Mainza

Hi everyone,

I have been browsing the site and am very impressed with your efforts and the support that is given. I hope to learn from you all and to contribute what I can.

I began drinking in early high school and have continued weekly with a few breaks of a few months up until now (I am 26). Almost everytime I drink I get blackout drunk and will be hungover for days. I drink about once a week, usually not more. I will start in the evening and just go hard until I pass out. As a result I have done some very stupid things. I have received a public intoxication, was almost kicked out of my dorm room, woke up in some strange places, said some very stupid things/almost got into fights, vomitted/peed my pants, lost many wallets/IDs/VISA cards/, spent ridiculous amounts of money, lost valuable time hungover laying in bed, and I'm sure there are more but I just can't remember.

Waking up in the morning and not remembering what happened is such a nightmare. I never want to experience that again and the only way I can ensure that is to give up alcohol. For the past few years I have tried limiting myself to two standard drinks a day but that hasn't worked at all. I finish one drink and the next thing I know I wake barely remembering what happened. From what I have read, I seem different from a lot of you because I have never been a daily drinker. My problem is that I binge a day out of the week.

My last binge was on Thanksgiving. Any tips for how I can commit to not letting this happen again? Any articles or books you can recommend will be great. Thanks and I hope to visit this site daily.

artsoul

Welcome Mainza!

I think you'll find that everyone's story is unique, though I think we're all much more alike than we are different. Something happens to us when we pick up a drink - we just want more and more - we lose control and the alcohol takes over.

I'm glad you've joined us - this forum has helped me immensely. (And there are lots of people here who didn't drink daily).....

Dee74

Hi Mainza

I may have ended up a daily drinker but for most of my years drinking I was a binge drinker.

Please don't feel what you're going through is different to what anyone else is here. We do understand

Support was very important for me in changing things. Coming here to SR really helped - you'll find a lot of ideas support and encouragement here.

Coming here and reading around and posting, especially when you get to urge to binge, would be a great start I think

Welcome
D

quitforme79

I was a binge drinker too...I could go for months without drinking, think I was ok or could handle it and then wake up and not remember a thing. Parts I did remember I wish I hadn't. This forum is so helpful and it has helped me get to where I am today at 1 month sober. Keep posting and reading, welcome to SR

ReadyAndAble

Welcome to SR, Mainza.

I was a weekly binge drinker in my 20s. Over the years it morphed into nightly drinking. The only sure way I know to prevent a binge is to never have the first drink. Because after that first drink, all bets are off. You should be proud of yourself for treating this seriously at a relatively young age.

slomehe

My last episode was on Thanksgiving as well, mine was more of a realization that night, that I drink to get drunk. I don't always binge but I know what you mean.
I am new here, I just joined tonight. I am frightened, but I just wanted to reply to you, and wish you the best.

Dee74

Welcome to you too slomehe

This is a great bunch of people - you're among friends here
D

Taws

Same story here...it started as binging just on the weekends (Friday night/Saturday night). Then it turned into stretching the weekend to included Thursday. Then Sunday. Then occasionally during the week. I've quit a few times in the past, but could never really make it past 6 days.

I'm excited at the opportunity of getting my life back. Us new people have a rough road ahead of us, but with the support from others that I've already seen here we can stay strong and beat this.

Best of luck, Mainza.

Mainza

Thank you all for the replies! I think a big challenge is identifying when I will have the urge to start binge drinking. It is usually on the weekends and when I am with friends. How can I continue spending time with these people and not drink? Some of these friends I have been with for almost my entire life. And what can I do to prepare myself for when I am in a situation when alcohol is offered to me? I don't know how to handle it.

TheTinMan

[QUOTE=Mainza;3185833]Thank you all for the replies! I think a big challenge is identifying when I will have the urge to start binge drinking. It is usually on the weekends and when I am with friends. How can I continue spending time with these people and not drink? Some of these friends I have been with for almost my entire life. And what can I do to prepare myself for when I am in a situation when alcohol is offered to me? I don't know how to handle it.[/QUOTE

Hi, Mainza!

For me it took avoiding friends that I knew would influence me to drink or that would offer me a drink. Some of those friends I had known since I was 16 and I quit at the age of 40.

wpainterw

I'm a binge drinker too, or was until I quit 23 years ago. What finally turned me around was becoming involved with a group of other recovering alcoholics. I don't think I ever started to get honest with myself until I got into a group. In retrospect I had been b--- s----ing doctors and counselors for 30 or more years paying their bills and getting nowhere. Getting into a group helped because you can't get far lying to a bunch of experienced liars. So I suggest you get yourself into some kind of group, either AA or something you find more comfortable. Ask your doctor or counselor about the various groups which might be available in your area. Good luck.

W.

EmeraldRose

Welcome Mainza...glad you're here.
I binged weekly, I drank daily, I went days without even months -but always returned to the guiltful shame of the disease. I'm not really sure if it matters how much you drink and how often but I think it's the thought process, the drinking thinking that classifies us as abusers.
Quitting is tough when you have friends that drink. You can do one of two things...either stay away from their influences or tell them your problem and hope they are understanding and helpful. Only you know your relationship with them. I would advise though, if you are quitting for good to remove yourself from enticing situations ie: bars, parties, etc. until you no longer feel raw and vulnerable. I know it's hard at your age but
better now than waiting 30 years like I have.
Everyone has their own saga, their own journey...only you can follow your heaart.
Wishing you peace and strength.

eJoshua

Welcome to SR!

