Any advice on how to stop drinking?

Dear SPC Ryan Su,

MOST EXCELLENT ! ! ! YOU ARE OBVIOUSLY DOING THE RIGHT THING ! ! !

My best wishes and most fervent prayers for a complete and effective recovery.
Many of us, including me, were addicted / overcame alcohol addiction with help.
Even though your Army family is spread to the four winds, we do care for you.
I am so pleased you reached out and your Army family was able to help you.

Warmest Regards, Sandy

Just following up on you SPC Su to see how everything is going.

i think i need help

SPC Su,

It takes a whole lot of courage to look yourself in the mirror and acknowledge that you have a problem. It made my day to see everyone had already stepped up to help out. This, my friend is what RP is all about.

There's 21 guys from his HHC Company on here but I'm not friends with any of them. If someone is, shoot them a message to help this Soldier out. https://www.rallypoint.com/units/hhc-headquarters-headquarters-company-1st-battalion-66th-armor-regiment-fort-carson-co/current

SPC Ryan Su I was an Olympic drinking contender and eventually got help.The hardest question to answer was "What makes you drink to excess?" I went down a laundry list of reasons "Why" I needed to/had the reason to (some jaw droppers!), but the bottom line was that I was just trying to hide from the reality of the situation. I went to the VA for help with PTSD and substance abuse was addressed as well. I wasn't grieving properly. I used alcohol to put all my issues on hold and I was stuck in my "healing process"....I wasn't healing......just justifying my actions to myself and to others. A lot of people say AA is the way to go. Support is very helpful, but I have met a lot of "sober drunks" who convince themselves that without AA, they are incapable of success. Not to take anything away from AA, results vary and some meetings are not meant for all. It's like leadership. Not all situations apply to all people at all times. If AA is the solution, find a group meeting that helps you the most. We have to get to the core of the problem. Alcohol abuse is typically the coping tool to deal with our pain. Human beings are excellent at finding ways to keep our pain in check. We drink, we isolate (or only hang out with people just like us), we do drugs, we become thrill seekers (being promiscious, speeding, fighting, gambling, anything that gets us an adrenaline rush), etc. Meanwhile, our tolerances increase, our decision making suffers, and our bodies fall apart. What are we running from/hiding from? RallyPoint is great for getting pointed in the right direction and for support, but there are no cures here. Self refer to a program and seek help with mental health professionals. Attack the problem from multiple avenues of approach. Best of luck, my brother. You are never alone.

We are all here to help you and listen.

I agree with everything posted so far. We are all here if you need anything. Don't be afraid to stand up and admit you have a problem. I'd be more than willing to give you my number if you need

Hi Ryan, I hope your recovery from alcohol is going well. You asked a question that has generated quite a bit of interest.

I have a bit of a different perspective on things. I am an alcoholic with 12 years of sobriety, as well as a mental health professional. I would like to give you my down and dirty of recovery from addiction. My recommendation is to do what works and stop what doesn't. If quitting cold turkey works, great. However, be careful with this. Withdrawing from alcohol abruptly can cause seizures and death. It's best to get some help with this.

Once you stop drinking, then you may need help to stay stopped. Einstein's definition of insanity applies in the world of addiction. Doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results is the story of the addict. You don't want to err on the side of doing to little for your recovery. If you want to try self help meetings, and don't have problems with higher power thing, go to AA meetings. There are other meetings for those who get tripped up by the mention of God or a higher power. Get the phone numbers of people at your meetings, so that you can call them when you are triggered to drink. Ask someone who has what you want to be your sponsor. Then work the steps. Remember what lengths you would go to drink, and invest at least that much energy in your recovery. Maybe going to 90 meetings in 90 days will be enough.

Chaplains are a great resource and have levels of confidentiality that other mental health professionals don't have. Some chaplains have a better handle on this issue than others, so you may want to ask the chaplain you're speaking to for a referral to one with experience in this area. If you go the self-help route, chaplains are a great resource when doing the 5th step.

If the self-help route and a chaplain are not enough for you, then I recommend seeing a drug and alcohol counselor for an assessment to determine what level of professional care you need. By reading the above post of 1stSgt James Nolan, it seems like Military One Source is a good resource for this. I agree with his suggestion that you come forward for help. Your chain of command doesn't have time for games. They have a mission that they must be prepared for. You will have to be proactive in seeking help. There are many levels, outpatient, intensive outpatient, 28 day inpatient, and more. There are also dual diagnosis programs for those who also struggle with a mental illness as well. The professionals will help you figuring all of this out.

Keep looking for answers, and don't give up until you have the life you want. I stopped drinking by going to a variety of 12-step meetings, and realizing that alcohol was getting in the way of my recovery. I had incentive to quit, because I was working in a maximum security psychiatric hospital with dangerous psychopaths at the time. Continuing to drink didn't seem like a good idea. I wanted to know where my boundaries were and where the psychopaths were. Fuzzy boundaries didn't seem like a good idea with this crowd. Finally, I keep my sobriety by giving my sobriety away. That is why I am sharing with you today.

My situation at the time is not dissimilar to that of any infantryman with a drinking problem. I'm looking at stories of ISIS around the world, and we are looking at an organization run by psychopaths. If I were an infantryman, I wouldn't want to give the enemy an opportunity to catch me off guard.

Feel free to message me if you have any questions. I wish you all of the best.

I see that this post is 5 months old, and was resurrected a few days ago, but this is the first time I'm seeing it. SPC Ryan Su I hope all of this is working out for you. I've dealt with family members needing the same help, and I pray that you've gotten it and all is well. It's no fun for anyone involved, least of all you.