Binge Drinker -- Seeking Support
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Aurora, CO
Posts: 79
Binge Drinker -- Seeking Support
I've been a serious binge drinker for about 17 years.
I managed to stay away from DUIs, lost jobs due to drinking and most of the horrible stuff that people talk about. On the other hand, I've known for some time that this alcohol addiction is making my health a ticking time bomb. I'd prefer to keep my liver and kidneys for a while and I know my brain has been affected by my drinking already.
I've tried several ways to stop -- including cutting back and Campral. Cutting back doesn't work. If I have one or two drinks, then I want several more -- lots more. And anytime I drink, it seems to re-excite my need to drink and it makes it harder to resist drinking going forward. Campral helped somewhat. It helped minimize the cravings. But the key is how motivated you are to stop. I feel like this is going to be a long battle for me, but I just want to keep trying and not give up. Every day I don't drink is a good day, that's why.
On June 27 I decided I needed to quit cold turkey. I lapsed on July 16th and again on the 31st/1st and August 6th. This is still much better than I normally do. On average I binge anywhere between 2-5 nights a week. But, I don't think I am headed in the right direction so I am going to see if this message board can help.
A couple years ago, someone I knew through a family member died before his 40th birthday due to organ complications from alcoholism. I know alcohol is a poison and it's probably already hurt me in ways that I won't know until later. I just want to get it out of my life and I need help. Thanks!
I managed to stay away from DUIs, lost jobs due to drinking and most of the horrible stuff that people talk about. On the other hand, I've known for some time that this alcohol addiction is making my health a ticking time bomb. I'd prefer to keep my liver and kidneys for a while and I know my brain has been affected by my drinking already.
I've tried several ways to stop -- including cutting back and Campral. Cutting back doesn't work. If I have one or two drinks, then I want several more -- lots more. And anytime I drink, it seems to re-excite my need to drink and it makes it harder to resist drinking going forward. Campral helped somewhat. It helped minimize the cravings. But the key is how motivated you are to stop. I feel like this is going to be a long battle for me, but I just want to keep trying and not give up. Every day I don't drink is a good day, that's why.
On June 27 I decided I needed to quit cold turkey. I lapsed on July 16th and again on the 31st/1st and August 6th. This is still much better than I normally do. On average I binge anywhere between 2-5 nights a week. But, I don't think I am headed in the right direction so I am going to see if this message board can help.
A couple years ago, someone I knew through a family member died before his 40th birthday due to organ complications from alcoholism. I know alcohol is a poison and it's probably already hurt me in ways that I won't know until later. I just want to get it out of my life and I need help. Thanks!
Member
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Between Meetings
Posts: 8,997
Welcome to SR miyako....This is a great site for support....Glad you are here....You get a chance to read this...Check it out and see if you can relate to it.
The Doctor's Opinion
The Doctor's Opinion
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Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Present Moment
Posts: 646
Welcome miyako,
Great support here. I distinctly remember finding SR about a year ago now...what a sense of relief I felt knowing I was not alone....you aren't either.
Good to have you here
Big hugs
Great support here. I distinctly remember finding SR about a year ago now...what a sense of relief I felt knowing I was not alone....you aren't either.
Good to have you here
Big hugs
Member
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Toronto,Ontario
Posts: 1,027
I too was a binge drinker, 2-3 day type of one....
Get real and honest with yourself. Cutting down/controlling does not work for an alcoholic.
Until you admit and accept powerlessness over alcohol, you will remain in this vicious and progressive cycle liquor spins you in...
Good news - you can stop, get sober and have a happy life you so deserve !
All the best !
Get real and honest with yourself. Cutting down/controlling does not work for an alcoholic.
Until you admit and accept powerlessness over alcohol, you will remain in this vicious and progressive cycle liquor spins you in...
Good news - you can stop, get sober and have a happy life you so deserve !
All the best !
