Giving Up Drinking - Support Needed

RE: Giving Up Drinking - Support Needed

One day at a time is always the answer. I am in a similar position - I take Milk Thistle to help the liver cope, and am trying to restrict myself to a couple of glasses of wine at the weekend. I used to have a couple of glasses of wine each night to help me sleep, the first night I did not take any wine I was not tired, could not get to sleep and was twitchy in bed. Bought some Kalms to help me sleep after that. Exercise helps too, its a matter of breaking your old routine so starting while on holiday is a good idea. I now drink soda water when out socially - much cheaper. Good luck, and your girlfriend is a very lucky lady that you are being so thougthful 😉

RE: Giving Up Drinking - Support Needed

well done on your decision and i wish you good luck.
my dad is an alcoholic and it is soul destroying to see someone you love killing themselves. he has developed diabetes through his drinking and reguarly has fits and ends up in hospital but carries on. he has no feeling in his legs and feet now and we thought he was going to have to have his foot amputated the other month due to an ulcer / abcessunder his foot that he cant feel as hes no feeling and its eating through to his bone. i have had to pull his tongue out of his throat when he was choking on it once i will never forget that sound.

to see him as he is now compared to the 6ft athletic guy he used to be is heartbreaking so congratulations on your decision of life.

it will be hard at times, i too have a drink problem so i just dont do it anymore as i know if i start with even a glass of wine it will lead to another and another etc.... but eventually you will feel so much fresher and better about yourself. and to wake up in the morning without a hangover and groggy head is brilliant!!!!

i too take milk thistle and i always start the day with a slice of lemon in hot water.

your girlfriend is indeed lucky that you are so considerate of her feelings with this.

good luck xxx

RE: Giving Up Drinking - Support Needed

Congratulations on your decision.

I can only tell of what worked for me.

Firstly I had a back injury which trapped a sciatic nerve. I was popping painkillers mixed with
booze to try take the pain away so I could work.

I read an article which said that booze made back pain worse.

I took that on board 100%. I made a choice booze or less pain. The latter won.
That was 2 years ago. Because I had made that conscious decision I had no problems, no cravings etc.

I think you have to find a reason why you don't want to drink but it has to be 100% no ifs, buts or any part of you, however small really wants to continue to drink, else it would be an
uphill battle. So you have to find the button that works for you, and its different for everyone.

But I have always said to myself if i want a drink i can. That takes away the - I cant EVER have a drink again which really works against you as you would start thinking how long ever seems etc. and crave a drink. So because I say I can if I want to, I don't actually want to.

I agree a day at a time but don't add them up ie. I haven't had a drink for X number of days.
Same reasoning as above. Just work on Today, not yesterday and tomorrow. And as it is
always today its only doing one day - today.

Does that make sense ?

RE: Giving Up Drinking - Support Needed

Hello I was happy to read your message
I gave up drinking and go to AA and I truly say to you withut the support of the people and that spiritual programme I woudl not have made it,because its not just putting donw the drink its all sorts of other things like raw emotions dealing with life on life's terms etc
If you want to talk to me on the phone I am happy to be of support of to you just message me
I wish you luck and encourage yiu to find support with the fellowship
With Love in fellowship
June

RE: Giving Up Drinking - Support Needed

To help with the Alcohol withdrawal symptoms of:

• Upset stomach[*]Headaches[*]The Shakes[*]Anxiety[*]Panic attacks[*]Insomnia

it is best to keep to a whole food diet with plenty of fruit, vegetables and wheat germ. Try to consume lots of mineral water, at least a litre a day. Cut out all:

• Junk food[*]Caffeine beverages (such as Coffee and Tea)[*]Sugar[*]Dairy products

Milk Thistle Extract has been shown in trials to protect the Liver and it is even been suggested that it may even help the Liver to regenerate cells.

It has also been reported that the Chinese root Kudzu can decrease Alcohol cravings.

The following supplements may help you

• Antioxidant Complex
• Bone Mineral Complex[*]Milk Thistle Extract
• Multivitamin and Multi-Minerals[*] Vitamin B6[*]Vitamin C
• Zinc

All the best

RE: Giving Up Drinking - Support Needed

My father was an alcoholic so I grew up around that vibe in the most negative way. You'd think that would be enough to keep me from going there but go there, I did. For me, healing was very much about reclaiming myself from childhood trauma. I don't know much about your history but would assume there is some emotional component to your over-drinking.

Milk thistle has been suggested several times and I'll add my 2 cents to that. I can feel a difference in my liver when I take milk thistle so I know it works.

Also, if you over-drink more than a day or two at a time, getting extra Vitamin C can help make getting off of it easier. I took 1,000 to 2,000 mg a day but I read on websites about the subject that doses as high as 5,000 may be needed. Vitamin C in high doses can cause stomach or eliminatory distress so finding the right dosage may take a little exploration.

B-Vitamins also very important when trying to get off alcohol. High doses of liquid B-Complex and B-12 in particular, very helpful.

