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Thread: Alcoholic

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    Default Alcoholic

    I've been sober for three days now and plan on being sober for the rest of my life, seriously. I took the next week off of work to get myself together. I drank 6-7 nights a week and I drank A LOT. Has anyone else drank like this before and quit? I'm curious about other addicts experiences adjusting, going back to work, etc. I'm feeling surprisingly well until 1 or 2 am comes around and then I get terrible anxiety, which I know will happen when you suddenly stop any substance. I've been dancing for 5 years and drinking heavily for 3, I know this is going to be a challenge but I can do it.

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    Default Re: Alcoholic

    Oh wow. Congrats! I know how hard it is. Alcoholism runs in my family (in my blood actually, genetic disposition.) I admire you, it takes great strength and monk-level will power. I stopped drinking while working, too. It was hard to do, but it can be done.

    It's going to take time for your body to readjust itself to living without alcohol. But I believe you can get really sick if you try to quit cold turkey if you've been drinking heavily every day for years. There was another dancer on this forum that talked about that, the dangers of quitting alcohol cold turkey, so be forewarned. I know you want to just quit and get it over with, but it might be better to gradually reduce your drinking instead. I'm not trying to discourage you from quitting, believe me. I'm just trying to warn you of any danger that you might put your body through by suddenly depriving your body of something it has been used to for years.

    More info on this: http://www.healthline.com/health/alc...l#Description1

    Either way, good luck to you! I know you can do this!
    "Dancing tables, making deals with devils like a drunk beauty queen"

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    Default Re: Alcoholic

    Thank you . I saw my doctor on day 1 and she prescribed me Librium which made me feel irritable and off. So I'll take it day by day and if worst comes to worst I'll go to the hospital and detox. So far so good.

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    Default Re: Alcoholic

    It's awesome you've been able to stop at once. Congrats on your three days! Don't let anyone make you feel like that isn't a huge achievement.

    Edit: But like SK said, please taper if you're in a similar position and haven't seen a doctor! I assume OP's gave her the go ahead.

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    Default Re: Alcoholic

    I used to drink a kind of a lot, well more than usual and more than I really wanted to when i worked day shifts. Yes I would start drinking in the morning (cause in my mind there is no time limitations on drinking) and would be good and buzzed come afternoon time. I never had a physical dependence, in fact my body hates alcohol as evidenced by inevitable hangovers even after taking in liquor in small quantities. But I was approaching a psychological dependence - thinking I could hustle better and my stress would be relieved. I quit cause I swear liquor makes my face look old and I can't ruin my youthful looks plus its expensive and I don't like hangovers.

    Well glad to hear you are taking the first steps in maintaining a sober life from alcoholic substances!
    “Cook for him like a housewife, fuck him good like a nympho….pay the rent and the car note, he invests in me like crypto”

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    Default Re: Alcoholic

    Please don't feel discouraged if you don't get tons of responses in this thread. This isn't a topic about which many people feel they can speak freely. I'm sure we have a lot of current alcoholics, recovering alcoholics, and recovered alcoholics on this board...everyone is at different levels of comfort when it comes to disclosing that information and providing support to others.

    We have a few recent threads on this topic, so do a search if you're looking for more indirect support. For example: https://www.stripperweb.com/forum/sh...nt-to-AA-today

    This isn't something I've been through personally (alcoholism runs in my family, but I have a natural aversion to it), but I have experience with a family member's addiction. I have an enormous amount of respect for your process. When you work in a bar and are surrounded by people and circumstances encouraging you to drink, it becomes incredibly difficult to see the habit as problematic.

    Remember that recovery is never a straight path, and take things day by day. Best of luck to you.

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    Default Re: Alcoholic

    ^ Charlie is right. People do not talk about their problems with alcohol bc of the backlash of judgement calls. It isnt good for people to name call and judge. It takes alot of strength to want to become sober and to do it and remain sober is a huge, huge accomplishment. AA meetings may b a good place to look for support as many friends and family may not b able to understand the exact nature or b a positive influence. Support is necessary for success. Good luck to u OP.

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    Default Re: Alcoholic

    Thank you everyone, the kind words really help. It's taken a huge toll mainly on my mental health as well as my physical. I hate waking up and not being able to drive my car because I'm so sick or forgetting what I'm ordering at a restaurant because I can't think straight. I'm tired of feeling slow and not getting out of bed until 6:00 to get ready for work. Time for a change!!!

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    Default Re: Alcoholic

    ^Lux I just tried to private message u....I was once close to someone who struggled with this issue..U can pm me if ud like.

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    Default Re: Alcoholic

    Good point, Charlie.

    I didn't talk about my own struggle because even though I've struggled with daily anxiety, I haven't gotten past tapering and moderation in general. If OP is able to power through the withdrawal anxiety with the guidance of a doctor, she's a step ahead of me in absolute sobriety.

    My only advice with the the withdrawal anxiety is meditating on positive visualizations before you need to get your hustle on. But when I have downtime, I actively delve as deep into the anxiety as possible. It may be extraordinarily painful, but I've found it to be a powerful tool for self growth nonetheless. Your anxiety can reveal you to yourself, if you let it.

