I'm a pure binge drinker and sometimes when I do drink I go way over the top. I'm trying to stop that now as it is definitely doing me no good. If I do drink I make sure I don't start until at least 6pm, eat before, eat snacks inbetween. There's just too much to lose by drinking stupid amounts. Thankfully after my last binge I pulled myself together and booked two trips to Europe. So it has given me a reason to stop.
The liver is one organ that has remarkable powers of regenerating - if you have no symptoms of severe liver damage you really can expect your liver to 'cleanse' and rejuvinate very quickly - don't be put off giving it a go.
Why do we all drink? To be honest I dont even like the taste of booze. I just drink cos its the 'normal' thing to do when your out and with mates. It also gives me confidence (i get bad anxiety if I am out in public when sober)
I think the problem with drinking occurs because it happens relatively slowly and progresses without much fanfare. Now, I have had many a chemical love affair and some of them you bloomin well know you've got a problem with it almost from the first usage.
Alcohol isn't like that, it's also generally socially acceptable and not illegal and available everywhere. It's ok to get slaughtered with your mates, it's funny even. It's ok to have a drink after a stressful day but, for some it just slowly, quietly and pervasively goes further.
I think every person who has a 'problem' noticed that they had crossed this invisible line with their drinking at some point or another...they tried to stop and found it wasn't as easy as that or, like you they found it was having a detrimental effect upon them or they found they were prioritising drink over other stuff.
Since this morning I've thought about nothing really other than having a drink later. I'm not going to have that drink later but, I can't seem to stop thinking about that drink I'm not going to have later. If I do have that one drink later I know I will have another drink later and as some wise people keep telling me - if I don't have that first drink I won't be able to go ahead and have that other drink or the bottle or the next bottle...
Yes, and that addiction started with social drinking and thinking she could control it. Alcohol addiction is insidious and is slow creeping until it takes over your life. It has to start somewhere.
It was this type of ignorance that has kept my mother drinking for all these years. Most symptoms of liver failure dont appear until pretty much end stage - my mother always said that she was in control and she could stop at any time she wished.
I agree with you. I posted earlier that my one a night became two until before I knew it it was a bottle a night. I regret my years drinking as it saps your energy and becomes your priority in life. BUT I never thought I was an alcoholic because I just drank in the evening and functioned in my job during the day. I say function but I guess not 100% as mornings were spent trying to get my head together although I never had a hangover (probably because I was just topping up)
I am so sorry that you have to see someone you love suffer this way but please know that there was nothing you could do because this has to be something the person has to do themselves. No amount of scares or family nagging made me stop. I was lucky as one day I realised this was going to kill me unless i stopped so I did and was lucky as had no shakes or black outs due to going cold turkey
I'm currently trying to stop drinking for a few reasons, firstly I'm trying to stop smoking...do so well during the week but come the weekends and a few shandies..straight back on them! Secondly, I have a hernia and lately my heartburn has been 10x worse and finally, hangovers...I spend the whole next day being sick unable to keep even water down!
I'm currently trying to stop drinking for a few reasons, firstly I'm trying to stop smoking...do so well during the week but come the weekends and a few shandies..straight back on them! Secondly, I have a hernia and lately my heartburn has been 10x worse and finally, hangovers...I spend the whole next day being sick unable to keep even water down!
When I was drinking I had to take Zantac every single night or else I'd have been dying of heartburn .............that had been the case for a good few years. Since stopping drinking (just over a year ago) I've never had to take Zantac again. Just one of the plusses,
Why do we all drink? To be honest I dont even like the taste of booze. I just drink cos its the 'normal' thing to do when your out and with mates. It also gives me confidence (i get bad anxiety if I am out in public when sober)
The problem is that is using it as a crutch - if you we're nervous before a. Job interview would you have a drink?
My mum used to drink till she fell over then blame the falling over on being "allergic to alcohol"
I'm currently trying to stop drinking for a few reasons, firstly I'm trying to stop smoking...do so well during the week but come the weekends and a few shandies..straight back on them! Secondly, I have a hernia and lately my heartburn has been 10x worse and finally, hangovers...I spend the whole next day being sick unable to keep even water down!
I dont even think abut smoking during the week but as soon as i drink then i have to smoke. It goes hand in hand
Booze rather gave me up. After a killer 3-day migraine, I found I just couldn't drink without feeling (and often being) very, very sick. For a year or so, I couldn't have more than a glass of wine or half a pint of beer, and gradually I got a bit of my tolerance back and can now manage 3 pints on a good day (a big change for someone who was famed for their ability to put away 5 pints without seeming even slightly sloshed).
In the intervening period, I just got out of the habit of drinking. I found being with drunk people boring, and not at all funny, I was loads better off financially, appreciated the lack of hangovers (even the ones that are almost symptomless, but leave you feeling knackered in the mornings), I enjoyed the few drinks I had far more than the many I'd had previously, and it was an all-round good thing.
