control my drinking

I do something stupid every time I drink. The things I do have got increasingly more stupid over the past year, and I am spending money I don’t have on alcohol. I want to be able to have a couple drinks with friends when we go out; just to loosen up and be talkative. But still in control and able to sober up in a timely fashion so I can drive myself home if I have to. No more stupid decisions for me. Only have one body and life… I want to be around for a long time and not make dumb decisions that would make my life worse or threaten others. Good luck to everyone.

Good luck everybody. great eye openers. Another weekend and I have yet another thick head.

I am going to TREAT MYSELF to a detox period. My plans this week are:

1. Put any booze in the house in a box in the loft
2. minimize drinking when I go out (I know I can do that as I never drink and drive)
3. Keep a drink diary
4. not buy anymore booze this week

Its a start point. Good luck to everybody else out there.

GYW

I want to reduce my alcohol intake to save money, lose weight, and keep my liver healthy. Probably a realistic way for me to start is to not drink at home after dinner. My pattern was to have a couple of glasses of wine with dinner, and then other drinks later while watching TV or a movie.

Just by posting this I hope to have more motivation to accomplish this. Wish me luck!

i have a calendar on the wall that my aunt made (she makes one every year as xmas presents). i’ve never ever used them before, but this time i tacked it up and started figuring things out.

one of the things i’ve started to mark down is when i get drunk. (because let’s face it – there is no such thing as only 1 or 2 drinks… binge or nothing!)

i just write “booze” or “b” on that day, with no actual goal or punishment or anything.

i’ve found that noticing is half the battle. there it is, on the wall, for all to see (ie: my partner as well). three to four times a week is a lot more than i’ve been admitting to myself (all along, i’ve been insisting that i’ve been getting better at this!)...

so yeah, i’ve automatically started to plan ahead and decide in advance when i’m gonna go buy a bottle of wine (or two). also, i find myself saying: hey look, i’ve gone two days! let’s try three next week.

it’s low pressure. it’s good. no rules, but still happening.

this weekend was a celebration of a job change for me. i social-drank and that was awesome… i also drank at home with movies and books, but i somehow felt that it was “okay”.

i think the only way it will be “okay” is if i stop now that the weekend is over. goal: no private drinking this week.

wish me luck!

pro’s for quitting:
- takes away the need to always make a decision whenever a possible drinking situations arises… saying NO is way easier to do than having to deliberate every single time
- best solution for people with addictions (which i had/have)
- best for my body
- best for my pocketbook

BUT in the end, why do i still only want to reduce?

a lot has to do with how i drink.
i am a PRIVATE DRINKER. that means that i do a lot of drinking alone, and avoid social situations and my partner in favour of a bottle of wine and a movie. there are many reasons why i got into this habit, but it has become quite damaging to my health, my relationship, my friendships, and my life in general.

i want to stop drinking at home alone. i want to stop needing booze to relax, to enjoy a film, to deal with any of my emotions.

going out and having only one or two drinks is easy for me, because then i just want to leave early, go home, and cuddle up with more booze and a good tv show.

anyways. i want to switch my habits. i want to drink socially, as most normal people do… i think the average for a canadian woman is supposed to be 2 drinks 4 times a week. that seems so manageable, if only i could quit my private habits!

so that is what i am working on, and have been working on for the past year or so.

hope this makes sense!

i’ll be brief on this one…
- alcohol abuse for 15 years
- diagnosed with alcohol addiction last year when i finally went for help
- still struggling with it all
- quitting is what i SHOULD do… reduction is definitely harder and less desirable in the long run, but i don’t need to tell you how hard quitting completely is when you just aren’t ready

so yes. reduction. big time. hard.

BUT getting easier! it’s been about a year since i made the first few steps towards facing my problems. it’s painful, hard, and takes a lot of falling down and getting back up.

that said, it gets easier and easier to make the better choice these days. still not all the way to “normal drinker” but on the road.

high fives and hugs to the rest of you trying this too!

I need to try harder at this. I always end up drinking too much. On the weekend me and my friend drank a 1.14l of tequila and half a 26er. Shit. That’s the 2nd liter of tequila in a week not to mention whatever else. Ouch! :(

I think this is where I should be instead of the Quit Drinking idea. I tried that one but I wasn’t realistic about what I was trying to do. I think that this is the right area for me…for now that is. Maybe I’ll want to quit all together, or maybe I won’t. I think I’ll be better off cutting down…I’m looking for the time to read over the postings. I hope you don’t mind a new face looking for your support…:)

Randall

So heres the thing I drink alot I admit that but the fact is that I can drink more than most, due to the fact that I’m 6’4” and about 275lbs. I’m not really over weight maybe about 15-20 lbs. or so. I don’t really drink to get wasted except on the occasions that I head out with the boys, which is once a week tops. But my problem is that even to feel mellow i need a good 8-10 beers. People think that I a raging drunk when I say that, but it has never effected me getting up and going to work or accomplishing things during the day. And I say alot O.K. I’m not gonna drink today but by the end of my work day all I want is a beer. I’m not saying that I want to quit all together but I would like to cut out a few days during the week. So if anybody has any tips that may have worked for them It would be appreciated.