04-17-2024, 07:36 PM
I got to a pretty dark place a few months ago, about October last year. I was drinking every day, started to drink during the daytime, sneaking whisky into my tea at work, that sort of mega unhealthy habit. I was retreating from my family, getting back from work and either sitting at the computer or shutting myself in my room. I'd go days without exchanging a word with my wife.
So I actually took the step to take advantage of my work's employee assistant service and had five telephone counselling sessions.
I'm in a much better place now, I've been doing almost daily guided meditations or mindfulness activities through an app subscription. I keep a gratitude journal and try and start each day by scribbling something I'm grateful for in it. I miss some days but manage it most days. I try and limit myself to just one day a week where I drink alcohol, but regularly fail at that. The problem with that target is if I drink twice, I'm like "failed this week anyway so might as well keep drinking"! But I have cut back massively and don't day drink now. I exercise more too, which I think is huge for mental fitness.
I think I managed to arrest my mental decline just in time. Had I carried on down the slippery slope I was on I think I'd have been in trouble, but I'm in a good place now.
So I actually took the step to take advantage of my work's employee assistant service and had five telephone counselling sessions.
I'm in a much better place now, I've been doing almost daily guided meditations or mindfulness activities through an app subscription. I keep a gratitude journal and try and start each day by scribbling something I'm grateful for in it. I miss some days but manage it most days. I try and limit myself to just one day a week where I drink alcohol, but regularly fail at that. The problem with that target is if I drink twice, I'm like "failed this week anyway so might as well keep drinking"! But I have cut back massively and don't day drink now. I exercise more too, which I think is huge for mental fitness.
I think I managed to arrest my mental decline just in time. Had I carried on down the slippery slope I was on I think I'd have been in trouble, but I'm in a good place now.