Holds1325

Not getting too serious here but with the upcoming labor day holiday, wondering if anyone else had any bad experiences with being a lousy drunk on a holiday,

One of my worst was Christmas a couple years ago. I was already on one of my lets quit for the holiday plans which I obviously failed. However this failure occurred on Christmas eve. I decided eh its the holidays how about a 6 pack! Well you know us alkys that usually turns to about twice or three times that,

Anyway I got so drunk that the next morning I felt utterly horrible. I couldnt watch my kids open their presents cause I was on the toilet all morning, couldnt enjoy any family time because I felt like dying. My wife slaved in the kitchen on a very good meal, her first ever cooking one by herself and I couldnt enjoy anything except feeling like death in my bed that whole day and the next few days too. Did that stop me? nope, I just thought hey ill drink less! Did that work? big NOPE on that one too,

Whats ur stories?

Hey good on us for staying sober this holiday, it'll be my first in years!

Dee74

Worst drunken Holiday? All of them, Holds....

I really enjoy everything now. I know you will too

D

zjw

yeah i was hammered on all of them.

what is interesting tho is after holidays when i go out now a days for a run the next morning and the sun shines and i'm feeling totally great and i see my neighbors stumble out to get there paper or something after the hevy night of drinking and they look like hell and I just think i'm so glad thats not me anymore.

zjw

or how about hearing others talk about how hungover and wasted they where the next morning and they felt like death and that was some party and oh it was so fun rarara. and I'm like yeah I went for a 10 mile run the following morning . theres a better way to live.

booze really robs you.

kittycat3

I remember one thanksgiving I made a turkey, my first one. For some reason everyone left very early and I was in the house alone. I was freshly separated prior to an eventual divorce. I opened up a bottle of wine and drank the whole thing, got sappy drunk all alone. Was dancing and singing to some melancholy music, out of control. How depressing that I poured the booze all on top of the emotional pain I was already experiencing! Woke up with a nasty hangover too. Glad I'll never be there again!

ScottFromWI

I have realized over time that I was pretty much the only one who was drunk over most of the holidays. Sure other people were drinking ( and still do ) but they really don't drink that much, I was the one sneaking drinks, drinking in the garage, hiding a 12 pack somewhere I could always get at it, etc.

Austin4Wyo

I did, in all actuality, manage my drinking during the holidays. I only drank when I was conscious.

Ajax

How about the Christmas that I spent at my parents with my husband and 4 little kids,(the littlest being 3 months old). My husband and I agreed I wouldn't drink, so I spiked all of my drinks until it was obvious I was plastered.

We drove home in silence. My husband put the kids to bed and I went to take a bath. I was so disgusted with myself. I got out, went and said good night to each child and asked the oldest who was six if he would help his dad in the morning . He asked if I was sick. I said I was and he said he would. I went back to my bathroom and took an overdose.

That was 13 and a half years ago. I entered the hospital that night and transferred to rehab. It saved my life and I've been sober ever since. Not a great holiday memory but perhaps the most important.

Thanks for bringing it up.

Venecia

Thank you, Ajax, for being here.

JeffreyAK

All holidays were bad towards the end, but the last memorable bad one was July 4th weekend, 2010. I was supposed to go camping with my wife and friends (and their little daughter who adores me...), but the night before I got so drunk that I couldn't go and had to back out at the last minute, which was typical of my unreliable flaky impulsive behavior at the time. So they all went off without me, and I felt awful and was left alone, so you can guess what I did non-stop for 3 days straight. The fourth day my wife was back and I asked her to call my EAP at work and tell them I was going on indefinite medical leave, and the day after that I did my first medical outpatient program intake. Thus started the path that eventually led to me quitting for good.

GnikNus

All holidays were an excuse to drink heavily. None really stand out as more horrible than my other worst drinking moments during the year, but I do remember some Christmases were rough- but Christmas is my birthday, so I'd rationalize a "celebration/ hair of the dog" deal.
Holidays were generally spent in a drinking haze- with little remembered and recalled. Just a wash of impressionistic sketches.


Luckily nothing major or embarrassing- just years worth of Holidays I could have enjoyed much more if I were sober.

gaffo

I remember being at so many fantastic restaurants, with someone else paying, totally hungover. What a waste!

I've recounted this here many times, I dried out for the month of December a couple of times, trying to manage my seasonal depression issues and it made Christmas really awful. Now I know, if I'd only started in October it would have been so much better. The first month is the worst part of recovery!

This next Xmas will be my fifth one sober and I know that it will be the best one yet. Was depression mostly alcohol induced? Or was alcohol just a terrible tool for dealing with it? Both!

Now I love being on vacation with my kids, I love not having to step out to drink or smoke pot. They get all of me, and I remember every minute.

Holds1325

I remember the restaurants too, so many great ones with such great food. I remember once I was soooo hungover I had that death nausea you know the type where you feel like the next vomit is your last. Anyway that evening I got taken to a great steak house and could not eat a single thing I ordered and it just got wasted!

One great idea is to try and go enjoy those restaurants again now that we are sober, I might have to do that in the upcoming weeks, thanks for reminding me!

zjw

Christmas is still a tough one for depression for me. Growing up i was told most people kill themselvs around the holidays because its so depressing. I never understood that.

Fast forward I have a wife and 6 kids. Everyone has big expectations for the holiday I have try and provide this fantasy (or so I'm dillusional enough to think) so I try to keep up with the spend-o-thon that we have managed to turn this holiday into and i very quickly get very depressed. Every year since I sobered up I have sometimes wanted to go back to drinking in order to numb the fact that I've failed again to provide for my wife and kids as I simply do not have the financial means to do what some can etc..

Generally I pick myself up dust myself off and put theblinders on and tell myself not to believe any of this negative stuff as its not what hte holidays about. By december 26th I feel great again.

But I do now understand why so many folks wanna eat a bullet around the holidays. Its depressing to watch it all transpire and feel like you cant do liek the next guy etc.. like your somehow going to let everyone down etc...

And i've had a job and such theres others in worst situation. Ya know the guy who gets laid off on dec 15th or something *sigh*.

bigsombrero

Did someone say Thanksgiving? Well, this isn't about Thanksgiving, but I went "cold turkey" on Christmas Eve about 5 years ago. I was depressed as hell and just needed to get back to normal with my family. Instead I had a withdrawal seizure while we were opening presents and was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance. Nothing normal about that. It was my first ambulance ride, but unfortunately not my last.

Fast forward a few years: last Christmas I was down in Costa Rica sober, enjoying a homemade dinner with some international friends. Went to bed early and got up and went for a bike ride and a swim in the Caribbean. Survey says? Sober holidays are much, much better than drunk ones. Congrats on your first one in a while! Stay away from the drinking crowd, and if needed just leave and go to bed early. You don't have anything to prove. Stick up for your sobriety first and foremost, and you'll be okay. Enjoy.