The addiction has changed
 

So I've been sober now since November of 2010. That's when I joined SR. I have been in therapy too. I was a everyday drinking at the end with well established patterns. I was killing myself.

I found myself at the drugstore on Friday night in a shockingly similar situation as I used to get into at the liquor store.

I have been buying 4-5 cans of red bull each Friday after work so I can stay up late and play video games. The thing is I know that much is not good for me and I was doing this debate about not buying just like I used to about rye and wine etc. Don't laugh too hard as I lost the battle and bought the stuff anyway. I'm on a little high right now from the red bull.

What bothers me is that I"m doing the same things I used to do. Going to the store after work and buying something I know is not good for me. I'm doing it all by myself for the most part and locking myself away just like I sued to with the drinking.

I'm thinking I still have the same problem I had before except it's not booze this time. Yes I know its not nearly as damaging as the booze was but its the pattern and the feelings that are alarming me. It's very similar too the booze. I have also been binging on Candy lately too.

What is going on? I don't understand. I quit smoking when I gave up the booze cold turkey and I was a pack a day and two when I drank. I've been feeling so proud of myself for being on the straight and narrow.

I'm starting to wonder what demons I'm fighting that I can't come to grips with....

do a search on "energy drinks" and look at what they have found.

they can be deadly. if I don't change my habits in sobriety, I'll most likely fall back to where I was in my alcoholism/addiction.

for me, drinking was a symptom of my alcoholism, learning to live life without drinking required more than just not drinking.

have you considered any program for following through with staying stopped?

The problem is, energy drinks can kill you (health wise) a lot quicker than alcohol. I would knock that stuff off as soon as possible, they are really really really bad for you. Drink soda if you have to lol

it's the addictive nature of YOU. I am the same. I drink hot tea in the evenings. the other night I'm sitting here and I just had to take one more cup upstairs to bed with me even though I'd had like 3-4 cups already. it's funny because it's frickn herbal tea! but it does mirror my former alcohol abuse.

I"ve actually been a little worried about looking up how bad they are. I'm not surprised they pack a heck of a kick for something you can get anywhere.

Try substituting it with trips to the store for Peligrino Sparkling water & some other exotic decaf teas/juices instead. I used to like red bull & vodka sometimes... what a mess that always made in every way.

I hope everything works out well for you :ring

ditto on the redbull and vodka. what a clever scheme. keep the drunk super awake so he can drink even more.

I'll have to add this red bull thing to my list of things a "Normie" would not know or have to worry about.

They don't know that even something like Redbull or Rockstar drinks can set me off into a cycle of addiction.

Ah Jeeze. I just found this online....
I think I'm off red bull for life now. I have high blood pressure anyway....

"...researchers are finding that drinking energy drinks such as Red Bull may increase the risk of stroke and heart attack, even in young adults. Studies have shown that healthy blood vessels can show some signs of damage after drinking just one can. It’s for this reason that Red Bull is banned in France, Norway, Denmark, and Uruguay with other countries currently performing studies of their own."

You can actually get a DUI in some places for driving after having to many energy drinks. Side note worst hangover ever was from Captain Morgan and Monster energy drink.

Rum is EVIL.

I think we will always be addicted to something, it's in our nature... Just choose wisely. I'm addicted to yerba mate' tea now, and at bed I drink sleepy time tea, UGH. It's always something, I wish this wasn't in my nature.

I used to chug energy drinks and caffeine pills so i could stay up and drink more and lose water weight. Monster lo-carb and vodka was my poison of choice. Now i have a cup of strong iced coffee every now and then and coffee at meetings. Can't stand the taste of energy drinks.

Ditto on the sparkling water. That stuff is delicious if you crave carbonation!

I do need a sugar-free Red Bull at times...but i get up at 5AM for work. I drink 1/2 a can and rebottle the rest. my BP returned to normal once i stopped drinking. I do not take anything caffienated after noontime. i love my sleep too much, but i need some ooomph to get moving.

Yep, I agree with the poster that said it is just our nature. I have demonstrated alcoholic behavior with many substances/activies when sober:

Marathon running (running 80 miles a weekk for years, running even when sick)
food
vitamins (I took way too many)
diet coke (24 can a day habit)
smoking (I am too upset about that to even discuss it)\
working out with weights, aerobics

The list goes on and on and on.

I really believe it is engrained in my personality - either 110 per cent or nothing. I now try to pick advantageious addictions, if that makes sense.

Ahhh, I remember the good old days when I came in when we all drank gallons of coffee with 2 to 3 packs of cigarettes a day. Most of us had a similar awakening then started changing our habits by quiting smoking and cutting back on the coffee. The best cure for that was starting to exercise and getting healthy.

Southern Comfort and Lemon juice......not pretty.

Hi Tendencies. I got sober last March & a few months later I started drinking 16 oz cans of diet Rockstar energy drinks. I would drink 2/day & on days that I worked a 10-12 hour shift, I would allow myself 3 cans. In January I got a kidney stone & passing that thing was PURE hell. Unbelievable, & I know now it was a result of the energy drinks. I'll never have one again. So much information about the awful chemicals those things contain. Of course, it was still much better than being a drunk!

Most energy drinks have low levels of ethanol in them. Which can give you a BAC of 0.015 on the test but that's taking it right after you drink an energy drink. If you wait 20 minutes then it should disppear. It's not impossible to get a DUI buy drinking energy drink but it's highly unlikely.

Seeing as most people have similar experiences does that mean you all believe in addictive personalities?? I'm an 'all or nothing' person and since giving up drinking and smoking I am overdoing it on the sugar front slightly and drink herbal tea constantly - this I think is to help with my apparent need to throw large quantities of liquid down my gullet! I was thinking of periodically giving things up so I don't get stuck in one habit...