How to stop/ slow down?

[Anthony5]

Did you actually read my post? Have you ever laid bricks/made cement mortar, hauled material around a building site, ever? Masonry isn't hard exercise? It's better than driving to town 4 times a day as you suggest. I am not looking for your approval, not for suggestions about how I sweat. I knew that I would get some holier than thou guys answering but when they just ignore what I have written then it gets annoying. I don't have time to go to the stupid gym because I AM WORKING HARD AND GETTING A SWEAT UP HERE AT HOME! Get it? I don't want to drive 200Km a day losing time on my building project. Your repeated attempts to get me to the gym are ridiculous, you seem to think this is the solution to everything. Furthermore I am not in denial about anything

As i said, keep on drinking, just time it and it will solve all problems.

All that work must be paying off well, when wife pawns wedding ring

No mate, i never worked, i just sit around in my comfy armchair with air con and boss people around, but then i also do not live 200 km away from civilization.

No need to be cynical - or is this the "cruel to be kind" approach?

First sentence:, IF the op is not an alcoholic, and only drinks too much, then yes, timing could solve all problems.

Only, I do not know, you do not know, the OP does not know - the OP needs to find out (and he will need help with finding out).

Shame on you for your second sentence.

And what do you mean with the 3rd sentence?

Someone who drinks 24 cans of beer a day every day for years doesn't have a drinking problem, that's an alcoholic.

[wannascuba]

Sorry, didn't read the entire thread, but;

Do what is right for you and your family.

I sincerely wish you the best.

[wannascuba]

double post

Edited August 2, 2015 by wannascuba

[fang37]

Did you actually read my post? Have you ever laid bricks/made cement mortar, hauled material around a building site, ever? Masonry isn't hard exercise? It's better than driving to town 4 times a day as you suggest. I am not looking for your approval, not for suggestions about how I sweat. I knew that I would get some holier than thou guys answering but when they just ignore what I have written then it gets annoying. I don't have time to go to the stupid gym because I AM WORKING HARD AND GETTING A SWEAT UP HERE AT HOME! Get it? I don't want to drive 200Km a day losing time on my building project. Your repeated attempts to get me to the gym are ridiculous, you seem to think this is the solution to everything. Furthermore I am not in denial about anything

As i said, keep on drinking, just time it and it will solve all problems.

All that work must be paying off well, when wife pawns wedding ring

No mate, i never worked, i just sit around in my comfy armchair with air con and boss people around, but then i also do not live 200 km away from civilization.

No need to be cynical - or is this the "cruel to be kind" approach?

First sentence:, IF the op is not an alcoholic, and only drinks too much, then yes, timing could solve all problems.

Only, I do not know, you do not know, the OP does not know - the OP needs to find out (and he will need help with finding out).

Shame on you for your second sentence.

And what do you mean with the 3rd sentence?

Someone who drinks 24 cans of beer a day every day for years doesn't have a drinking problem, that's an alcoholic.

It is not a matter of how much ones drinks.

It is the effect upon one's life & those around him.

[redandyellow]

many will say you cannot taper down. i did, from 8 beers 5 times a week, to 3-4 beers twice a

week - to nothing since jan 2014

it was my new years resolution for 2014 - so far so good

you think you can't lick it - you can

[MobileContent]

I had a year ago 5 beers Chang Classic a day and slowed it down to 2 bottles a day. I only buy two beers a day and start drinking it at 5pm and stop at 7pm. I am also mixing it with Sprite/7Up. Before I love to drink JW, Vodka but I haven't had those drinks for the past 2 years.

[Americano555]

If driving a car while drinking, having a wife and grand daughter doesn't make you stop, then all hope is lost for you.

I can stop drinking for any amount of time, especially when starting a new job, working on a project, cycling to get in better shape.

My hobby is photography.

Why don't you pick up some hobbies?

[catman20]

sounds like your thai wife got herself a good catch !!

[swissman53]

Controlled drinking for an alcoholic is like a little bit pregnant. Not working.

Try to stop drinking for yourself, not for your family. Then it will work.

[AlQaholic]

My advice, you need to find something to do during the days that require you to be sober. It does not have to be something exceptional, but it must be something that you really like. Like doing something with your hands for example building something (you where in construction) or doing some work out with a definite goal to achieve. Otherwise it will fail.

