petethebrick

Hi everyone,

I'm 32 years old and an alcoholic. I have tried moderation over the past year or so after several small attempts to stop drinking (usually never last more than two weeks). Moderation has not worked.

I am a binge drinker and will usually get completely drunk one or two nights a week.
Sometimes nothing bad happens and I fall into bed in the early hours and have nothing more than a bad hangover the next day. Other times I go completely off the rails and end up drinking all night and all the next day.

This causes me big problems in terms of work, money and my relationships. I can't put up with this volatility any more. I've joined a hiking club which I'll go to every Sunday. I'm hoping this will help me keep sober on Saturday nights.

I'm considering AA meetings again. I went to a few in the past but found it hard to associate with most of the people. While I have a bad binge drinking problem I wouldn't say I've hit rock bottom like a lot of the people I spoke with in meetings. any advice in this regard?

Any advice in general would be appreciated especially from those of you for whom Binge drinking as opposed to daily drinking was the big problem.

Thanks a lot!

Peter

paul99

Hi Peter,

Everyone's bottom is different. Comparing yourself to others in AA or anywhere is a losing prospect. I used to be jealous of how bad other people got before they went to AA. How sick is that? As someone told me then - you are where you need to be. You don't have to have the tragic circumstances that others have gone through to identify. You clearly have your own issues that alcoholism is causing - work, money, relationships. It reminds me of the "bedevilments" in the big book of AA:

"We were having trouble with personal relationships, we couldn't control our emotional natures, we were a prey to misery and depression, we couldn't make a living, we had a feeling of uselessness, we were full of fear, we were unhappy, we couldn't seem to be of real help to other people..."

These things alone are enough to want to change.

Binge drinking is something I used to do. The binges then got closer together. Eventually I became a daily drinker. You don't have to be an in-the-gutter-drinking-mouthwash type of guy to be in AA, or in any recovery program. You have the advantage of recognizing where you are at before all the really bad stuff happens...and believe me, it does happen. Things always get worse, never better.

Glad you're here - check out a meeting.

julez

Just like Paul, I was a binge drinker that progressed into a daily drinker. I never had any of the typical consequences either, but do I know it was causing me problems? Heck yes I did!!

petethebrick

Thanks for the replies guys. Yes I know that everyone is different and that my binge drinking will invariably get worse and more frequent. That's why I'm feeling the urgency to tackle my problem asap. I guess I'll attend a bunch of meetings and try and find one that fits me best. Hopefully this time I can make the changes I need to

hypochondriac

Have you heard of AVRT/Rational Recovery Pete. There are other options than just AA. I found it easy to relate to people in AA but I still felt like my problems weren't bad enough to justify me being there so I found it hard to share. I was a daily drinker but I never lost anything or had any bad consequences. I found the format of SMART meetings better for me. Maybe that would be something worth checking out too. Just try and find whatever support suits you x

Mizzuno

Hello. I am so glad that you posted. Welcome to SR. I can relate to not hitting bottom, until I hit bottom. This happened 4 days ago. I was on top of the world. I had a great paying job, it was everything that I wanted. I was only working there for a brief period of time.....Then I went on a business trip with my boss and coworker. I was fired the next day. Alcoholism is progressive. So, you may not have lost anything in this time. You may never lose anything at all. Its progressive though. It is scary S#$T! If AA is not for you, I hope that you find something that works. I need to go to AA whether i like it or not. I may not relate to everyone, this is not my goal. I am there to remain sober. Good luck to you.....

Tamerua

We talked about this in my meeting the other day. I was also a binge drinker and didn't drink daily. I have (had) my house, car, job yada yada.

My bottom was completely emotional. I was pissed off all the time, totally angry. At myself for the most part. And if I continued to binge the way I did, I would have killed myself from alcohol poisoning, and I know it.

When I joined AA, I knew that there would be the folks that lost everything. I decided to get my rear in there and learn from them. If you do go, go in with an open mind, listen, don't compare but do relate. Best of luck!

drunkyjules

Pete,

Ditto to what the others said. I'm also not an everyday drinker and have not had a lot of consequences because of my behavior. I still have the house, the car, the job, my relationship.....all that stuff that is supposed to make a full life.

But when it came down to it I just wasn't happy with me. I didn't drink every night but when I did it was basically drink till I pass out then wake up in the morning and feel like ****. I just got sick of the vicious cycle and hating myself for what I was.

There are many different roads to recovery and you have to find one for you. I have been to AA but haven't found that meeting that is right for me yet. I've met a lot of wonderful people and it would be nice to find a group I felt comfy in but I know I have to put in that effort not stand on the sidelines and wonder why I'm not part of the group.

Good luck to you. Life is better without alcohol!!!

Grymt

Any day is a good day for rock-bottom.

For me, today has been as bad as it gets. Ouch!
The important thing, for me, is that today I haven't drunk.

petethebrick

I've heard of Rational recovery but haven't checked it out yet. I'll get on that right away! Thanks