Drugs and Alcohol
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2024
Posts: 7
Drugs and Alcohol
Evening , I have joined this forum to basically big up myself and get some feedback from other people, I’m 52 yr old guy from London Uk ,married with 2 teenagers, worked all my life and have a nice rented home in quite nice place in SE London, I have few Freinds but I have no one close who I can open up to about my demons I have faced for the last 30 odd years , I guess I’m a bit of a loner as my teenagers don’t want to do anything with dad anymore …park, bike rides, swimming ect. And it’s something I can never talk to my family about even though I think they might know !?
Sorry to go on but basically I was on drugs years ago but got off them but with drugs you drink as well so after I stopped the drugs I carried on drinking and it started with like 6 pints in the evening (off licence pint cans) but few years ago that wasn’t enough and I started doing the 6 pints with a quarter bottle of vodka then I would go for a walk and down 2 miniature vodkas ( for years I was in a routine ) never once woke up and had a drink and not even in the day time but 4…5pm came around every day and I would start till I went to bed but one day the **** hit the fan and 2 and a half weeks ago I stopped ….period and I was **** scared what would happen to me , I’m not religious but I asked ( in my mind) if there is anyone up there or down there or over there….please help me get through these tough days…weeks ahead and you know what I had no shakes, no cravings none of the horror stories you hear about , even sleeping wasn’t to bad ( I have stopped in the past and the sleeping was the killer)
In a nutshell as i said above I have no one to talk to about this and just wanted to share this with someone! I feel really lucky that the amount I was drinking I was able to stop just like that , i really do feel blessed . It’s not been plain sailing as I do occasionally think about drink but the next minute I’m over it ! fruit tea is the way for me now . Thank you and sorry to go on but just wanted to get that off my chest . X
Sorry to go on but basically I was on drugs years ago but got off them but with drugs you drink as well so after I stopped the drugs I carried on drinking and it started with like 6 pints in the evening (off licence pint cans) but few years ago that wasn’t enough and I started doing the 6 pints with a quarter bottle of vodka then I would go for a walk and down 2 miniature vodkas ( for years I was in a routine ) never once woke up and had a drink and not even in the day time but 4…5pm came around every day and I would start till I went to bed but one day the **** hit the fan and 2 and a half weeks ago I stopped ….period and I was **** scared what would happen to me , I’m not religious but I asked ( in my mind) if there is anyone up there or down there or over there….please help me get through these tough days…weeks ahead and you know what I had no shakes, no cravings none of the horror stories you hear about , even sleeping wasn’t to bad ( I have stopped in the past and the sleeping was the killer)
In a nutshell as i said above I have no one to talk to about this and just wanted to share this with someone! I feel really lucky that the amount I was drinking I was able to stop just like that , i really do feel blessed . It’s not been plain sailing as I do occasionally think about drink but the next minute I’m over it ! fruit tea is the way for me now . Thank you and sorry to go on but just wanted to get that off my chest . X
Member
Join Date: Nov 2018
Posts: 5,519
I drank and did drugs and like you, I stopped the drugs much earlier that the drinking, and I decided I could always depend on alcohol which I did for many more years until my world turned to crap. Like you, I too quit when I was 52, but struggled for a couple of years trying to learn to control my drinking, which we all know, doesn't work. When I finally did quit, I climbed the walls for 5 days, before things smoothed out. So yeah, I understand, and never regretted getting sober once. I'm not religious either, although I did go to AA so I could associate with others in recovery. There are AA people here as well as more secular do it yourselfers following their own paths. You don't have to feel like you are alone here.
Member
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: UK
Posts: 3,752
Welcome to SoberRecovery Starfish 
It's good that you've been able to stop without any physical withdrawals. If you are married, have you spoken to your wife about giving up drinking? It would be good if you have some support at home. However, not everyone understands what it's like to have an addiction. Do you have any drop-in services near where you live? Somewhere you could go to, to talk about stopping drinking? Having used alcohol for 30+ years, you probably have things you woud like to discuss with others, especially with people who have been down the same road as yourself. As DriGuy posted above, there's people here who have got sober in a number of different ways. We all have one thing in common though, we all post at SobverRecovery, so please keep visiting here and keep posting.
It's good that you've been able to stop without any physical withdrawals. If you are married, have you spoken to your wife about giving up drinking? It would be good if you have some support at home. However, not everyone understands what it's like to have an addiction. Do you have any drop-in services near where you live? Somewhere you could go to, to talk about stopping drinking? Having used alcohol for 30+ years, you probably have things you woud like to discuss with others, especially with people who have been down the same road as yourself. As DriGuy posted above, there's people here who have got sober in a number of different ways. We all have one thing in common though, we all post at SobverRecovery, so please keep visiting here and keep posting.
Community Greeter
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Upstate New York
Posts: 52,443
Welcome, Starfish. You found a great place to talk things over, with people who understand.
