I really want to quit drinking but ....

Melatonin, take it an hour or 2 before bed and before you know it you will be sleeping like a baby.

Drink cans of coke but no coffee or caffeine before going to bed. Try a week or two prescription of sleeping pills from your doctor but take them sparingly as they are addictive.
You don't get a decent sleep with drinking even though at the time you think you are tired but then wake up a few hours later and can't get back to sleep.
Just cut down on how much drink you have, I always fall asleep watching ghost films or documentaries on the TV for some reason
Try reading at night works as well...

I used to drink heavy then stopped and am now virtually teetotal.

I did about 3 bottles of spirits a week...not breaking any records, but that's way over the recommended limit and it was slowly killing me.

I would suffer dreadful hangovers and the only thing that helped was co-codamol/co-dydramol/codeine.

It was the codeine that helped (the paracetamol strengthened the effect).

It was such a gorgeous feeling that the alcohol didn't do it for me any more.

But then I had a wee problem with the codeine, which I still take - but it's nowhere even close to the horrors of heavy drinking.

I truly believe codeine was my saviour.

But for that I would now be in a bad way. i would have lost my job for one thing.

Cognitive issues too (couldn't think straight).

reply to post by droid56


I'm a miserable insomniac.

I've been the booze route.

Now? I use melatonin. Sometimes nitequil (capsule form)

Good luck.

reply to post by droid56


i hear those magikal brownies can get u tired. and its mote natural than sleeping pills, and the only negative side effects are a increased appetite.

Irish614
Melatonin, take it an hour or 2 before bed and before you know it you will be sleeping like a baby.

Agreed. I had the same problem when I quit drinking and Melatonin works like a charm. I use 10mg time release, sleep great and dream like crazy.

reply to post by DocHolidaze


My fish told me that too!

reply to post by Kangaruex4Ewe


Don't take tylenol PM. Go buy store brand Benadryl. Same stuff (Diphenhydramine) that makes you sleepy without the liver ravaging Acetaminophen. I believe the dosage (pills) are the same. Also way cheaper and much safer for someone that already has an alcohol problem. You really shouldn't be mixing it with booze, but it's probably better for you and cheaper than the regular combination of drugs.

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OP I'm in the same boat (more or less). I have a really hard time sleeping unless I'm exhausted (and even then), drinking or take Benadryl. Talked to the doctor about it last time I was in and got the same thing I always get. Quit drinking caffeine, exercise, eat better, stop drinking, stop smoking, stop watching TV a few hours before bed, get up when the alarm goes off the same time everyday... I told him to stop trying to ruin my life

My understanding is that drinking really does actually screw with your sleep, and that if you want to get serious about quitting it's not going to be fun. You will probably have a couple of bad weeks (at least).

If you've been drinking that long you really should consider quitting. I lost someone VERY close to me a few years back to alcoholic liver disease that came on very quickly. I know you've heard it all before, but let me tell you watching someone die that way is horrific. Get some blood work done and the liver checked out. It might scare you into quitting. I just got mine tested a few months back and while it wasn't great, it wasn't as bad as I feared, still enough of a kick in the ass that I've been cutting back every week.

I would take a very honest look at how much you drink at night, and then cut out one beer or glass for a week or more. Then do it again. If you can stick to it, reducing the intake slowly will be way less of a shock to the system. It should also be easier from a mental standpoint too (that's my big problem, 'one more day won't hurt' etc...). I don't know your lifestyle but if you're sedentary, start walking ten minutes a day (you can do ten minutes unless there is a major health issue). Then up the time until you're doing 30 minutes a day gradually. Just stick with it. Making small positive changes to your life has a snowball effect. You'll feel better, and then realize you are in control and can keep making more positive changes, which in turn give you a rewarding feeling and motivation for the next step.

Talk to the doctor, be completely forthcoming and ask for help with the drinking and sleep issues. Medical professionals get a bad rap around here it seems, but they generally know quite a bit more than your average armchair (looking at myself here) internet MD. They can tell you about different methods for treating insomnia and alcoholism, warn about the dangers of quitting 'cold turkey', help you develop a plan and make the whole process easier.

Here's a good article on alcohol and sleep

Booze is a bandaid. Not even a bandaid. It's like closing your eyes so you can't see the problems. It's very temporary, very bad for you, and for people with a problem typically just makes everything worse. Yeah if you're depressed, anxious or tired having a few drinks will make that problem go away (while under the influence), but it also exacerbates it when you're sober. So you drink more...

Good luck man. Sorry for the longwinded reply. For what it's worth I'm rooting for you whatever you choose to do.

*disclaimer* I am not a doctor and you should seek professional medical advice

As a used to be heavy drinker let me tell you that you do not get the sleep you think you are getting drinking you do not get the deep sleep you need I also have sleep apnea and copd have had it for over 5 years and even with it I sleep better with out drinking than I ever did while drinking. Once you sleep with out it you will know how much better you feel in the morning

Drinking is like debt, if you don't take new one, you cant pay your previews loans. The trick is to reduce you drinking habits with 1/100 every day, and after three months you are clean. Simple, but takes time.

...and a certain kind of iron will.

a reply to: droid56

I had a major drinking problem for about 10 years, quit about a year ago. It was the best decision of my life. I wasn't using it to help with sleep but "self medicating." I have major anxiety issues and PTSD.

I never thought I would ever be able to quit, honestly could not see a future that didn't include alcohol. While the booze helped get my mind off the problems of my past, it was causing major issues in my present and greatly impacting my future.

I had gone to AA, but talking about drinking just made me want to drink more. What worked for me was being sick and tired of being sick and tired everyday. That did it.

Remarkably, my anxiety and panic attacks haven't been as frequent either.

I wish you success!

I use Valerian Root (vitamin) to help me sleep, if I need it. It works in about 1 hour and I don't feel drowsy in the morning.