Quite Curious
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 518
Quite Curious
Hello all - I haven't posted in a bit. I am on sober day 13. The longest ever in 2 years.
Anyways, I have a question for you guys...when getting sober does it matter if you drank for 20 years as opposed to 2 years? I know that physically drinking for 2 years is less damaging then drinking for 20 years...but mentally or psychologically does it make a difference?
And does it make a difference when getting sober or going through withdrawl?
Wonder what your guys' opinion on this is.
Thanks.
Anyways, I have a question for you guys...when getting sober does it matter if you drank for 20 years as opposed to 2 years? I know that physically drinking for 2 years is less damaging then drinking for 20 years...but mentally or psychologically does it make a difference?
And does it make a difference when getting sober or going through withdrawl?
Wonder what your guys' opinion on this is.
Thanks.
I'm here to learn!
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: I'm on it!
Posts: 2,038
Not sure if years drinking is a factor or not. Seems like there are those who had been drinking for 25 years and quit on their first attempt and also those who have had a problem for only a year or two and can't string together two sober days to save their life.
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Join Date: May 2011
Location: Sunny FL
Posts: 647
Congrats on day 13 bayliss 
. Your doing great. Keep it up. I think its harder on a person that has been drinking 20 years because they have more of a psychological attachment. Like an old friend. However, some people really get hooked just the same at 2 years. I think it is easier to bounce back though.
. Your doing great. Keep it up. I think its harder on a person that has been drinking 20 years because they have more of a psychological attachment. Like an old friend. However, some people really get hooked just the same at 2 years. I think it is easier to bounce back though.
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Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Rhode Island
Posts: 443
Good for you bayliss, 13 days!
I had previously tried to quit cigarettes many times before I finally did it for good. It was painful every single time, until the last time. I think when I finally did it for good, I was "ready". Same with booze, least for me. It's been almost three decades, yet every other time I've tried to quit, it's been the "white knuckling" everyone talks about here, and the "triggers" and "cravings". NONE of that, this time, again because I'm finally "ready".
But then again, we're all different.
Keep it up!
I had previously tried to quit cigarettes many times before I finally did it for good. It was painful every single time, until the last time. I think when I finally did it for good, I was "ready". Same with booze, least for me. It's been almost three decades, yet every other time I've tried to quit, it's been the "white knuckling" everyone talks about here, and the "triggers" and "cravings". NONE of that, this time, again because I'm finally "ready".
But then again, we're all different.
Keep it up!
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Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: The Deep South
Posts: 14,636
I don't think the time spent drinking matters at all. I think if you have a drinking problem, you need to be sober. And whatever it takes to get you sober, be willing to do that. I think your mindset approaching sobriety is 95% of it.
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Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Singapore
Posts: 737
Congrats on 13 days.
My own experience is that I was able to drink my face off for years and not suffer much - until one day I couldn't. Just like that. No slow progression at all, it was as if a switch was flipped. I'm pretty sure the accumulated years of abuse played a part in that.
I'd say yes, drinking is cumulative and can do much greater damage the longer you imbibe. Obviously physical ailments happen - livers stop working, kidneys fail, but for me something upstairs in my brain just flipped at some point and I was no longer function-able or in control at all once I drank. Had I stopped before that switch was flipped it may have saved me the suffering that followed.
I'd also say that yes, withdrawal from booze got way worse as time progressed. I remember not suffering hangovers at all, which used to royally pi$$ off my drinking buddies. But after a time the withdrawal sickness went from being a nuisance to just completely unbearable. Allow me to qualify that a bit... I've been through a 7.8 earthquake and had a slab of concrete literally fall on my head; the tsunami in Thailand where I cut my leg on something while running and required 70+ stitches. I've also been assaulted and beaten senseless - broken bones kinda stuff. I've tossed my Harley on a road in Ontario once and wound up in critical care from the adventure. Even had a steak knife buried in my leg and completely shattered my left shoulder - and to this day I have no idea how any of that happened.
The reason I'm mentioning these things is because not one of those circumstances matched the pure agony I have felt withdrawing from booze at the end of my alcoholism. There really is no way to describe how bad it can get, but I'll say this; at certain points death would have been welcome respite from the wretching, shaking, pounding agony I felt coming off a 26 oz per day Vodka habit. In terms of pain and suffering, alcohol withdrawal has easily dwarfed any injury I've ever faced.
My own experience is that I was able to drink my face off for years and not suffer much - until one day I couldn't. Just like that. No slow progression at all, it was as if a switch was flipped. I'm pretty sure the accumulated years of abuse played a part in that.
