alcoholics - anyone else having problems trying to get semi sober

[thongplay]

How strange.

 

I drink a lot but only beer and wine cooler (Spy).

 

But the last couple of months I have cut down a lot.

 

Why and how?

 

It sends me to sleep! Never used to.

 

Two or three small bottles of beer or Spy and I have to lie down for two hours. And the sleep is blissful.

 

I wake up and carry on with what I was doing.

 

Like several posters have said "everybody is different".

[superglue]

The best things of not drinking include that I have no need to check the car when I get home eg blood on the bonnet; no DUI ever.

 

I admit that when I was drinking I was lucky but luck runs out.

 

In fact, I was looking forward to being pulled up by the police. It did happen and I told him that I was returning home after attending a meeting of AA.

 

BTW, I know police who are in the program.

[jeab1980]

Being an achoholic is no longer a massive stigma as it once was. People from every walk of life become for one reason or another get seduced into thinking alchol is the medicine they need to get through whatever demon's are in there head. Mine was images of good mates no longer with us. We all have coping mechanisms. Sometimes they go Awol and the need to find another is all consuming. Mine was OVD (dark rum). I wentninto a very dark place for a couple of years (wont bore you with the details). The love of my then wife and children along with a bloody good GP and AA meetings slowly but surley draged me back to the light.

I was a 24hr drinker drink sleep for a couple of hours drink again. Been sober for nigh on 20 years now, nearly  had one slip up along the way when my wife died of Cancer. But for her i would been long dead now. So i poured a glass of OVD out. It was still there two weeks later when i moved away from our house. Op be strong in the end if you want it bad enough theres lots of help out there. 

Im still a recovering Alchoholic and always will be.

[superglue]

My previous wife was the catalyst for me becoming a member of AA (I had never heard of it). I am deeply grateful to her.

My current wife has never seen me drink thankfully.

[gintis0604]

,For an alcoholic there is just one way out: stop drinking alcohol!!

I tried to " cut down" for 25 years after 25 years heavy drinking. I always came back to the same.

10-15 beer a day for 2-3 weeks; sober some weeks, then the same again.

3 years I stopped totally. The first months were hard, with bad sleep, nightmares, then I felt better and better.

Now I enjoy life more than ever.

Unfortunately I have away 50 years to something as bad as alcohol.

My advice to anyone who has an alcohol issue; STOP DRINKING!!!

[PeCeDe]

To the OP, you need professional help, not just friendly advice,  as has been said, everyone is different. In my case I finally became aware my drinking was a problem was when a Federal guard at a fed building I was entering at 8 in the morning reached over and smelled my breath saying ugh drinking in the morning (but it was from the night before), and she said you need help. for me things came to a head when I was seeing images of a woman in the corner of my room and I could no longer function... Scary. I was in the UK at the time and went to see a Physician there who happened to be a retired military doctor, he took one look at me and gave me a form to fill in, to which he announced I was suffering from PTSD... For thirty odd years I'd drunk excessively (functioning drunk) and finally here was the reason, I was trying to forget my military past which was violent, but I had to face it. I spent six months in counselling with other vets, and came out of that able to function normally without a drink. Now I have one beer when appropriate.  I am alcoholic but I appear to need more than one to go into a relapse. Good luck my friend... Just maybe your bad dreams are things you're trying to forget and you're using alcohol to do that.

[wump]

I don't agree with the concept of some inheritent flaw in someone's make-up that makes you an alcoholic. My take is that it can happen to anyone if they just kept drinking long enough and/or went through some tough times. There always is some underlying problem which you need to look at. Once you sorted this out, your desire to drink will eventually subside. 

 

Cutting down doesn't work, but after you faced your demons you won't even want to feel the constant need for a buzz. Just my opinion.

 

And for the record: Let OP take his sleeping pills for the first few weeks if he has to. It is virtually impossible to get dependant on stuff like Benadryl but proper sleep will boost morale immensely.

