The ongoing saga....
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 1
The ongoing saga....
Hello,
My name is Jack. I am 30 years of age and have battled with the 'binge' ever since I attended University and College back when I was a wee pup at 18. For 12 years now I have struggled to kick this habit and it is destroying all the good in my life. To be fair, I really enjoy a drink or two at home with the family. I can happily engage in a few drinks and call it a night. 5 years ago I was unable to partake in a 'quiet social drink' and I have really made progress here. I will binge once every one or two months but it gets really out of control. I am the part owner of a pub and my drinking episodes of recent are usually after downing a plethora of shots with staff, friends and sometimes strangers who drink at my bar. I will completely black out and can quickly become a very different person. I have been known to come to at the airport, in a lane or wake up home in bed not knowing how I got there. I am violently ill the day after drinking and will often vomit for the duration of the day and well into the evening. My anxiety is magnified ten fold after these episodes. All my friends tend to rely on the bottle for a good time and I don't think they would understand my conundrum. I am a happy go lucky fella and often considered the life of the party but the massive night out is destroying all my creativity and zest for life. I love the outdoors, hiking and adventure but alcohol and hangovers don't mix with an active lifestyle. It has an injurious impact on my relationship and my professional and personal life. Owning and running a pub is hard enough but coupled with a propensity to binge drink makes it awfully hard to manage. I am thinking about looking into hypnosis and rather than abolish drinking altogether, would prefer a healthy and happy approach to a few drinks away from the pub. I do believe I can accomplish this and I have now imposed a self drinking ban at my pub. I don't feel that I have ever reached my true potential because of the battle of the binge. I was able to give up alcohol for 3 months a few years back and felt so cleansed and so alive. It is encouraging to read that I am not alone and that many go through the trials and tribulations of binge drinking. I look forward to hearing the stories of others and how best to approach this issue that affects so many. Kindest Regards, Jack.
My name is Jack. I am 30 years of age and have battled with the 'binge' ever since I attended University and College back when I was a wee pup at 18. For 12 years now I have struggled to kick this habit and it is destroying all the good in my life. To be fair, I really enjoy a drink or two at home with the family. I can happily engage in a few drinks and call it a night. 5 years ago I was unable to partake in a 'quiet social drink' and I have really made progress here. I will binge once every one or two months but it gets really out of control. I am the part owner of a pub and my drinking episodes of recent are usually after downing a plethora of shots with staff, friends and sometimes strangers who drink at my bar. I will completely black out and can quickly become a very different person. I have been known to come to at the airport, in a lane or wake up home in bed not knowing how I got there. I am violently ill the day after drinking and will often vomit for the duration of the day and well into the evening. My anxiety is magnified ten fold after these episodes. All my friends tend to rely on the bottle for a good time and I don't think they would understand my conundrum. I am a happy go lucky fella and often considered the life of the party but the massive night out is destroying all my creativity and zest for life. I love the outdoors, hiking and adventure but alcohol and hangovers don't mix with an active lifestyle. It has an injurious impact on my relationship and my professional and personal life. Owning and running a pub is hard enough but coupled with a propensity to binge drink makes it awfully hard to manage. I am thinking about looking into hypnosis and rather than abolish drinking altogether, would prefer a healthy and happy approach to a few drinks away from the pub. I do believe I can accomplish this and I have now imposed a self drinking ban at my pub. I don't feel that I have ever reached my true potential because of the battle of the binge. I was able to give up alcohol for 3 months a few years back and felt so cleansed and so alive. It is encouraging to read that I am not alone and that many go through the trials and tribulations of binge drinking. I look forward to hearing the stories of others and how best to approach this issue that affects so many. Kindest Regards, Jack.
Member
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Ireland
Posts: 25,826
Hey Jack!! Welcome to the Forum!! 
It sounds like alcohol is affecting your life and you're ready to make a few changes, great job on making that decision. I was the same, alcohol was starting to eat into every part of my life and I just wasn't happy, so myself and alcohol needed to part ways.
You'll find loads of support here on SR, this is a great place full of people on the same journey, it's great to have you here!!
It sounds like alcohol is affecting your life and you're ready to make a few changes, great job on making that decision. I was the same, alcohol was starting to eat into every part of my life and I just wasn't happy, so myself and alcohol needed to part ways.
You'll find loads of support here on SR, this is a great place full of people on the same journey, it's great to have you here!!
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 211,436
Welcome to SR Jack
I don't know anything about cutting back, I'm afraid - tried that for 20 years and it never worked for me.
The only thing that worked for me was no longer introducing alcohol into my system.
I thought it would be the end...turned out it was a pretty wonderful beginning to a new life, and me liking who I am and reaching that potential you spoke of.
Keep an open mind
D
I don't know anything about cutting back, I'm afraid - tried that for 20 years and it never worked for me.
The only thing that worked for me was no longer introducing alcohol into my system.
I thought it would be the end...turned out it was a pretty wonderful beginning to a new life, and me liking who I am and reaching that potential you spoke of.
