Lies I have been telling myself
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Florida
Posts: 70
Lies I have been telling myself
LIE: I can drink socially because I have done it before.
TRUTH: there have been several instances where in a professional situation I have been able to have a couple drinks and "call it a night" but I always go back up to my room and continue drinking. Also there have been many MORE instances where I end up the last one out, dying the next day at the 8am meeting.
LIE: being able to drink socially is a necessary part of being a successful businessperson
TRUTH: No. It's not. I would most likely be more successful without it. I don't play golf. That doesn't appear to hurt me and the same argument could be made for golf.
LIE: drinking is fun!
TRUTH: drinking stopped being "fun" a LONG time ago. I have just been too stubborn to admit it.
Those are just a few off the top of my head- anyone else have lies they have told themselves? Never mind the lies I have told others in regards to drinking. That's a whole new thread ugh.
TRUTH: there have been several instances where in a professional situation I have been able to have a couple drinks and "call it a night" but I always go back up to my room and continue drinking. Also there have been many MORE instances where I end up the last one out, dying the next day at the 8am meeting.
LIE: being able to drink socially is a necessary part of being a successful businessperson
TRUTH: No. It's not. I would most likely be more successful without it. I don't play golf. That doesn't appear to hurt me and the same argument could be made for golf.
LIE: drinking is fun!
TRUTH: drinking stopped being "fun" a LONG time ago. I have just been too stubborn to admit it.
Those are just a few off the top of my head- anyone else have lies they have told themselves? Never mind the lies I have told others in regards to drinking. That's a whole new thread ugh.
Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Lake Worth, Florida
Posts: 20
Lie: I would be happy if I could just manage to drink like a normal person and stop after the second or third one.
Truth: I never wanted to just have two or three, that was when the frustration of not having enough was still very apparent. I always wanted to get severely hammered and getting cut off would infuriate me and make me very depressed.
I was just trying to think of one relevant to people I hear that say they are jealous of how people can drink a few and stop. I never understood that, I dont know about others but just a few drink never made me feel good, one or two dozen did.
Truth: I never wanted to just have two or three, that was when the frustration of not having enough was still very apparent. I always wanted to get severely hammered and getting cut off would infuriate me and make me very depressed.
I was just trying to think of one relevant to people I hear that say they are jealous of how people can drink a few and stop. I never understood that, I dont know about others but just a few drink never made me feel good, one or two dozen did.
Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 72
Lie: I can stop drinking for extended periods of time without suffering withdrawal, so I am not an alcoholic.
Truth: Being able to stop whenever I want didn't change the fact that once I had a drink, it was a very short stumble back to blackout binge drinking. And probably wouldn't have been much longer before I'd be back to drinking every day.
Lie: If I have and follow rules about my drinking (only one, never two days in a row, never when I feel stressed out and think I 'need' one, etc) I won't get out of control.
Truth: Rules are made to be broken.
Lie: If my family doesn't think I have a problem, I don't have a problem.
Truth: For real, if *I* know I have a problem, why does it matter what my family thinks?
Lie: I can't celebrate without alcohol.
Truth: What good is celebration you can't remember?
I could probably go on forever, but thank you so much for this thread. It's exactly what I needed today, when I'm feeling really down about never drinking again.
Truth: Being able to stop whenever I want didn't change the fact that once I had a drink, it was a very short stumble back to blackout binge drinking. And probably wouldn't have been much longer before I'd be back to drinking every day.
Lie: If I have and follow rules about my drinking (only one, never two days in a row, never when I feel stressed out and think I 'need' one, etc) I won't get out of control.
Truth: Rules are made to be broken.
Lie: If my family doesn't think I have a problem, I don't have a problem.
Truth: For real, if *I* know I have a problem, why does it matter what my family thinks?
Lie: I can't celebrate without alcohol.
Truth: What good is celebration you can't remember?
I could probably go on forever, but thank you so much for this thread. It's exactly what I needed today, when I'm feeling really down about never drinking again.
Member
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: michigan
Posts: 109
Lie: I'll stop drinking by 9:00 and then I'll feel fine at work tomorrow...
