Sudz No More

I think at my lowest point it had to be my pedestrian days living in Philly. I had various ways of obtaining Alcohol and some were more nuts than others.

I would wear a backpack to the store and break open the 30 pack on the floor of the store or right outside LOL. While everyone gawked, I would pack the back pack just right to avoid breaking my precious cargo and then off I would go. The guys working the counter would sometimes try to help me and then get rid of my trash. Ever try to get on a bike with a 30 pack on your back?

When I got tired of feeling embarrassed doing that I graduated to the walk and duffle. I found a beer store that I could get to by walking alongside the freight train tracks. It kept me away from the majority of onlookers but it was a long walk. I would carry two dufflebags and load each one with a 30 pack. I would quick put the beer in the bags right near the back of the store to be less obvious and then lug them about one mile home on each shoulder. When I discovered I could fit two in one bag I decided to buy three once. I had to stop to rest many times on that trip and vowed to never buy that many again. Instead, I started supplementing my beer habit with cheap vodka. An easy grab on the way home any day.

What a mess.

CarolD

Well....
I had no problem finding a drink...

All my social circle were excessive drinkers
Many liquor stores deliver in D.C.
I worked for years in the hospitality Industry

On the flip side....
I also had no problem finding AA

Supercrew

If I would have put in the time and effort that I put into getting, sneaking, planning, and drinking booze into a business venture I would be a very very rich man. I have drank in the ocean and on the mountain, in the snow in below freezing temps, in the desert in temps exceeding 115, I have toted my booze and my beer for miles upon miles on foot, on bike on boat on board and on skis. There is no place I wouldn't take it and there was no place I couldn't get it.

Just to give an example, about 5 months ago I went out drinking with some friends and got home early, I was drunk, my wife was leaving and knew I was out of booze in the house. She took my keys, and the spare, my wallet and all my change and my phone with her so I could not get anymore. I live about 5 miles to the nearest liquor store.

So at 8PM I put on the running shoes, told my son that I was taking the dog for a walk, walked all of the way to the liquor store, which closed at 9PM, so I basically ran, went in and realized that the owner was not working, so had the employee call the owner to establish me a line of credit, He agreed and I walked 5 miles home with a 30 pack of Lite, and a 1.75L bottle of vodka. I was determined to drink, and nothing was gonna stop me until I decided to stop me.

LexieCat

LOL, Supercrew, you are a drunk after my own heart.

I had a healthy terror of getting a DWI, so I was constantly monitoring my supplies for the weekend, since I wouldn't be sober after 8 am. I remember carefull rotating my stores so the clerks wouldn't think I was some kind of drunk, lol.

Travelling was always a challenge, too--especially visiting my kids at Christmas. I have a friendly enough relationship with my ex and his wife that I stay at their house on the holidays with the kids. I always kept plastic pint bottles for traveling. I hid my drinking at their house, as the ex was in AA, and I was ashamed of my drinking. I'd hide the big bottles and pour them into the pint bottles, hiding my drinks in the garage where I'd go out to smoke.

Man, being an active alcoholic is a lot of WORK.

loveon2legs

I always found a way to get alcohol...all my friends were drinkers so if I ran short on cash, they would always be there pouring me a few!! I get a kick out of everyone who use to rotate stores!! I did too, and thought I was the only one!!!

Supercrew

I didn't rotate stores, I established a relationship with my vendor to get better deals because he considered me a good customer who bought in bulk each month.

LaFemme

Yup, rotated stores, I live in a small town and always worried they talked to each other and knew.

Can't buy booze in my state on Sundays, I would always think, "this is the Sunday I will quit", so I wouldn't have enough and would have to drive to the next state to buy, every single Sunday.

blackstrat6

I have done all of the above. One of my trademarks was waking up early and being in a very small town there are very few stores. I would want to drink at like 7 or 8 am so I would go to the store and buy breakfast stuff or coffee filters for the appearance of "oh he is just gettin some beer for later since he is already at the store". At one point I had an extra 5 packs of coffee filters and at least that many extra cans of coffee from doing this so much.
I also used to sell pot and would tell people when they called to stop at the store and I would trade them alc. for pot.
I couldn't sleep unless I had alc. to wake up to, so many times i would be totally wasted at night and walk to the store even though I knew I wouldn't be drinking anymore that night just so I would have it in the morning.

lildawg

You know, I thought I was the only one who did all this stuff.

Getting the booze was no problem. I'd go get it before I got completely plastered. Like Lexi, I alternated liquor stores so clerks wouldn't know I bought booze every single day. It did no good to buy in bulk because, each night, I'd finish most of what I had. There wouldn't be enough for the next day. So it was necessary to make the booze run each day.

I remember carrying a flask of liquor with me when I went somewhere I knew booze wouldn't be served. I'd go in the bathroom to guzzle. Usually, I spent more time in the bathroom or outside smoking than I did at the party.

When we went on a road trip, I packed a cooler of beer. We'd stop at intervals and get new beers. Whoever was driving tried to (notice I didn't say succeeded) drink less.

What unpleasant memories. It makes me appreciate my sobriety. Thank you God and SR.

MeAndOnlyMe

When I was much younger I walked into a liquor store, opened a bottle of something random (a flavored vodka, IIRC), took a long pull, capped it and set it back on the shelf before going to find what I came for.

