Hi just a brief update, as it is 3 months tommorow that I stopped drinking. I have not had any alcohol since the 11th of April and I am happy and adamant that I will never drink again
love and peace
WD
Hi just a brief update, as it is 3 months tommorow that I stopped drinking. I have not had any alcohol since the 11th of April and I am happy and adamant that I will never drink again
love and peace
WD
Congratulations, Water Dragon, what a fantastic achievement!
Masha
Well done Waterdragon...:)
That is great news Waterdragon - I do hope you are feeling the benefits and am sure you will be able to continue.
Well done! 🙂
hi waterdragon
One thing that is obvious is that so much support, kindness heartfelt wishes and energy are put in the pot. just come back and read this post in your 'low' times. Get the sense that you are doing just fine. Wish you all the luck to become a dragon hooked on pure water!
Resonating with your post
Hi Water Dragon (funnily enough I am a Fire Dragon - can be a difficult thing to be at times! Very emotional!)
I am reading your post this Boxing Day morning having had a very drunken Christmas Eve and much less so Christmas Day. I, like you, have grown up a drinker. I started at 13 and alcohol has played a very big part in my life ever since. My friends, professional and parents are also heavy drinkers.
I am not a dependant drinker in the sense that I am able to function without it, it's just that most of the time I don't want to. I work, I have children, I am responsible (well, to a point ;)) and most of the time, do the right things for the right reasons.
To clarify one thing, I have been to AA meetings at two seperate points in my life but after going for a few times and despite resonating with some of the stories of the people speaking, I did not feel I was in the right place. I am sure my reasons for drinking are emotional and plus it's comfortable. If I stop I then have to look at where I am going. I know that drinking stops my development in more ways than one and I would be a better therapist and business woman if I was more focused.
I have reached a point of boredom. Red wine has started to taste odd instead of divine. I am sick of the hangovers and cringing when being told about my behaviour - even if it wasn't bad - I don't like blacking out which I do occasionally and can never pre-empt and therefore feel guilty about being a responsible adult. I have put on weight and I know that I 'use' wine in the evening to calm down after a hectic day.
This boredom/wanting to stop, has been getting stronger and stronger but I am aware that I can boldly state 'I am not drinking anymore' and that same evening have a glass of wine in my hand. However, I do feel that there is some divine intervention going on and I am being spiritually kicked up the a**e!!:D
The other night at a Xmas party I had one glass of wine and just thought, 'You know what? No. I'm not going to get a taxi back tonight, I am going to drive. I don't want a hangover, I don't want to behave like a tosser (even if everyone else is!), I want to wake up feeling refreshed for a change'. And I did exactly that, I drove home and woke feeling so very saintly!
So my question to you Water Dragon is... now we are in December, how's it going? Are you still not drinking?
Hi Delighted
Reading your post, and being aware that AA isn't for everyone, it's funny what people hear when they go to a meeting. I've been to loads (it's my 10th sober Christmas :D) and when I hear others share, many people are speaking about their reasons for drinking as being emotional, and also very much about a spiritual void or emptiness. Alcoholism itself is described as a spiritual malady - that for me really speaks to the emptiness I always felt, the disconnection from others, a feeling of nameless discontent (some of which could be attributed to issues in the past, some of which couldn't because it was actually about alcoholism).
My experience was that my quest to resolve my emotional issues, was motivated by a wish to drink normally. That is, if I could find solid ground inside myself, and feel 'ok', this would mean that I would be able to drink like other people - without blackouts, drinking to excess, making a fool of myself etc etc. For me, this wasn't true, as the only thing that resolved many of those feelings was not drinking and being a member of AA. When I have sought counselling now, it's been to resolve issues affecting my peace of mind or ability to manage relationships (whether these be personal ones, the one I have with myself or at work). Once sober, I have found that it becomes about so much more than the alcohol itself, it is always about how I conduct myself and manage my emotional and spiritual wellbeing.
I just wanted to share that. Often when I read this thread it's people posting to give reasons why AA is not for them, their drink problem is not that bad, & recognising that there are degrees of everything, just wanted to give another perspective. You don't have to be in the gutter with drinking to want to stop, and AA is second to none at helping people stop, whether you consider yourself non-dependent, a functioning alcoholic or are physically ill from it. There's nothing quite like a group of people in recovery from problem drinking, and I've thrived on it, in fact, would never have survived without it.
El x
Hi Elodie
Firstly, congratulations on your 10th anniversary!!
My step father has been sober for the same amount of time and is very involved with the local AA groups in his area. The AA has been a massive source of support for him and he has, without any force, often pointed this out to me. I think the problem for me is that if I try and make an 'absolute' decision whether it's regarding going on a diet/exercising/not drinking etc, I immediately feel compelled to do the opposite. So whilst going to the AA may well do me a world of good, the idea of making a definite decision to never drink alcohol (I know it's 'one day at a time' but that is with the idea that you will persist with it daily!) just didn't/doesn't seem realistic and as you are supposed to subscribe that you want to give up alcohol and agree that you are an alcoholic, I just couldn't whole heartedly do it. I don't want to never drink again. I want to cut down. I don't claim to be an alcoholic. I do, however, claim to have a problem with alcohol. I black out and I drink too much. Maybe this will one day lead to alcoholism and maybe one day I will accept that I should never drink a drop again. I am just not at that place right now.
I think what will work for me more, is to concentrate on trying to develop spiritually and professionally and as a human! And I realise that alcohol does tend to hold me back in all of these areas. However, Elodie, I may well come to the conclusion that exclusion is necessary in it's entirety and then the AA will be my first port of call!!!
D
Hi, a little update on my progress - have been cutting out alcohol for on average 3 - 4 days a week - feeling miles better cognitively, if somewhat run down physically and when I have drunk, haven't particularly enjoyed it... so there is hope!
I have been away from HP for 5 years and missed the energy, that positivity and wordy wiseness ( probably not a word) that radiates these pages.
I stopped drinking 2 years ago, after 15 years of pretty heavy and consistent drinking. Its the best thing I ever did, if I was one of those people who could enjoy a glass of wine from time to time then I guess I would still be drinking, but I couldn't do that, I had to drink 2+ bottles in a sitting. I no longer get the depression I used to get when I drank, I have far more energy and I don't seem to be as sloppy in my decision making sans alcohol.
Good luck to anybody who is trying to knock it on the head, its worth it.
Good for you LondonBloke. That must have took some serious perseverance to achieve. This will show anyone that as long as they try hard enough they can accomplish what you did and get rid of an unhealthy addiction.
Your journey might not have been easy but you went through it. Congratulations for that, as well as thank you for this wonderful motivation for those out there who want to stop drinking too much.
Hope you keep it up and may you be blessed with better health for this.
Happy new year!