[PeCeDe]

10 minutes ago, wump said:

I don't agree with the concept of some inheritent flaw in someone's make-up that makes you an alcoholic. My take is that it can happen to anyone if they just kept drinking long enough and/or went through some tough times. There always is some underlying problem which you need to look at. Once you sorted this out, your desire to drink will eventually subside. 

Absolutely agree. My way of expressing that concept is everyone is born with a credit card for alcoholic drinks, some fortunate people get unlimited credit, for some it's zero drinks and yet others maybe 5000, 100,000 etc.but eventually if you drink and don't have unlimited credit on that card you'll become alcoholic. Guaranteed, and no use complaining. The OP is to be commended for looking for help, as they say, that is the first step.

[wump]

2 minutes ago, PeCeDe said:

some fortunate people get unlimited credit, for some it's zero drinks and yet others maybe 5000, 100,000 etc.

But I think you just described some inherent flaw there... as if alcoholism was completely in your physical make-up and not just a co-factor. I'm pretty sure your "unlimited" person will also become an alcoholic if he suffers from some trauma and starts drinking a liter of vodka a day.

[elliss]

  You  are on the  mend , takes  time .

    No turning  back ,  walk one hour a day in the early evening .

    Goodnight  10 pm .

Edited September 21, 2017 by elliss

[PeCeDe]

21 minutes ago, wump said:

But I think you just described some inherent flaw there... as if alcoholism was completely in your physical make-up and not just a co-factor. I'm pretty sure your "unlimited" person will also become an alcoholic if he suffers from some trauma and starts drinking a liter of vodka a day.

Agreed. But, there's nothing wrong in having an inherent flaw, type 1 diabetics can't help their health, it came from their parents and parents parents, familial tendencies to cancer also, the same is true of alcoholism, the list is long. But as you say, often what kicks people who have this tendency to alcoholism from regular non-problematic drinkers into practising alcoholics is life's events and continually resorting to alcohol to hide those events or memories whatever they may be, then at some point according to our individual makeup compulsion takes over, and we know the rest.  Alternately there are those to whom no "life changing" events happened but they just became alcoholics because they drank themselves over their limit.  For example, their are presumably lot's of Mormon alcoholics (perhaps 1 in 10) who don't know it because they don't drink and therefore never reached that limit.

 

Hope this makes sense.

[atyclb]

1 hour ago, wump said:

I don't agree with the concept of some inheritent flaw in someone's make-up that makes you an alcoholic. My take is that it can happen to anyone if they just kept drinking long enough and/or went through some tough times. There always is some underlying problem which you need to look at. Once you sorted this out, your desire to drink will eventually subside. 

 

Cutting down doesn't work, but after you faced your demons you won't even want to feel the constant need for a buzz. Just my opinion.

 

And for the record: Let OP take his sleeping pills for the first few weeks if he has to. It is virtually impossible to get dependant on stuff like Benadryl but proper sleep will boost morale immensely.

 

 

true. although some may use alcohol as an escape or coping mechanism, others simply get physiologically addicted though the common denominator is the net result of addiction will destroy all of them equally. aka .  all roads lead to rome.

[atyclb]

5 hours ago, nasanews said:

I would recommend Xanax to help quit alcohol and treat insomnia, you can get it from nearest clinic.

 

 

u must be careful with xanax because it is famous for being addictive and benzo withdrawal can be very dangerous as alcohol withdrawl.  should be medically supervised if taking xanax, which by the way can work quite well for smoothing alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

[MyFriend You]

Well I quit drinking for about five years once, started again with a beer or two during evenings, Liquor was never a problem for me, cause I didn't drink it very often, just beer.  so here I am still with my two (maybe three) beer limit 15 years later.  It's a matter of choice, and I will take Bad Dreams over Scirosis of the Liver  any day.