I think if I'd had the sense to quit when I was your age I might not have had big problems with withdrawal. I kept going for many more years, & by then I was drinking all day.
I'm glad you've been able to avoid the withdrawal symptoms many of us suffered with.
Hope you'll stay with us & talk some more. We care about you & your recovery.
I think if I'd had the sense to quit when I was your age I might not have had big problems with withdrawal. I kept going for many more years, & by then I was drinking all day.
I'm glad you've been able to avoid the withdrawal symptoms many of us suffered with.
Hope you'll stay with us & talk some more. We care about you & your recovery.
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 213,420
welcome aboard Starfish 
Some time people can be lucky and how little to no ill effects when they stop drinking...its great you haven't!
Just dont convnce yourself this means you have no problem
D
Some time people can be lucky and how little to no ill effects when they stop drinking...its great you haven't!
Just dont convnce yourself this means you have no problem
D
Welcome Wagoneer
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Oxnard (The Nard), CA, USA.
Posts: 15,261
Hi Starfish Welcome.
You are no longer alone in recovering from alcohol abuse. Stick around and learn how to live free from addiction. I'm 67 with 21 months sober/clean managing life nicely now. My SoberRecovery peers helped me, they will help you too.
You are no longer alone in recovering from alcohol abuse. Stick around and learn how to live free from addiction. I'm 67 with 21 months sober/clean managing life nicely now. My SoberRecovery peers helped me, they will help you too.
Member
Join Date: Sep 2023
Posts: 732
Hi Starfish I'm nearly 10 months and the support and advice I've had off SR has been so valuable, not only listening to others experiences but the fact that everyone on here basically gets it. You don't have to explain why you were drinking at 7am in the morning ( just an example ) someone else on here will have done it to. Basically everyone totally understands addiction.
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2024
Posts: 7
Thank you all so much for your kind replies ….. that means a lot ! I am married but the honeymoon is over!
this seems like a nice place to chat so I will stick around,and as someone said “ just don’t convince yourself that you don’t have a problem”….powerfull words there! I’m under no illusion as I know I could start drinking again tomorrow ….its a long hard road man ! Thanks you all xx It will be 3 weeks this Thursday, going to work with no hangover, money in my skyrocket feels like I have my life back .
this seems like a nice place to chat so I will stick around,and as someone said “ just don’t convince yourself that you don’t have a problem”….powerfull words there! I’m under no illusion as I know I could start drinking again tomorrow ….its a long hard road man ! Thanks you all xx It will be 3 weeks this Thursday, going to work with no hangover, money in my skyrocket feels like I have my life back .
Member
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 15,417
Welcome!
I have a similar story. For many years I drank a few beers at the end of the workday to unwind. Eventually, drinking a few beers wasn't quite doing it anymore, so I added a little vodka to the party. Eventually the poop it the fan for me also, and I needed to quit. So I did just that. I quit for over 5 years without any outside help or program. Looking back, I really don't know how I did that.
Unfortunately, after 5+ years of sobriety I thought I was cured and could drink socially in moderation like other adults. I was wrong and I was quickly back to the beer and vodka parties alone, at the age of 52. I spent the next year trying to get sober again, and couldn't get sober for more than 7 - 10 days.
Eventually I crashed and my wife me took me to a hospital and I spent 3 days in a recovery setting getting medical help with the physical detox. I also attended my first AA meeting there and was surprised to discover how much that helped. The Dr. treating me in the hospital was candid with me and told me that he was also in AA. Upon discharge I attended AA for a few years (a meeting or 2 per week) and found this website.
It wasn't always easy, but I celebrated 14 years of sobriety earlier this year. If I can do it, I think you can to.
I have a similar story. For many years I drank a few beers at the end of the workday to unwind. Eventually, drinking a few beers wasn't quite doing it anymore, so I added a little vodka to the party. Eventually the poop it the fan for me also, and I needed to quit. So I did just that. I quit for over 5 years without any outside help or program. Looking back, I really don't know how I did that.
Unfortunately, after 5+ years of sobriety I thought I was cured and could drink socially in moderation like other adults. I was wrong and I was quickly back to the beer and vodka parties alone, at the age of 52. I spent the next year trying to get sober again, and couldn't get sober for more than 7 - 10 days.
Eventually I crashed and my wife me took me to a hospital and I spent 3 days in a recovery setting getting medical help with the physical detox. I also attended my first AA meeting there and was surprised to discover how much that helped. The Dr. treating me in the hospital was candid with me and told me that he was also in AA. Upon discharge I attended AA for a few years (a meeting or 2 per week) and found this website.
It wasn't always easy, but I celebrated 14 years of sobriety earlier this year. If I can do it, I think you can to.
Member
Join Date: Jul 2018
Posts: 164
Congrats on making the choice to become sober. It is definitely not an easy road, but life gets soooo much easier to handle. Wishing you the best and be kind to yourself. We are all in the same boat here, this place has helped me immensely.
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