This was reinforced 3 years ago when a close friend died as a result of her drinking. She had been warned to stop a couple of years earlier, when she had ruptured oesophageal varices, but hadn't. She ended up with multiple organ failure and died a hideous, painful, undignified death that took 3 weeks and left her husband, daughter and many others heartbroken. She was a fabulous person, kind, wise, talented and witty. I miss her every single day and would do anything to have her back with us, and sober.
I think the problem with drinking occurs because it happens relatively slowly and progresses without much fanfare. Now, I have had many a chemical love affair and some of them you bloomin well know you've got a problem with it almost from the first usage.
Alcohol isn't like that, it's also generally socially acceptable and not illegal and available everywhere. It's ok to get slaughtered with your mates, it's funny even. It's ok to have a drink after a stressful day but, for some it just slowly, quietly and pervasively goes further.
I think every person who has a 'problem' noticed that they had crossed this invisible line with their drinking at some point or another...they tried to stop and found it wasn't as easy as that or, like you they found it was having a detrimental effect upon them or they found they were prioritising drink over other stuff.
Since this morning I've thought about nothing really other than having a drink later. I'm not going to have that drink later but, I can't seem to stop thinking about that drink I'm not going to have later. If I do have that one drink later I know I will have another drink later and as some wise people keep telling me - if I don't have that first drink I won't be able to go ahead and have that other drink or the bottle or the next bottle...
...early days.
hello ....I think pernicious is the word . I was ****ed for years and couldnt figure out how to start stopping. In the end I phoned AA absolutely hanging and said simply " help " . Some kind soul came to my home within an hour , picked me up off the floor phoned my GP and between them they got me a place on a Priory.and that was the start of my recovery Truth to tell I begged for a place on a Priory . That was years ago and I havent drunk since .
The way that I used to avoid thinking about drinking in the evening throughout the day was to actually start drinking as soon as I woke up, or more to the point came out of my blackout. I didnt stay with AA ...decided it wasnt for me but it works for millions and they saved my life and I wish them all the love and luck in the world .
You sound like youre nowhere near your own personal " rock bottom " but DONT be alone with it if you think youve got a problem , and for ****s sake dont be embarrassed or ashamed to speak to AA or similar ...no ones going to judge you .......good luck , youre nowhere that millions havent been before you . like I say DONT be alone with it .
Booze rather gave me up. After a killer 3-day migraine, I found I just couldn't drink without feeling (and often being) very, very sick. For a year or so, I couldn't have more than a glass of wine or half a pint of beer, and gradually I got a bit of my tolerance back and can now manage 3 pints on a good day (a big change for someone who was famed for their ability to put away 5 pints without seeming even slightly sloshed).
In the intervening period, I just got out of the habit of drinking. I found being with drunk people boring, and not at all funny, I was loads better off financially, appreciated the lack of hangovers (even the ones that are almost symptomless, but leave you feeling knackered in the mornings), I enjoyed the few drinks I had far more than the many I'd had previously, and it was an all-round good thing.
This was reinforced 3 years ago when a close friend died as a result of her drinking. She had been warned to stop a couple of years earlier, when she had ruptured oesophageal varices, but hadn't. She ended up with multiple organ failure and died a hideous, painful, undignified death that took 3 weeks and left her husband, daughter and many others heartbroken. She was a fabulous person, kind, wise, talented and witty. I miss her every single day and would do anything to have her back with us, and sober.
Im sad to read this I kind of knew her. r.i.p my lovely chum Helen.
I think if people could see the someone in the final stages of alcohol-related illness before their own drink problems become too severe, they might stop sooner.
I've had many alcoholics among my clients over the years - the ones who've got Korsakoffs or Wernickes encephalopathy (booze-induced brain damage that gives symptoms akin to dementia), the ones who are so far gone they sh1t themselves without even realising, the ones who are physically diosabled because of drink-related accidents, the ones who have brief interludes of lucidity where you can see the lost potential - but worst of all of is seeing what an agonising death it is. I even had one client who hung himself after seeing his friend die from liver disease, because he realised what an awful way to go it was and couldn't face it.
If alcohol had only just been discovered, I'm sure it would be banned.
To anyone who thinks they have the start of a problem, I'd say get help now - the sooner you get it, the easier it is imo.
DIALOGUE BETWEEN A LADY INTERVIEWER AND A MALE BEER DRINKER:
Lady Interviewer: Do you drink every day?
Man: Yes.
Lady Interviewer: How much a day?
Man: Around 3 six-packs starting at noon.
Lady Interviewer: How much does a 6-pack cost?
Man: Roughly $10.00 at a deli.
Lady Interviewer: And how long have you been drinking like that?
Man: 15 years.
Lady Interviewer: So with a six-pack costing $10.00, and you consuming 3 six-packs a day, you are spending roughly $900 each month. In one year, you would then be spending $10,800, correct?
Man: Correct.
Lady Interviewer: If in 1 year you spend $10,800 on beer, not accounting for inflation, 15 years puts your spending roughly $162,000; correct?
