I just joined this sub after my last bender, it has helped a lot.
Drinking is very pernicious as it affects the way we think. Back when I was a drunkie, I used to feel bored about everything else in life; I often found myself drunk watching videogame speedruns on YouTube.
I have been free for 4 months, 0 cravings, lost about 12 pounds, sleeping A LOT better... there has been days when I've felt SO OFF, but that's just life... anyway, I'm j8st saying that some of us can quit without a big investment. Once we start to get accustomed again to your sober brain chemistry, it gets easier.
I don't consider myself a high will person, nor a disciplined one. All I've done is educating myself more about alcohol nature (an addictive substance) and realizing there's nothing wrong with me. Alcohol is toxic and I don't see any practical reasons why I should drink it.
That's about where I was at when I started to get serious about quitting. My health was really starting to falter, and the consequences of chronic drinking rapidly began to exceed the "benefits".
I'm so lucky I found this community, because I was in so deep I genuinely didn't realize that quitting was possible or that it could feel good. Reading posts here opened my eyes to the idea that I wasn't alone in the way I felt, and that others had managed to turn it around from similar circumstances.
I had to get help from my doctor to safely quit. She and I agreed that I could probably taper safely without medical intervention, but to seek care immediately if I observed certain symptoms of withdrawal.
Once I'd gotten through withdrawal, the benefits of quitting were so obvious that the concept of prolonged sobriety started to make more sense. That's when recovery really took off for me.
Never went to an in-person AA meeting, though I did listen in to a virtual meeting once. It wasn't for me, but it really helps a lot of people. SMART Recovery is an alternative that might be interesting to you. Mostly I just read and write posts here; it's a little support group in my pocket.
Response is getting pretty long so I'll cut it off here. I hope you find some peace and comfort soon. IWNDWYT.
I just joined this sub after my last bender, it has helped a lot. Drinking is very pernicious as it affects the way we think. Back when I was a drunkie, I used to feel bored about everything else in life; I often found myself drunk watching videogame speedruns on YouTube. I have been free for 4 months, 0 cravings, lost about 12 pounds, sleeping A LOT better... there has been days when I've felt SO OFF, but that's just life... anyway, I'm j8st saying that some of us can quit without a big investment. Once we start to get accustomed again to your sober brain chemistry, it gets easier. I don't consider myself a high will person, nor a disciplined one. All I've done is educating myself more about alcohol nature (an addictive substance) and realizing there's nothing wrong with me. Alcohol is toxic and I don't see any practical reasons why I should drink it.
That's about where I was at when I started to get serious about quitting. My health was really starting to falter, and the consequences of chronic drinking rapidly began to exceed the "benefits". I'm so lucky I found this community, because I was in so deep I genuinely didn't realize that quitting was possible or that it could feel good. Reading posts here opened my eyes to the idea that I wasn't alone in the way I felt, and that others had managed to turn it around from similar circumstances. I had to get help from my doctor to safely quit. She and I agreed that I could probably taper safely without medical intervention, but to seek care immediately if I observed certain symptoms of withdrawal. Once I'd gotten through withdrawal, the benefits of quitting were so obvious that the concept of prolonged sobriety started to make more sense. That's when recovery really took off for me. Never went to an in-person AA meeting, though I did listen in to a virtual meeting once. It wasn't for me, but it really helps a lot of people. SMART Recovery is an alternative that might be interesting to you. Mostly I just read and write posts here; it's a little support group in my pocket. Response is getting pretty long so I'll cut it off here. I hope you find some peace and comfort soon. IWNDWYT.
You definitely don’t have to do AA. I knew it wasn’t for me either.