SOBRIETY

[BrianaBlackout]

so i kind of hit a wall today. i felt so stupid for being so retarded drunk all the time, and so me & my liver are gonna break up with alcohol for a while. any thoughts on keeping myself distracted?

[LisaLuxx]

Many ideas!! Support and fellowship of your loved ones who do not drink. If you don't have any, MAKE SOME! Healthy relationships are important! Make time for yourself and learn new things, read good- no great- books, see great movies (Netflix!!) start or rekindle a hobby that you had or always wanted to try. There are millions of things you can try - painting, drawing, crafts, sewing, cooking, makeup artistry etc. Exercise is always good in moderation. Learn to grow flowers or veggies! Travel if that's in your budget. Listen to music, clean your closets or under the bed or maybe your attic! And last but not least, if you already are already doing this then great, but maybe you can seek the help of a mental health counselor. These professionals are trained in helping people cope with these types of issues. If you are not insured, a lot of community programs have free or sliding scale programs through non-profit organizations.

[BrianaBlackout]

thanks alot lisa! i guess i should my guitar back up and start scrapbooking again! i don't know if i'm gonna be sober forever, but this is definitely a start in my not being BrianaBlackout every single weekend!! the support is mucho appreciated!! <3 <3

LisaLuxx said:

Many ideas!! Support and fellowship of your loved ones who do not drink. If you don't have any, MAKE SOME! Healthy relationships are important! Make time for yourself and learn new things, read good- no great- books, see great movies (Netflix!!) start or rekindle a hobby that you had or always wanted to try. There are millions of things you can try - painting, drawing, crafts, sewing, cooking, makeup artistry etc. Exercise is always good in moderation. Learn to grow flowers or veggies! Travel if that's in your budget. Listen to music, clean your closets or under the bed or maybe your attic! And last but not least, if you already are already doing this then great, but maybe you can seek the help of a mental health counselor. These professionals are trained in helping people cope with these types of issues. If you are not insured, a lot of community programs have free or sliding scale programs through non-profit organizations.

[Nicole Katherine Designs]

That's awesome! You'll probably see a change in the dynamics of your friends too... your true friends will stay and the party friends will go It'll be tough at first but it's a great step to self-discovery and what you want out of life. Also, alcohol ages you, so you're on the right path to looking youthful for years to come. <3

BrianaBlackout said:

thanks alot lisa! i guess i should my guitar back up and start scrapbooking again! i don't know if i'm gonna be sober forever, but this is definitely a start in my not being BrianaBlackout every single weekend!! the support is mucho appreciated!! <3 <3

LisaLuxx said:

Many ideas!! Support and fellowship of your loved ones who do not drink. If you don't have any, MAKE SOME! Healthy relationships are important! Make time for yourself and learn new things, read good- no great- books, see great movies (Netflix!!) start or rekindle a hobby that you had or always wanted to try. There are millions of things you can try - painting, drawing, crafts, sewing, cooking, makeup artistry etc. Exercise is always good in moderation. Learn to grow flowers or veggies! Travel if that's in your budget. Listen to music, clean your closets or under the bed or maybe your attic! And last but not least, if you already are already doing this then great, but maybe you can seek the help of a mental health counselor. These professionals are trained in helping people cope with these types of issues. If you are not insured, a lot of community programs have free or sliding scale programs through non-profit organizations.

[BrianaBlackout]

thanks dear! yeah no need to make myself look any older right!? lol. i'm really excited to start healing.

[Anita Fixx]

Play video games!! No..that'll just get you addicted. Seriously though, my brother is straight edge and a video game fanatic..is there a connection? Hmm... Anyway I agree with all the ideas above..arts,reading,exercise, gardening, cooking, that's the way to go. : )

[Mr Jason]

I can tell you what happened to me. I had kids, actually my wife *had* them. Not a suggestion but that's what happened. What it came down to is responsibility. When the kid don't wanna sleep what am I gonna do? Nudge my already overworked wife or get of my ass and do something? What was I gonna do at 9pm when I was barely able to stand and the kid fell out of bed and broke an arm? Somebody had to drive him to the hospital. (We're way out in the country.) What's that mean to you? I don't know. Lots of people have mentioned taking up different hobbies. I would add to that make your hobbies responsibilities. Set goals for your new hobbies so you have something to work toward. In my experience just picking up a new book doesn't do it. I need deadlines that have to be met. Also you could work in your local house of worship or other community organizations. Again that creates deadlines and people that depend on you. I had to have a reason not to drink not just something to do instead of drink.

