I drink too much and would like to stop. Advice?
 

Title says it all.

I am pretty much a functioning alcoholic, I have a great job, family life is wonderful, etc. etc. Anything bad that happens in my life however can be traced back to the over indulgence of alcohol. I drink about 6 litres of wine per week at home, which is about 8 bottles. I also have beer or scotch when I am out at the local poker rooms, or after work and so on. I would like to stop drinking totally and completely. I trick myself in thinking that I would be able to control my drinking, and only drink in social situations and the like, but really, it would be preferred to just quit altogether. I am not big on going to meetings and spilling my soul, is there any other way to quit? Ideally, I could wnader down to the doctor, he would give me a pill, and every time I tried to drink, I would barf. I think that would work really really well.

Any thoughts?

Re: I drink too much and would like to stop. Advice?
 

Hope this thread yields lots of constructive advice.

Hypnotherapy works for some. I know a guy who's cured loadsa smokers, only a few of drinking though, mixed success with that.

You say you're not big on going to meetings, spilling your soul. You don't have to speak at them, if the only thing you spill is the free coffee that's cool.
Not everybody is a TV/Movie alcoholic, you might be surprised.

Re: I drink too much and would like to stop. Advice?
 

[ QUOTE ]
Ideally, I could wnader down to the doctor, he would give me a pill, and every time I tried to drink, I would barf. I think that would work really really well.

[/ QUOTE ]

Then you should wander down to the doctor and get a pill that will make you puke every time you try to drink.

Disulfiram

Re: I drink too much and would like to stop. Advice?
 

I was considering majoring in alcohol and drug counseling for awhile. If you really cant stomach the thought of AA and want to try to kick it on your own -which is a really hard thing to do- I would suggest a few motivational books pertaining to quitting. The market is full of them and they will list all the benefits of quitting for good and critical tips for facilitating this. However, the key is to quit cold turkey. Believe me man, this is the only way. Most people fail because they think they can just cut back and drink in moderation, but it never works. I had the same problem once and I also found that exercising helped tremendously. When I started to get in shape I was more willing to trade the bottle for a treadmill. Overall there are lots of ways, you just have to have the willpower. Best of luck.

Mike

Re: I drink too much and would like to stop. Advice?
 

Antabus would be that drug.

Re: I drink too much and would like to stop. Advice?
 

All you need is one thing. Willpower.

Re: I drink too much and would like to stop. Advice?
 

[ QUOTE ]
All you need is one thing. Willpower.

[/ QUOTE ]

Great tip.

Re: I drink too much and would like to stop. Advice?
 

[ QUOTE ]
All you need is one thing. Willpower.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is good advice but in a world where alcohol is commonplace, temptation would get the best of most. In other words, it's not like cocaine where you just stop hanging out with your coke buddies to kick the habit, you're going to be offered drinks almost anywhere you go.

Re: I drink too much and would like to stop. Advice?
 

wtf

AA

end of thread

Re: I drink too much and would like to stop. Advice?
 

[ QUOTE ]
All you need is one thing. Willpower.

[/ QUOTE ]

QFMFT

I am currently in the middle of a test of my sobriety. I used to have, guessing on average, 35 beers a week or 13.5L. I just stopped cold. It helps that my best friend stopped cold at the same time. When someone else stops with you, it's really simple. I'd kill for a beer right now though.

Re: I drink too much and would like to stop. Advice?
 

[ QUOTE ]
wtf

AA

end of thread

[/ QUOTE ]
Is that a joke? AA is a religious cult that doesn't work any better than the spontaneous remission rate. Read:

http://www.orange-papers.org/orange-...Harvard_Mental and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcoholics_Anonymous

All empirical studies done on AA show that it doesn't work.

OP, as the Harvard Mental Health Letter shows (quoted above), most alcoholics who become and stay sober do so on their own without programs or therapy. You're far better off doing this through yourself and your friends. Tell everyone in your social circle that you're trying to stop drinking, I'm sure you'll find them helpful and supportive.

Re: I drink too much and would like to stop. Advice?
 

AA worked for my father and many people he's sponsored over the years. Of course, AA doesn't fix the problem, you do.
I suspect that you haven't been to an AA meeting yet. You should at least try a few out and see what you think. Most cities have more than 1 chapter and they are very much like bars in that some are classier than others.
Good luck.