I am also 26 and have now been sober for almost 8 months, so I am living proof that it can be done, even in your mid twenties.

IMO, you will need to be very diligent every day and proactive about your recovery. Binge drinking is a tough animal to deal with, because I imagine the urges to drink come and go. Ultimately though, you have the same problems with drinking as any daily drinker: you can't control your level of intake once you begin.

What's worked for me is working the twelve steps and attending AA meetings. I have also focused on my mental health through counseling and medication and have made some other changes in my life that keep me healthy.

Stick around and keep reading. This is a great place to learn about addiction and discover tools to help you in your recovery.

Take care

Troy747

Hi there,
I am a weekend binge drinker. I dont drink on a friday but as soon as i start on a saturday i seem to make up for it. I drink more than most but dont drink on a day to day basis. I will be the first 1 there to drink and always the last one to leave. Even on my way home i will stop by at any house party to the dissatisfaction of my partner, it could easily go into the sunday. If not i usualy wake back up and start again. Its been affecting me turning up at work on mondays. I can honestly say that i have went roughly about 20 weekends at most without a drink since i was eighteen. I am now 28. Thats not including the many , many times through the week that i have had a drink for the football on tv. Most of the time i drink i wake up in the morning wondering what i have done the night before. Im active in sports and think i would be a lot fitter without it, it would allow me to spend more time with my partner and children but i just cant get the first few weekends under my belt. How do i get started?

JrsJourney

Hello Troy747 and welcome to SR

It might be helpful if you re-post this in a new thread (your story - what you just wrote above) in a brand new thread written by you. It seems this original thread is from last year.

If you start a new thread in this newcomer area you might get more responses, just a suggestion. Feel free to do what you want.

I know so many binge drinkers in the program. One is too many and one thousand is not enough!!! It's awesome that you can recognize and admit a problem. That's basically the first step - your life has become unmanageable.

My suggestion to you, is to look up AA meeting schedules in your area and start going. I sometimes have gone to 3 meetings in one day if I had to...the purpose of going to meetings is to surround yourself with supportive people who have been in your shoes right now. People that have also changed their life for the better. Try at least 6 different meetings until you find one that you really like. I go to all sorts of meetings, co-ed and same sex, discussion and celebration meetings.

It seems you are willing and have the desire to stop drinking. That is EXACTLY the first thing you need to do. Now surround yourself with meetings. We take things 24 hours a day (one day at a time) Just for TODAY I will not drink...that first day leads into a second day...and with support and help from others those days start to pile up.

So, I just wanted to reach out to you here. I hope you possibly start a brand new shiny thread belonging only to you and help for YOUR recovery (instead of on the end of an old post from last year). Best of luck to you. Keep coming back. There is a ton of wisdom here.

Take care

Troy747

thank you jrs journey, new to this so wasnt sure what i was doing.

MesoFreak

Mainza and Troy747,

You both sound like me and some of my buddies. I am also like you, sober for only four days, so I can relate since I can do weeks/months at a time without touching the booze. I developed the pattern of just getting stupid drunk every time we were in the mood to party. Party = getting hammered.

One of my friends learned the hard way and got a DUI last year; he is still trying to remove that from his record. I am about to continue my education at a university and will resist the temptation of drinking for two years. I figure maybe I will mature out of the party = getting hammered phase by simple not taking part of it. Either than attributing partying to getting smashed, I consider myself a normal drinking.

I developed some bad habits this year that I am going to rid myself of, then I will see about enjoying a beverage like a normal person. At bars I am able to stop no problem, at home I am able to stop no problem; its anywhere I feel there is a party (home, bar, party) that I just want to get smashed. That is the mindset I am looking to change, but I need to stay off until I finish school, two years.

I guess what i am trying to say it is a mindset/habit we have made that we have to change; for you its a weekly thing, and probably same day around same time. If you want to quit all the better for you, if you feel like giving it a go again, at least stop for a long time, to eliminate the habit, and change your mindset. I do not know if this works, and wont know for some time, but that is what I am going to try. That is if I still feel like drinking after two years.

candi7

What has helped me and even saved my life is the Alcoholics Anonymous program.. Alot of people get nervous for no reason about going to these meetings. Even if you remain quiet, you will find someone is telling your story and you can completely relate. AA is a wonderful program a 12 step program to help you deal with this that lead us to the drink. And in the halls of AA you find always someone with a helpful word. We have open discussions at time, and anyone can bring up topics.. If it's bothering me, I raise my hand bring it up and let me tell you.. I get sooo much rich insight from people who have been through what I'm asking and it's amazing-I walk out of there less stressed out and ready to face the world. Also, it's encouraged to get as many same sex phone numbers-and these people know that you will call them if you need to.. That means you are up at 1am and the craving to drink is overpowering-you call someone-you go down the list and keep calling till someone answers...they will talk you through it-hey-they've been there. What about if your spouse is driving you crazy, or you can't deal with this or that-call someone! And it's highly recommended and should be required to have a Sponsor-this person will hold you accountable, walk you through the steps and will make your life soooo much better... I attempt to make a meeting every night, it makes life so much easier. It's amazing, you find wonderful friends and great support.. Now I've got a group of friends who like to do things together-so much nicer together with someone who thinks like you! Maybe you could give AA a try...

Alcoholics Anonymous :

nikkoo

I think we're all much more alike than we are different