Cally15

Ok so my drinking pattern is that I have a couple of large beers or half to a bottle of red wine each evening. I try and only do the full bottle a couple of times a week! Not horrendous amounts, no day time drinking but I know I need it. This has been highlighted by the fact I am abroad studying at the moment. I have done 2 months and have one month left. My plan originally was to start off with one dry day a week and increase it over the 3 months and I have failed miserably! Mainly because on the odd night I have tried not drinking I feel utterly exhausted, get bad stomach cramps and just feel generally crap! So essentially my question is this, are these dry days helping my body at all?? Or I am just wasting my time because I go back and drink again the following night? If I'm going to go cold turkey then I can't do it till I'm back in the uk if I'm going to feel this bad as I need to finish this course. I don't know whether I should stick with at least trying to have some dry days or whether it's best to just carry on and address it properly when I go home. Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks

doggonecarl

Welcome to sober recovery.

You are still drinking, so no, you are not helping yourself with the cycle of drinking/not drinking. It's binge drinking.

I think quitting cold turkey is the way to go. You won't feel miserable for long. Certainly not long enough to impact your studies.

To put quitting off until you get back home is just an excuse to keep drinking.

ScottFromWI

What is the reason that you'd need to wait until you go home to quit?

BrendaChenowyth

I know what you mean about the symptoms being distracting from school and feeling like it's better to wait.. I have approached it that way and ended up failing my courses because I was more focused on drinking than studying, and the paranoia that came with the morning after withdrawals led to some serious clashes with instructors and floor nurses who eat their young as it is. No. Bueno.

I wasted a lot of time waiting for there to be a perfect time to quit. That "perfect" time for a lot of us ends up being a "rock bottom" moment, those are pretty darn horrible and we don't want you to have to go there. I am not saying I think you will progress that far, but if you think you are having a really hard time stopping drinking alcohol, you could be on those train tracks already?

How about a trial sobriety? But start right now. The withdrawal is going to feel like having a bad flu. It's really not that bad, and it's only a couple days. You should feel more refreshed within a week. Trust me that is much more conducive to studying!

PurpleKnight

Welcome to the Forum Cally!!

Cally15

Thanks everyone, but my question was not do I need to stop, I know I do. When I have a drink in the evening I'm up early the next day and feel great, I can concentrate in school and everything is fine. When I don't have a drink I struggle to even get out of bed and feel awful all day. That's not a justification to drink, it is that exact fact that's made me realise I have a problem. I have to drink something to feel "normal". I can see that's an issue. It's actually really worried me.

However, as I said, I'm only here for one more month and I have been drinking for maybe about 3 years now and I have actually at least cut down from what I was. Not too long ago it was 1 to 1.5 bottles of wine daily. My question was only will any dry days help my body at all. If they won't then I'm just going to deal with it on my return. I can see that looks like a cop out but if I didn't recognise I had a problem I wouldn't be here, and I will be going to see my doctor when I go home.

Soberwolf

Hi Cally good call on wanting to stop drinking especially so if it's having a negative effect on your life & health

I think stopping by here a few times a week and gaining more information will be really beneficial to you

I do think holding off until your back in the uk is unwise as if your struggling a bit now over time it will become worse so best to address it like your doing now

Nice to meet you Cally

DesertDawg

I don't know that anybody on here is qualified to make that assessment, and we're not allowed to dispense such advice in any case.
It's sort of a loaded question anyway: On one hand, all things being equal, logic would say that strictly speaking, less alcohol is better than more alcohol. But with that said, it is essentially a moot point if you continue to binge drink on some days, just not on others. Best of luck to you whatever you decide to do. We're always here to listen and provide support.

BrendaChenowyth

My intuition is telling me that an answer is already somewhat firmly set in your mind. If I wasn't a recovering alcoholic, I would be able to read this and say "path of least resistance, easy - keep doing what is working for you".

