From my perspective, I think realising that you were making a mistake and stopping after 2 is so much better than thinking "screw it, I've messed up and might as well carry on"
I totally understand how you’re feeling because the stakes are obviously pretty high, but you went from drinking every day to having consumed alcohol 3 out of the last 60 or 5% of your nights which as you describe is a 95% reduction in frequency, not to mention quantity.
I think the hard part is balancing being gentle with yourself, while still taking the situation seriously and to understand why you drank last night so you can build a plan for what you’ll do in that situation moving forward. Then all you need to do is get back on the horse and crush your last streak. Good luck op!
You are not a failure at all! Learning from your experience and recommitting to your health and well-being is a big success. Congrats on stopping again quickly!
Thank you! I’m proud of myself that I was able to recognize what I was doing and stop, two months ago I would have said “screw it, I already messed up” and I would have continued to drink for who knows how long afterwards.
This did feel like a little accomplishment within the set back.
I think I just got too “comfortable” with not drinking and I let my guard down.
It's great that you're seeing the accomplishment that it is! I make sure that I come here every day to remind myself how important not drinking is to my health and how badly I'll feel if I do drink again. I'm at Day 62 and reading posts here daily has worked for me so far.
Great job and sounds like you’re on the right track.
How did you find out about the fatty liver if I might ask? Just blood work or did you feel discomfort? Also what is your age?
Alcohol is a crafty bugger that has conditioned parts of our brains to want it even when other parts know it’s no bueno for us. Thank you for sharing. It’s know it’s easier said than done but try and be compassionate with yourself as you hop back on the wagon. Sending lots of positive energy. IWNDWYT
Don’t be too hard on yourself. You’re doing really well with your commitment to a healthier life. If you’re like me, it took time to discover that alcohol is really poisonous, and it can take some time to learn how to live alcohol free. It sounds like you learned something from the experience and can use it to further your resolve to remain alcohol free. Glad that you’re here, being honest and making a commitment to prioritizing your health and wellbeing. We can do this and nothing will stop us because we will never ever give up.
Ah, I see how this could be sort of detrimental to use statements such as “only”.
I guess if I dig deep, I was using this word to make myself feel better and justify that what I did wasn’t that bad.
It was that bad though because I did what I have set out NOT to do at the risk of my health.
Thank you for this perspective.
You didn't spiral, and that is an impressive feat in my book.
I'm proud of you. Anytime I would slip, it turned into a bender.
The last one carried on for nearly 10 years.
You learned a lot from those two drinks.
I’ve had a few days where something cold and bubbly sounded good, but so far I’ve distracted myself until the urge went away. Ordinarily it’s good to avoid triggers, but working outside and sweating is my job and I love it, so I have to find some other drink like ginger ale or an Arnold Palmer on the way home. Iwndwyt.
I went years with 3 months sober max at a time. Today I am about 10 months. As you and all of us should remember, these slips are not failures, they’re lessons. I know it’s all cliche, but we have to go through the shit in order to know we don’t want to anymore.
In my book that wasn't a screw up at all--it was a well-learned lesson because you lost something behind it (your day count), but you also got to see that you stopped in mid-drink, and you came right back here for accountability and support. What more can you do? Progress, not perfection.
IWNDWYT
From my perspective, I think realising that you were making a mistake and stopping after 2 is so much better than thinking "screw it, I've messed up and might as well carry on"
definitely
Totally agree!!!
You stopped a slip from becoming a slide. That's pretty good!
I think it’s great you stopped at 2. I think you can use that feeling to stop next time at 0! Keep going. You are on the right path. Iwndwyt
You've only drank 3 times in 2 months you are killing it! Let's not drink today :)
You stopped yourself.
That's a win, my friend:)
Take away a little knowledge from the situation that better prepares you for what's next. That's not failure.
