Sixteen years ago, I turned 21. I didn't have any plans for my birthday, so I went to the grocery store and bought a six pack of beer. I went home and drank a couple of beers by myself. Pretty boring. I worked nights and since I could legally drink alcohol I got in the habit of drinking just about every night. There was a bar not far from my house that I started going to on the weekends. I met a lot of people and had a lot of fun, but I definitely turned into an addicted, binge drinking alcoholic. I continued that lifestyle until I was 29 when I became pregnant with my oldest son. Having to sober up was a pretty rude awakening.
It was difficult because I enjoyed drinking. I live in a small, rural area where drinking is what everyone does. I'm an introvert, so it also helped with talking to people. Not drinking was also difficult because I no longer had anything in common with my son's father. Drinking was the only thing we ever did together. He still had no problem with coming home drunk and was completely unsupportive in regards to what I was going through, which also added to the difficulty.
A few months after my son was born, I started having a couple of drinks at night on the weekend after my son was sleeping. When my son was about 18 months time I had a beer and a couple of glasses of wine that was a bit old. I didn't really drink that much, but the next day I felt terrible. It was awful. My son kept staring at me like he was wondering what was wrong with me. It was a real chore taking care of him that day. I was taking care of him pretty much by myself, since his father didn't change his behavior after he had a child. Anyways, it was that day I realized that drinking wasn't worth feeling so awful the next day and that I really didn't feel the need to "catch a buzz" anymore. Feeling good and taking care of my son were what was most important.
Nowadays, I stick to one glass of wine on Saturday nights. One glass of wine per day is supposed to be good for you and is even recommended in my low glycemic, mediteranean diet plan. For about a week, I tried having a glass of red wine every day, but I couldn't stick with it. I just don't feel the need to drink everyday. Sometimes I don't even feel the need to do it once a week.
I'm working on living more consciously and being present instead of letting my mind wander. One thing I've noticed is that alcohol definitely decreases how present you are. It causes the noisy, unconscious part of your brain to take over. People drink to forget their problems, but I think drinking just causes you to focus on them more. Being present and not drinking alcohol is a much better way to deal with your problems. Once you sober up, you realize your problems really aren't that bad. The voice in your head stops driving you nuts too.
I quit drinking to excess on my own. Many people aren't strong enough to quit drinking on their own though and require help such as AA or rehab.
If you are in the Atlanta, Georgia area and want to quit drinking, you might want to check out this Atlanta alcohol rehab center. It is also an Atlanta Drug Rehab center for those with drug abuse problems.
A few months after my son was born, I started having a couple of drinks at night on the weekend after my son was sleeping. When my son was about 18 months time I had a beer and a couple of glasses of wine that was a bit old. I didn't really drink that much, but the next day I felt terrible. It was awful. My son kept staring at me like he was wondering what was wrong with me. It was a real chore taking care of him that day. I was taking care of him pretty much by myself, since his father didn't change his behavior after he had a child. Anyways, it was that day I realized that drinking wasn't worth feeling so awful the next day and that I really didn't feel the need to "catch a buzz" anymore. Feeling good and taking care of my son were what was most important.
Nowadays, I stick to one glass of wine on Saturday nights. One glass of wine per day is supposed to be good for you and is even recommended in my low glycemic, mediteranean diet plan. For about a week, I tried having a glass of red wine every day, but I couldn't stick with it. I just don't feel the need to drink everyday. Sometimes I don't even feel the need to do it once a week.
I'm working on living more consciously and being present instead of letting my mind wander. One thing I've noticed is that alcohol definitely decreases how present you are. It causes the noisy, unconscious part of your brain to take over. People drink to forget their problems, but I think drinking just causes you to focus on them more. Being present and not drinking alcohol is a much better way to deal with your problems. Once you sober up, you realize your problems really aren't that bad. The voice in your head stops driving you nuts too.
I quit drinking to excess on my own. Many people aren't strong enough to quit drinking on their own though and require help such as AA or rehab.
If you are in the Atlanta, Georgia area and want to quit drinking, you might want to check out this Atlanta alcohol rehab center. It is also an Atlanta Drug Rehab center for those with drug abuse problems.
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