Clean30

Keep this in mind people who are trying to quit. You have to pay back your debt once you quit. The sooner you stop the less debt you will have to pay back. That is of course if you are rich.

Since I quit a few months ago my credit card debt is going down instead of up which is another benefit of quitting.

zjw

yeah its kinda odd. i've been in and out of debt numerous times over my life. but once i quit drinking was able to get out of debt and stay out of debt ever since.

I think drinking made me more impulsive and or made me think things where more urgent then they really where so i was quick to pull out the plastic ot put out a fire etc..

Now i think about it do i want to be in debt? do i want to have said problem or worry about paying for said problem still an a year from now? I really think it through more and i guess my emotions dont pull me as much as they did when i drank.

Clean30

When you said it made you more impulsive I can relate to that. Drinking is such a crazy mind altering substance that it can make you feel happy as you go into debt with it! That's crazy and something to be fearful of.

Impulsive with the credit card yes I know. Pull out the plastic and buy that alcohol cause later that night it'll be worth it cause the party is gonna start. lol

ScottFromWI

One of my problems when i was drinking wasn't purchasing the alcohol itself, because I drank mostly cheap beer so it was not affecting my finances. But the impulse purchases when I was drunk were...a late night amazon purchase, or a boastful purchase when out drinking with the "guys", etc.

bluedog97

Irresponsible finances are definitely an alcoholic track record I can relate to. Not just credit card debt. I blew through a lot of money, some earned, some inherited (makes me sick to think about).

To say drinking instinctually is about enjoying the moment is an understatement. I lived that way for years, with little regard for the consequences.

neferkamichael

Clean30, you right, I could sure use that 150,000 bucks right now.

BadgerFan

I drank my way into chapter 13 bankruptcy last year. I'll be making monthly payments for the next 4 years before it's paid off. Before that I had excellent credit. Now I feel like a dirt ball as I know it'll be no less than 7 years before I have a decent shot at getting a car loan at a reasonable rate.

Clean30

Hang in there. I was close to doing that. I went from good to terrible in no time. After some haggling with the creditors over interest numbers I managed to pay my way out. I'm back to good credit now but it took some time. You'll get there. Just keep in mind how you got to that point to begin with. Good credit is a free pass to being in super deep debt lol.

Hmm.. maybe having no credit is better.. no debt! Nah, good credit with responsibly and constraint is best. Lessons I wish I was taught as a young one.

DontRemember

My 'habits' were booze,women,vacations,cars,gambling,homes I could no longer afford,legal issues.. I'm starting to climb out now BUT, it's a chore! I did my books/taxes last week and in a year or so, I should be almost even. Shlt sucks!

Incontrol15

Amen. I lost my job then blew through my 401k and racked up 30k in credit card debt as a drunk. Filed chapter 7 last year. I'm making 60% of what I did in the past and I still have the same net cash left over... Zero.

But the numbers would have suggested living on 60% pay would have been impossible.

My addictions also got me divorced. Once support payments are done, I should have more discretionary income than ever before!

Alcohol, online poker, "legal highs", Amazon shopping, eating out all the time.... It's sheer insanity how much money I threw away. Absolute insanity.

zjw

if it helps I try to view choices like bankruptcy as strictly business rather then some emotional ordeal of what i did wrong or oculd ahve done etc.. I try to avoid the guilt and shame of it. I dunno about you but when i was in debt it was complicated sure there was some stupid purchases who doesnt make them? but a lot of it was kinda like well this is just life.

When it came time to settle up I could no longer stand beating myself up over it. I viewed as strictly business and got it resolved. It made it a lot easier for me to tend to what needed to be tended too.

as far as credit goes mines finally coming around but I dont have any credit cards with the exception of recently I figured i'd try a gas card out for the savings.

Giveing me a credit card tho is a lot like giving me a drink. I dont really trust myself with either so i try to avoid it.

Harley1973

I hear you, same here but mine was eBay purchases.. Lol I'd order crap and it would arrive a few days later and I'd have no memory of buying it!! I'd immediately log on eBay to see if I bought anything else!!

zjw

yeah i did this. I have a friend who said he'd get a knock at the door and a 4 thousand dollar guitar was delivered and he's liek damn did i order this? hmm should i return it? sure is nice.. lol.

Berrybean

I had a lot of financial debt. And a lot that wasn't financial. It was harms and resentments - those amends def lift a big weight though. Good to be financially and spiritually 'in the black' today.

zjw

good point financial debt was just a fraction of the issue. i had piles of crap swept under every friggen rug and all sorts of other little messes to tend too.

makes sense why i had so much panic and anxiety aside form the whole chemical problem going on inside of me too.

Bunny211

I finally have a solid plan to pay off my credit card debt. I should be out of debt in 3 years. What a long haul. But absolutely worth it!

Autumnlover19

I'm living in a house I can't afford, living off credit cards. I'm not even a big spender, I just can't afford to live. Gas, food, everything goes on credit for now. Until I can sell this house. Which is my plan this spring. But I need to make my money back plus a bunch more to get out of the mess I'm in. I've been supporting a family a five by myself for over a year. The house still needs some fixing before selling. What a mess. It's all a huge source of depression for me.

August252015

Absolutely everything in life is easier sober. It is easier to make any kind of plan- including paying off bills that seemed completely overwhelming, in my case- big or small. I can break problems into pieces and address them in manageable chunks. I have tools so that I don't get overwhelmed, or know how to take a breath and step back if I start to struggle and stress. I have people and resources to go to - and I do.

I don't have a lot of money but I can support myself and even save a little, and I am not incurring any debt. Medical bills have been put on payment plans; rent and insurance and living expenses are covered. I even get my Panera treats regularly and can eat good food I pay for myself. And so on. And it makes me proud and grateful I can do all of it. It also makes me feel confident going into an engagement and marriage because I am not bringing financial- or overwhelming emotional- baggage that I had before into our union. None of this happened all at once, but being sober let me put all the motions in process to get where I am and where I want to go.

Like I said, everything is better sober.

kevlarsjal

I wasn't spending much on alcohol, it's insanely cheap where I live, doesn't cost more than juice or sodas. But I didn't keep track on my spendings when I was drinking. So I have a bit of a credit card bill to pay off, not overly much but still. I hope I'll manage to pay it off in the next 5 months.

What brought me quite some trouble was a depressive phase I went through in the last month of drinking where I tried to moderate and the first month of recovery. I just didn't pay my bills. No real excuse to that, I simply couldn't be bothered and didn't have the energy or nerves to deal with adult life. The companies who sent the bills contacted their lawyers and now I'm paying their lawyers bills which is a lot. Stupid me.

Dee74

I spent basically every cent I had on booze - I let bills slide until it got to the third demand and I ate the cheapest crappiest food...I sold a lot of things I still wish I had.

It took me about a year to get on top of my finances.