Getting enough water is vital. Half your weight per day.

Symptoms I experienced included dizziness, nausea, night sweats and, most disturbing, visual distortions and a great deal of distortion in my brain synapses.Foggy thinking, difficulty with cognitive tasks. Also, depression.

It's important to note that coming off alcohol can cause seizures and stroke, in some cases, so if you feel your health is in danger, go to a facilility where your body functions can be monitored during withdrawal.

A natural sleep aid like calms forte can be helpful too, and I used Bach's Rescue Remedy.

Being conscious through the process was vital to my own journey. I had to become conscious of the moment I decided to drink, why that urge came on, and what was really behind it. I had to be conscious in the pain of hangover and the pain of withdrawal, to see why my body wanted to hang on to it. It's not an easy journey but I believe, with conscious awareness and the right nutritional support, you can come through the other side of it triumphant. I hold that truth for you.

RE: Giving Up Drinking - Support Needed

Best wishes for your decision to give up drinking.

I have also pretty much decided to give it up.

Without realising it, I started giving up last year. I decided to spend Christmas sober. Then my birthday, then Mother's Day, then a friends 21st, another friends wedding, three family get-togethers etc. Before I knew it I had completed around 20 sober functions. (That's not to say I wasn't drinking at home)

After a few stressful months at work, I was finding that when I did drink, I was easily drinking what could be considered dangerous quantities, with barely a hangover or blackout and I realised that I wasn't even really enjoying it. Although I wasn't getting hangovers, it was robbing me of all motivation.

It is like a habit that had become ingrained that I don't really need anymore.

Will keep you posted as to my progress!

RE: Giving Up Drinking - Support Needed

Hi,
I too decided to give up alchohol. I have never really had a problem with drinking in as much as I drank a lot or got drunk a lot. However, I found that if I did drink on a night out I would continue to drink until I was drunk.

I would always feel ill the next day, suffer from headaches and feel drained. I would also have difficulty remembering what happened the night before and, in spite of reassurances,imagine saying or doing all sorts of things thatI hadn't actually said or done.

I decided to give it up completely and find that I still enjoy going out. I just drink soft drinks like diet lemonade or tonic water.

I lost my dear brother two years ago this Christmas; he was an alcoholic and just 41. I supported him and tried everything to help him. But you really have to want to give up and he always kept saying he did not have a problem or he would stop would next week.
There was one herbal remedy he tried called KUDZU, but he stopped tacking it because it stopped him enjoying his drink!
I also tried kudzu myself because I had got into a habit of drinking every night, not loads, but it helped me relax and sleep. It stopped me wanting a drink; if I tried to drink when I went out I found that I didn’t enjoy it anymore. I stopped for about 8 months, but then slowly slipped back into habit again. So I am going to get some more kudzu, after Christmas, it will be my new years resolution to stop again!
You can buy it at Holland & Barrett, cost about £10 and just need one or two a day. It will help stop the desire for a drink

Hope this helps you
Julie

RE: Giving Up Drinking - Support Needed

I drank too much at my family Xmas party on Sunday.

I have ordered some Kudzu over the internet so will let you know how it goes! Thanks for the tip.

RE: Giving Up Drinking - Support Needed

Just found this website - very interesting. To cut to the chase, I enjoy a drink in the evening, but it's become a nightly thing for the last 6 months or so. I have a good job, a lovely family and yet I can't stop myself binge drinking at nights - a bottle of wine on average. I wake up each day feeling so guilty and promise I'll stop....until the evening when the kids have gone to bed.

I mentally beat myself up cos I love my kids more than life and yet I'm putting my health at risk. I'm so scared of what I could put my kids through if I was to develop some horrible illness and yetstill I drink.

Now is the time that I must stopand I hope by putting down in email this will spur me on. As the title suggests "Support Needed". I really so want to give up and yet I enjoy a drink. Any suggestions ?

RE: Giving Up Drinking - Support Needed

As a practical suggestion I have found that if it isn't in the house you can't drink it! So the time to resist temptation is in the supermarket. Pre-planning helps. I make sure I'm fed and watered before I go in, and I do have a bit of a battle with myself in the aisles, but so far so good, as far as wine is concerned. And wine was (or is) my poison.
We do have some bottled beers in the house though, and some nights I have one. But I think that's OK.
No problems so far after a month, and I did have a few glasses over Xmas/NY.
I'm quite hopeful. I do feel better.
Sharon.

RE: Giving Up Drinking - Support Needed

Tried the Kudzu and it may have been psychological, but I didn't feel like a drink at all last night and instead went to bed early with my book. Feel really good today, for the first time in a long time and that's after just one day without alcohol and a decent night's sleep ! Makes me realise how good I should feel if I stay off the booze and stick with earlier nights !!

RE: Giving Up Drinking - Support Needed

HI
Im giving up drinking and smoking myself after thinking long and hard about where my life is leading am married and have 1 beautiful little girl.
been drinking loads recently and am full of self loathing, im looking for support and guidance to get me through this difficult period