HappyAccidents

Hello.

I'm 29 years of age & probably have been a binge drinker on/off for perhaps 10 years. Preceding the booze I dabbled in recreational drugs while I was young and stupid. But let me get to the point here. I can go weeks without a drop of alcohol, however, come the weekend i meet up with my drinking buddies and we tend to consume large amounts of liquor. I have been suffering from anxiety for many years & during late 2010 - early 2011 I had 5 months sober whilst on medication to treat the anxiety. I must say that being sober for that long was great & I'm planning to do it again now, medication free. I'm sick of being a ******** drunk come weekends & really act totally different than i am sober. I'm loud, ignorant & annoying when I'm really drunk. My anxiety is really bad when I'm hungover, it's hard to breathe, sleep, concentrate, and i have disturbing manifestations while behind the wheel of the car. I have had CCTGA which is a heart condition since birth and I'm pretty damn sure that if i don't return to being sober I will die at some early stage! It's coming up to summer here now & there's a lot of social events coming up that I'm going to have to partake sober. I can't seem to find a girlfriend sober, but somehow i end up with fleeting ones drunk. I got drunk the day before all my uni work was due for the year, and i took a few shortcuts and made some rather stupid mistakes by not going over the supplied documentation beforehand.

-Rolls eyes-

I just needed to vent, and get off the crazy train.

artsoul

Welcome HappyAcidents!

I did some stupid things when I was drinking, too..... some of them potentially dangerous. I actually like myself better when I'm sober - it just took some getting used to.

I commend you for making this decision before, instead of after, some serious consequence. Read and post as much as you like - it helps to have the support of others who understand.

Dee74

Welcome HappyAccidents

Good to see another Aussie - you'll find a lot of support encouragement and ideas here to help you stay off the crazy train

D

goalofsobriety

Hi HappyAccidents, I have anxiety too and hangovers for me are the worst. Alcohol has made my anxiety impossible to overcome. I'm 25 and right there with you trying to attend social events sober. I do lots of stupid things while drunk as well and it's just not worth it anymore. At all.

TheTinMan

Welcome, Happy!

It is difficult to find a girlfriend sober. For one thing if you are drinking at a bar and looking for love, then you probably won't find your soul mate there lol.

I've been to places while sober and watched someone quite drunk try to pick up a date. It's never a pretty sight.

I'm glad you are here. I hope you find support here and that thing that keeps you sober.

cuyootoo

welcome happy

SaraMichelle

Im a drug addict and occasional binge drinker...when someone on my dads side of the family drink, we end up under a barstool, or in someone's tree making the most outragous animal noises. no joke. I thought it was quite funny, but ends up being embarressing...if i remembered. welcome!

least

Welcome to the family.

flutter

Welcome! Boy do I remember that anxiety that you describe. When I started my recovery journey, I worked with a psychologist well versed in addiction, and he diagnosed me at the time with an anxiety disorder, and a lot of the 'work' we did focused not on my drinking issues, but on how to live sober with new 'tools' to cope with stress, anxiety, sadness, etc. He did a lot of guided relaxation with me and encouraged me to meditate and read a relaxation workbook he recommended. I can honestly say that after a few months of sobriety, my anxiety disappeared. Sure, I get situationally anxious about some major things, but I also recognize that it's a normal feeling that I should be experiencing, I was so used to medicating myself. Glad you're here!

InParticular

Good for you. Welcome here, come here lots.

HappyAccidents

Thanks for the support, I'll keep you all posted.

Take Care.