How Did You Quit?

[Neeranam]

If you were unable to stop drinking, what happened and how did you do it?

If you were an alcoholic and have managed to stop for more than say, 1 year, how?

Edited August 13, 2006 by Neeranam

[sabaijai]

If you were unable to stop drinking, what happened and how did you do it?

Seems like there's a contradiction in this question. If a person is 'unable to stop drinking', how can they quit?

Also it doesn't leave room for problem drinkers who were able to achieve controlled drinking/moderation.

Despite the obvious sampling error associated with a forum poll like this, am looking forward to reading personal anecdotes.

[francois]

hi'

I had been drinking alone or with mates for years, until get to high level,

tequilla (1 bottle alone didn't knocked me down), and Mezcal or old n°7,

when I realized that I could not go on like this any longer.

so I decided to stop one night alone in my place drink the last glass of tequilla and said goodbye.

I was not what we could call an addicted person, but I was so well when drunk,

the way was only avoid drinking places for a few weeks and drink a load of water, sleep wasn't so good the first 3 or 4 weeks and then it got better and better.(somme greeneries helped a bit )

and one day, felt so sick that I went to see a doc!

blood analysis, and so on ...

got out with an hepatitis C ... life changed and not drinking a drop was in order for health, so it gave me one more good reason to stop for good, this was 12 years ago, and still going on

I then choose to visit a chinese doctor who helped me a lot for my liver functions, and now my blood analysis are fine

the damages done to my liver are here forever, and the side effects too,

but life insn't so bad.

I consider myself a bit lucky on that shot

francois

[sabaijai]

hi'

I had been drinking alone or with mates for years, until get to high level,

tequilla (1 bottle alone didn't knocked me down), and Mezcal or old n°7,

when I realized that I could not go on like this any longer.

so I decided to stop one night alone in my place drink the last glass of tequilla and said goodbye.

I was not what we could call an addicted person, but I was so well when drunk,

the way was only avoid drinking places for a few weeks and drink a load of water, sleep wasn't so good the first 3 or 4 weeks and then it got better and better.(somme greeneries helped a bit )

and one day, felt so sick that I went to see a doc!

blood analysis, and so on ...

got out with an hepatitis C ... life changed and not drinking a drop was in order for health, so it gave me one more good reason to stop for good, this was 12 years ago, and still going on

I then choose to visit a chinese doctor who helped me a lot for my liver functions, and now my blood analysis are fine

the damages done to my liver are here forever, and the side effects too,

but life insn't so bad.

I consider myself a bit lucky on that shot

francois

Sounds more like you were listening to what your body was telling you, that combined with willpower, more than luck. Good onya.

[Neeranam]

QUOTE(Neeranam @ 2006-08-13 17:20:41) *

If you were unable to stop drinking, what happened and how did you do it?

Seems like there's a contradiction in this question. If a person is 'unable to stop drinking', how can they quit?

Also it doesn't leave room for problem drinkers who were able to achieve controlled drinking/moderation.

Despite the obvious sampling error associated with a forum poll like this, am looking forward to reading personal anecdotes.

I was unable to stop drinking but something happened. That was meeting someone who understood what I was going through, and gave me hope that I could quit too. I believe that only an alcoholic can truly understand another. Any heavy or problem drinkers just don't know or understand why the alcoholic can't stop.

Doctors can't help alcoholics quit, nor can religious figures.

What we have is problem drinkers, who can stop with their own will-power, and alcoholics who can't.

Likewise I am looking forward to hearing personal stories. I'd especially like to hear from an alcoholic/addict who gave up by themself, as I've never met one.

Can we get some stories please?

[sabaijai]

What we have is problem drinkers, who can stop with their own will-power, and alcoholics who can't.

Likewise I am looking forward to hearing personal stories. I'd especially like to hear from an alcoholic/addict who gave up by themself, as I've never met one.

We already have another thread on the thorny definition of alcoholism. But since you bring it up, it's unscientific to define an alkie as someone who can't quit on their own, since as soon as you quit on your own you are not--by some people's definitions--an alcoholic. With 'alcoholism' diagnosed by helplessness--rather than on any medical basis--the whole issue of quitting becomes treatment-focussed rather than patient-focussed.

What you end up with is circular logic, ie, saying that by definition you aren't an alcoholic unless you can't stop drinking on your own. Very convenient for those who would like to control the definition and gain 12-step recruits.

Back to the anecdotal stuff. I know several addicts--both/either drugs and alcohol--who have quit on their own. Most were musicians, and I've noticed a curious phenomenon associated with those who quit on their own versus those who do 12-step. Those who quit on their own were able to play their instruments with as much or more inspiration than they did before they quit, while most of the ones I know who subscribed to 12-step programmes lost their 'mojo', that is they weren't able to play with the same level of inspiration after becoming 12-step members. This is purely anecdotal, just my observation, so I'm not claiming it holds true for most quitters. I'm sure there are plenty of AA musos who have it together (and vice versa), but there's no way to test my observations scientifically as it's impossible to empirically define 'mojo'. I suppose you could look for a correlation between performance and audience response.

By the way aren't 'By yourself' and 'Will Power' basically the same thing? Or can you quit on your own without will power?

[Neeranam]

We already have another thread on the thorny definition of alcoholism. But since you bring it up, it's unscientific to define an alkie as someone who can't quit on their own, since as soon as you quit on your own you are not--by some people's definitions--an alcoholic. With 'alcoholism' diagnosed by helplessness--rather than on any medical basis--the whole issue of quitting becomes treatment-focussed rather than patient-focussed.