[misterphil]

The question is. What do you want to do?

A. Slow down and drink less.

B. Stop completely.

If its A then you need to find something to do instead of drink. Go to a gym, start a hobby of some sort. If you just sit around allday doing nothing your mind will be constantly thinking drink, drink, drink. You have to find somethimg to fill in that void of when your not drinking.

If its B then I suggest you spend 2 weeks here in a detox clinic in Saraburi.

http://thamkrabok.net/

[Timwin]

Use medical science. You have developed an addiction in your brain over the years and you need a treatment. Not moralizing bullshit. You cannot stop on your own so take the next step.

Today there is so called Sinclair method with a generic drug called Naltrexone or Nalmefene. Both are anti-opioids. The trademark name is Selincro. Just go to any decent pharmacy and ask for it. The method was originally developed in Finland in laboratory during 70's and 80's with rats especially breeded to be alcoholic rats.

The method is pretty simple. Every day you start drinking, take a pill one hour before. The pill does not work alone while sober, it needs actually alcohol! The anti-opioid with alcohol in your brain gradually makes the drinking less and less interesting over the course of about 6 months. It basically lessens the power of the addiction "circuitry" in your brain to your behavior. You will have gradually less and less cravings and alcohol is just not that interesting after about 6-8 months.

It does not make you sick while drinking and it is not a miracle cure. It takes a bit of discpline but it is like taking any other daily medicine. It takes time but works for about 4 out of 5 alcoholics unlike AA with less than 10 percent success rate.

Edited August 3, 2015 by Timwin

[stereolab]

Dear Cooked,

If you are now up to 24 cans per day, every day, you are indeed an alcoholic. At that rate of intake you are probably over the drink drive limit 24 hours per day. The thing that worries me most is your insistence on a drink every "X" minutes, never heard that before. I drank for years and years, in an organisation that actively promoted drinking, hard to believe today, but the 70s and 80s were different times. I drank 7 days a week for years, but NEVER before lunch, and only occasionally during the working day, evenings were a different matter. I was promoted a number of times, it did not matter to my employer, as I got the job done.

However, i woke up on 5th January 1989, with a massive hangover, after a 5 day bender, over New Year, and I said I would stop drinking today. Alcohol has not knowingly entered my body since that date. it was hard work , but I persevered, despite peer pressure and pressure from my employer to drink at functions.

After learning to drive, I think it has been my biggest achievement, and I did it without any external help, either family or professional.

Cooked, Sir, it is only you that can get on top of this behaviour, and I wish you the best of luck.

[Shiver]

I don't think slowing down is the optimal approach. It's like stopping smoking because you think you should rather than actually wanting to.

I would suggest getting a book called "The End of My Addiction" by a guy called Olivier Ameisen (ISBN: 9780749942205)

It's basically the idea of any addiction (not just alcohol, but behavioural addictions too, like shopping addiction, gambling etc).

It comes from his observations as an MD (he was a Cardiologist as well as General Practitioner), where he noticed that a Cocaine addict complained that although the muscle relaxants he was prescribed worked, he was unhappy that cocaine no longer gave him his hit. The author was a severe alcoholic btw.

The medication is called Baclofen (aka Lioresal), which is classed as an Anti-Spasmodic. The idea is whatever the habit, keep doing what you're doing as long as you want to, but with Baclofen you start off with low dose, and titrate it up each day to megadose levels until you reach the point of feeling "I can have a drink, but I could take it or leave it, it doesn't much matter" kind of feeling. At that point you have found your level. You then titrate down slowly until you are on nothing.

What happens (according to the author) is that it resets the receptors which doesn't easily happen normally, as they would stay insensitive so that a lot of whatever addiction is, is needed to feel normal. It's works on the GABA-B receptors primarily.

Anyhow, if you get the book and have a read, you can decide if it's right for you. Baclofen is available in Thailand over the counter, and is out of patent, though strangely expensive considering. I'm not sure if there is a generic version or not. Otherwise it will cost a few thousand baht a week for a few weeks (a very wild guess).

Edited August 3, 2015 by Shiver

[misterphil]

The last person I know that got caught drink driving had to pay 40,000 baht to get out. So if your pawning wedding rings for food and drink then you'll be spending a lot of time in jail.

[Timwin]

Selincro is NHS approved in UK for alcoholism so it has some solid science behind it.

