I gotta quit drinking.

[Redraider7]

Our son has battled an addiction problem for over 20 years. We had him in several treatment centers all over the state and nothing seemed to work. My wife and I joined several AA support groups and we learned a lot about the problem of addiction and made several friends who were in the same situation as we were. It was totally tearing our family apart. Finally my wife found a guy who worked with AA and we met him and discussed our situation with our son’s addiction. At the time our son was homeless and in a terrible place. Gregg said he wanted to meet our son and sponsor him in AA if he was willing. Things worked out for our son and Gregg and they attend several AA meetings each week. Our son has been sober 7 years and continues his journey one day at a time. I can proudly say my wife and I have attended most all of our son’s meetings when he earned a new chip. I know AA is not for everyone but I encourage people with addiction problems to give it a try. I can honestly say I think AA saved our son’s life. Hope you get things worked out.

Glad your son is doing better. Psychedelic therapy might be worth looking into!

 

[Outlaw99]

Case a day plus whiskey every day for 25 years. Finally had my best friend point blank tell me I was an ass and going to die sooner than later. That’s the short version. Said I would stop and never touch it again. I’m not a liar so I couldn’t go back. Started working out like a madman; like Rocky fighting the Russian shit. As time goes by it gets easier, but never goes away. Been sober 10 years now. My addiction now is old rifles and quality knives.

 

[Brian in Montana]

Well... Closing out day 3 with no alcohol. So far so good, I guess. Thanks for all encouragement, guys.

 

[Elktrack]

Well... Closing out day 3 with no alcohol. So far so good, I guess. Thanks for all encouragement, guys.

Right on man!
Nice job

 

[Treeshark]

Well... Closing out day 3 with no alcohol. So far so good, I guess. Thanks for all encouragement, guys.

Let’s go dude, keep it going

 

[Charlie Bob]

Well... Closing out day 3 with no alcohol. So far so good, I guess. Thanks for all encouragement, guys.

Thank you for checking in ! I've been thinking of you , keep up the good work .

 

[Big Fin]

Well... Closing out day 3 with no alcohol. So far so good, I guess. Thanks for all encouragement, guys.

Great to hear, Brian.

My Dad drank himself to death, in spite of everyone trying to help him. I have time for anyone who needs a call, text, email, meet for coffer, or whatever to help them get through the times when it seems most difficult. I suspect most everyone on this forum is here for you when you're looking for a way to get your mind off things.

Pulling for you.

 

[rtraverdavis]

@Brian in Montana, you should be proud of putting together three consecutive days. It’s a big deal.

Adopting a mindset of “one day at a time,” hell, sometimes even one minute at a time, can be very helpful. Often, in the very early stages of sobriety there is a great deal of humility that fuels the resolve to stay sober. Then life happens and things change and challenges present themselves, and the humility that was fueling the sobriety-resolve dwindles. Then, you’ll likely find yourself in a moment when you really want to take a drink. But, if in that moment you tell yourself, “Maybe tomorrow, but I’m not going to drink today,” and talk with someone who cares about you about how you’re feeling, you will very likely wake up the next morning NOT hungover and NOT feeling that brain-exploding desire to drink. Maybe tomorrow, but not today. Then talk with someone. It works.

Also, an acronym that might be helpful to remember is H.A.L.T. (Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired) If feeling a craving, ask yourself if you’re feeling hungry, angry, lonely, or tired—those are common triggers for cravings. Once you recognize it, you can address what’s bugging you in other ways than beating the shit out of yourself with more alcohol.

Lastly, know that you absolutely can do this. But likely not on your own. Talk with someone when you need it—even if you’re not sure if you need it. It really helps. I PMd you my number—you can reach out anytime. I mean that.

 

[frostylemonade]

Good stuff here. I rarely post on here, but was inspired by all the support. As a fellow Montanan, and someone who abused alcohol for 10+ years, and has been sober for over 4 now, I’m cheering you on! I echo previous statements that there is no one-size-fits-all solution, and that there will never be a “cure”, but that it does get easier with time. For me, the first 90 days were the hardest. After that point, I really began to see and feel the benefits from not drinking. The good news is you’ve done it before, and you can do it again. Take it one day at a time - I’ll be doing the same.

 

[Nick87]

Thank you for checking in ! I've been thinking of you , keep up the good work .

