New here
Just wanted to introduce myself. I'm in my early 40's and haven't drank in 8 weeks.
Red wine was my beverage of choice and I would drink 1-3 bottles of wine a week. The weekly frequency fluctuated, but sometimes I would do half the bottle during the week and a whole bottle or two on the weekend.
I guess that would classify me as a binge drinker.
I've known I should stop for a while, and did stop for 2.5 months early last year and also for a month before the summer. Each time I felt good and had no major side effects other than a few cravings.
Fast forward to August and a three week vacation. Feeling the effects of work stress, I was drinking 3-4 bottles a week during that period.
I planned on stopping again in September and a few days after stopping I had a major panic attack that scared the heck out of me.
I've had them before in the past, but this time the anxiety and panic lingered for almost 2 months. At the time I didn't know about this site and withdrawal symptoms.
The anxiety was horrible. I had terrible thoughts and thought I was going crazy! I couldn't sleep, eat, and lost 10 lbs and tried to hide it as best as I could at work.
I did drink a bit (no whole bottles) to "take the edge off" but stopped in mid November after doing some reading and finding this site. I felt better knowing that I wasn't losing my mind.
I also visited different doctor and had blood work to figure out what was wrong with me and did find I have a fatty liver.
I am relieved to learn that I should be able to reverse it if I stop drinking. The crazy part is that my liver enzymes were normal but later found my ferritin levels were elevated.
While I knew I should quit drinking I was shocked and a bit scared to learn I was starting to hurt my body. I figured me quitting would be a proactive thing.
With that being said I feel good today. I do have questions about some lingering physical issues, but will post in a different thread.
I appreciate all the advice on this site. It has made me feel that I am not alone. I have also learned that I can't view wine as I have in the past, and have to have a plan to succeed moving forward.
One of my favorite quotes is from Wayne Dyer, "when you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change."
I'm nervous about the thoughts of never drinking again but I look forward to this new experience.
Thanks again!