[Jimlove]

Dont know what advice is gonna Work for you exept maybe you have to choose between drinking like you do now or your Family - Some choose drinking but I hope you choose your Family. Its possible to take the drinking to a lower level if you make the intervals longer and longer between each beer - no big leaps but slowly ...

I am surprised that you can afford to drink like that hence your comments about your economy since beer in Thailand is quite expensive compared to many other countries I know of.

and please, dont drive when you are drinking ... I know the penalty here for drunk driving are very lenient but can you live with your self if you kill a child cause you drive drunk ... ?

[jimcarr65]

I feel for ya bro, sounds like you are in the grasp of an often fatal disease, if not cured will kill you. Or worse, you will

end up killing someone else and end up spending your last years in life in a Thai prison. The choice is yours now. Do

something while you still have the choice.

Many have found that the only way to resolve this is to stop drinking comepletely

You ask how? The only way is Alcoholics Anonymous. Ask any professional or doctor.

Just google "AA Thailand"

Many meetings in Pattaya.

Hope you make the right choice, for you and your family.

[manfredtillmann]

started early in my life, by 15 had alcohol daily, by 18 with office job i was a regular drinker starting with champagne at 10 in the morning. by the age of 20 often had my first drink in bed when i woke up - the half empty glass left over from the night before. stopped cold turkey the day after my 20th birthday and did not drink a drop until my 40th. remember these 20 years as desolate, empty. i had no friends because i was unbearable, did not go to parties (no one invited the boring non - drinker), all i did is work, work, work and be miserable after.

today i am in a similar position as you are but i find it helps to create hurdles and diversions. slowing down is the one thing i know does not work for me at all. you never get drunk enough to feel you had enough and it just gives you a bigger craving at the end of the set period.

try starting at 12 - set a fixed time, no exemptions - or so and have lunch planned for 13:00h. have 3 or 4 beers in this hour. it will make the food taste great and with a bit of luck you will be tired enough to be able to sleep for 2 hours after. i usually can't drink beer straight after waking up so perhaps you will manage to to hang in without, do some work, be creative, set yourself a target for every afternoon of something you have to achieve before you get your reward. picking up the kids from school and be sober doing so is a starting point.

after, sit and enjoy your beer at the pace you like. that should allow you to cut 4 - 6 bottles out of every day.

see how you go with something like that. you are not alone.

[fang37]

How can you enjoy a "social" drink in isolation, a clock timer & a diary keeping a record of consumption?

Buy a dog or a goldfish?

[kinmaew]

I am glad I am a foodie and beer snob i.e. will only drink quality Euro beers and many places do not have em so when in LOS quite content to much on all the great foods and of course a 2 hr kitty bounce session to top it off thats all I need happy to say

[chicowoodduck]

Oh yes, the slippery slope.....just try to shut your gob.....?

[cooked]

I see many supportive comments, some think that cutting down is a good idea ( I'm sure I can do that) and some tell me it won't work, I have to give up completely. The only thing I'm sure of is that what works for one person may not work for another. It's a start anyway.

What I object to: I wrote that one day (as in one) I drank a whole pack of 24 cans. People just jump to that and assume that I am drinking a pack a days since 30 years. I haven't.

Secondly I am told to get a hobby or go to the gym (by two people). Damn it, as I have written before, and obviously these people haven't bothered to read, the nearest gym must be 25 Km away and I don't have time for 'hobbies' as I work around the house, garden and farm at least 6 hours a day. I don't need the stress and strain on joints already attacked by years of hard physical labour by sitting in a stupid rowing machine or something. Work is my hobby,

Anyway, two people suggested I keep a diary, I am doing that and will let you know after a month.

[Emster23]

See if you can find supplier for this drug: naltrexone. Cuts craving way down. I am not a fan of AA, but for those that like, your choice. I suggest reading this very good article (all the way through, later part talks about reality of alcohol problems, doesn't do it religiously like AA). http://www.theatlantic.com/features/archive/2015/03/the-irrationality-of-alcoholics-anonymous/386255/

Medicine, behavior therapy, support should all help.

I suggest also you take up some sort of hobby, sounds like too much idle time. Something that is incompatible with drinking. Gym works for some because can't drink and work out. Bike riding would also be difficult to do I would guess (not impossible....)