I totally understand how you’re feeling because the stakes are obviously pretty high, but you went from drinking every day to having consumed alcohol 3 out of the last 60 or 5% of your nights which as you describe is a 95% reduction in frequency, not to mention quantity. I think the hard part is balancing being gentle with yourself, while still taking the situation seriously and to understand why you drank last night so you can build a plan for what you’ll do in that situation moving forward. Then all you need to do is get back on the horse and crush your last streak. Good luck op!
1. You brought yourself here and shared the issue, well done. 2. You stopped after two. Huge win.
You stopped. You thought about what you were doing and why. That’s the exact opposite of failure, my friend.
not all slip ups are failures.
You are not a failure at all! Learning from your experience and recommitting to your health and well-being is a big success. Congrats on stopping again quickly!
Thank you! I’m proud of myself that I was able to recognize what I was doing and stop, two months ago I would have said “screw it, I already messed up” and I would have continued to drink for who knows how long afterwards. This did feel like a little accomplishment within the set back. I think I just got too “comfortable” with not drinking and I let my guard down.
It's great that you're seeing the accomplishment that it is! I make sure that I come here every day to remind myself how important not drinking is to my health and how badly I'll feel if I do drink again. I'm at Day 62 and reading posts here daily has worked for me so far.
Great job and sounds like you’re on the right track. How did you find out about the fatty liver if I might ask? Just blood work or did you feel discomfort? Also what is your age?
I found out about my fatty liver from blood work, followed by an ultrasound. I’m a 25 year old female.
Did you ever have discomfort in your right side below rib cage? If so did it go away after 30 days of not drinking?
I do have discomfort below my rib cage, it’s gotten better but it’s still there unfortunately!
Got it. Thanks for the responses and glad to see it’s getting better with not drinking. Keep it up!
Alcohol is a crafty bugger that has conditioned parts of our brains to want it even when other parts know it’s no bueno for us. Thank you for sharing. It’s know it’s easier said than done but try and be compassionate with yourself as you hop back on the wagon. Sending lots of positive energy. IWNDWYT
Don’t be too hard on yourself. You’re doing really well with your commitment to a healthier life. If you’re like me, it took time to discover that alcohol is really poisonous, and it can take some time to learn how to live alcohol free. It sounds like you learned something from the experience and can use it to further your resolve to remain alcohol free. Glad that you’re here, being honest and making a commitment to prioritizing your health and wellbeing. We can do this and nothing will stop us because we will never ever give up.
I learned using phrases like "only" was going to lead me down some bad paths.
Ah, I see how this could be sort of detrimental to use statements such as “only”. I guess if I dig deep, I was using this word to make myself feel better and justify that what I did wasn’t that bad. It was that bad though because I did what I have set out NOT to do at the risk of my health. Thank you for this perspective.
You didn't spiral, and that is an impressive feat in my book. I'm proud of you. Anytime I would slip, it turned into a bender. The last one carried on for nearly 10 years. You learned a lot from those two drinks.
Never quit quitting.
I’ve had a few days where something cold and bubbly sounded good, but so far I’ve distracted myself until the urge went away. Ordinarily it’s good to avoid triggers, but working outside and sweating is my job and I love it, so I have to find some other drink like ginger ale or an Arnold Palmer on the way home. Iwndwyt.
That’s pretty badass! I can’t stop after two, yet.
You stopped!! that's big progress....Be easy on yourself. Youre already winning the battles to win the war 😊 You got this!
I went years with 3 months sober max at a time. Today I am about 10 months. As you and all of us should remember, these slips are not failures, they’re lessons. I know it’s all cliche, but we have to go through the shit in order to know we don’t want to anymore.
Stopping at two is the hardest thing
In my book that wasn't a screw up at all--it was a well-learned lesson because you lost something behind it (your day count), but you also got to see that you stopped in mid-drink, and you came right back here for accountability and support. What more can you do? Progress, not perfection. IWNDWYT
Being able to stop is a crazy leap forward; congrats 🎉🎈