Keep an open mind
D
Member
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 8,637
"I am thinking about looking into hypnosis and rather than abolish drinking altogether, would prefer a healthy and happy approach to a few drinks away from the pub. I do believe I can accomplish this and I have now imposed a self drinking ban at my pub. I don't feel that I have ever reached my true potential because of the battle of the binge. I was able to give up alcohol for 3 months a few years back and felt so cleansed and so alive."
Well mate.... if you're somehow able to allow alcohol into your life at all and still 'drink like a gentleman' and honor your love of the outdoors and cherish your life, well then I wish you luck.
That said, I'd not be doing you any favors to encourage it. What you describe is a well-worn path that many have been down; myself included. As you explore your challenge, I encourage you to think long and hard about how drinking at ALL really honors the things you say that you value in life.
I've found that if I allow it in at all - even a little - sooner or later it gets the best of me, and does so worse and worse every time I try to 'beat' it.
Read people's stories here, consider giving AA an honest shot. And maybe consider a new entrepreneurial venture or at least becoming a "silent partner" in that pub. Melbourne - and Auz in general - is a hard-drinking culture. Staying intimately linked with pub life is going to make it really hard for you.
Well mate.... if you're somehow able to allow alcohol into your life at all and still 'drink like a gentleman' and honor your love of the outdoors and cherish your life, well then I wish you luck.
That said, I'd not be doing you any favors to encourage it. What you describe is a well-worn path that many have been down; myself included. As you explore your challenge, I encourage you to think long and hard about how drinking at ALL really honors the things you say that you value in life.
I've found that if I allow it in at all - even a little - sooner or later it gets the best of me, and does so worse and worse every time I try to 'beat' it.
Read people's stories here, consider giving AA an honest shot. And maybe consider a new entrepreneurial venture or at least becoming a "silent partner" in that pub. Melbourne - and Auz in general - is a hard-drinking culture. Staying intimately linked with pub life is going to make it really hard for you.
Member
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 8,637
also; like Dee I've discovered that letting go of the bottle altogether wasn't the end - it was the beginning.
There is SO much more Joy and goodness life has to offer.....
In your original post, I hear a voice that knows this is true. I hope that you will tune in to that voice and listen to it very, very carefully.
Welcome.
There is SO much more Joy and goodness life has to offer.....
In your original post, I hear a voice that knows this is true. I hope that you will tune in to that voice and listen to it very, very carefully.
Welcome.
Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 567
Welcome Jack,
I have heard stories before from people in the pub business, known a few owners of pubs.
Some can drink in their own pub and keep it together, it's part of the environment, and probably expected from a PR point of view.
But what if one is truly an "Alcoholic", by that I mean, the way the body deals with, ( metabolizes ) alcohol ?
Your story is similar to many, waking up and not knowing how we got there, trying to drink moderately, yet end up in all sorts of circumstances, the harms to others, and the list goes on and on.
I can see in your line of work it would be difficult to abstain from drinking, knowing and accepting that alcohol may no longer be working for you, and at the same time the pub environment, customers etc.
I have recovered from this obsession, thinking that one day I can drink and there will be no consequences, I thought it takes a bit more practice in the art of, moderation, maybe i'll try a "better" wine or spirit.
It just got worse, my drinking and my actions under the influence of alcohol was far from anything that resembled, "moderation".
My suggestion is, from my own experiences, is to abstain from drinking, and re-learn to live a life without the alcohol.
The bottom line is, if you know alcohol affects you differently than others around you, and you know you just can't seem to stop it once you consume the first drink, then consider the fact this may never change and the only change is,that it was worse than the last drinking binge, alcohol will always be alcohol in any shape or from.
If you are a part owner of a pub, then why not let the other part owners do your drinking for you if it does not affect them the way it affects you ?
I have heard stories before from people in the pub business, known a few owners of pubs.
Some can drink in their own pub and keep it together, it's part of the environment, and probably expected from a PR point of view.
But what if one is truly an "Alcoholic", by that I mean, the way the body deals with, ( metabolizes ) alcohol ?
Your story is similar to many, waking up and not knowing how we got there, trying to drink moderately, yet end up in all sorts of circumstances, the harms to others, and the list goes on and on.
I can see in your line of work it would be difficult to abstain from drinking, knowing and accepting that alcohol may no longer be working for you, and at the same time the pub environment, customers etc.
I have recovered from this obsession, thinking that one day I can drink and there will be no consequences, I thought it takes a bit more practice in the art of, moderation, maybe i'll try a "better" wine or spirit.
It just got worse, my drinking and my actions under the influence of alcohol was far from anything that resembled, "moderation".
My suggestion is, from my own experiences, is to abstain from drinking, and re-learn to live a life without the alcohol.
The bottom line is, if you know alcohol affects you differently than others around you, and you know you just can't seem to stop it once you consume the first drink, then consider the fact this may never change and the only change is,that it was worse than the last drinking binge, alcohol will always be alcohol in any shape or from.
If you are a part owner of a pub, then why not let the other part owners do your drinking for you if it does not affect them the way it affects you ?
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