[fang37]

Naltrexone? If you take this drug & then consume alcohol, you vomit? I think of Pavlov's dogs experiment.

I have observed the experience of some who have taken this drug. Easy - they just don't take it.

You need support! That is why AA or similar support groups have achieved such success.

[elgordo38]

My wife had to pawn the wedding ring to get us to the end of the month so yes, you can say I have an alcohol problem.

I don't want to go cold turkey, I really enjoy my beer.

Alcohol problems are like an elevator. They'll both take you all the way into the gutter. But you can get off on any floor you choose.

If you like your beer more than your deplore the idea that your wife had to pawn her wedding ring, you're not ready.

Try slowing down, not drinking before lunch, drinking only one an hour, or any of the other schemes you'll get here from the folks that haven't actually slowed down, never mind stopped. They may work, though millions of people go to prison, destroy their families or die before they dial in just the right formula. Take the elevator down a few more floors.

When you're willing to do whatever it takes, post back. There's a lot of good people posting here who will gladly help the willing.

If you continue on your present path somewhere down the line the hospital ATM system will be waiting with open arms. You sound like our a bit stretched financially so figure that in. The idea of not having beer in the house is a good idea. I went from 2 or 3 cans a day to 1 can Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I have had my glory days with booze time to pass the baton. I am just thankful I have lived long enough to tell about it. Years ago I was in a hospital and watched a woman die from liver problems its painful and not pretty.

[Penefattore]

how to stop ? Easy ! Just go on being a sponge until your liver explodes and you die. Then you will also stop drinking

[Kurt Kubik]

Maybe you should try to find out if you are an alcoholic stop drink 1 week. if you are there are no way of slowing down.if at the other hand you are ready to admit to yourself you are an alcoholic..

go to an AA meeting... I have been sober now for 24 years.. and sobriety deliver all alkohol promise you.;o) for me it was my best friend until it became my worst enemy... but alcoholism

is on the other hand the only disease where your brain tells you .. there is nothing wrong with me...My Dad died at the age of 46, i have lost a lot of friends in my 24 years of recovery

and as they say in Thailand.. its up to you....i smoke cigarettes and there is no slow down for me there either... its all or nothing... i quit 4 month.. came to Thailand in 2010 to stay,, just needed

a drag of a cigarette, and was back at 40 a day in a matter of no time.. the same will happens if i pick up a drink... one is too many 1000 to little.... good luck

[jimcarr65]

There is an opportunity to stop drinking. But, you enjoy your beer (& subsequent suffering by ALL).

Get on with it. Do a quality job! Reducing intake - I know nothing about.

If you are a "full-on" person - "all or nothing", you may well have a problem.

It is all up to you now!

Probable outcome of current behaviour - total destruction of both you & your family!

There is a group of people who HAD a similar problem to you but now do not drink. Moreover, they can smile - all is not being removed.

The best aspect - it is free.

The group - AA.

Good luck if you continue your current mode of behaviour. A guarantee! More members of the fellowship will be posting shortly.

May I ask 1 honest question?

Do the Thai AA bring Jesus into it (as the European AA do)?

Please tell me they do not.

[Dogbreath]

Alcohol was ruining my life. I tried any number of methods and discipline to slow down or moderate. You name it, I tried it. Alcohol affected my work performance, my relationship with family and friends, and my health. I tried to control it but could not and I could not imagine a life without booze.

My gf at the time was an MD and she sent me to talk with an alcoholism counselor. I did not want to go, but I did. The counselor asked me some questions which I answered truthfully as I was capable. He recommended a 28 day inpatient/detox program or attending AA meetings. No money for hospital, so I started going to meetings. It was not easy, but it got easier and then it became part of my life, like drinking used to be. Sure, they talked about God, but not in an authoritative way like the preachers did when I was a kid. I was encouraged to have a Higher Power of my own understanding. I was even offered a guarantee, One old timer said, "come to 90 meetings in 90 days and if you are not happy with the result we will refund your misery in full."

That was thirty three years ago. Those years have been the best of my life and I have not found it necessary or desirable to take a drink since.

I hope you find a solution to your problem. Try the controlled drinking. If it works, congratulations. If you find that you are losing control again, then it's likely you have a disease called alcoholism. AA has been helping drunks stay sober for 80 years. It costs nothing and has a good record of success with those who give it an honest try.

I wish you good luck.