Re: I drink too much and would like to stop. Advice?
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
wtf

AA

end of thread

[/ QUOTE ]
Is that a joke? AA is a religious cult that doesn't work any better than the spontaneous remission rate. Read:

http://www.orange-papers.org/orange-...Harvard_Mental and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcoholics_Anonymous

All empirical studies done on AA show that it doesn't work.

OP, as the Harvard Mental Health Letter shows (quoted above), most alcoholics who become and stay sober do so on their own without programs or therapy. You're far better off doing this through yourself and your friends. Tell everyone in your social circle that you're trying to stop drinking, I'm sure you'll find them helpful and supportive.

[/ QUOTE ]

u = idiot

Re: I drink too much and would like to stop. Advice?
 

AA works as well as anything else. About 5% rate.

OP: It seems that a lot of people who do are successful in quiting indulge themselves in a hobby of some sort. My advice would be to find something els you really like to do or would want to do and indulge in it. Preferably things that are legal, of course.

Re: I drink too much and would like to stop. Advice?
 

All AA does is feed you complete BS about how you have no control over yourself and the only way to overcome your addiction is to admit you need the help of some "greater power", when in fact, the exact opposite is what actually overcomes any type of addiction.

Re: I drink too much and would like to stop. Advice?
 

[ QUOTE ]
u = idiot

[/ QUOTE ]
Keep giving bad advice to people in need of help.

Re: I drink too much and would like to stop. Advice?
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
u = idiot

[/ QUOTE ]
Keep giving bad advice to people in need of help.

[/ QUOTE ]

lol

i shot heroin for 5 years, not to mention the drinking and coke binges. AA saved my life.

the people who say "aa doesnt work" are idiots. if it works for 1% of the people who attened a meeting, its working.

religious cult? LOLOLOLOL

i am the most anti religious person i know, most people in AA knew this about me...they didnt care.

people who slam AA are usually losers who dont give it any effort and instead of laying blame where it deserves to be laid (themselves) they blame some orginization that requires nothing of them.


seriosly, just STFU you have no idea what you are talking about.

Re: I drink too much and would like to stop. Advice?
 

just to add. there are plently of bad things about AA also. people are annoying, they whine a lot and a lot of them are just talking out of thier asses. its the persons responsibility to find the 'winners' and stick with them. you need to change your life, and surrounding yourself with people going thru what you are going thru, or have already gone thru it and know what to do and not to do only makes sense.

Re: I drink too much and would like to stop. Advice?
 

[ QUOTE ]
All AA does is feed you complete BS about how you have no control over yourself

[/ QUOTE ]

addicts dont have control over themselves. its why they are adicts to begin with. instead of trying to control your addiction, you give up and stop fighting it. people adding a spirtual context to it doesnt change this.

Re: I drink too much and would like to stop. Advice?
 

OP go to AA and tell them what you wrote here, they are more qualified to help you than most here as they have all been there before.

Re: I drink too much and would like to stop. Advice?
 

[ QUOTE ]
OP go to AA and tell them what you wrote here, they are more qualified to help you than most here as they have all been there before.

[/ QUOTE ]

Couldn't he go to like a doctor or something?

Re: I drink too much and would like to stop. Advice?
 

So the studies showing that AA has zero effect, and the Harvard reviewed studies that show 80% of people who achieve long term sobriety do so without AA, are nonsense?

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if it works for 1% of the people who attened a meeting, its working.

[/ QUOTE ]
Wow. No. There is something called spontaneous remission - with all diseases, some percentage of people get better REGARDLESS OF MEDICATION OR THERAPY. AA's success does not exceed the spontaneous remission rate. Ergo, IT DOES NOT WORK. Period. This is basic science and common sense. Your kind of thinking is why snake oil salesmen and charlatans have prospered through the ages and continue to do so today.

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religious cult? LOLOLOLOL. i am the most anti religious person i know

[/ QUOTE ]
Well many others, including a NY appeals court, disagree with you.

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seriosly, just STFU you have no idea what you are talking about.

[/ QUOTE ]
It's not me claiming the expertise. I'm quoting Harvard Medical School, various scientists, The New York Times, and the decisions of US courts.

BTW, your spirited and irrational defense of AA seems awfully similar to that given by someone who's been indoctrinated by a cult. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Re: I drink too much and would like to stop. Advice?
 

Speaking from personal experience, you'll be fighting a war on two fronts: the initial "quitting" is one battle, but avoiding the "backslide" is another battle which is completely different.