Same.

 

[LopeHunter]

To OP and others.

The journey is worth making. So many layers to the onion which makes up each of us by the time we become adults. Our inherited DNA, family norms, unfortunate events, etc.

Sadly, not everyone will be happy for you as you are on this journey. People can suck. I will be happy for you, though. I am proud of you.

May be beneficial to participate in counseling during your journey. Subconsciously, we may embrace things which inevitably undermine us again and again.

Don’t give up on your goal. Never be embarrassed by the outcome when you are making your best effort. Your tomorrow need not be defined by yesterday. Tell the naysayers to sod off. Never. Give. Up.

 

[Redmt]

Your definitely proving to yourself that it can be done! Your walking, breathing, living proof that your strong enough to whip it.

 

[R.K.]

Three days is hard- be proud that you were able to stick with it. Just gotta keep that “one-day-at-a-time” mentality, and definitely don’t be afraid to reach out for help when it gets tough.
And it definitely will, probably around that two-week mark. Don’t give in.

You’ve made it this far, which means you can go all the way. Starting this journey is the hardest part. It’s not gonna be easy, but then again- when was anything “worth it” ever easy?

You got this.

 

[thebestusernamesaretaken]

Good for you! Trying to accomplish this is something big. Asking for help, seeking advice takes courage! I agree with others that doing something this big with your doctors help and support from others could be the best pathway forward. As you can see from the comments that many may fail over and over again but that's part of it. Try and get through 300 seconds at a time, then move on to the next 300 sec. If you fall down, get back up and keep trying.

 

[TX Trophy Hunter]

Well... Closing out day 3 with no alcohol. So far so good, I guess. Thanks for all encouragement, guys.

Take the money you would have spent on beer and put it in a jar. Do that every week and you will have a tangible reminder of your success. Before long you can start looking at that tag, gun, etc that you couldn’t justify spending the money on in the past.

 

[Redmt]

I've been kinda waiting for you to reach a point where I have a couple short stories to relate. An abusive, egotistical, asshole neighbor is what I would call a hopeless drunk. He has the world at his feet as far as being very comfortably retired. He can do pretty much anything, within reason, that he wants yet he prefers to be hammered by 10 am daily. He and his wife are mid 70's. She was drug down right with him, I believe as a way to cope with his abuse. Mental not physical. Anyway,,, she got tired of it and asked me if I would take her to an AA meeting. I had another friend that was in his other life , an addict, alcoholic, armed robber, and other things I won't mention. He was a bad guy that served his time and was reformed to the point of heading up several meetings and even went back to the prisons to give talks and counseling. Anyway, I took her to that meeting. It was not her type of crowd but it gave her the drive to seek out another group that was more to her liking. Long story short,,,she has continued for over 10 years with maybe a couple missteps. The point is that she is still being abused by her asshole drunken husband but she is not drinking. If she can do it, you can do it.

The other story for later,,,

 

[Outlaw99]

Take the bodybuilding part out of this video and just listen to the message. I listened to this on repeat daily for almost 2 years to push me past the hard days

 

[WapitiBob]

I hope it works out for you guys, I'm sure it's a battle every day.
Don't discount Randy's offer.

 

[Kevin W]

Well... Closing out day 3 with no alcohol. So far so good, I guess. Thanks for all encouragement, guys.

Another Hunt talker here saying good deal and stay the course!!!

 

[Redmt]

#2 The same guy that heads up a few groups took a turn and burn trip with me to Moscow Idaho to pick up an engine. I did a straight through from here, Central CA. to Moscow Id. When we get there it's some sort of busy event thing going on and there's no motel rooms within miles. I called the guy I'm supposed to meet the next day and asked if there's somewhere safe I can park for the night and just sleep in the truck. He says we can sack out in an old motor home he has. He said it ain't great but it doesn't leak. So we get to his place and settle in and there's a little placard on the counter of the motor home that has a saying from AA. The guy comes out to check make sure we're doing okay and my buddy says "So you know Bill?". I have no idea what he talking about but the guy says "Hell yes". The guy asked us into the house for a cup of coffee and the two of them start in with a one on one AA meeting! I guess that Bill must have been a pretty famous guy in AA. I went to bed and the two of them yapped and bullshit for most of the night. It seems that if your in AA your welcome anywhere.