Susan80

On Friday I went to a leaving party and a local bar and had no problem staying sober. I met my friend on Saturday to go shopping and then we went for our usual couple of drinks where I stuck to diet coke. The problem I have is that I get quite bored after a while and don’t see much point being there after a couple of hours. Is this normal? When I was drinking, you could not get me to leave a pub!!! Also, I notice that I get really tired if I am not drinking. . . did anyone find that alcohol gave them “false” energy? I feel like I am being such a bore if I leave company early on in the evening. . . .

audra

Yes definitely Susan - once my DH and I did an experiment. WE both drank one beer. He was beginning to feel sleepy and I was beginning to feel more awake, more energy. Then we had a second beer and he didn't want another one, felt full and veery sleepy. I, on the other hand, was just getting going - feeling like I wanted to party hardy and was certainly not ready to quit.

Anna

Well alcohol is full of sugar, so yeah there is a burst of energy for sure.

And, I found that I had to change a lot of things in my life besides stopping drinking. I would not have wanted to spend a couple of hours sitting in a pub. It wouldn't have worked for me. I tried to change my activities, my routines and I removed some people from my life. I started walking a lot, reading more, trying to find the parts of me I had lost.

MIRecovery

Part of the tired thing for me is that it takes energy to be around drinking and not drinking. I usually find drinking situations pretty boring in general because the event is centered around alcohol not friendship

Xune

For me, it's the company that determines if I want to stick around. If the company is fun, boisterous, lots of laughs and interesting conversation, I'm happy to stick around and sip pop while my friends drink alcohol.

I do however generally avoid the pub / bar and rarely go. I just don't believe bars / pubs are a healthy place for me to be so early in my recovery.

sugarbear1

I have read that alcoholics are "energized" when drinking while "normal drinkers" get tired, start to "feel it" and stop. We keep drinking.....

We are wired differently when it comes to alcohol.

MIRecovery

I think this is due to our different brain chemistry but it for sure is true

sugarbear1

I've always felt it was a brain-body connection....I love, absolutely love sugar, even when very young I'd be caught eating sugar from the sugar bowl....hard candy, bring it on! When I drank, I rarely ate anything sweet.....

Energy galore when I drank!

I really enjoy sugar and sweets again, but now I need to learn to keep eating well and to keep sugar to a minimum, which is difficult.

It's also a process getting my motivation and energy back in my life, but I'm not going to drink to get it back now!

Xune

Are you able to post the link where you read that?

I'm very interested to see what it's about, as I generally would be rip roaring to go well past when my fellow drinkers were fading...

sugarbear1

I'd have to re-search it again, my old laptop went out and my bookmarks weren't transferred. Give me some time or do your own search....

YVRguy

Well lots of empty calories in alcohol as in energy without much nutrition typically. I found I did get more energetic when I got a few drinks in me but that could have been the reprieve of my withdrawal symptoms at the end.

I have not spent hours in a pub or bar in a long time as most of my drinking was alone in the last few years. I guess since the whole place tends to center on drinking and being around people drinking is not so stimulating unless your one of the crowd I can see how it would be boring. I sure know I never accomplished much in those places except to empty my wallet , possibly alienate myself to more people or talk big about stuff and never do anything I said....I don't miss it that's for sure.

MIRecovery

Not sure if it is an urban legend or where I read it but it may have been from a book called healing the addicted brain. The book has a bunch of stuff about brain chemistry research

Why is Alcohol/Drug Addiction Considered a Disease?

sugarbear1

This is not the link, I believe I was on the NIH website reading about clinical studies and their results, but this is close:

Hypoglycemic Health Association of Australia - Why Alcoholics Drink?

I do suffer from hypoglycemic "attacks" on occasion and I believe I was looking for information on proper eating. I lack in this area periodically, especially when slightly depressed....

Zube

Since my first day at AA I have been told that sugar controls alcohol cravings. Now I see that cutting back on sugar AND CAFFEINE control alcohol cravings!?

How to Prevent Alcohol Cravings | eHow.com


HUH!?

It's no wonder our relapse rate is so high.

Better keep this "modern" news away from my home group...that's all we do is drink coffee and eat candy!!!

I need to stop telling newcomers to eat candy to reduce their cravings. I have been led astray by my fellow, wiser, AA's.

Now that I thin of it, Bill W suggests somewhere in the BB or 12/12 to eat candy to reduce cravings, doesn't he?

Zube

idletime2

Every time i drink like a normal person and slowly drink my beer it does make me a little sleepy. Especially after i have my designated two beers and stop i just want to go to bed. If i start to pound my drinks i want to go all night. I feel pretty drunk at the start but after six beers i get in the zone and peak and could go all night without getting sleepy.