For the record I still drink but it's not my occupation anymore.

The weirdest thing for me when I first stopped was waking up and not feeling like crap. I had gotten so used to getting up first thing in the morning and feeling bad it was weird to wake up and just feel...normal.

Hang in there.

[Nicole Katherine Designs]

That's well stated advice. Having a child usually makes people slow down or quit Ummm... usually

Mr Jason said:

I can tell you what happened to me. I had kids, actually my wife *had* them. Not a suggestion but that's what happened. What it came down to is responsibility. When the kid don't wanna sleep what am I gonna do? Nudge my already overworked wife or get of my ass and do something? What was I gonna do at 9pm when I was barely able to stand and the kid fell out of bed and broke an arm? Somebody had to drive him to the hospital. (We're way out in the country.) What's that mean to you? I don't know. Lots of people have mentioned taking up different hobbies. I would add to that make your hobbies responsibilities. Set goals for your new hobbies so you have something to work toward. In my experience just picking up a new book doesn't do it. I need deadlines that have to be met. Also you could work in your local house of worship or other community organizations. Again that creates deadlines and people that depend on you. I had to have a reason not to drink not just something to do instead of drink.

For the record I still drink but it's not my occupation anymore.

The weirdest thing for me when I first stopped was waking up and not feeling like crap. I had gotten so used to getting up first thing in the morning and feeling bad it was weird to wake up and just feel...normal.

Hang in there.

[Roxy Tart {PL Team / Comm. Mgr}]

*moving to the health and fitness forum*

Get into a program. Find meetings in your area and go. The people there will be able to help and support you. It's much better to have it in real life.

And good for you! I imagine it got tiring being know as a drunk and a lush. I'm sure you'll feel much better.

[BrianaBlackout]

thanks roxy.

Roxy Tart {Madam} said:

*moving to the health and fitness forum*

Get into a program. Find meetings in your area and go. The people there will be able to help and support you. It's much better to have it in real life.

And good for you! I imagine it got tiring being know as a drunk and a lush. I'm sure you'll feel much better.

[BrianaBlackout]

yeah i know what you mean. i don't plan on quitting for good, but i need to stop drinking until i blackout and turn into a digbag. its not fair to my fiance to have to "watch" me when i'm drinking. i'm doing it for my health and for him. he's a great man and deserves a great woman (not that i'm not, but i can always be better. and i know what you mean, i'm so used to feeling like sh!t in the morning i'm kind of excited to see what feeling normal in the morning is like lol. but thanks so much for your advice and support

Mr Jason said:

I can tell you what happened to me. I had kids, actually my wife *had* them. Not a suggestion but that's what happened. What it came down to is responsibility. When the kid don't wanna sleep what am I gonna do? Nudge my already overworked wife or get of my ass and do something? What was I gonna do at 9pm when I was barely able to stand and the kid fell out of bed and broke an arm? Somebody had to drive him to the hospital. (We're way out in the country.) What's that mean to you? I don't know. Lots of people have mentioned taking up different hobbies. I would add to that make your hobbies responsibilities. Set goals for your new hobbies so you have something to work toward. In my experience just picking up a new book doesn't do it. I need deadlines that have to be met. Also you could work in your local house of worship or other community organizations. Again that creates deadlines and people that depend on you. I had to have a reason not to drink not just something to do instead of drink.

For the record I still drink but it's not my occupation anymore.

The weirdest thing for me when I first stopped was waking up and not feeling like crap. I had gotten so used to getting up first thing in the morning and feeling bad it was weird to wake up and just feel...normal.

Hang in there.

[Ellie Monster{★}]

Try getting active....exercise provides feel good chemicals for your brain. So you'll feel great with absolutely no risk of a hangover! Hang in there, you can do this!

[Mr Jason]

Couple of other things: My favorite was, and still is, gin. I know if a bottle of gin walks into my house I'll drink it until I fall down. So I don't buy gin any more. I drink it when my wife and I go out. Two martinis and done.

Also, I started making homebrew. That may sound weird but after spending time and money on creating the beer I treated it with a little more respect.

In those days I kind of modeled myself after the classic lovable drunk. A few months ago I ran across this quote from Tom Waits that pretty much sums up my feelings today:

I was really starting to believe that there was something amusing and wonderfully American about being a drunk. I ended up telling myself to cut that s*** out.

Another thing that keeps me together is the right kind of music. Personally Social Distortion "Sex, Love and Rock n Roll" and Dropkick Murphy "Meanest of Times." Always set me straight. I call it group therapy.

Keep up the good work.