, perhaps 1983, he answered, "Because every time I want a smoke, I pull this out, look at it, and say, 'You ain't gonna beat me'. And then I put it back in my pocket."

Point being, all the tricks in the world, they might be helpful, but they're no replacement for stolid will. You have to want sobriety more than you want to be drunk.

[Thumpalumpacus]

(15-09-2016 01:25 AM)GirlyMan Wrote:  

(15-09-2016 01:00 AM)Dworkin Wrote:  Hi,

I could do with some help on this one. Having poor health, alcohol has a couple of tricks to use against me. One is that wine with a meal improves a lack of appetite and another is that a glass of Scotch makes me feel better instantly. I don't drink every day, but the days without alcohol are often long and hard.

Recently I found a small way forwards. This is to take co-codamol painkillers first thing in the morning or when I'm struggling. This takes the edge off. Also, I love my motor vehicles, so fear of the breathalyser ensures several days a week without a drink.

The thing is, I don't really enjoy drinking all that much, but it takes the pain away.

D.

If all you're drinking is a glass of wine and/or a glass of Scotch a day I wouldn't change a thing. A small amount of alcohol does wonders for your HDL good cholesterol. I was drinking a liter of vodka a day. One week hooch free so far but now I think I might need to get tested for fluoride poisoning.

A big help for me in my recovery has been sparkling water. I'm a beer-drinker, so sparkling water replaces some of the sensation and keeps my hands doing the same thing they're used to doing. It's made things a lot easier for me.

As an added benefit, a twelve-pack only costs four bucks, not fifteen.

[Thumpalumpacus]

(15-09-2016 03:45 AM)Dworkin Wrote:  

(15-09-2016 01:25 AM)GirlyMan Wrote:  If all you're drinking is a glass of wine and/or a glass of Scotch a day I wouldn't change a thing. A small amount of alcohol does wonders for your HDL good cholesterol. I was drinking a liter of vodka a day. One week hooch free so far but now I think I might need to get tested for fluoride poisoning.

Hi GirlyMan,

I don't want to derail the thread to just about me - but confession time. I have never been honest with the docs about this stuff.

OK - In a week I drink about two bottles of wine and maybe a third of a bottle of single malt. I'm a 'one day on, one day off, drinker'. I can go a week to 10 days dry and then the hooch calls me. When our daughter was born I went on the wagon for 7 yrs, so that I would be 100% for her as a little one. Now I'm an empty nester and I don't have a big reason to go dry. As mentioned, I have health issues which make the days s*** anyway.

Your vodka intake was big, I'm sure you know that. I'd be interested to know how long that was happening. You can pm me if you like and maybe we could be a bit supportive each way? No pressure though.

D.

If you don't mind my intruding -- you're on the road to addiction. You may not be there yet, you can still do ten days, but that's a bit of alcohol and your body will get used to it.

Anyone with drinking issues can feel free to PM me in confidence. I need support myself -- we all do! -- and I'm happy to give what support I can, as well.

[skyking]

I can't help you with tricks. I drank, often till the point of no recollection. I was a classic binge drinker.
My dad was an alcoholic. My brother was. I believe there is a genetic predisposition towards alcoholism.
One day I had enough and quit, and I meant it. I stayed quit. There was no trick to it, just woke up one morning, not all that hung over, and stopped.

[Dworkin]

(15-09-2016 01:28 PM)Chas Wrote:  And I would dispute that as nonsensical.

Chas,

There is no shortage of 'dispute' on the interweb.

"An alcoholic who had never had a drink?"

Here is my reasoning. My grandfather on Dad's side was an alcoholic, and died of it. This resulted in much unhappiness and the downfall of a previously wealthy family line as a side effect.

My father was seriously affected by his unhappy childhood experiences and spent much of his life lecturing anyone within earshot about the evils of the 'demon drink'. The notion that any person could enjoy alcohol in moderation was a puzzle to him and particularly (now we get to my argument) that if he took even a single drop of alcohol he would end up like his own father.

My father believed devoutly that he was marked by some genetic weakness in relation to alcohol. He therefore believed (IMHO) that he was an 'alcoholic'.

D.

[Dworkin]

(15-09-2016 10:37 PM)Thumpalumpacus Wrote:  If you don't mind my intruding -- you're on the road to addiction. You may not be there yet, you can still do ten days, but that's a bit of alcohol and your body will get used to it.

Anyone with drinking issues can feel free to PM me in confidence. I need support myself -- we all do! -- and I'm happy to give what support I can, as well.

Hi Thump,

A most welcome intrusion. Thanks for taking an interest.

There might be a few of us reading this thread who could do with sharing the load, although I can say from experience that it is darn hard to admit weakness in public, even on an anonymous forum.

Anyway, I'm going to do a month off the Scotch and see how it goes. What would be good is a kind of 'members only' thread where we could be honest and supportive without an audience.

I'll pm you.

D.