I was leaving a bowling alley after being ejected for being too drunk and walking past the bar/food counter grabbed someone's food and beer, took a bite of the food and threw it in the trash and was bum rushed out the door and down a long flight of stairs, proud of myself that I had salvaged some amount of the bottle of beer.

Ten years or so ago I was in a billiards hall, playing and drinking and a kid made off with my mostly full pint. I didn't think twice about picking up a cue ball, and throwing it as hard as I could and miraculously hitting him in the back of the head and knocking him down. Sympathy? I actually complained to the bartender in order to get a replacement drink.

Here's the analysis (for those of you keeping score at home): I have no idea why flavored vodkas exist (like coffee, vodka should be vodka flavored), I despise bowling and I have no idea to this day why I was even at the bowling lanes and as far as fast-pitch billiards go, I could have accidentally killed a kid for stealing a beer.

I don't miss my youth.

Kerbcrawler

if i may add..it was,nt so much a trip to the store,but an expedition..that required carefull planning,so as to not look like a complete booze monster,that could,nt get enough! there were many crazy out of control sorties, problem was,with living in such a remote location..we had 2 outlets, a shop and hotel, so the craziest time of all,or at least one of them had to be..running out of booze teatime saturday,after session of which we had drunk 2 days supplies in one!! sound familiar!!! woke after an afternoon crashout, anyhows still half cut..blazin..we decided i should head the local hotel about a mile down the road, well jumped in the car..took off,fuelled with an insatiable lust for more grog... got halfway up a track an took a sharp right bend, and flew right into a ditch..luckily seatbelt on and into the mudbank, well blew out a couple of tires lost the bumper,and headlights,a lot of things hangin off, anyhows, its a quiet road, was stuck nose down,side on, needed sharpish, to get this spectacle from public view..like pronto..a couple i know pull over,askin if am ok, am like yeah no major damage..them damm rabbits runnin out in front like that..they knew the score..tryin not to breath on em too much..as took a lift off em..to a local farm guy i know,who came by and towed me out with his tractor...so thank em all for there help,the cars driveable,even with 2 flats,1 light, bumper draggin on the road, its dusk now, so crazed and stressed even more..decides to continue down to the hotel..pick up 2 bottles of wine, crawl back the way home at a snails pace..barely able to see with one light, gets home...shes waitin at the front door...first words,did you get the booze.. were,ve ye been, what took you so long...me lookin a nervous wreck...oh an what happened to the car...True Love...Arrrhhhh, glad im not driven no more by that craziness...

ElegantlyWasted

Never really thought i tried that hard at the time, but looking back it would be considered a momumental will to power by a sane person.

I would sneak into the kitchen at night after the parents went to bed, get a plastic sandwich bag, fill it with vodka and put that in my pocket. Next i would get a glass of ice water. Upon returning to the guest house I would replace the water with the waka. My guess is it was about 8-10 oz. "nurse" it for about half an hour until gone while chain smoking and have a great nights sleep before going to work. The hidden baggie was in case I accidently woke someone up and they wanted sip, they would not have vodka.

Next.. Telling myself only one Steele. Drivimg to a different Circle K to get the second, because I'm embarassed. Going to a different Circle K for the third bc they may not serve me at the other two.

soberbythesea

I never had a problem getting enough. My husband and I are/were wine collectors (yes the wine is still around... he keeps it for himself, and I honestly have not had a problem with that, but I told him if it ever became one we would need to revisit the issue.) We belonged to several wine clubs and took many trips on which we would purchase local wine. So we had a collection of 200 wines, give or take, on hand at any given time. Plus of course the normal bottles of booze most people keep around, and sometimes beer in the fridge.

So... I NEVER had a time where I wanted to drink at home and there was nothing to drink. Sometimes I had an issue when out though... (will everyone notice if I order more? is this an occasion where I can have a drink without sticking out?)

tallcactus

I once drove to my brother house in the early hours and let myself in via the patio and helped myself to his beer.
Sick!

Mat

Oh my goodness... This story is somewhat hilarious to me, because I have done the EXACT same thing. Back when I didn't have a car, I would either walk or take my mountain bike to the local grocery store and get a case(24 or 30) of beer. Break it open outside and haul it 2 miles back to my apartment.

I was never ashamed of it, for whatever reason. I still don't rightly care that many people in the local stores know me as a raging alcoholic.

I actually used the fact that I had hauled X pounds of liquid a few miles as a compensatory excuse: "I just backpacked 30 beers 2 miles in the hot sun, now that I exercised I can get hammered! I'm healthy!"

penny74

l would begg steal or borrow.
You could put me in the middle of the desert and l would find booze.
l stole money from my kids piggy banks to buy beer.
How low is that ?
If you need it you would do anything to get it.

parasol

When I was stumbling half-sauced at noon to the gas station, I was buying a bottle of Robert Mondavi chardonnay, not Night Train, so I was DEFINITELY not an alcoholic.

LaFemme

And they say alcoholics don't have any will power!

Fandy

yes, chardonay is the mark for not being an alkie.....this reminds me of the switching up liquor stores thread when i first joined here....i rotated stores, but it was the recycling that em barrased me the most.

LaFemme

Fandy,

Despite the fact that I am a firm believer in recycling I used to throw my bottles out because I didn't want people to see my recycling:-(