[MyFriend You]

4 minutes ago, atyclb said:

 

 

u must be careful with xanax because it is famous for being addictive and benzo withdrawal can be very dangerous as alcohol withdrawl.  should be medically supervised if taking xanax, which by the way can work quite well for smoothing alcohol withdrawal symptoms.

It has also been attributed to suicidal tendencies in some people, they get a strong feeling of remorse while taking it.  I wouldn't take it once on anyone's orders, doctors or otherwise.

[atyclb]

6 minutes ago, TunnelRat69 said:

It has also been attributed to suicidal tendencies in some people, they get a strong feeling of remorse while taking it.  I wouldn't take it once on anyone's orders, doctors or otherwise.

 

it is just for short term use. long term use is abuse and dangerous.  let me correct myself, the most famous drug to smooth detox is not xanax, but librium.

[superglue]

IMO, alcoholism is a combination of genes/addictive behavior. Once I recognized that it was an illness I was able to do something about it. 

This assisted me within AA as I was able to relate to others with similar traits.

Gambling in particular is an activity I must avoid @ all cost - moderation in all things is far better. Excessive intake of spicy food is another.

In addition, I have been an all or nothing person especially in relationships.

[wump]

9 hours ago, TunnelRat69 said:

It has also been attributed to suicidal tendencies in some people, they get a strong feeling of remorse while taking it.  I wouldn't take it once on anyone's orders, doctors or otherwise.

What's so wrong with Xanax? Taking one just makes me feel relaxed, not drowsy or high. I would think there is worse things than a regular (!) dose of Xanax. The dangers and consequences of a relapse far outweigh the potential risks of Xanax. 

 

Since you brought up suicidal tendencies... what to you think is worse for messing up your brain in the long term, leading to depression and making you jump off a Pattaya balcony? Xanax or alcohol?

[wanderluster]

10 hours ago, wump said:

What's so wrong with Xanax? Taking one just makes me feel relaxed, not drowsy or high. I would think there is worse things than a regular (!) dose of Xanax. The dangers and consequences of a relapse far outweigh the potential risks of Xanax. 

 

Since you brought up suicidal tendencies... what to you think is worse for messing up your brain in the long term, leading to depression and making you jump off a Pattaya balcony? Xanax or alcohol?

i have done the zanax thing, at first i found it helpful and only took minimul amount, and not everyday, being caucious as to not getting addicted. but after awhile, maybe a few months, i was getting hangovers from them, feeling tired and drowsy the next day.  i never get alcohol hangovers.but i do feel a little dehydrated in the ams. first thing i do is drink at least a litre of water.

[MyFriend You]

10 hours ago, wump said:

What's so wrong with Xanax? Taking one just makes me feel relaxed, not drowsy or high. I would think there is worse things than a regular (!) dose of Xanax. The dangers and consequences of a relapse far outweigh the potential risks of Xanax. 

 

Since you brought up suicidal tendencies... what to you think is worse for messing up your brain in the long term, leading to depression and making you jump off a Pattaya balcony? Xanax or alcohol?

I am not qualified to make that determination, I am not a doctor - but having been on suicide watch twice in Iraq when a member of our team was taking Xanax to help him sleep...........I know just enough about it to stay away from it.  Alcohol and suicides, no doubt about it, big contributor as it lowers ones inhibitions.    

Oh, for the first part of your post, methinks you are just trading one drug for another, but opinions are like a$$holes, everyone has one.

 

Edited September 22, 2017 by TunnelRat69

[wump]

Just stumbled upon this video... any thoughts? Actually does apply to myself 100%

 

 

 

Edited September 23, 2017 by wump

[pgrahmm]

37 minutes ago, wump said:

Just stumbled upon this video... any thoughts? Actually does apply to myself 100%

 

 

 

Casper meets the Invisible Man?

All I see is a white screen.....

[wump]

 

 

Try clicking the link in bold. Embedding doesn't seem to work even when switching off all adblockers.

