drinkingdinos

Soooo, I started drinking again on Thursday. Curiosity kills the cat I guess. I've drank everyday since then too even though i intended to take a break on sunday. I thought I wanted recovery. I was so sure of it, but I guess maybe not. I think I just want to be able to drink without the negative consequences. And even though some small part of me is aware that my drinking wouldn't be considered normal, I still can't believe I'm an alcoholic. I tell myself everyone else is over reacting. That I'm not that bad...I mean I don't drink thaat much, right? I'm not a sloppy drunk, etc etc. My head is playing tricks on me & I don't know which way is up or which is down. All i know is i finally feel okay now that im drinking again. As long as i have a few drinks my anxiety disappears, not a care in the world. I can sleep again too. I don't know how to describe it except I finally feel normal again and man have I missed it. Not sure why I'm posting here, prolly regret it after sobering up in a few hours.

doggonecarl

I'm not sure what to tell you other than ambivalence has kept many a drinker drinking. You are young. Probably think you have your whole life to address your drinking problem. Maybe even fix it so you can drink normally.

Don't be so sure.

ScottFromWI

Unfortunately that is not possible. Acceptance of that fact was the key to moving forward for me.

I would agree that if you are drunk now a lot of this wont' make much sense anyway - maybe you can find the strength to put the bottle down today and take stock of your situation. Make a list ( write it down ) of all the good things alcohol provides for you, and then all of the bad things. Read through your old posts if you need a reminder.

Also remember that comparing your drinking to others is kind of irrelevant. It doesn't really matter how much you drink or how often you do it, you need to decide if it's a problem for you. We cannot tell you if you are an alcoholic. But I can tell you that being on a 5 day binge is NOT normal drinking behavior by anyone's standards.

SereneEdition

Hi drinkingdinos -

DC & SFW raise the key points.

Don't be fooled that alcohol makes you feel normal. Your body is simply overcompensating, having been accustomed to a regular dose of depressants. Remove the depressant and temporarily you experience lack of sleep, more anxiety, etc.

Give your body sometime to adjust to not having alcohol. It gets better.

Hope that helps.

Soberwolf

Have you got a plan

fini

makes total sense to me that drinking makes you feel normal.
did me, too.
since i'm an alcoholic.
a "normal" drinker feels "abnormal" from drinking; which is, far as i can tell, why they drink and then stop.

Recovery999

We all wanted to be able to drink without the negative consequences!

But we can't. There was a reason you decided to stop in the first place. What was that reason?

Incontrol15

I see myself in this post.

No booze:
- discomfort
- anxiety
- depression

The truth is though, that booze has created, or at least, amplified those feelings. That's its way of keeping its grip on us.

The more I drink, the tighter the grip becomes.
I am a pretty smart guy. I know what's happening. I know that in all my attempts to be "happy" through self medication, it's putting me in worse situations like Divorce, unemployment, and bankruptcy.

As times got tougher, my dependency to level out my feelings through alcohol intensified. I'm smart enough to know I'm on a path, and not a very good one.

Yeah...having a drink feels good. As long as I'm drinking. Then what? Do my problems resolve themselves? No. They get worse. It's a monster. An evil one at that, and it's cunning with a specific strategy to keep me coming back.

Kevin78

I hope it's a few hours and not a few years.

Take care, It's a progressive illness.

Nonsensical

I want to throw a football like Peyton Manning, wake up next to a different Sports Illustrated bikini model every morning, and outbid Warren Buffet at his next corporate takeover.

In the world I woke up in this morning none of that is going to happen. I just have to be me again today. And that's okay.

It's OK for you to just be you, too.

JaneLane

Alcohol has taken the edge of my anxiety for years. It really has. It also took away every other feeling and the majority of my sober, normal personality.

I have a diagnosed anxiety disorder and I take medication. It may be that you need to see a doctor and get some therapy - medication isn't always necessary and therapy can be an amazing tool.

Despite taking meds, the alcohol still made me feel normal. The problem is, it wears off and I frequently woke up in the middle of the night sweating and ridden with anxiety. Then you drink again, to deal with the anxiety...and the cycle continues.

The first few days can suck. Anxiety can increase, sometimes it takes longer to sort out. But it's totally worth it to know that you're no longer self medicating which to be honest, rarely works!

I really recommend having a look round this site and maybe making a list of the disadvantages about drinking. I keep mine in my bag and it helps remind me :-)

MIRecovery

If I could have figured out how to be an alcoholic with out the consequences I likely would still be drinking. I tried very very hard to figure out how I could drink like I did and have nothing negative happen. I worked for 20 years to find the solution.

Guess what? I never found it and things just kept getting worse and worse. One day things got really bad and I admitted defeat. I looked back on my drinking career and every time I got in the ring with King Alcohol I got the snot beat out of me.

Today I chose not get beat up anymore.

FreeOwl

I wrestled with this same 'logic' for many years.... Threw away a lot of wonderful potential on booze and drugs. I wish I could get back all the time, money, hurt, memories, lost blessings and moments.

I can't, and I accept that.... But man, am I glad to be sober now. Finally.

Dee74

The greatest 'recovery secret' is that we can decide to quit anytime we like.

That voice telling you you're into ready is juts your addiction wanting more drink, and your fear, not wanting change.


If you weren't ready you would have never sought out SR and signed up here

I had to wait until I was 40 to realise that I could not drink and be the person I wanted to be.

I hope it doesn't take you that long to make a decision dinos.

take care
D

MIRecovery

There is a great old guy who is 93 and he always says, "You don't have to drink if you don't want to. Hell you don't have to drink even if you do. I never understood this before"

drinkingdinos

Whelp its another day one for me. Less talk more action this time. My current plan is to do whatever it takes to get through these next few days as I suspect they'll be the hardest. I dumped my remaining stash last night & told my suppliers and friends to keep alcohol away from me or I'd be avoiding them. Its embarrassing to admit, but I have a problem and I need help. I think I'm finally willing to admit I can't make it on my own.

ArtFriend

Anna

That's a good decision to have made and I know you can get through this. Yes, the first days will be tough, but we're here for you.

ScottFromWI

Welcome back DD - we're here if you need us. Admitting the issue exists is a big step..be safe through your withdrawals.

bookmaven

One thing I love about this site is how it's open 24/7. It doesn't matter what time of day, there is always someone here.