I'd say yes, drinking is cumulative and can do much greater damage the longer you imbibe. Obviously physical ailments happen - livers stop working, kidneys fail, but for me something upstairs in my brain just flipped at some point and I was no longer function-able or in control at all once I drank. Had I stopped before that switch was flipped it may have saved me the suffering that followed.
I'd also say that yes, withdrawal from booze got way worse as time progressed. I remember not suffering hangovers at all, which used to royally pi$$ off my drinking buddies.
But after a time the withdrawal sickness went from being a nuisance to just completely unbearable. Allow me to qualify that a bit... I've been through a 7.8 earthquake and had a slab of concrete literally fall on my head; the tsunami in Thailand where I cut my leg on something while running and required 70+ stitches. I've also been assaulted and beaten senseless - broken bones kinda stuff. I've tossed my Harley on a road in Ontario once and wound up in critical care from the adventure. Even had a steak knife buried in my leg and completely shattered my left shoulder - and to this day I have no idea how any of that happened. The reason I'm mentioning these things is because not one of those circumstances matched the pure agony I have felt withdrawing from booze at the end of my alcoholism. There really is no way to describe how bad it can get, but I'll say this; at certain points death would have been welcome respite from the wretching, shaking, pounding agony I felt coming off a 26 oz per day Vodka habit. In terms of pain and suffering, alcohol withdrawal has easily dwarfed any injury I've ever faced.
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Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: « USA » Recovered with AVRT (Rational Recovery) ___________
Posts: 3,680
In my opinion, it is best not to compare yourself to others too much. I remember when I first rolled into AA, and seeing some people that looked to me like they had been run over by an eighteen-wheeler, twice. At the time, I thought "well, guess I'm not that bad after all, I can still keep going for a few more years" - big mistake. Now, I see some people who quit well before they got as bad as I did, and some that quit much later.
My advice: forget about others and focus on yourself.
If drinking is causing you problems, quit as soon as you realize it, because it will only get worse.
My advice: forget about others and focus on yourself.
If drinking is causing you problems, quit as soon as you realize it, because it will only get worse.
Member
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Upstate New York
Posts: 1,928
Bay,
I drank for 43 years and found it impossible to quit UNTIL I really wanted to. Then it became merely difficult. Once I really, really, really wanted to quit I found that I was ready to quit and it was easy. That's not to say I didn't suffer through some discomfort and insomnia, Just that It was easy to maintain my comittemnt.
I don't think the number of years drinking has much to do with it. I think it rests on if you really want to quit and if you are ready to quit. True commitment is everything.
I drank for 43 years and found it impossible to quit UNTIL I really wanted to. Then it became merely difficult. Once I really, really, really wanted to quit I found that I was ready to quit and it was easy. That's not to say I didn't suffer through some discomfort and insomnia, Just that It was easy to maintain my comittemnt.
I don't think the number of years drinking has much to do with it. I think it rests on if you really want to quit and if you are ready to quit. True commitment is everything.
Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Washington
Posts: 456
I drank for 20 years and have been sober for 6 months my first real try.
To be honest - I really felt like I had taken my last drink months prior. When I quit, I wanted to be done - I was so sick and tired of being sick and tired and chained to the substance.
It wasn't easy - but not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I put 100% of my effort into it for the first 60 days.
I had a couple of "false starts" where the courts made me go to outpatient treatment - but I just drank at night after treatment.
To be honest - I really felt like I had taken my last drink months prior. When I quit, I wanted to be done - I was so sick and tired of being sick and tired and chained to the substance.
It wasn't easy - but not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I put 100% of my effort into it for the first 60 days.
I had a couple of "false starts" where the courts made me go to outpatient treatment - but I just drank at night after treatment.
Member
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 48
I can tell you from personal experience that is gets MUCH worse the longer you drink. I am currently going through some pretty bad anxiety withdrawal issues. I haven't touched alcohol since 8/3/11.
I used to be able to drink and quit for a few days even maybe a week straight with no problem at all. But once I got into my 40's (I'm now 42) it got a lot worse. I drank just beer for 20 years. I started having panic attacks (BAD) when I wasn't drinking. These panic issues are it for me. Never going back to alcohol ever again. They never used to happen back in my 20's.
It gets worse as you get older and the longer you drink.
I used to be able to drink and quit for a few days even maybe a week straight with no problem at all. But once I got into my 40's (I'm now 42) it got a lot worse. I drank just beer for 20 years. I started having panic attacks (BAD) when I wasn't drinking. These panic issues are it for me. Never going back to alcohol ever again. They never used to happen back in my 20's.
It gets worse as you get older and the longer you drink.
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