How Far Down the Rabbit Hole?
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 23
How Far Down the Rabbit Hole?
I'm curious, how far along was everyone in their drinking careers before they quit?
Me, I drank like an alcoholic for about a year and a half before I quit 3 weeks ago. Though, realistically, I had had a problem for 3 years before that. I can honestly say that a good 90% of my problems in college had alcohol or marijuana as their root... Agh, regret. Can't look at it that way though.
I've heard of others whom have abused alcohol for many, many years before they finally quit. I can't entirely understand the viewpoint. For me, if I were to continue along the path I was on, I'm quite certain that I would have lost everything. My few remaining friends, my education, my brain, my girlfriend... Everything.
Of course, plenty of others would have an equally difficult time fathoming how one could abuse alcohol at all given that it is a pretty ****** substance overall.
So, that leaves the question, how far down the rabbit hole were you?
Me, I drank like an alcoholic for about a year and a half before I quit 3 weeks ago. Though, realistically, I had had a problem for 3 years before that. I can honestly say that a good 90% of my problems in college had alcohol or marijuana as their root... Agh, regret. Can't look at it that way though.
I've heard of others whom have abused alcohol for many, many years before they finally quit. I can't entirely understand the viewpoint. For me, if I were to continue along the path I was on, I'm quite certain that I would have lost everything. My few remaining friends, my education, my brain, my girlfriend... Everything.
Of course, plenty of others would have an equally difficult time fathoming how one could abuse alcohol at all given that it is a pretty ****** substance overall.
So, that leaves the question, how far down the rabbit hole were you?
bona fido dog-lover
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: SF Bay area, CA
Posts: 99,760
I blew 20 years sobriety when I started drinking again in 2007. I drank for nearly two years before finally calling it quits in December 09. I hadn't lost anything but my self respect and the respect of my kids. 
Just glad I finally quit drinking. Coming up on five years sober next month. 
Just glad I finally quit drinking. Coming up on five years sober next month. Professional zombie fighter
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Texas
Posts: 341
Four and a half years? Maybe five? I had one drink in high school one time, which resulted in my having enough drinks to pass out naked in my parents guest bathroom with no memory of much of anything. Then I didn't drink again, because that was so terrifying and I thought I was a good girl, until I was 21, in college. All bets were almost immediately off and have been since. I'm 26 now. In that time I've gone from what I was as a teen, which was like, "depressed and strangely empty but always trying to get better and be normal," to, "I give zero *****, I just want to drink, I've pushed my friends away and stopped talking to family, I'm almost evicted because I don't clean anything, and I'm on my "Last and Final Warning" at my job I've had for four years which I once thought I wanted so badly, but it was always inevitable, whatever, time for drinks."
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Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Canada
Posts: 374
Good question. For me, my job was intact, my bank account was intact, my relationship was intact... Mentally? I was at the bottom. I knew enough that how I was drinking was going to lead to the above being compromised. I went through it with my ex husband. He lost it all, and I sooooo didn't want to end up like him.
40 days tomorrow.
40 days tomorrow.
Trudgin
Join Date: Jul 2014
Posts: 6,348
Originally Posted by SaviorNomad 
I'm curious, how far along was everyone in their drinking careers before they quit?
Me, I drank like an alcoholic for about a year and a half before I quit 3 weeks ago.
I've heard of others whom have abused alcohol for many, many years before they finally quit. I can't entirely understand the viewpoint. For me, if I were to continue along the path I was on, I'm quite certain that I would have lost everything. My few remaining friends, my education, my brain, my girlfriend... Everything.
So, that leaves the question, how far down the rabbit hole were you?
Me, I drank like an alcoholic for about a year and a half before I quit 3 weeks ago.
I've heard of others whom have abused alcohol for many, many years before they finally quit. I can't entirely understand the viewpoint. For me, if I were to continue along the path I was on, I'm quite certain that I would have lost everything. My few remaining friends, my education, my brain, my girlfriend... Everything.
So, that leaves the question, how far down the rabbit hole were you?
For me, the impediments to my sobriety were never removed - my family, cars, house, career all still there.
What I discovered, simply was - I lost the thing I really never new what it was.....
Me.