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    Default Re: Alcoholic

    Of course you can do it. I did it. And while going to AA meetings isn't a bad idea, you don't need them. I did what you did, as often and as much as you, for twice as long at least. You don't have to live your life as a "recovering alcoholic" and create a new identity around all that. I enjoy a glass of wine or two a few times a year and never crave more nor ever worry about becoming an alcoholic again. Quitting alcohol "forever" is an extreme behavior in and of itself ... nevermind that it's intimidating. Nothing is forever.

    Start eating healthy. Workout. Stretch. Smoke ganja for awhile. Avoid any anti anxiety meds.

    When you drink your liver over expands...it's just like a when you get fat and get stretch marks (scars) except in the liver's case those stretch marks (scars) are cirrhosis. When you don't drink, your expanded liver begins to contract with a vengeance...along with all of your other organs, especially the kidneys. The contraction/tightening is what makes you feel like shit and makes you want to drink again. This -very real- physical contraction is what causes withdrawal symptoms. You need to stay expanded to avoid the anxiety/withdrawal. How?

    Have ALOT of liquids...not soda or any of that shit. Water, water with lemon, mineral water, tea with honey, soda water mixed with fruit concentrate, coconut water. Eat ALOT of fruit (whole). Use vinegar on your foods. Eat ALOT of salad. Eat ALOT of pickle (rinse the salt off first!). Eat raw foods, nuts, seeds, nut butters, oils (olive) and mildly sweet tasting foods like carrots and carrot juice, brown rice, sweet brown rice. Eat some spicy and pungent foods like curry, cumin, mustard, ginger, garlic, horseradish, wasabi. Eat these foods before a shift or when you get anxious at night.

    AVOID excess salt and nearly ALL meat, except for white meat fish. AVOID like the plague all crunchy and baked things like potato chips, pretzels, cookies, crackers. These will further contract you and make your cravings worse. Always go for sweet, raw, soft, mild foods.

    As for working sober, it's no problem, you just have to get used to it. Your money will increase. Its a good idea to avoid all the foods I mentioned above before a shift (salt, meat, crunchy, etc) so you stay relaxed...eating the other foods I recommend (salads, liquids, rice, fruit, oil, vinegar, nuts, seeds, etc.) will keep you relaxed further still.

    Hope this helps!

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    Default Re: Alcoholic

    I have a lot of friends who are alcoholics. They say the hardest time is about 2-3 weeks after they quit. Be aware that this a rough time for most alcoholics and have a system in place to deal with the crushing depression/ cravings that come up at that time.

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    Default Re: Alcoholic

    Consider switching to a nude club for a little while so you won't be tempted to order drinks while you're working.

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    Default Re: Alcoholic

    It might also help to have a "fidget" on you when you're working. Something like a flexible bracelet or even just a hair tie around your wrist that you can snap yourself with whenever you start to experience cravings. Something to 'snap' you out of it, you know? To anchor your thoughts in your physical body and remind yourself that drinking hurts you. Keep snapping it on your wrist until you're grounded, breathe through the craving, then drink some cold water (keep a pre-filled water bottle in the locker room so you aren't going up to the bar to order anything).

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    Default Re: Alcoholic

    Hey, from my personal experience. I was able to go through short periods of sobriety and then would drink and every drunk would have bigger consequences than the last. It got to the point where I was going sober 2 months and 3 and then boom, Im in jail.

    I tried everything and although it sounds silly, it really is not something you can cure. I recommend netflix, The Babadook. Although it isnt about alcohol exactly it is about depression. Alcohol has and will always continue to help me nosedive into a depression, darker and deeper with each visit. A drink of alcohol is literally my slide, into jail, into car accidents, into losses of both material and emotional things. NEVER, as a period of sobriety ever been followed by a night of casual and social drinking. I suggest you write a letter, of how you feel now, writing was helpful for me during this hard time. Get ready to get even more depressed, if you manage to stick with it, shit WILL GET REAL. Go to meetings, and Im not an AA god or anything, as a matter of fact, Im 6 months sober and dont have a sponsor either but I am not drinking. You need to get to meetings and do whatever u want. Strip, dance, eat, whatever you want, JUST DONT DRINK. Im open to talk if you want to pm and I have gone through a LOT. Lots of things I havent and may not even share here, until the pain they caused has healed. I am sending you all my hugs and love and I will pray for you tonight. Let other recovering alcoholics love you until you learn to love yourself.

    Stay strong.

    GET YOUR FREEDOM BACK

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    Default Re: Alcoholic

    Quote Originally Posted by TheWeirdOne View Post
    Hey, from my personal experience. I was able to go through short periods of sobriety and then would drink and every drunk would have bigger consequences than the last. It got to the point where I was going sober 2 months and 3 and then boom, Im in jail.

