Hi my good people out there. I have been duffering from alchohol abuse for a number of years and recently decided to stop when my kids got taken from me. They now live their father. For me I realised I was focusing my emotions on my marriage instead of myself and kids. Now I am doing just that. I want my kids back home.
As it is the start of September, I am introducing this discussion group to encourage each other to be alchohol free for the whole month. However you must have a goal you want to achieve and more importantly do it for yourself. You are number one.
The idea is we check in everyday and share our stories for the day. Remember you are not alone. We can do this. Good Luck. S xx
Love it. Holding yourself accountable by being honest here. Count me in!!
The problem with aiming of a target of one month, is when that is achieved, you can then go back to your old ways, as it is job done.
The people on this site, invariably need to be thinking a long term life time strategy.
For your average person that doesn't have an issue with alcohol and all that means, is missing their Friday night pub outing, then it is probably good to give their liver a month off. For the rest, it is an awful lot more complicated than that.
Totally agree with you, RH.
Whilst I appreciate your comment, my view is this s a starting point with others that are in the same position. we are here to encourage each other and be positive. it is baby steps. After Stoptember, we can go to Stopomber and so on. I believe that with this discussion group to support and encourage others together with their individual treatment with support workers can only be for positive to beat this evil disease we all share here.
I don't think it's as simple as that, although I appreciate that you and maybe some people will try it.
When they 'fail', as many of them will, I think they'll feel they've let the others down. This cannot be a good thing. People with AUD go through enough guilt without this forum deliberately setting them up for it.
Hi Thanks for your response. Why focus on ' fail' and not on 'succeed'. We need to be honest and open but at the same time supportive and encouraging. Different things help different people. It might not be for you I get it. Yes there may be guilts but one has to remember no one is here to judge any one. You pick yourself up with support and try again. Even if I have one person in this group, we will do it together and support each other. There is no failure in trying. Thanks
I think you're missing the point. Some political charity fad is not going to help people on this site. It is about as useful as shaving your hair off for a month. Alcohol misuse is a very serious problem, and it greatly affects the lives of many and many that post on here. I and probably others do not buy into this gimmick of stopping for one month.
Most people here can't stop for one day, let alone a month and telling them to try hard and you can do it, will not be very helpful. I am not negative, I offer a lot of positive advice to people, but I don't think that some jingoistic, lets all get on the party for a month and go sober is helpful. The money isn't even going to alcohol support organisations, but to MacMillan cancer, which is a good cause, but not going to help many, except those that end up in palliative care, if they end up with liver cancer (one of those cancers not many people survive).
They are plenty of things to concentrate on, like the causes of drinking and the medical and psychological answers to that and how maybe the government could take some of those billions raises in booxe tax and spend it on helping people, before they end up in hospital.
But most of all, this is a gimmick/fad that is aimed at the casual user to have a few weeks off.
Hi thanks for your response and you are totally entitled to your opinion. We are doing what to do to help. As I said before this discussion is for support and encouragement on a daily basis. I am sure most people on here have there professional support elsewhere. You of people should know that to stop drinking alcohol takes will powers and determination. You can have all the help in the world but you have to want to stop. Whilst there are other things to concentrate on, these are things beyond our control. Why not use what we have control of and try and make the best of it. Good Luck
Well said! Absolutely hit the nail on the head, RH.
Good luck? RHGB is not joining your bonkers idea, and for very good and cogent reasons. Of all the people on this site, RHGB is the most informed about AUD. He has given excellent advice to shedloads of people.
Read his post again, Sados. You ARE missing the point.
I don't see what the big hoopla is about this post.
I will stop in Sept. with you...I have 1 month....I am trying not to drink.
I have a LONG history with alcohol....and its bad.....I hope I can NOT drink in Sept! My typical pattern..in the last 2 years....is....don't drink for a month....then BAM!
Its been a month...so yea, I will take the September challenge.
Thanks for your message. Let us support each other. How has your day been today.
Wow...I had a friend who drank a lot, and he stopped drinking every February for the month, just to prove to himself and others that he could quit anytime he wanted. He did it successfully every February.
He died before he was 50 from cirrhosis.
Anyone with a problem with alcohol has made all kinds of "deals" with the universe. I will only drink on the weekends, I will only drink at night, only 4 nights a week, only on special occassions, only on the days that end in "y"...and so on.
I stopped for 3 years...and had one drink, and I was off to the races again.
That's my experience.
Good luck with what you are trying to accomplish, sincerely! I wish everyone the best!
I'm doing well. Day 14 for me and I won't drink in September or hopefully any day after that. I tried for months and months to quit and only made it three days at a time. This is longest I have gone and I don't see myself going back at all. How are you?
Thanks for your message. You are doing so well congratulations coz you deserve it. Keep up the goof work. I am good thanks. It's been 12 weeks for me and counting. Remember I am here if you need to talk. S xx
12 weeks!.wonderful.that's amazing, I can't wait to be where you are. This is all new to me but it's exciting, scary but more exciting. I'm loving this new life now.
So, sadly, despite his February 'successes', he died at a young age of cirrhosis.
Yes, people DO make deals with alcohol - and they are just fooling themselves into thinking 'this will work!".
Which is why I do not think that Sados has thought this through.
It's not like giving up chocolate for a month!
AUD is a life-threatening illness. I truly believe that you're setting yourself up to fail. If you think that stopping drinking for September, then carrying on in October (and presumably Stopvember then Stopcember) you just don't understand AUD, Sados.
I wish everyone the best, too, but this idea is nuts.
But Misssy, with all due respect, will you take the Stoptober challenge - and all the months following?