The initial quitting takes a change in mindset, lifestyle, commitment, willpower, etc. If your will and desire is strong enough, quitting is quite doable. It's just a matter of doing it. IMO, this is the easy part. If someone offers me a million dollars to never have another drop of alcohol for the rest of my life, I have absolute faith that I could do it with no problems whatsoever.

The evilness of addiction is the "backslide". Things can go great for a week or month, and every day will feel better than the last. At least if things go well. But what if you lose your job? What if your landlord throws out out? What if family problems escalate? What if multiple problems like this happen? These are the types of things that have tripped me up. Temptation beckons us when we are at our most vulnerable, it seems. The worst part is the unpredictability of the potential backslide, because it could come at any time.

The answer is to establish the strongest "support network" possible. Basically give yourself as many alternatives to the old lifestyle as possible. Give yourself an alternative to going out to the bar. Get with friends that don't use alcohol as a basis for the friendship. Basically, just surround yourself with people and activities which don't include alcohol.

Re: I drink too much and would like to stop. Advice?
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
OP go to AA and tell them what you wrote here, they are more qualified to help you than most here as they have all been there before.

[/ QUOTE ]

Couldn't he go to like a doctor or something?

[/ QUOTE ]

Sure, preferrably one who specializes in addiction.

Re: I drink too much and would like to stop. Advice?
 

Buy a copy of "Leaving Las Vegas" and watch it over and over again until you never want to see another drop of alcohol as long as you live.

Re: I drink too much and would like to stop. Advice?
 

my opinion.

when making any significant change in my life; one of the most important factors is accountability.

if others know i am trying to change i have added support to accomplish it...as well as an 'extra line of defense' when i am feeling weak.

you need some accountability with someone: AA; other group; counselor; therapist; etc.

your reluctance to 'bare your soul' or whatever you said is your addiction preventing you from taking any real steps to getting healthier.

you've got to make the leap if really want to kick this.

Re: I drink too much and would like to stop. Advice?
 

I have attended approx 1500 AA meetings since October of 1999. Most often in my home town, but this includes probably 100 or so out of town groups. I have never seen AA allow anyone to take ANY form of data that could be used in an "empirical" study. Kinda hard to do an empirical study without any data.

There is such a thing as spontaneous remission. In the case of life threatening diseases, it works like this: If you don't die, you win!!!

If you can make the decision to go ten days without drinking, you can also make the decision to go to ten AA meetings and not say anything, maybe other than your name. You are there to see how you might find long term sobriety, and since you haven't been able to do that on your own (apparently), you really don't have anything to contribute.

If you read articles and studies that tell you AA doesn't work, you might want to question why it has existed for @ 75 years. You might want to talk to some judges and probation officers that "require" AA attendance for persons arrested and convicted for multiple alcohol-related offenses. And you might want to call a few rehabilitation programs and ask if they have AA meetings as a part of their ongoing inpatient/outpatient therapy.

My "empirical" observation has been that alcohol dependence and all its periphery can cause an otherwise "good" person to become a chronic liar. This is the key to why empirical studies of people who have their backs to the wall is not valid.

I know alcohol made me say stuff like "...family life is great..." etc.

If you don't go into spontaneous remission, and if you get to hurting bad enough, you will do anything.

JJ

Re: I drink too much and would like to stop. Advice?
 

JJ,

nice post... how would you define an alcoholic?

Re: I drink too much and would like to stop. Advice?
 

Whatever you end up doing, OP, I feel for you. Quitting drinking is hard.

Good luck.

Re: I drink too much and would like to stop. Advice?
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
wtf

AA

end of thread

[/ QUOTE ]
Is that a joke? AA is a religious cult that doesn't work any better than the spontaneous remission rate. Read:

http://www.orange-papers.org/orange-...Harvard_Mental and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcoholics_Anonymous

All empirical studies done on AA show that it doesn't work.

OP, as the Harvard Mental Health Letter shows (quoted above), most alcoholics who become and stay sober do so on their own without programs or therapy. You're far better off doing this through yourself and your friends. Tell everyone in your social circle that you're trying to stop drinking, I'm sure you'll find them helpful and supportive.

[/ QUOTE ]

u = idiot

[/ QUOTE ]

YOU CANT ARGUE WITH FACTS SUBLIME

Re: I drink too much and would like to stop. Advice?
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
u = idiot

[/ QUOTE ]
Keep giving bad advice to people in need of help.