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Aurora, CO
Posts: 79
Thank you everyone! I hope to find lots of support here.
Torontoguy, you are right. And anyways. I think I've had enough vodka in the last 17 years to last most people through two or three lifetimes. I agree that cold sober is the way to go.
What I need most are ways to to deal with the withdrawal symptoms (headaches that don't go away, fatigue, irritability, depression, brain fog) and ways to address the times you're expected to drink or others are drinking. Mostly it's the first one. And I need a good butt-kicking if I lapse. I need to get a lot of distance between alcohol and me. I don't even know what my life would be like if I didn't drink all the time. And a few scattered weeks of sobriety don't seem to be enough to find out.
Torontoguy, you are right. And anyways. I think I've had enough vodka in the last 17 years to last most people through two or three lifetimes. I agree that cold sober is the way to go.
What I need most are ways to to deal with the withdrawal symptoms (headaches that don't go away, fatigue, irritability, depression, brain fog) and ways to address the times you're expected to drink or others are drinking. Mostly it's the first one. And I need a good butt-kicking if I lapse. I need to get a lot of distance between alcohol and me. I don't even know what my life would be like if I didn't drink all the time. And a few scattered weeks of sobriety don't seem to be enough to find out.
Member
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 138
I was a binge drinker, then I was a daily drinker, then I became a daily drinker who also hid alcohol so I could drink more then my husband could see. Find a program of recovery, commit to it, and follow through. I used AA and SR. I needed the face to face support that AA offerred. There are lots of programs just find one that works for you and have a plan, it really helps. Good luck.
Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 1,138
Hi Miyako and welcome! SR is a great place.
You wrote: "What I need most are ways to to deal with the withdrawal symptoms (headaches that don't go away, fatigue, irritability, depression, brain fog)"
These actually do go away once you get past a few weeks sober. It varies for everyone, but I find I'm feeling completely different after 30 days sober and completely different again after about 60...
and ways to address the times you're expected to drink or others are drinking.
You really do have to decide that not drinking and being sober are the #1 most important things in your life. Once you decide that and commit to it, missing parties or begging off (in the early days) doesn't seem like such a big deal. But I think most of us in the early days find we have to change everything -- including who we hang out with and where we go -- in order to stay sober.
You wrote: "What I need most are ways to to deal with the withdrawal symptoms (headaches that don't go away, fatigue, irritability, depression, brain fog)"
These actually do go away once you get past a few weeks sober. It varies for everyone, but I find I'm feeling completely different after 30 days sober and completely different again after about 60...
and ways to address the times you're expected to drink or others are drinking.
You really do have to decide that not drinking and being sober are the #1 most important things in your life. Once you decide that and commit to it, missing parties or begging off (in the early days) doesn't seem like such a big deal. But I think most of us in the early days find we have to change everything -- including who we hang out with and where we go -- in order to stay sober.
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Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: New England
Posts: 604
Welcome Miyako! Cutting back just doesn't work for most people that have a problem with alcohol. Kind of like a cat with catnip. Give them a little and they hound you for more. Keep in the cupboard and they forget all about it. Simplistic, but not drinking at all is probably easier than drinking one or two and trying to stop, at least in my experience.
I'm here because I worry about future health problems too. It's a very good reason! So many people here have said their drinking daily started with binge drinking. Trying to cut it off at the pass is a good idea.
You're not alone in this. Read the threads and you'll see all kinds of suggestions for dealing with the cravings. Good luck!
I'm here because I worry about future health problems too. It's a very good reason! So many people here have said their drinking daily started with binge drinking. Trying to cut it off at the pass is a good idea.
You're not alone in this. Read the threads and you'll see all kinds of suggestions for dealing with the cravings. Good luck!
Member
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: South East England
Posts: 8,009
Welcome to SR. You are amongst friends, and there is a wealth of advice and support here.
One thing to remember is that alcoholism is progressive. Left untreated, it will get worse.
