My first post
 

Hello everyone I'm Ryan from the UK . When I woke up this morning I said to myself I've had enough and want to find help. I'm in a long-term relationship and have a 2 year old son. I have been a heavy binge drinker since the age of around 16. I'm not an alcoholic and I go around 2-3 weeks without having a drink but then when I do I drink that much that I can't remember anything from the previous night. The reason that I've decided to get help is because when I do start bingeing something bad always happens. When I was 17 i got arrested and charged for drink driving. I nearly always end up behind the wheel every time I have a drink and its something I am ashamed of. I've spent the night in the cells about 5/6 times for being drunk and disorderly. I went on a binge last night and drank a litre of vodka before driving to a nightclub and then waking up in another womens bed. I love my girlfriend and son so much and I feel sick to my stomach with guilt. I've finally admited I need help and this is my first step.
Thankyou

Welcome Ryan,

I'm glad you posted and that you're ready to live a sober life.

Do you have a plan in mind for recovery?

Please be careful Ryan. Alcohol has the ability to ruin relationships, put distance between family and have us portray an ugly side of ourselves :(

Welcome to the Forum Ryan!! Great to have you onboard!! :wave:

Welcome to SR Ryan

Welcome aboard.

I don't think it matters whether you view or label yourself as alcoholic, if those horrible things continually happen to you when you drink, that's probably never going to change if you keep taking that first drink. The only way to ensure that alcohol doesn't get you into the type of trouble it has landed you in repeatedly, is to never have any at all. Coming here is a big step. Like you, I needed a million terrible things to happen to me before I was ready to change.

I don't have a plan yet.
do you have any advice?

Welcome to SR Ryan.

There are many Alcoholics who are binge drinkers.

The problem is always the first drink ,that is the one to stay away from.I found that helpful in the early days.

Wishing you well.

Welcome to SR, Ryan101. I advice active participation here as a part of your recovery plan. Building accountability to myself and to others has been an important part of my recovery so far. Wishing you the best today!

Hi and welcome Ryan :)

Alcoholic or not it sounds like your drinking is doing you no favours?

There are some great ideas on a recovery plan here:
http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...at-we-did.html

Great decision, Ryan! One that you can be proud of for the rest of your life!

Welcome to SR Ryan! You'll find a lot of support here.

Great to meet you Ryan :)

Alcohol turned me into someone I didn't recognize. I finally realized the only way to stay safe was to avoid it all together. Life is so much sweeter when we get free of it. Glad you are here - we care, and we want to help.

Welcome to SR Ryan.
You have made the first step to change your life for the better.
We are all here to support you, so read and post often.
You can do this ! ODAAT

Welcome to SR Ryan. Labels are unimportant and subjective. The important thing is you need support and we're proactive enough to find it. There are a lot of experienced and kindhearted souls here at all hours.

Welcome to the family. I hope the support here can help you get sober for good. :)

Hi Ryan, based on your OP, alcohol has not been kind to you, and most likely never will be. As other mentioned, labels are just words. Welcome, and keep us posted.

My first step was to make a long appt with my doctor, and tell him the truth about my drinking (I'm the slow and steady type). Even though he didn't do much in practical ways it was a a relief for me psychologically.

Then I read up about the effects of alcohol on the body and brain. That scared me silly. There was an ad on the telly at the time with a professor talking about how drinking can lead to cancer - at the same time a couple of people I knew got died from cancer of the oesophagus which is related to alcohol intake.

The other thing was I didn't like myself, and I woke up ashamed every morning.

So with the help of SR I've been sober for over 3 years with no wish to go back because life is so much better now.

You're feeling disgusted with yourself at the moment, but eventually you'll forget that and something within you will say it's ok to drink again. That's the part you have to plan and seek support for.

Congratulations on making this decision. Some people never get there and become middle-aged drunks. You probably know some of them.

Hi and welcome.
For me my first requirement to stay sober is being honest with Myself about my drinking and accept the fact that I cannot drink in safety.
I don’t like the word alcoholic so I just kept telling myself “I can’t drink alcohol in safety.”
Fortunately that was a lot of years ago but it’s still a fact today. Sobriety is my # 1 priority each day and it’s wonderful.
It’s the first drink that gets us.

BE WELL