Hey LucidSky! You have today... make it count. Do something that you can be proud of and rest well tonight. Life is better than the bottle.

It’s possible to get and stay sober but you need to find a replacement for booze
1-2
I suggest early on when a craving hits to have a sugar based drink. A coke or a milkshake. Alcohol IS basically all sugar and the body can be tricked with some sugar.

Next the mind needs to be realigned. I was basically a mess and my thoughts were a mess. I had zero coping skills and I was basically using booze to cope with life. Remove the booze and I was angry and sad and depressed. I needed to relearn a lot. I found help from other alcoholics and today I didn’t drink or really even want to.

Imagine the new you that is not hooked on the drug. Alcohol is a drug and it’s addictive. It takes a new way of living to lose the booze but you can do it. Get busy

1is2many

I agree with 1is2many

Water or fruit juice are other good options. . Another thing that is helpful is meditation. There are alot of good guided ones on you tube. pick the one that resonates with you. Meditation helps me to get to sleep very quickly. Within 5 minutes, I am out like a light and dreaming in la la land,

God Bless

Willpower doesn’t work for many. Just don’t drink tomorrow’! One day at a time.

I did have a couple of drinks tonight. I'm a little disappointed in myself. But I don't know....I'm hoping tomorrow will be different. I guess I have to put effort into making a difference. I didn't do that tonight. I just gave in.

For me will power was not enough. Wanting a better life wasn’t enough. I needed alcohol taken away as an option so I went to treatment. I had to leave my wife and newborn. Hardest and best thing I ever did for me and them. Then IOP. Then 90 in 90. Now AA, a sponsor, sponsoring, always working the 12. I don’t have the obsession today. I have some peace and joy. Do whatever it takes to get through the cravings. Good things are waiting for you too.

Alcohol is an addictive drug that can change the brain chemistry, and I wish I had never started. I remember life back when I didn't drink and it was so much easier. Now I have to always be telling myself all these reasons I can't drink; and finding ways to trick my brain. I'm mad at myself for getting to this point. Obsessing about drinking is pathetic. But giving into stupid obsessions is even more pathetic. I come here to feel like I'm not alone in this but I still feel along in this. Good luck to you; we're in the same rickety boat.

So the next question is, what occured before you picked up that drink. What triggered you? Was it a feeling of depression or anxiety or something else? Look at the list of "factors associated with relapse" and read which one or ones applied to you, and make a plan to prevent it from happening again.

These are the things I was trained to do when I went through an outpatient treatment program. It seemed difficult at first but quickly became easier, the more I practiced it. Now, I don't even think about it because it became automatic, a basic part of my mind, you could say.. Good luck and thankyou for your honesty.

God Bless