Hi coopster

"The strange thing for me is that I can go weeks without a drop, and then for some unknown reason, BANG! I'm on a three week binge."

I can relate to this. I still get urges to drink though far less often than in the early years of being sober. I don't try to analyse the urges; rather I use the "one day at a time" approach.

By that I mean that I say to myself "Tomorrow you can get smashed out of your mind. Not today though. Today you will be sober.".

I repeat that the next day and the next day and the next day..., until the urges fade (which they do).

Maybe something along these lines might work for you too?

I've not had a drop now for 6 days, not much of an achievement I know, but then again I don't really consider myself to be trying. I don't even want a drink. But I know that at some point, some invisible switch in my head will tell me it's OK to go and buy a bottle of red. This would be fine, except that once the red is gone, I'll be out for another bottle. Maybe not the first time, but certainly further down the line, when I have convinced myself that I'm in control. Good on you for your progress so far mate. Keep up the good (if hard) work.

Yep, having "a drink" is not in my vocabulary either!

Well put, Icehouse, don't put a date on it. No point in it.

When the urge hits, just make believe alcohol, in all it's form, doesn't exist. Try to find some other way to satisfy your urge. Works for me.

If your neuropathy is caused from drinking it will disappear, it did for me and I drank for over 20 years.

I keep a 2L bottle of Sierra Mist in the fridge. If I get that urge, I just take a couple swigs (out of the bottle) and the hit of carbonation, followed by a good burp, will kill any desire I had

Seriously, it's the bubbly fix that works for me.....

1522 days sober.

Well, we are under a "State of Emergency" here in VA with Joaquin on our doorstep....should make for an interesting weekend

Well, I am back on regular vitamins (I slacked off for a month) and I could feel the difference with tighter muscles, sporadic twitches and feeling a bit more run-down.

But, I learned a lesson, I think, and will remain vigilant.

That's a beginning. Good luck.

I developed a more than substantial level of Alcohol PN, the culmination of 50 (yes 50! age 16 - 66) years of daily substantial consumption. Unfortunately, I was what I consider to be the worst form of alcoholic, in that I was fully functional--earning constant praise and even advancement at whatever endeavor somebody was able to coax me out of my innate laziness to undertake. I would walk past a project completed 6 months earlier with colleagues who would stop, smile, and say "man, I don't even know how you you even began to figure this one out." I would simply smile and give a theatrical shrug, all the time acknowledging to myself not a hint of memory about any involvement at all in it.

It was largely because of this that I found no reason to live in denial. I was making a sufficient living to cover financial obligations and attending to my family's needs and comforts, so I was drinking this constant volume simply because that's what I enjoyed. No other reason. However when the gradual, but constant debilitating and degenerative affects became unbearable, and my GP and friend of 25 years finally put it to me after years of repeated attempts at my quitting, he finally laid it on the line.

"Continue as you are going at your age and I guarantee your death within 2 years. I am not going to advise you further, nor will you ask me for additional treatment in this matter as it is your decision alone. I'm writing you a prescription for a 10 day regimen of Librium to avoid cold-turkey seizures. Take it and stop immediately or die."

Well, that was roughly 7 - 8 months ago, and the glass of fresh squeezed OJ with the healthy splash of vodka accompaniment I'd consumed right BEFORE I drove to that particular appointment, suddenly became the final drink of my life.

Over the years I've taken many occasional cold-turkey clean-out month or 2 breaks and the first few days to a week can be pretty rough--then gradually less severe as the days go by. I never "back-slid" as I'd always intended to resume consumption after the brief hiatus. There was never any cutting-back, as that involved too much inner conflict. It was either drink or not, period.

I'll share this will all out there contemplating quitting cold-turkey: The aid of Librium makes all the difference in the world as to the shakes, the urges,the re-establishment of restful sleep patterns, etc. Take that to the bank from a man of more than a little experience.

Now comes the reason for my posting this as a reply to the above by mrsD. I am 66 years old and in my life I never have had a "sweet tooth", but though there has been NOT A SINGLE craving for a drink, there developed an immediate insatiable one for sweets--particularly chocolate! In fact it was 12:30 PM when I read mrsD's warning while polishing off my second ice cream cone of the day.

Believe me, mrsD, thanks again for rubbing my nose in what should have been obvious from the onset. We live on the NJ coast and are currently under hurricane watch due to approaching Joaquine and have been bombarded by local media to stock up on essentials in a most timely fashion. So this morning after seeing my 13 year old to the school bus, rushed right over to Foodtown as I am almost out of cones.

Better call Doc for another scripp for Librium.

Same thing for me....for 30+ years I could take or leave sweets \ chocolate but now I crave dark chocolate and frequently find myself at the artisan chocolate shop across the street from my work