[/ QUOTE ]

lol

i shot heroin for 5 years, not to mention the drinking and coke binges. AA saved my life.

the people who say "aa doesnt work" are idiots. if it works for 1% of the people who attened a meeting, its working.

religious cult? LOLOLOLOL

i am the most anti religious person i know, most people in AA knew this about me...they didnt care.

people who slam AA are usually losers who dont give it any effort and instead of laying blame where it deserves to be laid (themselves) they blame some orginization that requires nothing of them.


seriosly, just STFU you have no idea what you are talking about.

[/ QUOTE ]

PHIL YOU CANT ARGUE WITH FACTS PHIL STFU

Re: I drink too much and would like to stop. Advice?
 

OP,

Why not just start by not keeping alcohol around the house at all? It seems like that would nip a lot of your drinking in the bud. This doesn't address what happens in social situations when you're offered a drink, but if you can get the ball rolling at all then maybe moving forward will be easier.

Re: I drink too much and would like to stop. Advice?
 

Nice thread, there are good posts here which are interesting to me as someone who has tried many times to quit eating meat, and 2+2.

Re: I drink too much and would like to stop. Advice?
 

As a "ex" alcoholic, I have to say willpower is where it's at. I drink now every once in a great while and can control it incredibly well.

However, I'm also the guy who just dropped 45 lbs in a couple months and cut his cholesterol by 160 points. Your willpower may vary.

Ray

Re: I drink too much and would like to stop. Advice?
 

[ QUOTE ]
As a "ex" alcoholic, I have to say willpower is where it's at. I drink now every once in a great while and can control it incredibly well.

However, I'm also the guy who just dropped 45 lbs in a couple months and cut his cholesterol by 160 points. Your willpower may vary.

Ray

[/ QUOTE ]
What a showoff.

Re: I drink too much and would like to stop. Advice?
 

isn't there an easy way to quit 2+2?

make a goodbye thread and they won't let you back.

Re: I drink too much and would like to stop. Advice?
 

[ QUOTE ]
What a showoff.

[/ QUOTE ]

I gots so little, I gots to brag about what I gots.

:P

Ray

Re: I drink too much and would like to stop. Advice?
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
u = idiot

[/ QUOTE ]
Keep giving bad advice to people in need of help.

[/ QUOTE ]

lol

i shot heroin for 5 years, not to mention the drinking and coke binges. AA saved my life.

the people who say "aa doesnt work" are idiots. if it works for 1% of the people who attened a meeting, its working.

religious cult? LOLOLOLOL

i am the most anti religious person i know, most people in AA knew this about me...they didnt care.

people who slam AA are usually losers who dont give it any effort and instead of laying blame where it deserves to be laid (themselves) they blame some orginization that requires nothing of them.


seriosly, just STFU you have no idea what you are talking about.

[/ QUOTE ]

Sublime surely you should be able to see the logical fallacies in your argument. Just b/c something works 5% of the time doesn't mean it's the answer for everyone. Or better than other alternatives. Or even a good choice at all.

You are being results oriented with your own personal experience. I mean great for you that it worked, and this is good, but saying [censored] you're a [censored] idiot if you say it doesn't [censored] work you must be a [censored] idiot say that is very wrong.

saying "end of thread", as it almost always is, is a very dumb thing to say.

"When Alcoholics Anonymous and other 12-step programs are examined in controlled studies, a new review reports, scientists find no proof that they are superior to any other intervention in reducing alcohol dependence or alcohol-related problems. The researchers, led by Marica Ferri of the Italian Agency for Public Health in Rome, found little to suggest that 12-step programs reduced the severity of addiction any more than any other intervention. And no data showed that 12-step interventions were any more — or any less — successful in increasing the number of people who stayed in treatment or reducing the number who relapsed..."

Re: I drink too much and would like to stop. Advice?
 

[ QUOTE ]
isn't there an easy way to quit 2+2?

make a goodbye thread and they won't let you back.

[/ QUOTE ]

Brusier went as far as to lose an OOT survivor and he is still around

Re: I drink too much and would like to stop. Advice?
 

Here's a dangerous, but exciting home remedy for you.
The alcohol inky mushroom is not poisonous, but if you drink after eating this mushroom you'll get sick. Looks like the effect lasts 2 days.
Cheers.
http://www.econetwork.net/~wildmanst...ol%20Inky.html