Originally Posted by
MrBen 
Hi, I guess the first thing to do is to introduce myself and share my story. I'm 22. I've been an alcoholic for about three years, I drank before that (it's common in the UK for teenagers to drink regularly from about 14), but barely, in fact I didn't drink anywhere near what my friends did.
Then I had a break up and started getting panic attacks, the only thing that would calm me down was drinking and I hit the bottle extremely hard right away. I've gone from a 4 pack to around 20 beers a day every night. When I have a "big" night, I can go up to 40 without a problem.
Given that your drinking has been this heavy, I highly recommend you go see your doctor for help with detoxing. Also, since you started to use alcohol to calm you down from panic attacks, it might be wise to get some help from a mental health professional to get rid of this underlying cause. You can discuss this with your doc as well.
Originally Posted by
MrBen Around six months ago I went to the hospital because I thought I had thrown up blood, I had passed out and forgot about the wine I was drinking. My tests all came back fine, I was amazed, the doctors said there was nothing wrong with me. Instead of seeking help, I saw this as a free pass and carried on.
At 22, still being in good health after all this doesn't surprise me. But if you keep drinking this much, it will very likely get sick from it. Possibly very sick.
Originally Posted by
MrBen This was until three days ago when I told my girlfriend that I was going to get more beer and she started crying, I had no idea what I was doing to her. In these 3 years I have put on around 40 pounds, dropped out of university and have only got a job a few months ago: writing from home, so I can get drunk all day at work.
Even though you are still healthy, your life is already falling apart. It's time to quit before it gets worse. And especially before you get sick.
Originally Posted by
MrBen I look terrible, I've noticed when I buy beer the guy behind the till often takes a while checking my ID: the picture on it was 4 years ago when I was sober
I feel for you. That's no way to go through life.
Originally Posted by
MrBen I've steadily cut down on my beers until I've felt comfortable today in not having beer at all. My main problem is every single one of my friends drinks, heavily. So does all my family.
Then you'll be the only one who doesn't. Just because others drink, doesn't mean you have to. The real problem isn't the drinking I think. It's not having fun without, right? Well, you can in fact have fun without drinking, a lot of people do it. You just have to get it out of your system first.
Originally Posted by
MrBen Did you lose your friends when you quit drinking?
The opposite. I isolated myself because of the drinking. Now I'm beginning to open up to people again.
Btw, if necessary, get new friends. You're on a road to destruction and you might have to choose between yourself and your friends.
Originally Posted by
MrBen How did you go about explaining why you're not drinking?
That wasn't an issue for me since people didn't really know. But imagining your situation, I'd just say that I didn't like it anymore.
Originally Posted by
MrBen How do you deal with the boredom? (one of the main reasons I drink)
The boredom will go away after getting used to being sober. And maybe finding new things to do that don't involve alcohol might help.
For me, there were certain things that I thought I could only enjoy drunk. Now I can enjoy them even more sober, and I'm only 2 weeks sober.
Originally Posted by
MrBen What can I expect from the recovery process, as in, is there a certain time frame to feeling "normal" again?
Varies from person to person. Really can't say much about it. Your doctor might be able to answer that though.
Originally Posted by
MrBen Sorry for the long post. I appreciate any feedback you can give
No problem at all. Glad that you're here and are determined to quit.
In the end it's about two options: an alcoholic life that keeps falling apart more and more until... possibly even death. Or a sober life that can be very good.
If you can't imagine life being fun without alcohol, you're completely mistaken. It can be even more fun.
Good luck man, keep posting if you need help!
J.