I recently took about two months off of drinking (with a couple of planned cheat days). That went well, but then I had a destination wedding, birthday trip, fantasy football drafts, football Saturday/Sunday/Monday/Thursday is back, and similar events that completely obliterated my sobriety. In a way, it feels like I’m drinking more than I was before my two months sober, or at least my tolerance feels that way. However, that was my second break of the year which brings me to nearly 5 months away from alcohol this year, which is a good accomplishment for me. But I just drank 5 days in a row, heavily, with a milder Saturday.
What I’m unsure about is how to manage to get myself to cut down without the extremes of saying “I’m avoiding it for 2 months and staying a shut-in” since I’m an all or nothing kind of person when it comes to drinking. If there’s only like a day or two between the next drinking event, I struggle not to just go ahead and drink on those days too. And now we have the holidays coming… Halloween parties, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years…
Any thoughts? I might just be venting, but could use any helpful commentary.
As I read through your post, three quotes came to mind:
“First you take a drink, then the drink takes a drink, then the drink takes you.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald
“Addiction is just a way of trying to get at something else. Something bigger. Call it transcendence if you want, but it’s like a rat in a maze. We all want the same thing. We all have this hole. The thing you want offers relief, but it’s a trap.”- Tess Callahan
“You don’t get over an addiction by stopping using. You recover by creating a new life where it is easier to not use. If you don’t create a new life, then all the factors that brought you to your addiction will catch up with you again.”- Anonymous
From your post, it’s not clear whether you’re trying to quit or just want to reduce your AUD. Either way, read the following—it might help.
We are our vices. There is a thin line between recreational use and abuse. Mind is either your slave or you are slave to your mind. You have to take control if you want to live long and healthy both physically and mentally. Weak mind will never be able to get over the dependence. You have to identify what makes you drink and reflect on it. de addiction clinics, councelling, medicines are useless unless you train your mind.
Find a new addiction like running,gym, gardening, traveling or even a walk in street/park help you get distracted from drinking, i Manage to Stop doing all these nonsense and unrelated things for like every weekend drinking to drinking occasionally