BackToSquareOne

What type of drinker were you? In looking back at my drinking history I think I totally skipped the social drinking phase. When I drank it was always to excess and was always punctuated by periods of sobriety.

The fact that I could quit for periods of time that varied from weeks, months, to the better part of a year led me to believe that I didn't have a major problem. After each binge the resolve to stop was always the same, I said the words "Never Again" so many times over the years that I lost count.

The other variety of alcoholic, the steady drinker abuses alcohol on a more regular basis. I have known many people who fit into this catagory. I'm not really sure which type is worse, any opinions?

Supercrew

Well for the first 23 years of my drinking career I was the binge drinker that you described first, the last 4 years I was a steady binge drinker who drank 5 out of 7 days a week heavy, then binged even worse on weekends. I basically progressed because I had more free time and more money.

The problem with being the first type of binge drinker was that I never really thought I had a alcohol problem. I could stop for periods of time and it seemed to me I was just like everyone I hung out with. When I became the second type of drinker it became pretty apparent that I had a problem.

newwings

I did both...maintenance drinking of a bottle of white wine every night...on Friday/Saturday nights, or on a girls' nights out - that - plus probably a second bottle. What a waste of time.

polaris

Honest answer? I AM an EPIC binge drinker, and could ofcourse elaborate on that so much.

Im not an everday drinker, so "Im not that bad" it doesnt make it a wise decision. My main trigger is boredom, and my life is about to dramatically soon and being bored and having too much time on my hands wont be such a big issue anymore.

I still know the most wise decision would be to absolve of it completely, and I always continue to contemplate that.

polaris

I use it as an excuse to over indulge while I still have the luxury, and I understand that probably isnt sane (in this regard) people thinking.

simplyfab

I started as a "social drinker" in my teenage years. Drinking on the weekends or whenever we got together for a goodtime.
On some level, I always knew I liked alcohol and its effects a little differently than most people.
I was the one who drank until there was nothing left. I was the one who drank, not to relax or "take the edge off", but to get drunk.
I never knew what it meant to have a couple and just stop.
Then I became the ultimate binge drinker and would go 7-8 days w/ straight drinking. The first thing I did when I woke up and the last thing I did before I passed out. Then not drink for about a week or so.

Maybe it was because its what I went through, but to me, binge drinking is worse.
Actually, scratch that. No one way is worse or better.
They both lead down the same path in the end....the road to misery.

NobleCause

I was a two speed drinker: maintenance & binge. My maintenance baseline was just enough to keep the beast fed - about 1/2 a fifth of scotch or vodka, daily, with binges arising on weekends and/or whenever else mood or circumstance inspired one. There seemed a direct correlation between how long a binge lasted and how much time would pass before the next.

BackToSquareOne

That never would have worked for me Newwings, I was always the "All or nothing at all" type of drinker. One bottle of white wine would just light the fuse, I'd want more and it would turn into a binge.

oak

I was never a social or moderate drinker. I was a binge drinker, then stopped for many years. Now in the past year, I have relapsed a few times- binge drinking on the first relapse and everyday drinking on the second relapse. The part of me that wants to drink wants to get drunk everyday. I also tended to drink as fast as possible; I don't like the taste.

I really have not had tons of alcohol, but alcohol becomes my priority (above family, friends, career, etc.) when I drink.

Dee74

I progressed from binge drinker to everyday drinker over 20 years.

Neither was better than the other for me IMO - just two plot points on the same dark curve...

D

newwings

Yeah, that's how I kidded myself for many, many years about my alcoholism. My maintenance drinking seemed totally legit and doable..until awful things started happening. It took forever to put it all together and realize that I didn't have to be blacking out every night to be in a right old mess - my life was falling apart at the seams, as well as myself. Thank goodness I joined SR and saw I wasn't alone.

SomethingBetter

I started as a binge weekend drinker, in the end it was every night to excess.

In the beginning alcohol was like a super power, in the end alcohol was like cryptynite, crippling even my basic tasks.

MattM316

I was both. I'd drink consistently on a daily basis and then about two or three times a week would get quite drunk with it.

WritingFromLife

Binge drinking (cramming as much alcohol into one sitting as you can), benders (drink everyday for weeks then have "binge" sobriety"), or drinking daily are all rotten.

BackToSquareOne

"Binge Sobriety", I like that. I guess what I'm calling binge drinking could more accurately be described as mini-benders punctuated by periods of sobriety.

jamdls

I was not an every day drinker, I did most of my drinking on the weekends, I never drank 2 days in a row (hangovers were too horrendous) so I "wasn't that bad"... but my drinking still led me to an almost successful suicide attempt that I don't even remember.

AmericanGirl

I relate to those who did steady and binge. I drank every evening about 4-7 units and then sometimes on weekends or a random weeknight I would drink 8-12 or so. Only rarely did I take a day off and when I took several days off I was much more likely to have a big binge as soon as I drank again.

Reed22

Hi all,

I'm new here. Just saw this thread and it strikes sooo many chords...

I'm the kind of drinker who can string together some time between drinking. I call what I do "the cycle" and it's basically a week, it goes like this:

No drinking during the week! - of course the week is Monday - Wednesday... this was usually not too difficult seeing as I am running on the steam of depression and self loathing at the previous weekend's drinking, plus being hungover at least through monday.
By Wednesday afternoon I am starting to feel pretty good - productive, can think, more confident.. so good in fact that I am ready to "relax" a bit and reward myself.
Then Thurs - Sunday is drinking, always a bit more than anyone else knows I'm having, and always until I go to sleep.

Then over again...

Bikeguy

I started out as a social drinker in high school and early college, I soon graduated to binge drinking in college and not long after that daily drinking. The daily drinking would usually start at 5pm on week days 2pm on weekends, this went on for years until I finally reached the point where I needed to drink during the day to keep withdrawal at bay. What a waste of time and money....Ugh.

JoeCree

I never binged during college, etc... In fact never really drank much at all. Started to drink a ton when I quit smoking, to th epoint where I was drinking every day. Usually it would be only 3-4 glasses of wine everyday and more on weekends.

When I knew I had a problem was when I'd try to take a day off, and it was "difficult". Also, I maintained a high power of not going too far. In other words, I would only have 3-4 glasses a night, but if my wife or kids weren't around I could knock back a lot more.

When I quit, I found how amazing it was to simply live each day not worrying about when I could have my next glass, or have I had too much. Live is much simpler right now - things have vastly improved - yes I am still a little nervous for "missing out" on summer BBQs etc.... but I figure it is a small price to pay. Also, I have lots of frineds who do NOT believe that I had a drinking problem and for the life of them cannot understand why I am doing what I am doing. They think it is a phase and it drives me nuts.