I want to stop drinking red wine...Every morning I say that is it...until around 3:00 then something triggers in my mind?

I'm a big wine drinker, every day 1 Liter. I am sick of it decided to stop, my day is going well so far, like alot of other people my trigger seems to be 3:00 p.m. so I've decided to go for a walk with my dog at that time....it felt wonderful, plus no guilt and i'll be able to sleep properly tonight.

Hi Anonymous,
Thank you for being here. As a child of an alcoholic with alcoholic tendencies myself, let me tell you, it's not stupid. You are very smart to be fighting this battle instead of wallowing in the abyss of alcoholic abuse. You are alive, and can do this. The GP is a good place to start. What made you start drinking again? Don't worry about the doctor, they're not there to judge you, just like we are not here to judge you. We are here to help you and give support.
As you know, alcoholism is a disease. When you drink, you have no control. So you can't drink. Keep fighting the good fight, and don't give up. Your body will thank you, and your family too, will thank you. There are many people here who want to see you continue to be well, and are here to help. You can take back control. It's a never-ending process, and you are not alone. Start with today.
Good luck and please let us know how you're doing.

It has been interesting reading everyones comments. I know I'm an alcholic, it made me very poorly, has wrecked my liver and nearly killed me. Thanks to an amazing consultant and dietician I feel well now, but there is the danger, this week I have started drinking, the dreaded red wine. I have been looking to see if there anything to help me, after reading comments I plan to start at my GP who will not be well pleased with me, but I know my body cant take it. It sounds stupid but it is very hard.

You should try the Habit Busting program by Lee Milteer.
She's great. She will teach you how to understand the way your mind works and to reprogram your subconsious. You simply have a bad habit.
Hope this is of some help!

thank you for the info and comments. I do the same thing.. only red wine, drink throughout the day, by evening I've consumed a bottle. have been wanting to stop for a while. I'm hoping that being a part of this blog will help give me the support to go and do something 'healthy' instead of turning to the wine and giving myself false relaxation/calm. not to mention that it is an expensive habit... one I'd like to enjoy only while out for dinner. becomes difficult to enjoy a glass of wine when you drink a bottle daily. I've noticed my breath is smelling a lot like acetone too - my tongue gets real tingly now. and, I am starting to worry about diabetes.

i do the same thing!! how do you stop... its just wine, not beer or any other drink!

Hi, Anon.

Just to add to the very good points up above -- it seems that you, yourself, believe that you need to stop drinking. What that tells me is that whether it's one glass or a whole bottle, you've decided that it doesn't work for you -- but then the afternoon rolls around and you can't resist.

I'm suspecting that if that's the case, you also find difficulty stopping after a glass or two. A glass of red wine every afternoon or evening wouldn't bother most people. It's when you HAVE to have it that there's a sign that something's wrong.

Are you worried that you might be an alcoholic? If so, please realize that you are AWESOME to be examining your behavior in this way and that if you do believe you have a problem, you've already taken the most important step -- you've told someone. You've told us. And you're asking yourself. And you're looking for some help. I think that's smart, and strong, and worthwhile.

There is a self-assesment quiz you can take online that will help you decide if you have a problem with alcohol. It is 20 questions that give you some direction as to whether your drinking habits are safe, risky or harmful. Here's a link to the quiz:

http://alcoholism.about.com/od/tests/a/quiz_alcoholic.htm

Depending on the results, if you think that you indeed do have a problem, the best place to start might be your doctor's office. She or he can help assess the situation:

http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/alcohol-abuse/how-to-stop-drinking-alcohol

Take care, and please write back to update us.

Before we can provide any more information, the two most important questions you can answer for us:

1. Why do you want to stop drinking red wine?

2. When you drink, how much and how often do you drink?

I look forward to talking with you soon!
Alison