Introduce yourself here - lived experience

[Sunflowerseed]

Good afternoon everyone,

Let's welcome our newest member today, @Korir
This community is a judgement-free and safe space for everyone to share and support each other in your own unique journey. Our two peer workers here have lived experience and are here to share that with you all. If you have any questions, feel free to tag them, @ScorpionPW & @PnorkelPW, or you can also ask me.

[PnorkelPW]

Hi @Chrispy101, @Nevergiveup, and @Korir...............it's great to have you join up!!

Is there any particular information you're hoping to find on the forums?

Is there anything you've found useful so far?

I've worked my way through multiple addictions and still struggle with things at times.............life without drugs and alcohol takes time to figure out and I've made plenty of mistakes along the way.

If there's anything you want to ask just tag me in your post and i'll respond when i'm next online..............I'm here to share my experiences with the hope that it can provide some hope to others that it's possible to turn things around. It's not easy but it can be done.

[ScorpionPW]

Hi @Tee216 and @Chantelle1911, thanks for joining up on the forums.

I hope you find something on here that helps you along the way. I'm one of the peer workers here, I've been through my own journey of addiction and recovery so happy to chat whenever I'm online. Just put the @ symbol next to my username to tag me and I'll get a notification.

I'm wondering if you're comfortable sharing what brings you here? Otherwise feel free to browse the posts, see if anything resonates and reachout whenever you're ready

[Sunflowerseed]

Happy weekend everyone, what's your plan for April? Anything planned for the coming Easter break?

Big welcome to our newest members, @Tee216, @Chantelle1911, @RealND, @Luna10, @Lost88, @LaurenD1983, @BillieJean, @Swimmingmum. These forums are a safe space for you to share what's happening in your journey. All members are here to get and provide support from each other through the recovery. Our two peer workers have lived experience and still are fighting the urges from time to time, so feel free to ask them questions if you have any, @PnorkelPW & @ScorpionPW. Check around the forums for some activities and topics you might be interested in. Let me know by tagging me using the @ symbol if you have any questions.

[Chantelle1911]

Hi. I don't really know where to start to be honest. I have a very unhealthy relationship with alcohol. I haven't had one alcohol free day for the last 3 years. I drink minimum of 4 glasses of wine a night. A bender is a lot more and I do it regularly. I've fallen over and hurt myself badly, I have no memory of a whole night, in the morning I have to check my house to see what I did the night before. I'm finding that i'm depressed, ashamed and worried about what's happening to me. I don't drink all day until 5.00 pm and then drink all night.

I've realised I have a problem and have been open with the people close to me.

I've been reading and researching quitting alcohol. I've done the survey on sundaymorning website. I've had one counselling session with a drug and alcohol counsellor and have another tomorrow. He's mostly doing an assessment of sorts.
He's put me on Thiamine B1 tablets - a high dose to combat the potential brain damage alcohol can do.

I'm scared about the withdrawal - physically and psychologically. I don't really want to go to a detox centre. I feel desperate to take action but I just don't know what that is.

So there's my introduction - turns out I could write something...

[Sunflowerseed]

Hi @Chantelle1911, well done on writing your story.
I totally understand that this is not an easy journey. You are doing amazing in being open to the people you trust. Realizing there is a problem is very important, it acts like an alarm that wakes you up. The early sessions of the counselling might be around assessment, but after that, the counsellor will be able to help you build some strategies once they have a clearer view on the situation.
Changing a habit after 3 years is difficult, but it will get easier as you get used to it. You can find something else you enjoy doing to fill the time when you would normally be drinking.
You mentioned you are thinking about detox, perhaps you can talk to the counsellor and see if they can help you find a service?

[PnorkelPW]

Welcome to the forums @Tee216 , @RealND , @Luna10 , @Lost88 , @LaurenD1983 , @BillieJean , @Swimmingmum ............nice work taking the step to join up.

If you feel comfortable sharing any information it'd great to know what brings you here and what you're hoping to find, maybe we can help point you in the right direction. There's a whole lot of great threads you might find useful and if you have any questions both @ScorpionPW and myself had had our own journey through addiction and now recovery. If you've got any questions we'd be more than happy to answer. Just tag us and we'll respond when we're next online.

Have you found anything useful so far?

[PnorkelPW]

Hi @Chantelle1911, welcome to the forums and thanks so much for having the courage to share some of your story with us. Talking about the issues is the start of getting the help you're looking to find. It's great to hear that you're working with a drug and alcohol counsellor and beginning to take the first steps towards the changes you're looking to make. The early stages will just be assessments and getting to know you until you can start to work on setting goals and the relevant strategies to achieve them. Knowing your drinking habits such as starting at 5pm will help you identify strategies.

Blackouts are part of drinking for a lot of people, I know they were part of my story. I don't know how many times I had to talk to the people I was out with to get more details so I knew where to look or what venue to start ringing to see if my keys, phone, wallet, jacket, or anything else I lost that night were. Once I started drinking there was no off switch. It used to be a bit of a joke amongst friends but deep down it affected me. Between that, the ups and downs alcohol gave me, the negative effects it started having on my life and health, problems it caused at work, etc I fell into depression I was unaware of. The depression fuelled the drinking and the drinking fuelled the depression............it was a nasty merry-go-round.

