destroyer

Hi everyone - I wanted to introduce myself and tell my quick story. Ive been reading a lot of the posts on this board and I can relate to a few of them. I binge drink heavily on a weekend with friends...wake up the next morning and feel terrible (right now my head is pounding) and swear off alcohol. Next weekend I'm back to being a hungover mess...its a ridiculous cycle that ive been on for the past 10 years. Ill occasionally take a couple weekends off in a row...bit it is never more than that.

My problem has not gotten to be a daily issue...but none the less I feel like I cant get out of the rut.

Anyone else battle with this? Any suggestions for dealing with it?

MrsKing

Yup. I drank until I could drink no more, wake up feeling like death and have that feeling last for a couple of days... swear off drinking for a bit, go one or two weeks, and then do the exact same thing. My binging was off the scale, however, and not that I think any sort of binge drinking is normal... but I would literally drink for 15 hours, for example. Bad, bad, bad.

About getting out of the rut - what is it that you want? Do you want to be sober entirely or stop binging? I think the problem with binging is that it is something you get used to, and usually going back to old drinking habits is impossible - or that's what most people find.

It's often suggested that quitting entirely for 90 days is a good start, because that's when your body/brain apparently completely rid themselves of habit.

Welcome to SR - there's much support and understanding here.

Anna

Hi and Welcome,

I'm glad you posted and are aware that you have a problem with alcohol. One thing you can know for sure, is that alcoholism is a progressive disease. It will get worse unless you stop.

My suggestion would be to plan your next weekend to be doing something completely different than your normal routine. It can really help in the early days to break the routine.

Andi

I remember feeling like that very well.
And just by the time I was able to digest my hangover, shame and was getting less frightened about what I did, which stories would turn up, another occasion, weekend, party came along...
I 'm thankful that I got out of that rut, trying to control it is so exhausting. Not drinking is the way to go for me.
You'll find a lot of help and experience here.

hypochondriac

I'm not sure it really matters if you are a binge drinker or a daily drinker...

The binge drinking part of my drinking career didn't last that long.. aged 12 to 17 before I became a daily drinker. I got it to a manageable level which I managed to maintain for a decade or so before I started getting serious problems from it. And in a way one of the reasons I did that was that I had a few negative consequences from binge drinking which I didn't want to repeat. I was surprised when I got here that not everyone who considers themselves an alcoholic drinks every day!

In a way I think binge drinking may be worse/just as bad though. I know on my binges I had a whole lack of control thing going on which I did not like, in terms of my behaviour. Plus I had black outs. And I'm pretty sure your body takes a hammering.

I think the cure for either daily drinking or binge drinking is the same. If you can't control your drinking you might find giving it up is easier (well, maybe not easier, but better). I was surprised how good freedom from worrying about drinking feels

And bearing in mind that you have been doing this for ten years...'If we could control our drinking we would have done it by now'.

Welcome to SR Destroyer x

IndaMiricale

Welcome

Oh yea so many will relate to you. I personally drank daily and nightly.

But that doesnt matter the disease doesnt discriminate on such things.

Live2Run25

I too was a binger.. it WILL progress. I think you should quit while your ahead. Welcome to the board!!

Hevyn

Welcome destroyer - great to have you with us.

I once drank the same way you do - it was dangerous for me right from the start. Unfortunately, I progressed to daily drinking before I finally quit. I never thought it could happen to me, but I became completely dependent on it. Please be careful. Glad you're taking a look at what alcohol is doing to your life.

Itchy

You have come to the right place. Congrats on your determination!
I started out that way, and then it becomes daily, and then from morning until night, and then it really gets scary deadly and still many of us continue that slow suicide.
It doesn't get easier to stop tomorrow, and yesterday sober is a breeze. Pretty soon, if you will, today is a skate too. Whether today is Sunday Saturday, Friday, or your usual sober up day of Monday at the latest.

We are here for ya!

destroyer

hey everyone - thanks for the support. I went ahead and signed up in the August 2012 group and posted day 1 (i had some sangria last night, so officially starting today).

NoFireWater

Destroyer, most of us that did the binge style drinking were probably too hungover to drink daily lol I was never one for "hair of the dog" it would make me too sick. I think you're very wise to break the pattern now! In the future when it really takes hold it will be even harder to stop and you will have lost so much.

aeo1313

My pattern was just like yours. Weekend drinking with friends. I'm now 96 days sober and never embarassed to wake up anymore!

FlyerFan

welcome to the community. I too was a weekend boozer, until eventually it was not enough anymore and i began to drink every single day.