56 hours in.
 

I have my semi annual BP drs visit coming up . last week i had the normal 6 month fasting lab work done.
Every thing came back good except my liver enzymes. Through the roof.
i have had some weight gain and edema in my lower extremities for the last month or so.
started doing some research and find out that it's from alcohol consumption.
I ( we ) have been drinking hard liquor for so long that i never even thought about how much i was drinking. We are both Functioning alcoholics. I fixed my normal solo cup of ice , instead of alcohol i poured water into the cup to the level i usually put the bourbon. Then i strained that into a measuring cup.
Each drink i was making had between 4 and 5 ounces of 80 proof alcohol in it . During the week i would have 4 - 5 of these a night, weekends maybe 5 - 6.
Never drank on the job , didn't start till 4:30 on week days and usually 1 pm on weekends. never missed work because of alcohol . didn't have hangovers. always cooked and ate. Been drinking like this for over 10 years Exact definition of a high functioning alcoholic.
Doc says he doesn't "think" that i have done irreversible damage to my liver yet. But that i was very close.
Sat down and had a heart to heart talk with the wife and explained that i had to quit drinking and that unless she quit too .I was going to die. We had our last drink at 10 PM December 8 2017. Right now it's 8:20 am on DEC 11 2017 and i sit here with the heater on 74 wrapped in a blanket shaking like a leaf. Is this fun ? hell no but it sure beats the alternative.
I will slay this dragon. I AM NOT READY TO DIE !!!
If you are of the faith based community we ask for your prayers and If not just your well wishes and good thoughts.
Thanks, Bob
PS: This is probably the hardest and most sobering and eye opening thing i have ever had to put into words.

Get it Bob! you can do it bud. Glad your taking the drastic necessary actions. Will keep you in my prayers

Good on you man! I hope you can stay on track. My mother in law was a heavy drinker for a while and suffered some severe issues due to it. She spent almost 2 weeks in the hospital and she now suffers from sever short term memory loss. The doc said that things will return back to normal after a period of abstaining from drinking. That was a little over 2 years ago and she still can't remember a conversation 10 minutes later..... I am a moderate drinker and watching what happened to her scared me away from it for a while. Don't put that burden on your loved ones.

Hey man I am going to tell you. I am a faith based person and I believe you can do this. However, you need to seek medical help to do this. Even your primary care. Alcohol detox can and will kill you. You need to get on some meds for this. Literally l, this is very serious drug detox won’t kill you, but alcohol detox can. Best of luck to you but call your doctor today and tell him what your doing and let him know you want to do it safely and get his recommendations. I’m in the medical field, I’ve seen alcohol detox it is not pretty. Can cause seizures and lethal heart arrhythmias if done cold turkey especially if you’ve been drinking as much as you claim for as long as you claim. Wanna see you succeed in a safe manner.

God bless you, man. Rooting for you over here.

It's 4:30 and i have been awake since 3 am. 4 days and a few hours sober and i feel like crap. Going from cold sweats to itching all over to being exhausted and can't sleep.
I have a Dr's appointment at 7 am and i will see if there's something he can prescribe to help? If not i'll just have to pull my big girl panties up and soldier on .
The Journey Continues ....

I mean it’s going to be a struggle either way but by seeing your doctor, you’ll at least be alive at the other end of it. You can do this!! And you’ll be so glad you did afterwards

I applaud your resolve to soldier on!

He prescribed me 12 days of decreasing dose Valium and told me to take a B-100 vitamin high in thiamine and Folate.

Awesome. Glad to hear. You can do this bro!!!

Last 2 nights have been the best nights sleep i have had in years. i would still eat glass to have a drink in the evening while watching TV. but that is something i'm sure i'll fight for a while. edema is way down and although i still have times i itch and shake they are a LOT less than 2 - 3 day ago.

Glad to hear you're doing better bro.

Best wishes to you Bob, I'll know you will slay this Dragon. How's the wife doing with quitting? My prayers to you guys.

Good luck.

She is still on the wagon. She didn't drink near the amount i did and other than being aggravated a lot she's good.

I just did the math on that. That's dang near a 5th of liquor every night and a bit more on the weekends. That's a LOT. Good luck to you.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

We would buy a case of handles twice a month. around $375 / month.

My Journey
 

Tonight makes 7 days sober. only taking one Valium at night to help me sleep. lost 7 lbs and feeling better. shakes are gone i would still eat glass to have a drink. But i'm sure that's going to be long term.

Holy Crap. Dude take that money every month and stick it in a savings account. That will give u a little extra incentive when u see how fast that is going to add up

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

way ahead of you going to be a new car note.

you are in my thoughts and prayers man hang in there.

Bob, hang in there brother. Praying for you!

12 days sober. made my 1st trip to the grocery store this past weekend. Had to walk down the liquor isle to get something else. Can't say the temptation wasn't strong. Just kept on walking.

Great job. Hang in there, you got this!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I don't know you from Adam but have read lots of your posts. hang in there brother, you can gett-er-done.:work:

atta boy Bob!
You are over the hump, just keep those thoughts of "aw i can have just one" out of your head and you will make it!

I know i can't have just one. One would turn into a handle size bottle in a minute.
I have to give it up for good.

I am almost two years sober. The benefits far outweigh the cost of sobriety. It is a matter of will. No the urge does not go away, but it is not so strong. So what? I chose to be sober. Stopping dipping Skoal was harder!

Today is 42 days sober. After the first 3 weeks the cravings got easier to deal with.
Still have the urge when i walk down the liquor isle. Not going to happen.
I just realized this is the longest i have been sober since basic training. 1979 - 1980.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk

U got da resolve

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

today is 70 days . went to the casino last weekend and passed that test.drank 3 o'douls. i down loaded an app called easy quit drinking when i stopped. it tracks all your statistics. so far i have passed on 297 drinks and saved $892.50.
i can tell the difference in my brain function and i feel better overall.

Damn dude ur rockin it

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk

Thats awesome man, congrats to you.

125 days sober. and abut $1100 saved . Gone to a couple of NA beers in the evening . Still think about the bottle when something gets on my bad side. But it is easy now to ,Just say no.

God bless you man, and congratulations. Hooch took my daddy way too young. Stick around for your children and grandchildren.

Congrats! Stay strong!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk