Lorax2719

I'm a binge drinker. I can go all week without any alcohol - I don't get the shakes or the tremors or anything, but the minute I have a beer on the weekend, it all goes to hell.

I can't just have a couple - I drink until I pass out. And then I feel like crap, physically and emotionally.

I have depression, anxiety, and other issues and it just makes them worse.

Sometimes I get mad and yell at the people who care about me and feel awful about it. I can say the most hurtful things.

Does anyone else have a problem with binge drinking? Where can I get help?

doggonecarl

This is a great place to start. So is face-to-face support where you are at.

I didn't consider myself a binge drinker. I drank daily. Just some days I drank more than others.

But binge drinking seems a common problem. If you haven't already browsed the threads in the newcomer's section, pop over, read, and introduce yourself.

Newcomers to Recovery - SoberRecovery : Alcoholism Drug Addiction Help and Information

janiebluebird

I'm a weekend binge drinker. I went off of it for over a month and then caved this past Saturday. I threw up Saturday night, was dry heaving in the morning on Sunday. Its just disgusting and no way to live- even if its just for the weekends. The weeks I had off I was more productive than ever. I look great in the pictures from Saturday due to my prior month of health, exercise, and taking care of myself. It takes more of a toll than you think, binge drinking on the weekends. The longer I was going without alcohol, the better my mind and body were feeling. I am upset that I am starting over, but I am not going to make the same mistakes again. I now know that I have to reach out for more support, that I can't do this alone. I think it also helps when you start to hate it more than you love it. Good luck.

Scolova

There are tons of people here (sober & still struggling) in the same boat. I started out binge drinking, drunken party-style binge drinking and that became the only way for me to do it. I was never able to do the 'all day' thing nor just have a few in a casual setting. I am a few months from turning 41, I'm very close to 6 months sober and do not regret quitting one bit... been a huge life changer for me. I think the first 90 days of sobriety are very important in taking control of your mind again, finding things to occupy your 'old' drinking time and breaking the cycle, the rest has been relatively easy. Stick around here and\or attend some meetings in your area, but get clean and sober for good, do it for yourself and don't look back.

PaperDolls

I'm a binge drinking alcoholic so I get it.

I used the fact that I wasn't drinking daily as an excuse to keep doing what I was doing. After all, a real alcoholic sleeps on a bench in the park drinking out of a brown paper bag, right?

Fact is, as you said, the minute I have a beer on the weekend, it all goes to hell, yet I kept on doing it. I call that insanity. I spent somewhere around 15 years doing that. I wasn't able to stop without help. Face-to-face support is what's helped me the most.

Since I quit drinking, I can see how my binge drinking was changing, progressing ..... I was well on the path to daily drinking. My binges used to be just Friday night, then Friday and Saturday night .... in the end, my last binge lasted about 4 or 5 days (I can't really remember).

You're in the right place.

midgetcop

Welcome Lorax.

I was a binge drinker as well. I drank maybe 3-4 days of the week, and usually until I was downright drunk and/or blacked out. The next mornings were the worst - I'd be a physical and emotional wreck. I drank like this for at least 10+ years. There came a point where my tolerance began to go down and I would black out more often. The physical ramifications were taking their toll, and I became increasingly aware that my body was deteriorating.

Although I had a few false starts, I eventually stopped with the assistance of an addiction counsellor. I tried AA a few years back but it wasn't really for me, and I'm happy with my current recovery method thus far. I've also found that lurking and posting here in these forums keeps my resolve strong. Whatever works, works.

Would you be willing to check out a local AA meeting? Are there any other local resources for alcohol and addiction?

Lorax2719

Wow, thanks for all the responses! I appreciate it. I'm glad I found a place that I can talk about it.

I started drinking in my early 20s in college - it was the thing to do.

I just got out of a four-year relationship with someone i still care for very much, but we'd grown apart and both decided to end it. i've been drinking a little less than usual, but of course this past weekend was st. patrick's day.

the hardest is just being at home alone you know? it makes me miss him so much more.

I drink substantially less now than I did in college and my early 20s, but i still want to reduce if not stop all together. Can you be an alcoholic without being the drunk person on the bench? My parents both had issues with it and my mom is pretty abusive. I don't want to get in that situation. Definitely not if I have kids.

I want to remember what made me happy before I got wasted every weekend.

Suggestions for activities other than drinking? I like to read and exercise - what else do people do to stay busy?

I'm afraid I'll lose all my friends if I stop drinking and then I'll be even more alone. Does anyone else ever feel that way?

midgetcop

Activities to keep me busy? Well, I stay physically active, nurture old hobbies that I've always loved but used to push aside to drink instead. Think back Lorax - what *did* make you happy before booze entered the picture?

A word of caution though - keeping busy just to mask the alcohol obsession will only work for so long. What will you do during your down time? Will you be tempted to drink out of boredom? You may need a more permanent solution than simply distracting yourself.

As for friends....yeah, I've had a few drop off the face of the planet since I've gotten sober. But they certainly weren't great friends to begin with, and I don't overly mourn their loss.

PaperDolls

I ended up with no friends and I hated myself...... my new activity because AA. It saved my life.

Lorax2719

I don't remember what I'm passionate about and I don't know who i am. I don't just want to stay busy. I want to relearn how to live my life and enjoy the little things. Alcohol helped me stop worrying so much and be less self-conscious, but I feel like the past 7 years I've just been the worst version of myself.

midgetcop

I had a hard time figuring out who I was too. I'm only 5 months in, so I'm still working on it! You don't have to be passionate about anything right away. Is there anything that you used to do? Play a certain sport, musical instrument? Is there anything you've always WANTED to do or try?

I can only speak for my own experience, but I began to notice and appreciate "the little things" after a few weeks sober. I learned to become much more "in the moment", in a somewhat buddhist fashion. It took some self-reflection, some conversing with my therapist, and a bit of reading, but I'm slowly getting there. It wouldn't have been possible if I were still bingeing or trying to moderate.

So how about it? Do you want to free yourself from this burden?

johnny2times

Hi lorax, your alcoholic...wanna know how i know that? because i was exactly the same as you, yeah i used to call myself a binge drinker too, and i can identify with everything you have described, from the way you drank to your mental health issues to the way you react with people when drunk, awful isnt it? that feeling the next day when you wake up and think 'omg what have i said/done now' :/ ive lost more friends from that than i care to mention, i was virtually shunned by everyone i knew, even family members, and i would hate myself for it, hate myself so much that slowly but surely my binge drinking at weekends became everyday, to forget and to change the way i feel, things get a whole lot worse from there, i ended up in a very dark place, alone , isolating and drinking myself to death...dont end up where i did mate...its a grim existance, and it very nearly killed me!
its a good thing is you've spotted it early, get out now mate, while you still can! you can stop and change your life for the better , theres some short stories in the back of the big book of AA about people who caught it early, read them ...if they sound familiar to you and you can identify, then you've just diagnosed yourself alcoholic, accept it and be willing to learn a new way of life in sobriety, its a great way to live...you'll make great frienships and you'll start to feel very good about yourself very soon, without the need for alcohol...alcohol is poison for the likes of me and you my friend...it poisons the quality of our lives...

PaperDolls

AA helped me do that. Are you willing to check it out?

Wookie85

i'm a binge drinking alcoholic with 5 months sober and my quality of life has improved drastically since I stopped drinking. It has been a challenge to adapt but I'm in great physical shape and I feel a lot better emotionally. I've also found that I haven't lost too many friends since I got sober, at least in comparision to the number of friends I lost as a result of my drinking. There are a few older drinking buddies that I avoid but other than that it hasn't been a huge issue.

Pigtails

I was a binge drinker and at first only on weekends but then as circumstances in my life got worse, I found any excuse I could to binge drink, and was binge drinking pretty much every day. It spiraled way out of control and I didn't know how to cope without alcohol. I too have (had) anxiety and depression and alcohol just made those problems even more compound. Don't let it get as bad for yourself as it did for me... I agree that AA is a great place that can help you! So is SR. Best wishes.

GrinningSoul

I took a combination of many drugs including alcohol for years. Although alcohol was perhaps my least favourite high it was also the most devastating. Unlike other drugs I 'only' used every so often. But when I did, it was an utter disaster.

I would drink until I blacked out, land myself in hospital, would be promiscuous, did very dangerous things, spend all my money, get into fights, tried heroin and crack cocaine with prostitutes and various down and outs, stole off people, and turned into an absloute nightmarish mess.

I always got the urge to do very destructive things when drunk. I hate that stuff as much as any drug I have taken. I hate the stuff with a passion.

AccessAw

I only binge 1 day a week but drink till I pass out what a waste of life to keep doing this.

Nextchapter

I binged last weekend ... Fri. night, Sat. night and Sunday afternoon. I am so disappointed in myself but can't seem to stop the downward spiral again. I was going so good!

sunandrain

I too am a binge drinker, but it's taken me so long to realise I have a problem because of many factors. Saturday night I did something bad and it made me realise that I cannot and will NEVER be able to control alcohol, because it controls me. I can't believe it's taken me this long to realise binge drinking IS a PROBLEM.

waw545

Been quit binge drinking now for a while dont drink alcohol no more could not keep my drivers license and stayed in trouble thats enough to make you think is it worth it no I dont think so.