Sapling

I am a firm believer that when you get to the point of hiding alcohol..That you are an alcoholic. Normal people don’t do that. I did.
I had a guy when I was in rehab tell a story he had heard about a professional baseball player…He didn’t mention a name and I don’t care who it is. This guy went out and bought a brand new garden hose and coiled it up on the faucet outside and filled it up with vodka. Every time he wanted a drink…He’d tell his wife he was going to do some yard work. Take his lemonade with him and off he went. Insane.
One thing about us alkies…We aren’t stupid people….When I was married and living up north…I used to have a large winter jacket with lots of pockets…I could fit a 12 pack in it and come home to my wife empty handed. Hang it up in the hallway...I’d grab one and slug it in the bathroom or bedroom when she was watching TV in the living room…Hide the cans and leave in the morning with a coat full of empties….Insane.
I came up with more ways to get beer in and out of that house that it makes me sick to think about how clever I can be. It’s hard to beat the shame of having someone you love finding one of your dead soldier stashes…But it never stopped me. I drank myself right out of that marriage…
So I guess my question is….Do or did you ever find yourself hiding alcohol? It’s a pretty good sign you have a serious problem. This may be in the wrong forum…Maybe it’s good for a newcomer to see it…I’ll leave that up to you Dee…Have a great sober day all.

Dee74

I'd agree that when we start sneaking around it's never a good sign.

I did a fair amount of sneaking around with marijuana, but I lived alone during my worst alcoholic years so I never had to hide my liquor...just the empties when bin day came.

D

Sapling

I did that too Dee...Because of the law. I usually reeked of it though...Kind of like the beer.

Dee74

I remember using a lot of deodorant and mouthwash lol - never successful - I undoubtedly reeked too but I thought I was a genius

D

Sapling

Ain't that tbe truth!

desertsong

Toward the end, I was a "hider" for sure. I'd buy the airline bottles of Jack Daniels and hide them all over the house so that no matter what room I was in, I could drink and nobody could see me. If my husband and kids were in the family room, I had bottles stashed in the kitchen. If they were in the kitchen, I had bottles stashed in the bathroom. If anyone was in one of the bathrooms, I had bottles stashed in my purse or my coat pocket. Insane. And of course, I had stashes of Altoids with every bottle so I could "freshen up" after sneaking a shot or two.

Oh yes, we are a manipulative, sneaky bunch, us alkies. I've been sober almost 60 days and am STILL finding empties scattered around the house, in my coat pockets, and other weird places. I'm sooo grateful I don't have to do that anymore!

phoebe64

My mom was a sneaky drinker. She would have her coffee mug filled with a manhattan, and think she was fooling me or my brother. Ummm, the ice, Mom, we could hear the ice. And there is not hiding alcohol on your body or breat as much as you might gargle or whatever.

This relapse, I did not actually hide wine, but would try to somewhat play down or conceal my consumption, because I was now cheating, since I had declared intent towards sobriety. So, in relapse, by nature of failing that, it led to mre dysfunctional drinking than when I did it openly, if that makes sense? My husband never fights or gets mad at me about it either, because then he would have to face his demon(that is my opinion).

I see my husband also does some of the tricks I did, to make it look like he is drinking less. leaving a couple of bottle by the sink, but quickly recycling others to the basement, so there are not 8 bottles on the sink for me or the children to see. So begins a slippery slope was my feeling. I knew I needed to change something with that sort of behavior in myself.

Bikeguy

There was a time when my wife was trying to save me and I didn't want to be saved, during that time I hide booze in my pickup, my garage, at work and in the house. What a lot of wasted energy!

PurpleCat

My husband is starting to do that, with rum. I don't know where he is hiding it, but I absolutely know when he is drinking rum as well as beer. He has a different personality than when he drinks just beer - always has. The hiding is probably a reaction to my quitting.

Sapling

Don't worry...He'll screw up...

Threshold

Yes, I hid it. Under the spare in the car trunk. Uner the bathroom sink. In my bedroom drawers, In other bottles I took with me into the woods when I went out there to drink. Spiked my innocent looking drinks, orange juice, cocoa, etc.
Put my pills into OTC pill bottles. all of it. I knew it was a bad sign, and it scared me, but it didn't stop me.

augustwest

I was such a hider that two years later i'm finding empty and partially full bottles stashed in random places around my condo. last month i found 3 oxycontins stashed inside a box of staples in my office.

Sapling

Sorry man....I had to laugh out loud.

augustwest

haha it's definitely funny

WhySoSerious

i was such a dumba$$ when i drank id hide the bottles in the laundry room... but i didnt remember doing it... hmmm who does the laundry, the person i was trying to hide them from my g/f... looking back on it i was so stupid

PaperDolls

I usually drank alone so it didn't hide it, but like Dee I hid the empties. Sometimes I would drive to the local convenience store to unload my "trash" and then of course get some more to drink.....then back again. Crazy!

Orbea

I hid some 1.5 liter bottles of wine in my dresser and in the laundry. Unfortunately, most of my empties ended up in the trash hidden instead of the recycle box. Other than that I'm pretty earth friendly!

PaperDolls

Oh, and you know what else?

I remember people talking about hiding their alcohol and i was like, "Pffft, I don't to that! That's crazy! Look how different I am from these people." Man, was I in such denial.

flutter

I did it. At first, I'd 'hide' vodka in my beer.. so that it only seemed I was drinking a beer or two, when they were half vodka. Then I would stash the bottles places. Then I started just keeping bottles of vodka in the closet, in my dresser, on top of a bookcase, under the bed.. and would chug them secretly. That landed me in the hospital when I got the bright idea to 'splurge' on the huge bottle. Also almost landed me jobless and single when I started doing that crap in the mornings.

Living a totally open and honest life is one of the greatest benefits in recovery for me.

aasharon90

I went to the grocery store as usual and
bought my huge bottle of my favorite wine.
Towards the end of my drinking career, on
my way home, i opened that huge bottle
and swigged on it. I just couldnt wait to
swallow my poison fast enough.

Upon arriving at home, my husband confronted
me as he was helping me unload the groceries,
What happened to the bottle of wine, he asked
as he saw some missing. I was so ashamed and
felt so guilty that I said something which i dont
recall. But im sure it was some kind of lie.

I never hide bottles at home, because i was the
only drinker and everyone knew I drank.
However, i hide my drinking problem very and
no one suspected i had a drinking problem till
the very end when i tried to end my life.

That was 21 yrs ago.

Thank my HP for recovery and intervention.
It saved my life.