[OT] Help to stay away from alcohol needed

[conny]

Hi friends.

I have not been without beer or wine on a daily basis for a month.
It ruins me in many ways.
I've tried to commit myself to one day off, but lately that has not worked out. Always finding an excuse to pour me some in.

I want to make a contract that tomorrow I'll stay clean. At least, as a start.
Please encourage me to make it more than a start.

Don't know if I have to go down to a zero consumption or if I may find a way to handle it at situations.

Experiences?

// C

[Machinate]

Don't know if I have to go down to a zero consumption or if I may find a way to handle it at situations.

Experiences?

// C

In my experience the only real way of doing it is cold turkey. Anything else *will* lead to relapses.
Also, do a lot of really deep thinking about this: Ask lots of "why" and "do I *really* need this?" etc.

I wish you all the best of luck on this, Conny
A.

[Lo-Fi Massahkah]

Hi...

No direct experience - but I trust that you can make it, my friend.

/Mikael

[stinky]

My advice is, do something different for a couple of days.. stay away from the studio, if that's causing you to drink... and, exercise..

[Jim S.]

It sounds like there might be a seat waiting for you at an AA meeting. If others joke about it, ignore it. Just check out a meeting or two: they have radically improved, and in some cases saved, many lives.

Do a google search, find a meeting schedule in your area, and just check one out. You can just sit in the back and say nothing if you want, though you may feel like talking to someone.

Whatever you do, reach out to more people than just folks on a music software forum. It sounds like you are ready to deal with a problem you have.

Jim S.

[cherry-k]

hi conny,

not that I hat a problem "without" alcohol, but after having too much one time I just stopped drinking it. Now more than a year is gone by and I was so much more creative and productive than ever, I do not miss a drop. The only bad thing is, that you can no longer enjoy the time with drinking friends

Just do it.

greetz to the north

cherry

[buddhabelly]

I was there once. The only thing I found to work for myself was to remove myself from situations where alcohol was a big part of the event. I had to do it for some months. After that, I was slowly able to return to bars with gigs and have some semblance of control. Every once in awhile, I do get carried away and get completely shit-faced. When that happens, my wife lets me know it was not a good time.

Later, I found the underlying problem for while I was 'self-medicating' with booze and drugs. Turns out I'm rapid cycle bipolar. I started treatment, not antidepressants or even the old standby lithium, but a drug that's actually used to treat seizures. I don't get that detached weird feeling that antidepressants can trigger. Bipolar is pretty much hardwired in your brain and is not situational like some depressions, though stress can trigger anxiety that can boost a manic state. There is a history in my family, but I've started dealing with it before my thirties, so my doctor doesn't think I'll have a psychotic break like others in my family. My drug treatment has all but quashed the manic cycles, but I'm still dealing with some depression. I also have chronic insomnia that I've been given real treatment for, much better than drinking myself to unconsciousness.

At this point, we have beer & wine in the house all the time and I don't feel compelled to drink every night. Or even the weekends. I'm about to finish my BFA after being in and out of school for the last 6 years. Got a line on an internship at a local studio. My wife and I bought a house and are getting ready to try and get pregnant. Life's looking up.

Quitting smoking, now that's a different story. I go weeks without smokes then I just get an overwhelming urge to have a cigarette. But it's not that big of a deal cause I have the same pack I've been smoking since November, far from my old 2 pack a day habit.

Good luck!

[conny]

Thank you, friends.
Most appreciated.
And true, I might have to take it outside a music community.
Thing is there is an AA meeting place just around the corner, but I don't dare to go there. Equals I don't have the guts to admit my problems are of that dignity. Yet.
So this may be a try to get over it a more indirect way...

// C

[conny]

I was 'self-medicating' with booze ... I'm still dealing with some depression. I also have chronic insomnia

That's about my condition.
Anxiety and depression, it "helps" to get a bit drunk but later it gets worse.
I may feel afraid to go to bed if I'm not drunk because I may lay awake for hours.
I'm getting more into thinking now that anxiety is better then fooling yourself, though.
It's scary.

// C

[Moody]

Alcohol is weak to begin with. I only look at it as a social thing. Give that crap up! Make some tracks. Do what you got to do man!

[zenke]

Conny
I have been there and the thing that stopped me was shock!!
I went to the DR and asked for a full health check up. they checked everything and the one big problem was.... my liver.
The Dr said ' I can't force you but if you don't stop drinking you will die pretty soon'
I stoppeed there and then and didn't touch a drop for three years. Now I can control it and drink when I want to. I have taken the control, its no longer in the bottle, That feels good.
I also found that cold sparkling water gave a sort of burn to the throat which I convinced myself was somewhat like the burn of whisky or whatever.
Good luck with it man. I know how difficult it is, but think of the extra life you could lead without it
z

[conny]

Thanks again.
I'ts getting late here, I'll print this thead so far to keep it with me tomorrow.
May the force be with us.

// C

[ultrasource]

i'm kinda going through the whole grappling with dependency thing, too. When I was younger I never understood why so many people drank all the time. Now I drink all the time and don't understand how it got to this point.
I wish you much luck.

[conny]

I drink all the time and don't understand how it got to this point. .

I feel I have to prove that it's possible to break that.
-- Let's go --

// C

[suburbanbather]

I threw away, "The Perfect Opportunity" to play a show in Washington DC, because I like to get drunk. I'm shure you've seen the thread. Man I was hyping it up and everything. I still feel like a total idiot.

When I was a teenager I used to laugh at Anti drug and alcohol adverts., programs, etc... The jokes on me now!

Like many others. Bye bye drugs, hello booze!!!!