    I tried everything and although it sounds silly, it really is not something you can cure. I recommend netflix, The Babadook. Although it isnt about alcohol exactly it is about depression. Alcohol has and will always continue to help me nosedive into a depression, darker and deeper with each visit. A drink of alcohol is literally my slide, into jail, into car accidents, into losses of both material and emotional things. NEVER, as a period of sobriety ever been followed by a night of casual and social drinking. I suggest you write a letter, of how you feel now, writing was helpful for me during this hard time. Get ready to get even more depressed, if you manage to stick with it, shit WILL GET REAL. Go to meetings, and Im not an AA god or anything, as a matter of fact, Im 6 months sober and dont have a sponsor either but I am not drinking. You need to get to meetings and do whatever u want. Strip, dance, eat, whatever you want, JUST DONT DRINK. Im open to talk if you want to pm and I have gone through a LOT. Lots of things I havent and may not even share here, until the pain they caused has healed. I am sending you all my hugs and love and I will pray for you tonight. Let other recovering alcoholics love you until you learn to love yourself.

    Stay strong.

    GET YOUR FREEDOM BACK

    Incredibly wise post.

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    Default Re: Alcoholic

    Quote Originally Posted by Natalya View Post
    Of course you can do it. I did it. And while going to AA meetings isn't a bad idea, you don't need them. I did what you did, as often and as much as you, for twice as long at least. You don't have to live your life as a "recovering alcoholic" and create a new identity around all that. I enjoy a glass of wine or two a few times a year and never crave more nor ever worry about becoming an alcoholic again. Quitting alcohol "forever" is an extreme behavior in and of itself ... nevermind that it's intimidating. Nothing is forever.

    Start eating healthy. Workout. Stretch. Smoke ganja for awhile. Avoid any anti anxiety meds.

    When you drink your liver over expands...it's just like a when you get fat and get stretch marks (scars) except in the liver's case those stretch marks (scars) are cirrhosis. When you don't drink, your expanded liver begins to contract with a vengeance...along with all of your other organs, especially the kidneys. The contraction/tightening is what makes you feel like shit and makes you want to drink again. This -very real- physical contraction is what causes withdrawal symptoms. You need to stay expanded to avoid the anxiety/withdrawal. How?

    Have ALOT of liquids...not soda or any of that shit. Water, water with lemon, mineral water, tea with honey, soda water mixed with fruit concentrate, coconut water. Eat ALOT of fruit (whole). Use vinegar on your foods. Eat ALOT of salad. Eat ALOT of pickle (rinse the salt off first!). Eat raw foods, nuts, seeds, nut butters, oils (olive) and mildly sweet tasting foods like carrots and carrot juice, brown rice, sweet brown rice. Eat some spicy and pungent foods like curry, cumin, mustard, ginger, garlic, horseradish, wasabi. Eat these foods before a shift or when you get anxious at night.

    AVOID excess salt and nearly ALL meat, except for white meat fish. AVOID like the plague all crunchy and baked things like potato chips, pretzels, cookies, crackers. These will further contract you and make your cravings worse. Always go for sweet, raw, soft, mild foods.

    As for working sober, it's no problem, you just have to get used to it. Your money will increase. Its a good idea to avoid all the foods I mentioned above before a shift (salt, meat, crunchy, etc) so you stay relaxed...eating the other foods I recommend (salads, liquids, rice, fruit, oil, vinegar, nuts, seeds, etc.) will keep you relaxed further still.

    Hope this helps!
    I wholeheartedly agree w/ almost all of this, except for the parts I bolded.

    Re: the first bolding -- sm ppl simply can't 'just have one drink'. I am not saying definitively that OP is one of those ppl -- only that she needs to pay attention to her own physical/emotional reasons for & reactions to drinking. Maybe once she gets thru the initial 'kicking' phase she will be able to maintain a balance while drinking. If that isn't possible for whatever reason, she shouldn't try to force it -- it just is what it is.

    The 2nd bolding -- I think it's really poor advice to suggest drug use of any kind in this sort of situation. That sounds like a great way to seriously risk replacing one addiction w/ another. I know there's a lot of talk abt 'it's only pot, it's harmless, etc.' I call bullshit on that, esp in a case like this. If OP's drinking got out of control in the first place bc she was 'trying to take the edge off' of smtg, using pot to basically do the same thing could just put her back in the same spot w/ a different substance.

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    Default Re: Alcoholic

    Luxx78-I'm going through something similar right now. Being depressed about my "real" job not working out and "having to drink" at work to hustle etc has put me in a downward spiral and I find myself not being able to just have "one drink". I personally need to go cold turkey for at least a month to reset my system. It's day 3 and I feel like such crap that I had to call out of work.

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    Default Re: Alcoholic

    Sorry, I can't really help you. I did drink a lot when I was working at one point, around 2010. I drove home drunk many nights. But I don't think I was addicted because on my days off I never touched alcohol. When I realized I had gained 30lbs in a year, I quit. Now and then I'll have a fruity cocktail at work to take the edge off when it's slow, or full of assholes, but I never get sloppy drunk at work.

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