tranquilseeker

Not sure if I have a problem but am attempting to quit the bottle for the month of June just to see if I can and what a difference it makes in my life.....anyone my age and demographics want to talk?

least

Welcome! I got sober over five years ago and don't regret a minute of it. My life is better for it and I don't miss it at all.

You'll find lots of support here.

Dee74

Hi and welcome tranquilseeker

Feel free to post and read as much as you like here - we're all about support

D

PaperDolls

Welcome tranquilseeker. You'll find people from all walks of life here and some great support!

I use AA and the 12 steps to help with my recovery. It's not a requirement at all but these questions can be helpful for anyone asking themselves this question.

Alcoholics Anonymous : Is A.A. For You? Twelve questions only you can answer

Weasel1966

Welcome to SR tranquilseeker!!!

Buggirl

Welcome!

WildernessVoice

Hello and welcome. Let us know how the month goes for you

tranquilseeker

Thanks for the kind words everyone. The thing is I'm not sure if I have a problem...but perhaps I do? I feel alcohol is negatively affecting my life and not allowing me to live to my full potential. There is rarely a day when I don't drink. I often go to work with hangovers and can't perform as well as I should. On the weekends I almost always binge drink to the point of blacking out. I have put myself in precarious situations when drunk and have sustained injuries (cuts and bruises on my face) without knowing where they came from. I this behavior has been going on longer than I perceive (since i don't like to actually sit down and realize how long it has been going on for). I am deeply in debt and can't imagine how much money I would save if I just stopped drinking! I often feel physically ill from the amount I drank the night before. Now that I put it in writing, it sounds like I have a problem...So here is the dilemma....I am thinking of quitting OR cutting back for the month of June. Something tells me cutting back isn't going to work and that I have to go without completely.....is this the better route to take? From what I have said, do you think I have a problem?

nymets86

I never drank every day, but felt very similar to you about not living up to my full potential and annoyed with being hungover at work.


.....then there's those weekend blackouts. I don't know about you, but waking up from a blackout for me is the absolute worst feeling in the world. And since I can't know for sure when I start drinking if it'll end up in a blackout, I know that I need to stop.

As for quitting for June vs for life, I find it a ton easier to set small goals and just get those accomplished. I'm now on Day 40 of sobriety and that followed 62 days of being sober. I know that I want a life without alcohol, but it's just too hard to think like that (I'm 29), so I'm just taking it one day at a time.

On The Road

I drank everyday (5 months sober now). Binged on weekends. Blacked out. Didn't know where I was or how I got to the places I found myself at all hours of the night. Had hangovers at work. And I'm pretty sure I had enough alcohol in me from the night before that I was still drunk. Terrible relations with the family. If I drink one, I'll drink everything in site. I have a problem.

I can't determine that for you, though.

The more I kept reading on SR, the more I realized I wasn't the only one. It has really helped motivate me to change at the very core.

Welcome aboard. Look forward to hearing more from you.

Aellyce

Hi tranquilseeker - welcome to SR!

I felt exactly like do in my early-to-mid-30's... am 41 now. My experience was that my drinking problem got worse with time and in the end it was unbearable. Am ~16 months sober now and couldn't be happier with my choice. Do give it a thought, read around here, SR is a wonderful place for information, support, and friendship.

I've seen in your profile that you are a scientist -- me too

Also, we have an LBGT forum here if you are interested, usually not too active though. I sometimes post there.
GLBTQ in Recovery - SoberRecovery : Alcoholism Drug Addiction Help and Information

Good luck

tranquilseeker

yea, I guess the worse part is not living up to my potential....i mean i am functional and NEVER would miss a day of work....I always force myself to go.....but def could be alot more productive if I didn't live with constant hangovers....my weekends are totally wasted because I spend the whole day destroyed on the sofa before I make my way back out to get wasted all over. it makes me depressed and it's an endless cycle. I feel like I am living my life in a fog and have not seen or lived anything clearly for the longest time. i know underneath it all i feel some anxiety and depression and am self-medicating with alcohol to avoid those feelings. but as crazy as this seems, I even drink when i'm very happy and excited about life......almost like I don't want to feel that emotion either. strange.

Soberintexas007

Welcome tranquil. I have given up drinking because rather than want to go to work the next day, I thought I should be in a psych unit because of the depression and anxiety from the hangover.

Thepatman

Welcome to SR!

I tried to convince myself for 10 years that maybe I was not that bad. Until my life became completely unmanageable. You don't have to. But only you can determine if you have an issue with the bottle.

gettingsmarter

Welcome tranquilseeker! Please if you want keep posting and let us know how your month is going.

gettingsmarter

Man sounds pretty similar to my experience. I basically spent 15 years hung over. I never missed work but was about as useful as if I wasn't there anyway. It sounds like you are probably going to learn a lot about yourself this month off.

Anna

Welcome!

It seems like there a lot of reasons for you to stop drinking because of the negative impact on your life. It's really up to you to decide whether or not you are an alcoholic, and in the end, it's just a word. What really matters is that alcohol is causing problems for you.

I think stopping drinking for a month will help you to see if you can stop. Cutting back is generally exhausting and a failure for alcoholics. I hope you keep reading and posting.

Delilah1

Welcome, I think taking the time to read on SR. this month will help.

exwell66

don't pay much to your age or orientation we are here for the same issue,that other stuff dosnt matter at all.I became a major league drunk aprox a few years ago...I started out in little league around 14 moved up to varsity about 25..big drinker you know all fun hamptons,worked at Chippendales then escapes what fun,could still manage work.Then the minor league around 33...drinking every day but functional.tripple a about 43 no more beer vodka all night long every day.At 46 I made the majors vodka ran my life kids job everything didn't matter except getting drunk...Last I became an allstar last 6 months 1000 oz a month......enuff said......It gets worse as time goes on...if I told you details,well not enuff space here but its ugly...sober now 52 days....feel awesome,,,don't be fooled thinking it wont get you...I was on the way to getting my number retired that's the end of the ballgame...think about it real hare..good luck

nymets86

tranquil, I think for me, being happy is definitely the bigger trigger and indication that I'm going to lose control and blackout. I think the adrenaline gets rushing and all the positive energy and I just let loose. Almost all the good feelings are gone the next day after those blackouts though.

I don't think it's at all strange that you're finding happy moments just as much as anxious/down in the dumps moments to trigger a binge