Slowly killing myself

Oracle, did you write that list yourself? That is a perfectly gorgeous list of habits to heal oneself.

Thanks for that.

Cheers,
Baba.

you should meet up with me....I'd get you off the drink....everytime you'd reach to the fridge for a drink it would be empty....and I would be walking/staggering away with my hands behind my back ...whistling...........ninja...AA man

My two cents as one who has dealt with addiction is simply this: You are infinitely more powerful than the bottle. I really don't agree with AA's philosophy because it teaches dependence on the program. However, it does work, it is a fact, a proven fact that it does help some, even most people, so by all means seek help from them. But, when you realize that you actually have absolute control over yourself and you realize how powerful you are, it will be a new day and you will laugh at how silly you were to ever be intimidated by an inanimate object or substance called alcohol. What helped me too was the book "A Course in Miracles" and realizing that I am God himself, not just his son, I literally am God, and so are you. Step forth and accept your crown, own your godship and never make another excuse for yourself. Good luck.

Hello 5th - I understand what you are feeling like simply because I have been where you are now with alcohol. I spent the first year in AA recovery trying to figure out why, when and how I was an alcoholic. Then I realised that it didn't really matter because the fact was that I couldn't drink "normally" any more. Some of us drink to deaden the pain we are feeling and it works for a while, but eventually the drink becomes a problem in itself. Alcohol is a depressant drug and when abused make us sick mentally, physically and spiritually.

I have the same situation as you with my family being JW's and me living a lie but wanting to leave. The decision of whether to be true to myself and risk alienating those dearest to me is one of the hardest I have ever had to make in my whole life. I have made the decision to make the break and disassociate because the alternative is too destructive to me personally.

Look after yourself, get well and then you will be in a better place to decide what is best for you.

Maddie .

5th,

I do not agree that that this problem is not in your genes or that it is not hereditary. My father has a serious problem with alcohol, if he is still alive. My grandfather had a drinking problem that was so serious, he died in an insane asylum.

Honestly, I was on the same road, but, believe it or not, becoming a J.W. saved me. So the thing that saved me, is killing you.

Look, you just have to stop drinking, period.

I know the most frightening thing to think about is a life without alcohol, but you are in very dangerous territory.

No matter what it takes, either alone or a group like AA, you have to stop.

Warlock

Oracle,

That list is a good one, but will only be of use when he has stopped drinking.

When drinking, life is totally unmanageable. The idea of going to the gym is ludicrous to someone in the grip of alcoholism. For many who have issues with alcohol, the idea of "just a few drinks" is also ludicrous. If its bad, the person feels they cannot stop once they start.

5Th needs to focus on one thing and one thing only.....getting better. You can deal with the JW issues in due time. My advice...my list for the very difficult times, before you can "heal" is:

1. Keep busy no matter what! Never ever sit there wondering if you should drink. Simply keep busy - don't allow yourself time to consider a drink.

2. Get support. AA is good for many people. Personally I think that talking about alcohol for 2 hours isn't the greatest thing....see point 3. However as a temporary measure even, if you're feeling like you can't cope, go to AA. You will have someone to ring up when things are tough - someone who will remind you why you should never resort to alcohol. If you like AA you can continue, if you don't like it, you can stop.

3. Don't think about alcohol if you can help it. If it comes into your mind, think of a word which will switch things over - like ""POISON"". E.g. I wonder if I should drink some xxxxx - immediately say to yourself NO ITS POISONOUS and will harm me. Then immediately get busy,...see point 1. Never ever allow yourself to reason that "just a bit will be OK".

4. If you just can't get busy, you just can't cope, sleep. Its a good temporary measure to pass the time. If you have an hour's sleep sometimes you will wake without the craving. Just be aware that you shouldn't make a habit of sleeping too much. In the first few days of abstinence though, its a good measure to stop you reaching for the booze.

5. Throw out all alcohol from the house, or get a family member to throw it out or give it to someone else.

6. Never be hungry. Drink fruit juice - your body is used to frequent calories from alcohol so a nice sugar rush is required. Treat yourself with ice-cream or nice food - obviously this is a temporary thing but you can start improving your diet after a bit of time with no alcohol.

7. When you haven't had a drink for a few days, write down how you are feeling. Write down how much better you feel. It helps because there will be a time when you start craving a drink again and at least you can refer to the fact that you feel tons better when sober. Keep in mind that if you have humiliated yourself when drunk, this can be rectified....the new sober you will become the "you" that everyone gets to know and they'll forget the other stuff.

8. Don't avoid restaurants. Take someone you can trust with you and make sure you don't order alcohol. This is valuable because you won't feel deprived because you can still go wherever you want to.

9. Ditch bad friends. Ditch drinking friends if they don't understand and if they put you under any type of pressure to drink. You can be there for them to some extent but your recovery is paramount.

10. Buy yourself something with the money you saved. Tot up how much money you would have spent on booze and give yourself a pat on the back for staying sober.

11. Never - EVER - think into the future - a future without Alcohol. Just think about today.

I hope that helps.

Sirona