(An update) Four weeks ago............

[Elmer Fudd]

..... I had my last drinkypoos.
The physical dependency disappeared about 1½ wks ago and I feel really good, not as good as I should be as total apathy during the last few months meant I wasn't using my bike as much as I should have been but yesterday I conquered a hill that has always beaten me before so WAAAHAAY ! (My thighs ache this a.m. tho' !).

So onto Christmas, the hard bit, my brain is still in the "I need a drink" mode, flashes of having a beer keep springing up but so far have been resisted.
It's been suggested that I should take some tablets called acamprosate which help alleviate the desire to drink alcohol (nicorette for beer ?). These take about 2 or 3 weeks to kick in so I think I've left it a bit late for Xmas and the New Year.

So there we go, got Xmas Eve and Day, Boxing Day, my Aunties funeral that has been thrown into the mix on the 28th and New Years Eve to get through, all on sheer pig-headedness.


Let the Battle begin !

 

[Brock]

Sounds like you're approaching it in the right frame of mind mate.
All power to you.

Sorry to hear about your Auntie.

 

[mickle]

I say! Good show old chap!

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

One way to get around it is to tell the world, and in particular everybody close to you, what you are battleing. That way they will be more understanding when you say you dont want a drink, and will try to keep you from temptation if the see you faltering.

It may or may not help, but I find the more people I tell about what i am going to do, the tougher it is for me not to do it.

 

[Chuffy]

Good lad. Keep up the good work.

 

[Elmer Fudd]

Sorry to hear about your Auntie.

A week ago last Friday (14th) my Aunt & Uncle picked my Mum up to go and see my Uncle Ted (In a care home, through drink, 14yrs older than me, now you can see what spurred me on to try and control it, after I'd visited him.) On the 15th my Uncles sister went to their house and my Aunt was on the floor, dead.
I really feel for my Uncle and my 3 cousins as they were (are) a really close knit family.

 

[TVC]

Well done Elmer, keep powering up those hills.

 

[ChrisKH]

My sympathies Elmer. My uncle died on Saturday (cancer) at short notice (not that you give notice for these sort of things but he went quickly and painfully, which is probably just as well it was quick) leaving three sons and a relatively young wife. I dread to think what Xmas will be like for them and indeed your family.

 

[alecstilleyedye]

pat on the back for you elmer, you're doing a great job in tough circumstances. nothing like conquering a nasty hill for the first time is there?

 

[col]

Nice one Elmer,stay with it.Sorry to hear you lost your aunt.

 

[wafflycat]

Sympathies, Elmer, and also kudos regards alcohol. Remember though, if you slip and have a drink, try not to beat yourself up about it, but put it behind you and then get back on the straight & narrow, so to speak.

 

[mondobongo]

Well done Elmer keep up the good work, your determination in beating the hill can be turned to good use for those difficult days that lie ahead

 

[ash68]

just like to add my congrats on your hill climb and sympathies for your auntie.Keep up the good work. Top man.

 

[yenrod]

Heh Elms - the bitch thing about those things that are bad is that they get into your brain and it thrives be it choccy or cigs or whaterrrrrrrrr....

But I feel truly truly sorry for smokers etc...as its much mental as it physical too !

I reckon in the future scientists will have developed a chemical in some way to counteract dependancy ~ love, smoking, drink, drugs etc...

 

[domtyler]

You've done really well Elmer, you can feel really proud of yourself, that is a serious achievement. By now, you've probably realised that it is much easier avoiding the situation where the booze will be flowing that it is to refuse a drink once you are down the pub. Not so easy over the coming few days though so I wish you strength.

Personally I would try and avoid the drugs, why take drugs to help you get over an addiction to a different drug? That would not build character in the same way as doing it alone. You will look back in a year or two's time and you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you conquered the booze on your own with no chemical assistance and you will know that having done that you are strong enough to cope with almost anything. Also, if you take the chemical assistance, who's to say that you won't relapse once you wean yourself off? I.e. you won't have built up the mental resources to cope, just learnt to depend on another chemical! It doesn't make sense does it?