Stop Drinking

1326 readers

37 users here now

This is a place to motivate each other to control or stop drinking. It is also a place for non drinkers to discuss and share.

We welcome anyone who wishes to join in by asking for advice, sharing our experiences and stories, or just encouraging someone who is trying to quit or cut down.

Please post only when sober; you’re welcome to read in the meanwhile.

founded 2 years ago

MODERATORS

[email protected]

127

I Need to Quit For Good (lemmy.ml)

submitted 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

24 comments fedilink hide all child comments

I know this sub isn't very active, but I don't have accounts anywhere else, so here goes . . .

I don't want to get into details right now, but my wife has made me promise to divorce her if I ever drink again . . . my heart is broken for the pain I have caused her to get us to this point.

I feel so stupid that this isn't the first time I've been here, either. I feel so stupid saying "this time it's for real," because we all know what to expect when an alcoholic says that :(

In terms of quantity, I've actually been drinking much less the past few years, but I think the infrequency might even be making my "mistakes" even worse when they happen :( So I don't have the excuse of infrequency. I can truly never drink again, and I'm so afraid I'm going to mess it up. I have CPTSD with terrible emotional flashbacks, and I'm afraid I'll lose control during one of them and ruin my marriage once and for all :(

So this is me, I'm here to join the stopdrinking community. Any encouragement, stories or advice you can give would be most welcome. Thank you.

Edit: Wow, thank you for the outpouring of support! I can't reply to all of your comments, but know that I've read and treasure them!

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Posting here is a great first step. AA meetings can be intimidating at first, but if you're ever white knuckling it, they can be a godsend.

I try to look at my drinking this way, I just can't anymore. Much like how I can't breathe underwater, I can't drink alcohol. My life is no lesser for it, in fact, it's far better than I ever could have achieved if I had kept drinking.

I remember when I quit... I was thinking about string theory, and how there are different timelines of my life which deviate based on my decision making. I thought that, surely, if there was a timeline in which everything in my life went to shit, I lost my marriage, my will to aspire, my everything, surely that would be the timeline in which I kept drinking.

So I decided to explore a different timeline. In this one I'm healthier than I've ever been, with money in the bank, and dreams I'm reaching out to.

You can do it too. ❤️‍

P.S. I also have CPTSD, and quitting drinking was essential in my path to facing it. It was only when I got sober that I could confront my past, and move beyond it. When I was an active alcoholic, I was using alcohol to run from my demons, but when I stopped and faced them, my symptoms let up immensely.