The walls of my snug rabbit den were lined with resentments, fear, self centeredness, gluttony, lust and envy. These companions manifested themselves in many different ways in the hutch. The depth of my rabbit hole in people years was over 30+ of drinking. The last few daily - up to a liter of booze each and every day.
Please share your journey with us, glad you are here!
I too stopped shortly after college. And marriage and kids, and many New Years ......
Glad to see you've recognized the issue at a young age!
What's your plan to stay stopped???
kind regards,
Fly
Do your best
Join Date: Aug 2014
Posts: 67,047
After my mum died i hit the bottle big time i quickly worked up to drinking a litre of vodka sometimes more a day
5 years id say i was drinking alcoholically im very lucky to be alive today i sincerly know that
5 years id say i was drinking alcoholically im very lucky to be alive today i sincerly know that
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2014
Posts: 23
@FlynBuy
I quit because I felt like I was wasting my time drinking. There are far better things for me to be doing on any given night than drink. My biggest thing right now is keeping myself occupied with my schoolwork and my hobbies (which I entirely abandoned when I was a drunk).
Still, there are some times where I feel like a drink would make whatever I'm doing better, especially if I'm feeling edgy (I feel edgy a lot since quitting. I've been using alcohol to ignore my problems...).
During these times I just remind myself that it'll pass and I'll be better than if I drank.
There's also the small detail of that I actually don't like alcohol anymore, if I ever did. Last year I drank with some friends and did cocaine. I turned into a huge douchebag and messed things up very badly with them. Every so often since that night, alcohol makes me feel paranoid that I'm going to lose control and I try to compensate for it by being reclusive and not talk to people (I wouldn't shut up the night I did coke).
After awhile of doing that, alcohol no longer makes me more outgoing in a crowd of people anymore. It does the opposite. So that reason to drink is eliminated.
My other reason was that I used it as a substitute for weed. It gave me a similar euphoric feeling. This no longer happens, probably due to my experience. So I decided that it wasn't worth drinking anymore.
I also think of all the dumb **** I do when I'm drunk and the hangovers. That's plenty to keep me from jumping back in.
I quit because I felt like I was wasting my time drinking. There are far better things for me to be doing on any given night than drink. My biggest thing right now is keeping myself occupied with my schoolwork and my hobbies (which I entirely abandoned when I was a drunk).
Still, there are some times where I feel like a drink would make whatever I'm doing better, especially if I'm feeling edgy (I feel edgy a lot since quitting. I've been using alcohol to ignore my problems...).
During these times I just remind myself that it'll pass and I'll be better than if I drank.
There's also the small detail of that I actually don't like alcohol anymore, if I ever did. Last year I drank with some friends and did cocaine. I turned into a huge douchebag and messed things up very badly with them. Every so often since that night, alcohol makes me feel paranoid that I'm going to lose control and I try to compensate for it by being reclusive and not talk to people (I wouldn't shut up the night I did coke).
After awhile of doing that, alcohol no longer makes me more outgoing in a crowd of people anymore. It does the opposite. So that reason to drink is eliminated.
My other reason was that I used it as a substitute for weed. It gave me a similar euphoric feeling. This no longer happens, probably due to my experience. So I decided that it wasn't worth drinking anymore.
I also think of all the dumb **** I do when I'm drunk and the hangovers. That's plenty to keep me from jumping back in.
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Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 211,384
So, that leaves the question, how far down the rabbit hole were you?
Honestly, I nearly died - if I could have gone any further, I don't want to know about it.
D
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Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 8,637
far enough to score myself multiple DUI's, waste millions of dollars, wound myself on many levels, a couple divorces, a LOT of guilt, shame, regret, health impacts, missed joy, self loathing and darkness..... decades of wasted moments that could have been so much more real and full.
Fortunately for me... in my descent I didn't
kill anyone
go to prison
die
lose it all
torpedo my career
lose my family or kids
But far enough down to know just how real those promises are.... I need only keep on drinking to keep on descending.
Fortunately for me... in my descent I didn't
kill anyone
go to prison
die
lose it all
torpedo my career
lose my family or kids
But far enough down to know just how real those promises are.... I need only keep on drinking to keep on descending.
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