Day 5 of dry January-quitting marijuana & alcohol

[Emm78]

Hi,

I’m on day 5 of my new life! Been struggling heaps with the emotional tears, insomnia, headaches, nausea, restlessness & frustration of resisting the temptation (as my husband is still smoking, but not in my presence & friends still drinking in front of me).

atm I am unemployed after 2sacking, (1 not my fault)for last 13wks. With no govt help it’s becoming very hard to survive financially & then I have been rejected for every job applied for, I’m struggling to accept my medically 🤬 up body & brain & because I’m trying to be a better human decided to go cold 🦃!

I found night times are the worst as for the past 5yrs my routine was to have a drink and a bong from apx 6pm. Longest I’ve gone is 8 days without a drink and about 2 without dope. Found marijuana.org had some good info & then remembered my friend recommended BB.

The forum helped me survive another night I’m now in bed with a 📖 having cuddles from the 🐕 🐶

Have counselling on Tuesday, so I’ll probably be back on here tomz. Thanks for the vent.

Here’s to clean living!!!! Once all the yukkyness has gone 🥵🤯🤮🤢😄😁😍😂

[geoff]

Hi Emm, Tess and Burdy, a great effort, I know it's hard, whether it's 42 degrees or whether it's that time you normally drink and try tonic water that's what I used to drink, it's got a distinctive bitter flavour which might be the quinine but it's that different taste that stopped me drinking alcohol.

When you know or even think that your taste buds are wanting a drink, that's when you have to drink or do something before it happens.

Like if you drink at 12.02pm then at 11.50pm do something to distract you, even have an icy pole, it's the cold is what you want, but it has to have a taste to it.

This medication to stop the urge isn't really substituting one drug for another, it's only temporary, it's no different than taking a panadol for a headache, it's helping you stop and that's your aim.

Please let me hear tomorrow how you go.

Best wishes.

Geoff.

[Emm78]

Hi everyone,

well done burdy! Good idea to have passes 😂 🥂 especially when you’re going to a big celebration 🎉

Thanks for the advice Geoff! Got some icy poles in the freezer

i didnt get to meeting but did go to my counselling.... my father in law that I care for is quite sick so with hes appts and I had a maintenance guy who come to fix a light didn’t leave until I had to leave for the meeting then I was going to be late so I just had toast for dinner and I went to check on the father again.

been trying to apply for jobs for the last hr & half and just getting frustrated at my brain and computer for not working properly so now I’m on here having a vent!

I do have a job interview tomz but as it’s for a bar work I’m really not sure I won’t it as temptation will be high!!! but so desperate for money I’ll take anything.

Well I better try finishing this application before going to bed. Hope everyone has a great day tomz

[geoff]

Hi Emm, there are different ways that hopefully will make you not drink if you get this bar work.

-Firstly you won't be allowed to drink while you're working

-the smell of the beer that's wasted into the trays when you pour a beer may turn you off

-you will be able to watch people coming in sober and how much they change once they start drinking, and some could become a nuisance, totally reverse their personality from being a quiet person to a moody one

-sometimes the smell of alcohol on your hands may discourage you

-tell the boss you are going through 'detox' and want this job as a way of helping you ( that's up to you whether you want to say this or not)

-it's different being behind the bar than to someone who is drinking

People may ask you how you could be around all that alcohol and not drink, but while you are watching how people change and different situations unfold, will remind you that you never want to be like that again, and perhaps that's how I change.

Don't avoid a job in the alcohol trade if you feel strong enough, it will only make you gain more strength.

Let me know how you are going, and hope to hear back from Burdy and Tess.

Geoff.

[Burdy]

Hi Emm, Tess and Geoff

How did the job interview go Emm? I get your concern re temptation working in a bar having been a bar worker in the past. Geoff makes some good points and I guess it's up to your will power. Personally I didn't drink any more, by the time you knock off it's late and you just want to get home really.

Hope your FIL is ok and on the mend.

Day10 today and am feeling quite good. I also have Crohn's disease which has a variety of symptoms which I have learnt to put up with but have noticed the last 4 or 5 days that i don't feel so bloated and lethargic as i used to so hoping that continues.

Also noticed my anxiety symptoms have subsided a little too 👍

It has made me start to think about my smoking (cigarettes) and maybe it's time to give them up too? Can only try I suppose...

Hope everyone is well

Burdy 🐦

[geoff]

Hi Burdy, well done and you will get more energy as time passes, and if you want to stop smoking, that too will give you something you've never known, but to stop 2 addictions at pretty well the same time, would be extraordinary.

I have two sons who both smoked cigarettes, one has stopped while the other still rolls his own.

It's impossible for me to ask him to stop because it's not for me to decide, he has to make that decision.

People often say 'put the money in a jar that you would have spent and see how much money you save', that never seems to happen, it's spent on something else.

Keep going, terrific and let us know today/tomorrow.

