Slowly killing myself (page 4)

oompa

There is a lot of great advice here, but might as well add my two cents worth as a fellow alchohol abuser. Regarding this:

The JW problem is not why you drink. It may have been the start, but it isn't the current reason.

I am not sure about this, only because I drank pretty hard for the past 15 years, until I stopped being a dub. Then quitting the booze was all of a sudden very acheivable! I told another "weak" couple who almost never attends anymore the other day that I don't drink anymore and the wife said "God, don't take that away, that is the only way to deal with being a witness" (she did not know I was totally inactive for some time). It is a coping mechanism....a bad one. It is self-medicating....but does not cure anything. But I do understand why you do it. I would try to follow some of the advice here 5th, but you may do better coming out of the closet a bit.....oompa

Sirona

Oompa,

I can see your point. Being in the JW's is a struggle and so many do use alcohol to self-medicate.

If you think about actual *addicts* though - they usually start of using alcohol for that kind of reason, but then they discover they are addicted, even if their circumstances improve.

So that is how you can get an alcohol addict whose life seems great,who still abuses alcohol. It becomes difficult for them to cope with ordinary life without alcohol.

SIrona

bluesbreaker59

5th,

I've had more than a few battles with alcohol, I still fight it, but its much better. However, I had some friends that went through it too, and helped me out. Here is what helped me:

Started working out (3 times per week)
Started drinking nothing but water and iced tea (no pop or milk either)
Started devoting all my free time to my hobbies (playing guitar)
Find a really good group of supportive friends that you can trust

This worked for me after my divorce. I still battle whiskey, but that's the only alcohol I enjoy too. When I really want to drink, I don't drink a shot or two, I drink a 5th or two... My doc, put me on stress meds too, Xanax, and that helps me a lot. But more than anything just stay busy, don't isolate yourself with a bottle, and STAY OUT OF BARS!!! I had to stay away from bars for 3 months to beat mine.

Good luck man, it won't be easy, but YOU CAN do it

The Oracle

Wise words from Sirona, Oompa, and Bluesbreaker!

I hear what you are saying regarding the drink Sirona.... but I know that 5th can definitely work out even if he hasn't cut off the booze.

And I know that he can cut off the booze at any time as he done so for stretches in the recent past.

When he says he drinks more because he is worried about matters related to "the truth" he is correct.

Some people need a crutch to get through tough times. For some it's chocolate. Others turn to masturbation. Others turn to booze. Others go for drugs.

These kind of crutches are bad. Some are more damaging to your body than others, like booze, drugs and chocolates.

The ultimate cure rests with eliminating the cause of the anxiety....however I agree 100% that if one of the crutches is starting to hurt you (ie booze) you must eliminate it.

5th, is that where you are at? Should you eliminate booze for a while... 100%? It might be a good idea. I think the fruit juice idea has some merit.

Keeping busy is also a big one for you.

You are entering the prime of your life from so many perspectives...I feel that you are getting ready to take charge of your life and enter a beautiful new chapter....

all you need to do is turn the page...

The Oracle

bttt for 5th...

(just learned what bttt means today)

the dreamer dreaming

you can acheive via meditation, anything you can acheive via drink or drugs... the key is to understand what exactly drink does to benefit you. 1. its a mild poison which shuts down the most active centers of your brain. a. this is normally the engines of suppression, those ideas, beliefs, thoughts, etc. which help you to focus your desires upon a single useful goal... but because they often came from abusive parents or religious authorities those control instructions are often abusive and dictatorial and without options. by making these instructions more conscious and more directly understood as to their source, you can tell them to shut up without alcohol. you can tell them you know where they come from and that they are not divine mandates and not beyond questioning and you can think for yourself, thank you very much. When I realized that the source of all guilt was a jury made up of symbolic people representing people that mattered to me...and realizing that they are no smarter nor better educated then I am, made their opinions on my life irrelevant.

dawg

Hey bro, I love a shot of whisky as much as the next guy, but please consider getting help... Think of the joy you'll have when 2024 comes and you can laugh at all your dumb ass JW friends still living, for being WT sales people all their lives. ANd you, you'd of lived, made love had fun, and never went door to door again. That's worth quitting the sauce for,

5thGeneration

Thx all.

I appreciate it!

purplesofa

I got a pm from a poster about the site I put up on this thread..........I then posted in quotes a list of things that came from the Rational Recovery site. I did not put a link to that site. I have a problem sometimes with my computer and just get in a hurry too.

I hope that anyone looking for help, for any circumstances will research and eventually come to their own conclusions.

Sometimes I post articles that I May not even totally agree with 100% but some of the information in it is very good and some of it is applicable in my situation.

I like reading alternative ways to work through things. Every bit of information helps IMO.

We all have to take responsibility for our own recovery, whatever it is we need to recover from.

I would also like to say if I offended anyone by my post about alcoholism or how to recover from it, It was not my intention. Only to put out another resource.

5th Generation,

Hopefully you are pulling from all resources available to you to help you with your disruption in life right now. Read, research, educate yourself and re-educate yourself. Re-write your own life story.

purps

Slowly killing myself

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