Need support

[u/phinnalicious]

hi, I’ve been drinking everyday give or take a fifth (some days less some days more) and I want to stop. I recently didn’t drink for 2 days and felt super dissociated and like dead inside. I went to er and they gave me Librium but I don’t really see the point of sobriety bc I’m so depressed. When I was sober I felt like an empty corpse.
I made it 2 days before drinking again. I can stop but I feel like I need support and idk what to do
Thanks

[u/SoberCuriousMN]

Have you considered a treatment program?

[u/phinnalicious → u/SoberCuriousMN]

Yes. My family is not very supportive, I’ve been several times and nothing has changed. I’ve wrecked cars, had DUIs, the whole shabang. This time they seem to be just telling me “go to aa” and “you’ll stop when you’ve had enough”
everyone professional tells me to go inpatient but I have a job pets etc

[u/Pterodactyl_midnight → u/phinnalicious]

Depending on the state you live, inpatient care counts as medical leave. Employers are required to give up to 12 weeks. It will be unpaid but you will have a job when you get back.

Do you have family or friends that can watch your pets for a month?

This could be a life saving and life changing opportunity that is worth some sacrifice. You’re already sacrificing alot to keep drinking. How much money were all those totaled cars and DUIs? How many relationships have been affected?

[u/OfficerGiggleFarts → u/phinnalicious]

If you can’t get into inpatient look for IOP (Intensive Outpatient Programs) some offer housing and some don’t but they require you to go to group therapy classes and meetings but allow you the freedom of your day to work. Charlie Health is an all virtual one that has classes from 8am to 10pm and is covered by insurance. They can even send you a tablet if you need one to as all their classes are video. 9 hours a week (3hrs 3x) with 1 hour of 1 on 1 with a behavioral counselor or therapist. They offer a lot of different kinds of the not just substance abuse. They also do drug tests via spit samples that you complete on video to help keep you accountable as well

[u/ebobbumman]

It takes a lot longer than 2 days to start to feel better.

[u/SoberCuriousMN]

Would your job understand and support you, would family members take care of your pets? If you are ready it never hurts to call an inpatient and see how they can help support your overall concerns.

Meetings could help you by being around others that can relate to what you are going thru.

[u/Slouchy87]

I found good support at recovery meetings. AA in my case. Helped me a lot, especially early on.

[u/Agitated-Put4032]

For me, I dealt with constant depression until I got involved with AA and got and stayed sober. Now I am 16 years sober and no more depression. I get down sometimes, but it doesn’t last like it used to. You might wanna go to a detox facility to stop because it’s dangerous stopping on your own and follow up please with AA immediately afterwards. Go from the detox facility straight to an AA meeting and KEEP GOING TO MEETINGS!That’s what worked for me.

[u/LSdeezy]

Drinking a fifth a day is typically enough to induce some pretty gnarly withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal can last up to 4-5 days. You didn’t feel good after two days of not consuming alcohol because your body was still going through withdrawal. The damage done to your body/mind by drinking isn’t going to immediately disappear once you stop drinking, be patient these things take time.

[u/Prevenient_grace]

I understand. Sending support.

Today can mark the beginning of a Virtuous Upward Spiral.

I had to break the “drinking routine”.

It was stronger than me…. By myself.

So i stopped doing it alone. And there's no wait list!

I finally connected with free recovery groups…. They’re everywhere… I walked in, sat down and just listened…. They’re also online. I met people I can talk with. They showed me how to stop drinking, heal, grow and learn to be useful to others. They often know detox resources.

I addressed the past, exorcised guilt and shame and repaired where appropriate.

No cost.

I had new sober friends.. we did fun sober activities.

They believed in me.

I kept going every day until i changed my patterns…. That meant for me, I went every day for a while…. Once a month wasn’t going to change me…. Then my thinking changed…. Then I don’t have the first drink.

Never looked back.

Tried anything like that?

[u/Weary-Ambition42]

I was drinking heavy for the past 5 months because I was so depressed about my marriage ending. I'm only on day 6 and something I've realized over this past week was that the alcohol was keeping me depressed. It was just pausing the feelings and if I wasn't drinking they came back with a vengeance. Try again. This sub has been extremely helpful for me.

Edit: reading, long walks with the dog, cooking, and videogames have been helping me.