Best wishes.

Geoff.

[Burdy]

Thanks Geoff

Yes I had already wanted to stop smoking but found it so hard. So i chose to switch to rollies back in November, I find they are much cheaper (taylors would cost me about $100 per week, now I'm only spending $35 per week on rollies) and I smoke alot less as it's not so convenient as just pulling a smoke from a packet and lighting up, plus they are much thinner and smaller so you dont get as many drags out of the one smoke. I had a Taylor made from a friend yesterday and did not like it at all, could taste the chemicals in it. I also got a new car in December which I made smoke free - I have found things like this is breaking habits and making me think more about my smoking and how much I used to do it with no thought.

So it's a start I guess, now just to quit altogether. Like you said, now is probably not the time to try and quit two habits at once but I am pleased I am making an effort to have some control over it.

One of my Aunts made a huge effort to quit smoking and just couldn't totally break the addiction so she now has one cigarette a day - at 10am on the dot, no matter what she is doing she will stop, sit down and enjoy her one smoke. Has done this for the last 20 years, if I can get to that I will be happy 😄

I know I have needed to stop for a few years - especially when my hubby had his cardiac arrest a couple years ago, I made such a deal about him stopping yet I couldn't or didn't stop myself, hypocrite much? 😏

But it's never to late to change 🙂

Burdy 🐦

[Burdy]

Well shit 💩....

Hubby came home from work yesterday rather hot and flustered, he is a concreter and it was 43° and as Murphy's law predicts it was a day where nothing went right.

So the minute he walked in he insisted we go to the pub for tea (we dont have air con so not heating the house anymore by cooking plus we haven't been to the pub since before xmas I didn't put up much of an argument).

Started out well, I ordered a coke and was catching up with people (I have also beco.e quite agoraphobic in resent months). Our meals came out - delicious!! But half way through my meal hubby went and got another beer and came back with one for me and without even thinking I drank it 😩

I then ordered another coke, all good I picked myself up. A close friend won the members draw of a reasonable amount of money so he lined drinks up in front of everyone... next thing I know I've had a total of 1 pint and 3 bourbons - much less than my usual quota 🙄 but much more than I would like right now.

I have woken this morning feeling really crap. Not hung over so much but a slight dehydration headache, gross taste in my mouth, bloated and less enthusiastic about the days tasks.

But my biggest hang over is I'm so disappointed in myself. My first test and I failed miserably, not even a big test either, just a casual dinner at the local 😩

So annoyed, was starting to feel so good.

Oh well guess I just start again - heres to day 1....

Burdy 🐦

[Emm78]

Hi burdy

Try not to beat yourself up it’s bound to happen, did your mates know your trying to cut back or stop drinking for the year? It may help if they know coz then they will double check what type of drink you want rather than just get you the usual! but as you said you felt so crap today so just focus on that next time, also just coz someone has brought your usual you can say thanks but no thanks! Then they get 2 🍻😂 or I used to use the Sorry I’m driving excuse all the time

Having crohns would be very frustrating but as Geoff said you’ll feel awesome, if you can control some of the grog! I know once some of my symptoms left I started to feel & looked better.

The interview went really horrible, the guy was very rude!!! I was really close to breaking it really through me into depressive spin. I had the worst night in a long time. Then the next day I get an email saying I got the job so now I have a 5 hr training day on wed. I’ve applied for heaps more so I’m hoping I’ll get one of those instead!

I broke my alcohol pack last night too I had a 3 finger shot of scotch with lots of ice ( approx 3 std)& today 1 can of JD & coke (1.5 std)

I not beating myself up over it as I stopped at 1 & normally I wouldn’t. I still haven’t had cones but omg I really wanted to last night as the alcohol made me have a craving but my husband said do you really wanna do that and go back to day one!

Especially as it’s more marijuana that I want to give up and I promised myself if I drink after January, I was to stay under .05 and not do it every day.

So fingers crossed I can keep going dry but if I have a couple on weekends well I’m doing heaps better than I was before!

keep going Burdy 😘🙌

[Emm78]

Yes Geoff giving up 2 addiction at once is really hard! But your right you do feel heaps better, well when everything starts to settle down & subsides!

Ive found that I’m crying heaps and are quite unbearable to be around especially when it’s habit time but each day is getting better (except for the drink in the last 2 days but I’m really proud I stopped at 1)

THANKS for the support 👍🙌

[geoff]

Hi Burdy, you need to realise that when someone is stopping the alcohol they will have times when their abstinence is broken, and unfortunately, it was not good for your hubby to place a beer right in front of you because at this stage the temptation would be too great, so I wonder whether he is happy you want to stop drinking.

It was a little too early for you to be tested and by going to the pub at this stage wasn't your fault, it was hot and anybody would want to go somewhere that has airconditioning.

In some way it's good to have these tests because either you succumb or build up your strength to finally stop, so don't worry.

Take care.

Geoff.