I was a binge drinker at one point too, but towards the end I slipped into daily drinking and was barely able to function.
Withdrawals are different for everyone. Best to seek medical advice and be honest about your drinking.
Then read on SR about what programs of recovery are available, and try one.
Lifestyle changes, including changing your routines at trigger times, telling family/trusted friends and finding new ways of spending your time are important. Perhaps re-discover old interests that you've dropped?
Stay on SR, and reach out when you need it.
We are all here to support you x
One thing to remember is that alcoholism is progressive. Left untreated, it will get worse.
I was a binge drinker at one point too, but towards the end I slipped into daily drinking and was barely able to function.
Withdrawals are different for everyone. Best to seek medical advice and be honest about your drinking.
Then read on SR about what programs of recovery are available, and try one.
Lifestyle changes, including changing your routines at trigger times, telling family/trusted friends and finding new ways of spending your time are important. Perhaps re-discover old interests that you've dropped?
Stay on SR, and reach out when you need it.
We are all here to support you x
Member
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: private idaho
Posts: 7
I just found this site today and you're is the first post I've read. I really appreciate you sharing and I can really relate. I am glad I'm here now - I feel like it's a big step in admitting my alcoholism and in making a lasting change.
In Gratitude...
EoB
In Gratitude...
EoB
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Aurora, CO
Posts: 79
Just to clarify: I don't think binge drinking is a better level to be on than drinking daily. I imagine that daily drinking has its own set of problems, and certainly drinking that starts in the morning and carries on through work and everything else puts you at risk ... BUT, that said, flooding my body with large infusions of alcohol every few days has got to be very rough on my organs. I'm overwhelming them with toxins. I don't fool myself that just because I appear functional that makes it any better, either. In a way, it makes it worse, because I am not "hitting bottom" and that means I have ways to rationalize my drinking. I don't consider the binging a step on the way to something worse. It is just another way to be a lush and completely f--k your life up.
Deserto, thanks for telling me the headaches, brain fogs and other garbage eventually go away. The headaches/exhaustion seem to hit in towards the end of the workday and then stay with me for anywhere from just a couple hours to till the end of the night or whenever I start drinking again -- whichever comes first. At times, resisting the urge to drink to make it go away is really difficult. Someone suggested once that I just take an ibuprofen, but I have found that they don't do much good for this. Drinking something sugary helps, so does taking a super-hot bath. The worst for me is if I try to ignore it and function as I usually do. That puts me at risk for drinking at some point, and that's how I got into the bottle the last time. Staying sober for 30 days straight is a good goal for me right now, so thanks again.
One thing I am sick of is the power this has over my life. I know when 12 steppers say, "I am powerless over alcohol." that may mean something different to them. To me, it just means something is bigger than I am and I don't care to be in that position. Never taking another drink, ever again, seems like a small price to pay for being in control of my body and the other parts of my life this affects.
The last time I drank was the 6th.
Deserto, thanks for telling me the headaches, brain fogs and other garbage eventually go away. The headaches/exhaustion seem to hit in towards the end of the workday and then stay with me for anywhere from just a couple hours to till the end of the night or whenever I start drinking again -- whichever comes first. At times, resisting the urge to drink to make it go away is really difficult. Someone suggested once that I just take an ibuprofen, but I have found that they don't do much good for this. Drinking something sugary helps, so does taking a super-hot bath. The worst for me is if I try to ignore it and function as I usually do. That puts me at risk for drinking at some point, and that's how I got into the bottle the last time. Staying sober for 30 days straight is a good goal for me right now, so thanks again.
One thing I am sick of is the power this has over my life. I know when 12 steppers say, "I am powerless over alcohol." that may mean something different to them. To me, it just means something is bigger than I am and I don't care to be in that position. Never taking another drink, ever again, seems like a small price to pay for being in control of my body and the other parts of my life this affects.
The last time I drank was the 6th.
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