Tried to stop drinking? And you can’t?

WAS January a tough month for you? Traditionally supposed to be the most depressing month of the year, cold, dark, and summer seems a long way off. Even here in Spain the days are shorter, and the temperatures lower. The post­festive buzz has well and truly worn off, the credit card statement is in, and most of our New Year’s resolutions went up in smoke by the end of Three Kings.

Was one of your resolutions to cut back on the booze? Did you try, and found you couldn’t? Has your drinking increased? Are you struggling to stop completely, even for a short period of time? Is your alcohol use, making you, or those around you, miserable?

Maybe lockdown was the trigger for you, feelings of isolation and loneliness led to a change in your drinking habits, perhaps larger volumes, or more frequent binges. Possibly it was the move to Spain, living here full­time is entirely different to a two­week vacation, and it is easy to get sucked into daily­drinking. Or it could be for a completely different reason. you are ready to stop drinking, or want support to help you try, then don’t wait until it gets any worse.

If you regularly drink more, or for longer than you planned to; have tried to cut back (or stop) and found you couldn’t; drink to deal with feelings and emotions; or if your drinking is interfering with your life, then you could have a problem with alcohol.

Here a member talks about how their drinking led them to get in touch with AA, and how they now enjoy all the benefits of being sober…

“My name is Jacob, I am happily mar­ my gin. A couple even called me an alcoholic, but I brushed it off. I was functioning, I still held down a good job (two in fact), I still had a wife and a car!

By the end, I had to have a drink in the morning to stop the shakes, my whole day was centred around where the next drink was coming from. I wasn’t eating properly, and there were a lot of arguments, slamming doors, and shouting. I was lying and being dishonest, I was leading a double life. Till my wife made me get help.

There is a solution, Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) ­ a 12 Step fellowship; a peersupport group that has helped millions of people, all over the world, with their problem drinking. If the consequences of your alcohol use are getting too much, if ried in my 50s. I run a successful business, based on the Costa del Sol. But my life wasn’t always like that.

The comments first started in my 20s, people would say; maybe I should have water with my wine, or a bit more tonic in

The most amazing thing about AA is there are no rules. Not on what you must do, or what you should believe. It is not like a church or a school, it is a group of people trying to get themselves off the drink, and into a better way of living, using a spiritual programme, and a set of principles as guidelines… And it is completely free.

If you think you might need to look at your drinking, or need some help to stop, then get in touch with AA. Come along to a meeting (or a few) and just listen.

David Worboys Thinking Aloud

DESPITE the lack of sunshine, I love the country I grew up in.

When I was quite young, it was a united country whose people had shown courage, discipline and humour throughout and after the deprivations of the Second World War. ‘Made in England’ had a reassuring suggestion of quality.

We had respected institutions such as the Church of England, the BBC, the NHS and the National Gallery. We were blessed with a highly regarded monarchy, parliament and judiciary. And we had the dance music. It was a pleasant country to live in.

Some of the institutions have deteriorated or lost support. Many others still remain intact. We have Covent Garden opera, Arsenal, the Bank of England, the Financial Times and Oxfam. If there were such a thing as the capital of the world, it would still be London. Oxford and Cambridge remain among the most prestigious universities. English