Truth: I'll fall in bed at 3:00 am when I've managed to drink every drop of alcohol in the house and stumble into work hiding in my corner for a few hours until the alcohol fog lifts, and spend the rest of the day feeling like hell...
Truth: I'll fall in bed at 3:00 am when I've managed to drink every drop of alcohol in the house and stumble into work hiding in my corner for a few hours until the alcohol fog lifts, and spend the rest of the day feeling like hell...
Member
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Chantilly, VA
Posts: 216
Hehe, back when that TV show called "Lost" was on, I really enjoyed it. With alcohol, I could just about watch every episode 3-4 times as if it were a new episode as I couldn't remember a darn thing when I watched it the night before ;-)
SR Fan
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Mississippi
Posts: 7,910
LOVE reading everyone's responses!
Lie: This time will be different - I won't get out of control.
Reality: Why quit when the bottle isn't empty?
Lie: I won't be happy if I can't drink. I'll be bored and have nothing to reward myself any more.
Reality: My reward turned out to be hangovers, anxiety and depression. My addiction squelched my soul - no happiness there......
Lie: This time will be different - I won't get out of control.
Reality: Why quit when the bottle isn't empty?
Lie: I won't be happy if I can't drink. I'll be bored and have nothing to reward myself any more.
Reality: My reward turned out to be hangovers, anxiety and depression. My addiction squelched my soul - no happiness there......
Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: I'm exactly where I should be.
Posts: 1,889
Originally Posted by BurningChrome 
With alcohol, I could just about watch every episode 3-4 times as if it were a new episode as I couldn't remember a darn thing when I watched it the night before ;-)
Lie: We're good friends...we all go out drink and have fun.
Truth: Insisting you have 'just one more' when you say 'that's it'.
And where are they when you need them...??
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Florida
Posts: 70
Yep. ALL of these!!! I have told myself a version of each and every one of these lies over the years. I like to think of myself as an honest, trustworthy person. I believe the people around me feel like I am. Now it is time to stop lying to myself so I can learn and grow as a sober person.
Not waving, but drowning
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 423
Originally Posted by BurningChrome
Hehe, back when that TV show called "Lost" was on, I really enjoyed it. With alcohol, I could just about watch every episode 3-4 times as if it were a new episode as I couldn't remember a darn thing when I watched it the night before ;-)
unlearning
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: russia
Posts: 343
Originally Posted by Sara1956
Ah, but you are telling yourself the truth now so that's a step in the right direction!
We might be able to fool others but we can't fool ourselves. Good luck!
We might be able to fool others but we can't fool ourselves. Good luck!
Lie: I can do things drunk, that many can't do sober.
Truth: They could if they really wanted to, and I would do them better, and more easily if I was sober.
New to Real Life
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: I come in Peaces
Posts: 2,071
My whole drinking career was founded on one major lie. That fun, normal people drink and lame, dull people don't drink. I would roll my eyes at any non-drinker imagining how booooooring their lives must be.
It honestly kept me drunk.
I even remember reading here and I think it was Carol talking about how she's had lots of celebrations with her AA friends where alcohol wasn't present. Like Christmas celebrations/parties etc. The very thought made me want to cry. What a life, I thought. Sitting around drinking soda.
But now that I'm free I see that was just alcohol talking. It's not true! It's not true that life is dull without alcohol!
It honestly kept me drunk.
I even remember reading here and I think it was Carol talking about how she's had lots of celebrations with her AA friends where alcohol wasn't present. Like Christmas celebrations/parties etc. The very thought made me want to cry. What a life, I thought. Sitting around drinking soda.
But now that I'm free I see that was just alcohol talking. It's not true! It's not true that life is dull without alcohol!
is really trying!
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: On the road to serenity via soberville
Posts: 236
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for this thread!! It is EXACTLY what I needed to read today when I am wavering about not having a 'birthday drink' today (or ever again).The best birthday present I can receive is continued sobriety, and only I can gift it to me, today & every day.
You are all amazing ,
Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: MI
Posts: 216
I am sitting here on Monday morning reading all of these posts and it makes me smile and feel so great that I'm sober (50 days today!). I've told myself everyone of these lies and suffered from the guilt because I knew what the real truth was. Thanks March for starting this thread.
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