I'm sure your drug and alcohol counsellor has spoken with you about the dangers of alcohol withdrawal and the possibility of seizures. There is always the option of a supported home detox, you'd need to chat with your GP about that or your AOD Counsellor might be able to help point you to a GP or service that can support you. Alcohol does a lot of hidden damage to your body over the course of time and Thiamine and B1 are standard medications. I used to work in a detox and it was a safe and supported space for people to withdraw. If you don't mind sharing, what's your hesitance to attending a detox centre? Just please don't try to stop alone without the support of a detox or with the help of your GP.

Change takes time and working out what works for you will take time too. Change can be easy at first but then get harder to maintain. It's all part of a learning process. I know it took me many stops and starts, steps forwards and backwards, lapses and relapses, and eventually I was able to make the change stick...................just don't give up trying.

If you have any questions at any time please feel free to ask. Just tag me in your post and I'll respond when I'm next online.

Oh..................and it's amazing what can happen when you just start writing. I've written a journal for over 7 years now and I find it really useful. It's not for everyone but it might be something you could find useful.

Hopefully you can keep us updated on your progress if you feel comfortable doing so.

[Bezulbub]

Hello forum fam, I'm bubs and I've been using methamphetamine for around 7 years now. I've had good counselling experiences which have given me time off drugs and on the rehabilitation path, I know why I do what I do and how my physical and mental health issues hurt, triggering my drug use.

Living by myself, I struggle to reachout and gain the trust of others so my relationships become toxic as I struggle to cope. Im hoping to find peer support, healthy purpose and community information.

Im sick of hospital ward stays, chronic pain, living below the line and behind a crazy veneer. I paint, draw, write and enjoy reading. Looking forward to seeing everyone.

[Swimmingmum]

Hi
Thanks for the welcome.
I am wanting to reduce my alcohol intake. Drink too much wine and have done so for too long.
Anyway, taking some positive steps to change this!
Happy for any tips

[Sunflowerseed]

Hi @Bezulbub,
Welcome to the forums~ Thank you for sharing your stories and thoughts around Hepatitis. Fighting the meth use alongside with the physical issues can not be easy... Stay brave and you are not alone in your journey.
Having something you like and enjoy doing is a great way to keep yourself busy. Perhaps one day you can share something you written here with us? Looking forward to hearing from you again~

(I am the facilitator here, adn @ScorpionPW & @PnorkelPW are the two peer workers in this community with lived experience. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask any of us!)

[Sunflowerseed]

Afternoon all~ How are you doing?

Let's welcome @Cath2013 for joining the community here with us. This is a space for you to safely share your struggles and concerns relating to alcohol or other drugs. Our peer workers @ScorpionPW and @PnorkelPW have lived experience, so feel free to ask them any questions. You can also ask me, I'm the facilitators here. Looking forward to hearing from you when you are ready.

[PnorkelPW]

Thanks for sharing @Swimmingmum .............what have you tried so far?

How about setting some smaller goals like delaying your first drink by an hour........and after a few nights delaying another hour.

Going for a walk can help instead of pouring your first drink.

How about trying with one alcohol free night per week and trying to build from there?

Weekends could involve a daytrip, heading out to see a show, movies, comedy, etc.

How much are you drinking? How often? Have you thought about seeing a drug and alcohol counselor? They could help work on some strategies with you and set some realistic goals over time.

[ScorpionPW]

Hi @Swimmingmum,

Thanks so much for being so open about where you're at. It would be great to hear some of the things that you find are working to help you along the way, or what some of the positive steps you are taking are if you're comfortable sharing?

Something that really helped me was getting honest about how bad things had gotten and that I needed to stop. I was only able to do this once I felt like I had no other choice and I couldn't deny it anymore. Getting help from other people who had been through addiction as well but had found a life of recovery helped me a lot when it got to that point.

I really hope you contiue to share here with us on the forums

[ScorpionPW]

It sounds like you've got some really solid self awareness @Bezulbub about where you're at and what's causing the challenges you have, I can relate to a lot of what you're saying as well

I can remember being so sick of detoxes, medication, trying to get help but never really getting anywhere for any significant period of time, and always ending up back where I started but worse than the last time. I mean, don't get me wrong, a lot of those interventions are really important and helpful, there was just a key piece missing for me.

That was that I had to stop trying to control my substance use, for me I discovered that one was too many and a thousand never enough. I had to accept that as long as I kept trying to figure out a way to use manageably that I would stay on the merry go round, I had to accept complete abstinence. I know this isn't the case for everybody, but it certainly was for me.

Once I got to that point something that really helped me was NA. Just getting support from people who had lived through addiction, had found a new life free from addiction and in recovery that I could relate to and be guided by allowed me to begin a meaningful and lasting recovery journey.

I am curious if you have found any supports anywhere else that have been helpful? Also, if you ever want any info on any peer groups in the community such as NA/AA or SMART Recovery then feel free to let us know and we can share some details that may be helpful.

You can tag any of us by adding an @ symbol before our usernames and we will get a notification and be sure to respond when we're online next