Is there a way back when you know you suffer from alchoholism?!
Question: got a good job, nice place, good car, not bad looking,bit of cash,but an awful drink problem! Don't say AA cos I don't believe in it!
Answers: got a good job, nice place, good car, not bad looking,bit of cash,but an awful drink problem! Don't say AA cos I don't believe in it!
believe me its difficult, everyday is a challenge, i agree AA is a waste of time. i got soba for 18 months, after drink around 400 t 500 units a week, ive been alcholic 4 11 years till i gotsoba, 10 months ago the smallest blip sent me strate back, now ive got t start again, and after each relapse its more and more difficult t get the strength t kick it again, good luck brother, alcholism is the worst addiction out there,
xenobyte, believe this urges never go away, they get less and less, but that makes them more dangerous, u may have 2 weeks were alchol dont cross ure mind, but then from nowhere bang it hits u wen u least expect it. less urges means harder t reist them. plus alchol is freely available, and white cider is cheap, heroin addicts hav t find 10 pound t get there fix, we can get a litre of white cider for 99 pence. and ive tried AA it made me worse each time u hav t stand say ure name and im an alcholic, and every time joins u hav t say ure story again and again. and most leave the group and hit the pub. rehab is an option, thats how i managed t get soba, but i really wanted t b soba more than i wanted anything else. so wen i did relapse, and i now find it difficult not t drink, i dont drink every day, but i binge for 3 4 days, den of it again. and all ure mates are probly drinkers, so being soba can mean being very lonely, another trigger.
Saying that you don't believe in AA = You are already making excuses not to stop drinking.
You really have to want to......
you obliviously need some sort of counselling you wont give up on your own see your dr he should help
Its a hard one.
My mum is and has been a big drinker for over 30 years, she has tried AA and various other courses to no help
The main problem is she doesnt really want to be sober.
A very good friend of mine came to me recently and asked for my opinion on his drinking, he is very low and relys on lager to get him through each day. He really WANTS to give up so i think thats half the battle.
He is cutting it back slow, not setting himself up to unrealistic goals either.
Confide in someone, use them as your support and make a plan of action.
Good luck with it.
You have accepted that you aren't alcoholic, that's the first step and possibly the hardest.
I don't know if AA works or not, but I wouldn't write it off without giving it a try.
I would recommend staying away from situations that you associate with drinking and keep yourself busy until you no longer feel the urges.
of course there is, and at least you realise you have a problem, maybe go and see your doc and suggest some counselling??
good luck x
Hey! Yes, there is a way back. It's good that you want to get help now, as opposed to after you've lost your good job, car, cash, and looks.
I understand not believing in AA, they're based more on religion and spirituality, and I don't believe in that either.
You can go talk to a psychologist or counsellor, there are some drugs that inhibit the pleasurable consequences of alcohol in your brain so that your brain stops needing alcohol, but Im not sure exactly what they are. Look up Naltrexone and Acamprosate for alcohol abuse treatment.
If you don't wanna go with meds, talk to a psychologist that engages in behavioural therapy ot treatments.
There are also other mutual support groups that unlike AA, DONT focus on spirituality, but moreso on personal responsibility and rationality. I've heard of SMART Recovery (Self-management and recovery training).
You can Email me if you want help finding more resources in your area!
Good Luck!!! :)
EDIT - AA sees having like a sip of alcohol as relapse, and you have to start all over again. If you do behavioural therapy, having a sip or two, or having a drink after being sober from a long time, is NOT seen as a bad thing. They're called "Slips", and they happen, and that's fine. If you have been sober for many years, having ONE drink shouldnt make you have to start all over again. Behavioural therapy doesn't focus so much on complete abstinence from alcohol like AA does (I personally don't agree with AA because they're more based on spirituality and god, and I don't believe in that - but that's just my personal opinion)
I have always thought of a alcoholic as always being drunk, and will drink anything that is in reach, but apparently a alcoholic can mean someone who needs a drink every day, even if it is only one or two glasses of an evening, and cant face going to bed without that drink, you are saying no to AA, what are you saying yes you are an alcoholic and want help to stop but not with AA?
First, you have to decide that you are not going to be an alcoholic anymore.
Then, there are various forms of assistance that you can get. Medications, hypnosis, counselling, support groups, and more. AA is not the only solution
You will DEFINITELY need counselling to identify and change the habits of behavior and thought that you developed as an alcoholic. Alcoholics share tendencies toward making excuses, avoiding responsibility and blaming others for their actions and the consequences, making special exceptions for themselves, and seeing only what they want to see. You will need help to get past that, or it will sabotage everything that you do, especially your recovery.
It will take time to rebuild the relationships that have been damaged, and some may be irreparable. There is still time, though, to build new relationships.
Added:
Consider recovery to be an investment in your future that can pay you back as much or more than a college education, and be prepared to make a large investment of time, money and effort into your recovery .
Ask yourself this. If the doctor told you that you have a disease that will cause gastointestinal damage, liver failure brain shrinkage, aberrant behavior and premature death, and offered you a cure, would you take it?
Recovery can prevent career missteps that could lose you a great deal of income over your lifetime. Recovery can increase your happiness, because alcohol is a depressant. Recovery can help to prevent damage to your relationships that would leave you very isolated, particular in your later years when you are most vulnerable.
Recovery may require a lot of will power, time, effort and money, but it will pay you back a hundredfold.
I am sure you can succeed, and even if you only managed a temporary recovery, it would still improve your health and happiness for that period of time, and give you a sense of accomplishment. So, you can't go wrong. "One day at a time" is a good motto for recovery, or even "one hour".
Best of luck.
I am an alcoholic and havnt touched a drink for 3 years.I used to drink a half bottle of vodka before going to work and continue to drink vodka throughout the day yet I never appeared drunk to other people.I realised what I was doing and decided to stop drinking so I did.It wasnt easy at the start but my mind was made up and I was determined to beat this addiction,after all thats what it is.If you really want to stop you will.Good luck.
When someone finally accepts that they are an alcoholic they're ready to begin getting sober.
It's not easy and they need all the support they can get. That's where AA comes in. You say you don't believe in it, but it works.
There are people there who have went through what you're going through. They know how difficult it can be to stay sober but they've done it.
When you feel its really time to stop drinking get in touch with them.
I agree aa will not suit a lot of people and the more enlightened they become the less it will suit them
There are alternatives nowadays. Try Smartrecovery.org and unhooked.com
of course there's a way back. but its very difficult to stop, especially when your life circumstances are as good as yours seem to be. i dont mean to be a scaremongerer but alcohol can take away your job,place,car,looks,money and a lot more than that. If you dont believe in AA there are other forms of cognitive therapy you can get to treat the addiction. try speaking to your GP or look for therapists on the BACP BACBP websites who specialise in addiction treatments. Hope it works out.