OOps I put this as a reply on my own topic and think I should have it as a new topic...anyway.
Thanks for advice and support from everyone.
I managed to get through last night without a drink and felt pretty pleased with myself as a result!
I feel like the week will be OK because I have never really had issues with drinking if I'm not out with friends...this can be a good and a bad thing I think.
All the literature I have read on problem drinking leads me to believe that I have a problem. My behaviour when I am out drinking and the aftermath and how I feel about myself lead me to believe that I have a problem...and yet...those things are only true about every couple of months.
And yet... I still have that nagging doubt that going to AA etc is over exaggerating things, that so what if I go out once every so often and get off my head...let's face it, most people I work with do... do I want to give up enjoying a glass of wine with friends over dinner ( and yes I can usually stop after a couple if there is no option presented to keep going).
I know that these questions can only really be answered by myself, but I would be really interested to hear if anyone else had similar drinking patterns...
I have a friend in a similar situation - her partner thinks that she is over reacting by stopping all together, although she has been in some really dire situations (hospital etc)when drunk...but it only happens every 6 months or so.
Is binging and then not drinking much for a while or 'socially' quite common amongst AA members?
When I first started to think that I had a problem I tried to explain it to my boyfriend saying that I only got drunk occasionally. I didn't even like to get drunk, I just wanted/needed something to take me out of myself and my problems as I saw them.
But, over a short period of time, my drinking binges became more and more frequent with worse results each time. Now, I know that for this alcoholic, it wasn't necessarily how much I drank, but the effect that it had on me and those around me. I begin to feel worse and worse about myself after each drinking session.
I would stop drinking for short periods at a time and then go back to controlled drinking. But, my problem was staying stopped or staying within control. I simply couldn't do it.
For me, AA has given me so much and taught me how to live a happy and sober life. I just couldn't do it on my own. At AA, I have heard so many different stories of peoples drinking habits. I know people who had to drink every day; I know people who could go for months without drinking. We all have different stories to tell.
But, Sally, only you can decide whether or not you do have a drink problem. Why not try going to a few AA meetings and seeing what you make of them? It can't do any harm and might do so much good.
Anyway, please keep posting and let us know how it's going for you.
Take care,
Carol
__________________
Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind. ~Dr. Seuss
Hi Sally, binge drinking alcoholic name Jennifer, here!
My favorite response to this type of question;
Thoughts at 4am
If I am an alocholic I shouldn't drink - If I am not an alcoholic I don't need to.
People who aren't alcoholics don't lie in bed at 4am wondering if they are alcoholics
What's an Alcoholic?
A man goes into a bar - big notice on the wall "All you can drink for $5" - I'll have $10 worth he says. - Thats an Alcoholic
"Most things can be preserved in Alcohol, dignity however is not one of them"
"I drank for happiness and became unhappy. I drank for joy and became miserable. I drank for sociability and became argumentative. I drank for sophistication and became obnoxious. I drank for friendship and made enemies. I drank for sleep and woke up tired. I drank for strength and felt weak. I drank fo relaxation and got the shakes. I drank for courage and became afraid. I drank for confidence and became doubtful. I drank to make conversation easier and slurred my speech. I drank to feel heavenly and ended up feeling like hell."
__________________
Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass... It's about learning to dance in the rain.
OOps I put this as a reply on my own topic and think I should have it as a new topic...anyway.
Thanks for advice and support from everyone.
I managed to get through last night without a drink and felt pretty pleased with myself as a result!
I feel like the week will be OK because I have never really had issues with drinking if I'm not out with friends...this can be a good and a bad thing I think.
All the literature I have read on problem drinking leads me to believe that I have a problem. My behaviour when I am out drinking and the aftermath and how I feel about myself lead me to believe that I have a problem...and yet...those things are only true about every couple of months.
And yet... I still have that nagging doubt that going to AA etc is over exaggerating things, that so what if I go out once every so often and get off my head...let's face it, most people I work with do... do I want to give up enjoying a glass of wine with friends over dinner ( and yes I can usually stop after a couple if there is no option presented to keep going).
I know that these questions can only really be answered by myself, but I would be really interested to hear if anyone else had similar drinking patterns...
I have a friend in a similar situation - her partner thinks that she is over reacting by stopping all together, although she has been in some really dire situations (hospital etc)when drunk...but it only happens every 6 months or so.
Is binging and then not drinking much for a while or 'socially' quite common amongst AA members?
First off, at the risk of sounding flippant I'll tell you what a very wise lady told me when I asked a similar question in a similar fashion: people without a care in the world don't have this conversation.
I'm right there with you though- really. I spent five heinous years coming up with every excuse in the world why I shouldn't go to AA. What a drag that was. I think for me the two biggest reasons were a) admitting I was human and fallible and needed to ask someone for help and b) I worried that people would see me coming and going to and from meetings and judge me harshly for it. The funny thing (funny "uh-oh" not funny "ha-ha") was that I was perfectly OK with people seeing me drunk and out of control and stumbling and loud and obnoxious- but god forbid anyone see me going to AA.
Alcohol does funny things to your judgement- even when you're not drunk. Now after getting a fresh stretch of not drinking under me a part of me just has a hard time believing that I ever had trouble with the not drinking decision. But part of me wants to go get a twelve pack at the end of the day and so that helps keep me on my toes.
I used to be able to drink just a couple, but when I did quit after two I was always thinking about a couple more. Always. And then at some point I just quit caring and drank til I passed out every night for a few years. And then I guess I got tired of it and one day I just admitted that I wasn't doingit so well onmy own and I went to some meetings.
And believe it or not, with the meetings I really can do it on my own. Well kinda onmy own. ;)
i had a similar drinking pattern....i just could never tell when disaster would happen. i could go for awhile, drink with friends, behave myself, have fun ,all good, but once in awhile on a complete unpredictable base KABOOM out of control and crazy girl. it got worse, please dont wait for that...go to some meetings, you will know pretty quick if you belong there. it doesnt hurt to check it out.
Sally, I'm a binge drinker as well. And yes, there were times I could just have a couple and stop if I knew I was in a situation where I didn't need to get drunk. For instance being at my mom's and having a couple of margaritas, when hardly anyone else was drinking, so I stopped at 2. I'd go months without a drink. I'm sure I'd even gone a year before another binge before. But the way I drank when I did drink, told me I was an alcoholic. My binges got worse and longer over time. I had a 2 month binge, although I was a functioning alcoholic. I could do what I needed to all day, come home and drink at night, drink a beer the next morning to cure the hangover, and go to work or whatever. I had no control over my drinking, I drank until I got sick or passed out. Normal people don't do that. After I was in AA, I started wondering if I could control it if I wanted to, I'd never tried to control it really. Normal people don't even have to wonder that. I tried it out and I couldn't control it. I was only going to have a couple of beers, I drank the whole 6 pack and went on about a 4 or 5 day binge.
I have to wonder now at 5 months sober, if I don't have the cravings now because my HP took them away like I asked, or if it's just because I'm a binge drinker and I've gone this long without drinking before... I worry the cravings will come again, surely they will eventually. In a way it was harder getting sober being a binge drinker... 1 month sober didn't mean much, because I'd gone that long without drinking before... it didn't really hit me that I was doing something good until I got about 2 months sober... and now here I am 5 months sober and it feels like a really big accomplishment, because I know there were many times I couldn't go 5 months without drinking.
Anyway, I'll stop my rambling, just wanted to share my experience on this...
