OCDDan

There's a pretty good chance that "one drink" would be ok if you want to re-learn why you stopped drinking in the first place.

I admit, I tried it a short time ago. one stiff scotch after about six months sober did a very nice job of releasing endorphines, so good, that the next day i had 2 and that was really good, after all, you have all them endorphines just waiting to be released after all that time off.


Then on the third day i had 3 and wow, how nice.. day four even better with 4 stiff scotches but feelin not too good the following day. Then day five with 5 stiff scotches, what's up? did i run out of endorphines? i felt s***y and wobbly, no good feelings left to be had, unless maybe if i pounded three more right away.. oh well. I'm stayin sober now, it's not worth it man, do yourself a favor..

eJoshua

Very true. Too bad most of us have had to learn the hard way.

sober4metoday

I'll sum my story up real quick. I drank like the cure was located at the bottom of a bottle. Did that 2-3x week for 10+ years. These last 4 years I started drinking like a "normal person" again - once or twice per month. I soon realized, after a lot of wasted time and energy, that I was still the same alcoholic I was before. So you're absolutely right! One drink isn't worth it because one just simply isn't enough.

zxcirce

Yeah I can definitely have one drink after I've stopped for a while.

My problem is that I forget to quit my job before I get fired and I don't save for the hospital bills before I have that one drink.

OCDDan

yep, also I can konk out at eight pm instead of midnight, wasting 4 hours, waking up at 2 and feeling like krap when it's time to go to work (before getting fired)

Dee74

I can't have one drink - never could.

Stopping at one drink drives me crazy, the inner turmoil builds up in my brain and the next thing I know I've been drinking non stop for a couple of weeks.

D

OCDDan

I think it's the reward-based conditioning from years of training.

Hevyn

There is no one drink. There is only 10 drinks. Then off to the races we go....

OCDDan

hey your right Hevyn,


I had 1+2+3+4 = 10 then I was off to the races, but ended up in the pits on day5, it was kind of a science project from the start, it only took five days to hit bottom

phoebe64

I pretty much never go past one bottle of wine, well, maybe one more glass or maybe a beer or two more on a weekend(but not often).

But that is still too much, and way more than one, and plenty enough to fatten a person up along with their liver. And more than enough to have me waking at 3am with a pounding heart and sweaty.

Yet, I find myself having the argument with myself even now, Oh, just a couple while you watch that show tonight. after you get ds to bed.

Actually, I would likely be in control for tonight, because my dh is out of town, and I need to keep my wits about me. But, then I want more each night as well.

I do wish I could enjoy a glass or two like a normal person. But it seems to not be so. There was a time when I could, for many years.

Hevyn

Same with me rochele - but over time my tolerance grew. What one beer used to do - in the end - took a 30-pack. I almost lost my life trying to prove I could still control the amounts.

mwstylee

I just really honestly don't understand how normal people can have "just 1 drink". Or 2 or 3. To me, it's like...what's the point?! I don't see a point in drinking unless I drink to the point of blackout/passout drunk. I can see very clearly now that I have a problem after thinking about that....and how unfathomable it is to drink and not get ridiculously drunk.

Taking5

To paraphrase Robert Downey Jr: "Sometimes I think I'd like a glass of wine with dinner, but then I remember I have plans for Christmas".

artsoul

I think you did pretty good, OCDDan.....I remember thinking "one won't hurt" after 4 years of sobriety - it took me 8+ years to finish that drink.....
You're so right - it's not worth it.

michelle01

I was like that in my first year of on off recovery. Sometimes I could just stop at one, but that would be misleading. After two years sober, I kind of think what is the point? Basically, I drink to get smashed, not to have a nice social drink with someone. If I had a drink today or tomorrow, I'm pretty sure it'd turn into a fairly disastrous bender... that's what stops me going there.

OCDDan

Thanks Artsoul, et al,

I really just wanted to fess up about my bender, and maybe help someone else not do the same. So many times I log on to SR and get new reminder why to not drink, and I'm gratefull for that.

I really am serious about my addictions, I just come off a little careless sometimes, even in rehab they used to tell me i smiled when i talked of painfull things, even huge losses (as in people).

Dan

freshstart57

OCDDan, I get your tone just fine. I find that a fine appreciation of the absurd helps to put things into perspective for me, and that abrupt shift in point of view, at the core of most humour, is liberating.

Carry on.

username123

I've learned that I can have just one drink without falling back into old habits. However it usually is followed by a few days to a week of depression, anxiety, sleeplessness and little nagging voices in my head explaining why everything is crap and I should really get some more booze and bills. Not exactly a good bargain.