What you end up with is circular logic, ie, saying that by definition you aren't an alcoholic unless you can't stop drinking on your own. Very convenient for those who would like to control the definition and gain 12-step recruits.

I see what you mean SJ. It's how you define 'alcoholism', which as we've seen in the other thread, is not straightforward.

Why would some want to gain 12 step 'recruits', or 'control' the definition? That's not the way it works in my experience.

Give anyone a drug(eg alcohol)for a certain time(say 2 bottles of whisky every day) - they will become addicted and have withdrawals when stopping. Does this mean they are an 'addict' or 'alcoholic'? - I say no.

I know several addicts--both/either drugs and alcohol--who have quit on their own.

The big question is, were they actually 'addicts'?

BTW I know several musicians who are in 12 step programs and haven't lost their 'mojo'.

Eric C, comes to mind, or David B(although debatable if he has in fact lost his mojo or not).

[sabaijai]

Give anyone a drug(eg alcohol)for a certain time(say 2 bottles of whisky every day) - they will become addicted and have withdrawals when stopping. Does this mean they are an 'addict' or 'alcoholic'? - I say no.

By contemporary medical definition, these are addicts.

In my opinion Eric lost his guitar mojo for 10+ years after quitting, although he continued to be popular.

[robitusson]

We already have another thread on the thorny definition of alcoholism. But since you bring it up, it's unscientific to define an alkie as someone who can't quit on their own, since as soon as you quit on your own you are not--by some people's definitions--an alcoholic. With 'alcoholism' diagnosed by helplessness--rather than on any medical basis--the whole issue of quitting becomes treatment-focussed rather than patient-focussed.

What you end up with is circular logic, ie, saying that by definition you aren't an alcoholic unless you can't stop drinking on your own. Very convenient for those who would like to control the definition and gain 12-step recruits.

Well put SJ. The logic dictates that if you can give up on your own, you're not an alcoholic. If you can give up with the aid of a self chosen HP, then you are. ??????? Bizarre.

A lot of people go through a period of drug and alcohol abuse, typically when they're younger, teens to mid-twenties. Most slow down as they mature or move into different social circles. For example there were thousands of people regularly taking plenty of E in the early 90's. Most stopped when the scene phased out and they grew up and moved on. At the time when people were partying, they would have been diagnosed as drug-addicts.

I posted before about how the importance of making a decision was to me, when I gave up drinking. It might sound trite but it can't be overstated in my opinion. I became willing to sacrifice any part of my lifestyle and anybody associated with it to stay away from booze. I made a very serious decision and committment. I also renew my commitment to myself even now, even though I haven't had a drop in over 6 years, and to use an AAism, for that I am actually sincerely and genuinely grateful.

After repeated unsuccessful attempts to give up my alcoholic drinking, several by myself and 2 stints in AA, I questioned myself as to how serious about abstanaince I was. The thing that made the crucial difference was when I took responsibility for myself, dropped all expectations of what I wanted from sobriety and made a very serious committment.

After that was made there were many changes in lifestyle, who I associated with, how I was thinking, what goals I set, what I allowed myself to be involved with which were useful to staying away from booze, and all other drugs and intoxicants too. I now would not even entertain the thought of taking a drink now for even a second and I absolutely never question the decision I made.

Edited August 19, 2006 by robitusson

[sabaijai]

I have a friend here in Thailand who slowly developed an opiate addiction over a period of nearly 20 years, beginning with occasional opium smoking in northern Thailand and eventually escalating to daily heroin use for four or five years. A year and a half ago he had to return to his home country on short notice to visit his ailing father, and was forced to go cold turkey while watching his father die. He stayed clean in his home country for four or five months afterwards, taking care of his father's affairs etc, and since his return to Thailand nearly a year ago has continued to avoid the powder. He had no support, whether medical or social, while kicking, but now that he's back in Thailand he has taken up exercise and intensified his dhamma practice (he had become quite well versed in dhamma literature, but not practice, while an addict) and is also much more socially active.

It seems that there are some people who can beat an addiction on their own, others who need some initial help (such as brief intervention, which happens to have the highest success rate of any addicition recovery programme thus far surveyed), and still others who need a lifelong support group (ie, 12-step) and/or continual psychotherapy.

I suppose it depends on many factors, including what drove one to substance abuse. Perhaps some people are crying out for membership in a group that accepts them unconditionally, like a substitute family, and their substance abuse became a harmful way to submerge that need. In such cases 12-stepping or the like provides exactly what they need. In that event it would seem their problem isn't alcohol or drugs, it's lack of socialisation, etc. To say that only those people who need support groups are addicts, while all other substance abusers who do not need support groups are not addicts, seems absurd and irrational to me. Just as there is a variety of reasons that lead people to substance abuse, there is a variety of ways to lead them out of it.

"Your President and other pioneers in and outside your Society have been achieving notable results for a long time, many of their patients having made good recoveries without any A.A. at all. It should here be noted that some of the recovery methods employed outside A.A. are quite in contradiction to AA principles and practice. Nevertheless, we of AA ought to applaud the fact that certain of these efforts are meeting with increasing success."

- Bill Wilson, Co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, Address to the New York City Medical Society on Alcoholism, April 28, 1958.