Because you have come to a forum for alcoholics and we understand what chronic habitual alcohol abuse does to the brain, we do not have it in us to justify any reason to continue to drink.. our disease makes that impossible. Justifying drinking has been the path to our demise and recognizing that was essential to our survival.

You do not seem to hold that belief, but in a room full of alcoholics, that is the lens through which everyone you are talking to right now is going to form their responses to what you're saying. This is the advice you are going to get, is that habitual heavy drinking is not good for the body.

There is no reason whatsoever that consistently drinking is favorable to not drinking if you believe you have a problem.

BrendaChenowyth

The answer to the specific question should be clear.. and okay, someone said we can't dispense medical advice, but we all study the effects that alcohol has on the human body! They are known, and it doesn't require a medical degree to relay this information!

Yes, there are physical health benefits to laying off alcohol when you've been using it a lot. Of course.

STDragon

So your having withdrawal symptoms and you want to know if you should continue poisoning yourself ?

Mountainmanbob

Dry days are good for the drunks body and mind but, if alcoholic may only prolong the misery.

A good hard bottom is hard to beat.

M-Bob

BrendaChenowyth

I frankly didn't want to risk having my post removed or getting banned

PhoenixJ

The first time I tried to stop drinking, cold turkey I had seizures and needed a week in hospital because of it. To my mind the question you ask has only 1 answer. Stop drinking altogether now. See a doctor now. Not when you get home, after Christmas or in a month- now. Prayers to you, PJ

Cally15

Well there's been some very helpful advice in this thread but also posts bordering on verbal abuse. I was reaching out, I didn't come here to get ranted at. I'm not in the U.K. Right now, I'm on the other side of the world in a place where it's not so easy to see a doctor just like that and what would be the point? I can't start any kind of treatment support where I am now. Forget it.

Dee74

I'm sorry some replies were less than helpful Casie.
I think most of us realise that criticism is best when offered constructively.

I think the general thrust of the advice throughout the thread - that you shouldn't wait to deal with this - is good tho.

A lot of really bad stuff can happen between now and January.

AA's pretty much anywhere in the world, but if that's not an option for any reason you can always find online AA meetings (or other methods like SMART or Lifering also have online meetings)

You will, overwhelmingly, find support here as well

D

Sudz No More

Looking at the whole situation it's obvious you have the early stages of alcoholism but advice to just up and stop may not be safe either. You have become aware you have a problem and that's a great first step. When you get back home you should have a plan in place on how you are going to safely get sober and a plan to stay that way. Starting is the hardest part followed by several months of abstinence to get past the worst of the mental cravings. It will take a lot of mental focus and determination in the beginning so you really should be grounded in comforting environment to lessen any possible side effects. You are on the right track by starting to ask questions, keep coming here and let us know how you are doing. Being connected to like minds will help you feel stronger when you start trying to stay sober. Congratulations on that big first step of realizing you have a problem. Get that plan in place and stick to it once you start.

leighbond

I think you understand WHY you feel bad when you aren't drinking, so I won't keep hitting that nail on the head. What I will suggest is learning to embrace the physical bad feelings, because you know it's your body recovering from the alcohol abuse. I know you want to quit I would say just take the plunge and embrace the process of recovery! best,

mayeve

Is there really any other way besides Cold Turkey?

ItsViolet

Hi Cally, Welcome to the forum! Maybe you're having withdrawal symptoms on your dry days and that could be why you don't feel well? One dry day is better than no dry days in my opinion, but your body could be becoming dependent on alcohol if it hasn't already. Recognizing a problem and communicating with others about it is a courageous first step.

Some people said some things on here when I was new that upset me, but I'm glad I came back as this site is where I began my recovery journey. It's just like the rest of life though (especially in popular places), all kinds of people all mixed up together and lots of opinions and not all of them will be agreeable to all of us... But I find this forum to be a positive and supportive place the great majority of the time

Personally I'm glad your here