I will be 58 next week and now have been 4 months 8 days alcohol free. I kind of wish I would have completely stopped when I took a month off back when I was 29 but I'm grateful that I have a chance to do it now. Great discussion.
Fabulous woman! Real inspiration. I love that you said it’s like an old friend you don’t want in your life anymore. It’s a good way to look at it. I wish you all the best!
I've got to show this to my 55 year old Boyfriend who just can't stop drinking himself sick.its truly amazing what the body can come back from,as he's gotten healthy several times already.in 1 year he's gained maybe 35 pounds, gotten colitis,shakes and throws up every morning until the beers start going down,then he gets stoned,eats and falls asleep.he hates his life and I can't stand seeing him this way as he's a very talented carpenter/painter.i never drank until I was 40 and within 2 years I was bored of it and I just don't enjoy it and I don't ever want to go back so I really hope my Boyfriend can get in a better place 🙏 to you Kathy and I know your a very strong Woman and hopefully you'll be an amazing inspiration to my other half.
@@jeanettel4840 Thank you very much, I think It's a good idea because I'm living with cancer and it may now be in another body part so I really must take care of myself instead of him He seems to have no understanding of why I'm constantly exhausted even though he's been with me (in his own way) throughout my "adventure". Al-Anon would be a nice support system for me.Since I used to drink myself,he doesn't understand that I'm begging him to stop offering me a drink over and over as by doctor's orders,no alcohol for me.I understand that he's lost 2 loved ones to cancer and doesn't want to lose me,yet it's certainly no excuse for the constant pushing drinks I don't want on me or his behavior in general as it's just loud and rowdy so I try to just have his male friends deal with him at this point because I'm not giving up.im extremely determined to live 🙂
I found an old book, Drinking: Not a love story by caroline knapp to be very helpful. Highlights the hiding +planning involved, yet we think it's spontaneous.
Wow. She made a wonderful choice. I quit about a month before her last year. Been the greatest choice of my life. I see it all with a keen perspective now. What a trap. Designed to dumb us down and hook us deep.
I had hit a pretty hard bottom at 66. Went to 6 months outpatient rehab/ Now I am 1 year and 3 months sober and doing well. But, my grown children are not talking to me. I have changed tremendously but they wont budge. What now? BTW TY for discussing the subject of aging/older alcoholics. Sadly even we can fall into that rabbit hole too. !
21:12 a martini and a couple of beers is a lot. I rarely drink anymore. it just made me feel crappy and messed up my sleep. If I have 1 or 2 per week, that's all I want. My husband, on the other hand, thinks 1 per day is ok, and sometimes 2. I wish he would just stop bc his memory is getting so bad. I so agree about older women being dismissed and we have so much wisdom to share.
Very hard but try to go places during the weekend alone or accompanied where alcohol would be inappropriate, then when home, evenings, avoid the "relax" moment except in the shower, aromas, do your nails, make hot drinks you like and go lie down and fall asleep. You will see this will improve everything.... in just àa couple of days, or week-ends, sleep, mood, energy, weight, every part of your health, your relationships with the kind/close people in your life, your self-confidence, you'll shine, give it the time, you'll see ⚘️ p.s. avoid drinking friends and any drink-associated habits likely to compete with your new life.
I'm 55 . I quit last July. I was just done. I've always enjoyed being different so now in my crowd I am different cuz I don't drink. I just get busy with the things I'm interested in and find more things to discover. Its the greatest thing ever to know I'm no longer in the trap of the big lie that booze is fun. The tiny bit of so called fun is the bait for a miserable cycle of self destruction. Not worth it . Being sober is a wholesome wonderful fun that you wake up to in the morning . It lasts! Do it. ! If I'm in a social scene I'll occasionally drink a n.a. beer . I call them falsies. Haa. It makes it funny. Hey , grab me a falsie!! Keep things light and stay social. Your friends will be impressed and maybe they will be inspired.
Once it gets down to you, four walls and a bottle then you should start getting help. Doesn't matter who you are. I suggest people watch the documentary "Rain in my Heart" every time they are tempted to reach for the bottle or relax and think that they have 'got it now' and can go back to 'just a few occasionally'.
Lovely woman but the constant harping on about how many years sober is not at all helpful. Alan Carr, who wrote 'The Easy Way to Stop Smoking' which worked for me, said 'You won't remember when you last smoked' and I really don't (long time ago though). He has written another one on drinking but it didn't make sense to me as the smoking book did. You must learn to like tobacco but even babies love booze. I find it easy to stop drinking for months at a time but the slightest stressor and I'm back on it for a few more months. Doesn't help that I have no one left around any more, all dead, including my husband, of booze, and smoking. I've found the easiest way, for me at least, is to simply ignore 'how many years' and just forget about it. Must do something about the stress though.
