Keep busy, pray, change your routine, talk to other alcoholics, meet up with friends for coffee, avoid places where alcohol is served while you are wanting to drink. Have a little of something sweet, preferably healthy sweet, that might help. Just a few suggestions.

If you are considering AA or another programme of recovery throw yourself into that, get to as many meetings as you can, look for a sponsor etc.

I've been spending a lot of time outside. It has helped with the urges. I live on an acre and raked everything. So far this week I have 44 bags of pine needles. I'm almost too exhausted to think about drinking.

I go hiking when I can. Long walks also do the trick.

JustBeth1975,

I wouldn't mind taking those 44 bags of pine needles from you. They are a bit hard to break down but will eventually make good compost.

Maybe you could get a few compost bins now and start making good fertiliser for your i acre.

I'm on Day 4 myself and the first 3 days I really just focused on keeping as busy as possible. I make myself a "to do list" at the beginning of the day so that I have plenty of ideas for things to keep me busy instead of drinking. Going to the gym is awesome bc it helps relieve stress that might cause one to want to drink.

I also snacked a lot the first 2 days when I started to think about drinking (I guess that was just replacing one bad habit with a less bad habit I guess)....hey whatever works. Also, day 1 for me at one point I started to cry because I didn't think I could do it and was going to drink....I came on the site and started reading and messaging people and made it through.

That's a great idea PJ. I may give composting a try.

I call that the Habit hour. I just think about how fast those drinking hours go by and the day is over.

Ikers4.. I had a lot of those times. things I would get a drink doing. I get me a soda on ice it helps just to have something to drink..

It's that feeling when you know you can't have something, you want it more! Like when you tell a child no, they want to do it. In a sense we are children... we have to say no, but it makes it that much harder. I was doing great all week until today when work was coming to an end. So I ate some chocolate. It at least gave me something to occupy my mind with. Ay yi yi Day 5... I won't drink tonight, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't want to kill a bottle of wine. But I won't, because I don't want to feel the guilt, the pain... etc. I already feel it now just thinking about it.

i go to a mtg at 430, then I drive home eat dinner

Motion keeps me sober. Idle hours are the devils playground

The serenity prayer helped me a lot. Also it is good that you are reaching out to other people. Maybe you can find someone with less sobriety and tell them how you got through those first days. There is a post about having fun in sobriety. I learned to play guitar.
What activities do you like to do? Go do them! Find a friend and break those old routines. Alcohol does not need to be tied to everything we do-break the cycle and develop new hobbies and interests.
Lastly go to a lot of AA meetings and meet new sober people.