Alcohol - want to cut down

[WillyB]

Hi there, this is going to be a bit of a rant, i just feel i need to write it down.

Im a fairly heavy drinker when it comes to it. I only drink lager and I drink lots of it once every week or 2. I dont end up drunk as quick as other people, and once i start drinking i think to myself ill only have a few more, but i end up drinking all night, pint after pint until i literally cant fit any more in me and begin to hate it. Sometimes this still wont get me drunk, but ill feel like rubbish and will suffer a lot the next day. Last night I did the same as ive written above. My mate accidentally covered me in lager, i was annoyed but forgave him, he's my mate. Later on i take a sip of my pint and some guy dancing around knocks even more lager over me. I was very annoyed, once again i was soaking and ended up having a go at him. He accused me of being too drunk and should hold my pint with two hands. Then my mates come over and tell me to calm down. This annoyed me even more because it made me feel i was in the wrong (i probably was but the combination of alcohol and frustration set me off).

ANYWAY what im getting at here is i think i have a problem with my drinking. I dont consider myself an alcoholic, i dont drink on my own, only with mates at the pub. If i go to the pub ill often have 4 pints then go home on a 'light' night. A heavy night perhaps as much as 10 pints. I have a beer belly, weighting at 11.5 stone and im unhealthy. My problem is i just drink way too much trying to get drunk and have a good time, which usually doesnt happen. I would much rather i drink much less and dont get drunk and suffer the consequences. I just cant stop once i start, i rely on alcohol to get me through social situations, i have social anxiety, intrusive thoughts, i was on anti-depressants.

Drink is screwing me up, but i cant seem to stop, i need to cut down how much i drink, save money, save my health, stop hangovers and their terrible anxiety and possibly save my friendships.

Would anyone care to share their thoughts and advice?

Thank you

[kibbutz83]

Hiya, it sounds to me like you already have your answer... you just need to want to stop the self-destructive behaviour... The only way I stopped was when I stopped going out with certain "friends"... maybe you need to remove yourself from the temptation? As you know, only you can do it :) Good luck

[Anxious_gal]

you don't need to drink ever day to have a problem.
Alcoholics don't start off as alcoholics, they can start off having the odd glass of wine with dinner, maybe a beer after a stressful day at work, then gradually they find them selves drink every night or having a bottle of wine instead of just a glass, they find them selves looking forward t their drink or craving it.
once the alcohol addiction is made in your brain theirs no going back to just the one drink,its like smoking once you stop if you have one fag eventually that leads to a full box.
at the moment it seems that you can't control you drinking, like you have good intentions but then end up drinking too much.
You may never become addicted, but you really need to know the warning signs :)
No one decides to get addicted to drink it just sorta sneaks up on you.
maybe try an AA meeting?

[WillyB]

Hi, thanks for the responses. I just cant see myself being an alcoholic, i hate the idea of drinking all the time, just doesnt appeal to me. I think my problem is relying on the alcohol too much in social situations, i NEED to have something in my hand, something to sup and keep me occupied. Like you say though, it might sneak up, who knows perhaps i am or will become one. But right now I dont think i am.

I think if i can prove to myself that i can cut down ill be happy. I enjoy Lager, and dont want to stop drinking. What im scared of is actually completely stopping. I dont want to abuse alcohol, i just want to enjoy it and stop this binging. Being a student doesnt help!

[LauraSmith27]

Could you drink shandies instead? Or alternate between lagers and non-alcoholic drinks. This will cut down the amount you drink, but you'll still have the distraction of a drink in your hand.

[Rain]

Hi Willy,

I’m sorry you are feeling down about things lately. Have you ever thought that alcohol might be making you depressed? Or that it at least may be contributing to your depression?

You are a young guy, at university and in our country there is a big culture of heavy drinking, especially amongst people of your age. It is a good thing that you have started to ask yourself questions about your drinking at this early stage. At least you are not blindly carrying on, immune to the dangers.

Drinking ten pints of lager in one session is definitely doing harm to your body. And as you have found out, the resulting hangover greatly amplifies an already anxious state. Alcohol is a depressant and while you might lose your inhibitions and feel elated for a short time, the overall result of drinking is to depress.

You said you just can’t see yourself as an alcoholic. I’m sure most people who end up that way never envisaged themselves fitting that label either. An alcoholic is not always someone who is a down and out, swigging from a bottle sitting in the gutter. Alcoholics are people who have lost their ability to control their drinking; people who have become dependent on alcohol. It can happen to anyone and the slippery slope begins with heavy drinking.

In your last post you said ‘I struggle in social situations, I end up drinking a lot of alcohol to survive being around people and be more sociable.’ This is very common amongst people with social anxiety. Have you thought of maybe trying to be involved in social recreational activities that don’t involve drinking? Maybe you could try to think along the lines of some sporting activities. There are other ways of having a good time and making friends without going to the pub.

If you have a beer belly now, can you imagine how unfit you will be in 10 years time if you don’t address things now? I think the key is to be aware of how much you are drinking and to consciously do something about it. You are still young enough to turn things around become a much healthier person. You might just find you become a whole lot happier as well without a depressant swilling around in your system all the time.

[WillyB]

Thanks Rain, you make some excellent points. Especially the 10 years later thing, never really thought about that. Booze is definitely making me more depressed, and every time i wake up with a terrible hangover and severe anxiety i say ' Never again!', yet a week later im saying the same thing.

Ive joined a site called My Drink Aware, it monitors your drinking, how much its costing you, how much weight its adding to you and how damaging it is currently being to you. Visually seeing these facts and numbers seems to get through to me a lot more.

http://my.drinkaware.co.uk


Thanks everyone !