[jeab1980]

Someone hit the mark earlier on in this thread about AA meetings being for Alcoholics but a quantity of non Alcoholics are going. Another poster followed up with a statement thats why i dont bother going a lot.

Exactly the same is happening with this thread with debates about drugs uused and gambling adictions even suicides.

This is about a guy who is an Alcoholic he doesnt need to know from laymen or other genuine Alcoholics about certain drugs he should only get that advise from Doctors.

To talk about suicide is so counter productive its cringe worthy in the extreme.

Those of you who are like me Alcoholics recovering or still there will know the only advise in the end you take is your mind or body yelling you enough is enough. But genuine advise about seeking help does go in and gives you something to think about.

Certain treatments can and do help but only after you yourself admit to yourself you are an Alcoholic. Thats the hardest part as genrally you see no problem in what you are doing.

[superglue]

Within AA there are open & closed meetings.

Closed meetings are restricted to members only.

[jeab1980]

7 minutes ago, superglue said:

Within AA there are open & closed meetings.

Closed meetings are restricted to members only.

Then thats new in my case it was members only always. There were meetings for families but no members were present.

It helped me no end. What others at the meetings passed on was a real tonic just knowing your not the only one is so well i cant put it into words really.

[superglue]

This is going back a long time.

Non-alcoholics are not permitted to speak @ a closed meeting?

[superglue]

Closed meetings are limited to members & prospective members only.

[PeCeDe]

54 minutes ago, jeab1980 said:

.

This is about a guy who is an Alcoholic he doesnt need to know from laymen or other genuine Alcoholics about certain drugs he should only get that advise from Doctors.

To talk about suicide is so counter productive its cringe worthy in the extreme.

Those of you who are like me Alcoholics recovering or still there will know the only advise in the end you take is your mind or body yelling you enough is enough. But genuine advise about seeking help does go in and gives you something to think about.

Certain treatments can and do help but only after you yourself admit to yourself you are an Alcoholic. Thats the hardest part as genrally you see no problem in what you are doing.

The important thing to know about withdrawal from long and excessive use of alcohol is it can be dangerous, just like withdrawal from Benzo's the addict can have dangerous seizures particularly if prone to them and even die if not managed properly. Drug therapy during withdrawal works, I can attest to that. I know the therapy is frowned on in many Countries Canada being one, and I think US as well. However I stopped drinking alcohol in the UK, where there are nurses trained in prescribing Librium therapy for home withdrawal and it is very, very closely monitored, daily in fact. The dosage is high to start with and gradually titrating over a 7 or 10 day period. For me, I felt no withdrawal symptoms and the only problem was I had trouble walking after the therapy for about two weeks. Funny actually.

 

Of course  the real work starts afterwards and joining AA or some similar organization is in my opinion absolutely essential, perhaps do that now! The now sober addict has a new life, and has to learn how to "Walk" in his beautiful new shiny world. When I think back, the veil of horrors was finally lifted... And the world is beautiful, it's there to be appreciated.

[PeCeDe]

 

38 minutes ago, PeCeDe said:

 

Of course  the real work starts afterwards and joining AA or some similar organization is in my opinion absolutely essential, perhaps do that now! The now sober addict has a new life, and has to learn how to "Walk" in his beautiful new shiny world. When I think back, the veil of horrors was finally lifted... And the world is beautiful, it's there to be appreciated.

Don't think I was specific enough about the "Medically" supervised part of the program I was in, if the OP tries the drug assisted withdrawal method it absolutely has to be done with a physicians help, no exceptions (that's what doctors are there for, to help you, they won't judge). The OP refers to "Semi-Sober" and that is a non-existent state, it's a dream which doesn't exist coming from an alcoholic mind, you're either drunk or sober, take your pick. To me the best reward for sobriety was finding the people who had loved me throughout my and their trials but withdrawn because they couldn't help, and were resigned to watching me die.