Man: Correct.
Lady Interviewer: Did it ever occur to you that if you did not drink for the last 15 years, you could have bought a Ferrari?
Man: Do you drink?
Lady Interviewer: No.
Man: So where's your f……' Ferrari?
that's a cute observation, whatever you apply it too.
I would love to booze, but I packed it in completely because I think it may be a trigger for ulcerative colitis flare-ups, which I suffer from. All the GPs and consultants I've talked to reckon that diet isn't a factor in triggering such flare-ups, but I think they're wrong on that one.
Comments
Thanks for saying that. I'm going to try.
hello
I think the problem with drinking occurs because it happens relatively slowly and progresses without much fanfare. Now, I have had many a chemical love affair and some of them you bloomin well know you've got a problem with it almost from the first usage.
Alcohol isn't like that, it's also generally socially acceptable and not illegal and available everywhere. It's ok to get slaughtered with your mates, it's funny even. It's ok to have a drink after a stressful day but, for some it just slowly, quietly and pervasively goes further.
I think every person who has a 'problem' noticed that they had crossed this invisible line with their drinking at some point or another...they tried to stop and found it wasn't as easy as that or, like you they found it was having a detrimental effect upon them or they found they were prioritising drink over other stuff.
Since this morning I've thought about nothing really other than having a drink later. I'm not going to have that drink later but, I can't seem to stop thinking about that drink I'm not going to have later. If I do have that one drink later I know I will have another drink later and as some wise people keep telling me - if I don't have that first drink I won't be able to go ahead and have that other drink or the bottle or the next bottle...
...early days.
I agree with you. I posted earlier that my one a night became two until before I knew it it was a bottle a night. I regret my years drinking as it saps your energy and becomes your priority in life. BUT I never thought I was an alcoholic because I just drank in the evening and functioned in my job during the day. I say function but I guess not 100% as mornings were spent trying to get my head together although I never had a hangover (probably because I was just topping up)
I am so sorry that you have to see someone you love suffer this way but please know that there was nothing you could do because this has to be something the person has to do themselves. No amount of scares or family nagging made me stop. I was lucky as one day I realised this was going to kill me unless i stopped so I did and was lucky as had no shakes or black outs due to going cold turkey
Often there are no symptoms ...until its too late
But heck - alcohol is one of life's pleasures so f°°k it
When I was drinking I had to take Zantac every single night or else I'd have been dying of heartburn .............that had been the case for a good few years. Since stopping drinking (just over a year ago) I've never had to take Zantac again. Just one of the plusses,
The problem is that is using it as a crutch - if you we're nervous before a. Job interview would you have a drink?
My mum used to drink till she fell over then blame the falling over on being "allergic to alcohol"
I dont even think abut smoking during the week but as soon as i drink then i have to smoke. It goes hand in hand
Always regret it afterwards
In the intervening period, I just got out of the habit of drinking. I found being with drunk people boring, and not at all funny, I was loads better off financially, appreciated the lack of hangovers (even the ones that are almost symptomless, but leave you feeling knackered in the mornings), I enjoyed the few drinks I had far more than the many I'd had previously, and it was an all-round good thing.
This was reinforced 3 years ago when a close friend died as a result of her drinking. She had been warned to stop a couple of years earlier, when she had ruptured oesophageal varices, but hadn't. She ended up with multiple organ failure and died a hideous, painful, undignified death that took 3 weeks and left her husband, daughter and many others heartbroken. She was a fabulous person, kind, wise, talented and witty. I miss her every single day and would do anything to have her back with us, and sober.
hello
The way that I used to avoid thinking about drinking in the evening throughout the day was to actually start drinking as soon as I woke up, or more to the point came out of my blackout. I didnt stay with AA ...decided it wasnt for me but it works for millions and they saved my life and I wish them all the love and luck in the world .
You sound like youre nowhere near your own personal " rock bottom " but DONT be alone with it if you think youve got a problem , and for ****s sake dont be embarrassed or ashamed to speak to AA or similar ...no ones going to judge you .......good luck , youre nowhere that millions havent been before you . like I say DONT be alone with it .
Im sad to read this
I've had many alcoholics among my clients over the years - the ones who've got Korsakoffs or Wernickes encephalopathy (booze-induced brain damage that gives symptoms akin to dementia), the ones who are so far gone they sh1t themselves without even realising, the ones who are physically diosabled because of drink-related accidents, the ones who have brief interludes of lucidity where you can see the lost potential - but worst of all of is seeing what an agonising death it is. I even had one client who hung himself after seeing his friend die from liver disease, because he realised what an awful way to go it was and couldn't face it.
If alcohol had only just been discovered, I'm sure it would be banned.
To anyone who thinks they have the start of a problem, I'd say get help now - the sooner you get it, the easier it is imo.
that's a cute observation, whatever you apply it too.
I lasted less than a week 'off it'
Think moderation is the key