prettiekittie

So, something got me thinking. I keep hearing from people that "if you do/say it drunk, sober you would have done/said it anyway." Or the idea that being inebriated doesn't cause us to act in incongruent ways. I don't think this is true for me...at all. Like, maybe for casual drinkers who have had a bit too much every once in a while will get really honest or something but in my experience, I do totally uncharacteristic things that really embarrass sober me, or have these bizarro trains of thought that sober me cannot make sense of. What's your take?

brighterday1234

There is no saying what I would say if I was intoxicated but the beauty of sobriety is I never need worry. Grateful to be sober 🙏

Cityboy

AV talk. People trying to rationalize their drinking. Nothing more.

prettiekittie

oh, totally. I love waking up and not having to worry.

Sioux

Always an interesting topic I find.

Fundamentally, I think people (as I am a "people," myself included) are full of you know what.

Drinking gave me creative license to say whatever came to my mind. And so has being emotionally charged up, over the top angry, greif stricken and blissed out happy without having the benefit of a drink.

I used to call it honesty, then passion. Gosh it is hard for me to work on self-control, restraint of pen, tongue. I suspect that it will be a life long endeavor.

I take full responsibility for my nonsense.

Hevyn

Hi prettie. I'm still haunted by some of the out-of-character things I did when drunk. Drunk Hev is the exact opposite of the real Hev.

Kaily

Same for me. I was like Jekyll and Hyde.

And still shuddering at the memory, or rather non memory, as usually blackout drunk. Only to piece together the extent of the damage the next day.

And I thought it was normal...

ThatWasTheOldMe

I was a fundamentally different person when I was drinking than I am when I'm sober.
Jekyll and Hyde.

Dee74

That drunken corrupted version of me was not the true me and I was very likely to be speaking complete nonsense when drunk.

D

PeaceManic

Yes, drinking nowadays makes me an unhinged lunatic, and I'm not even exagerrating.

I think there's a grain of truth, that drinking lets out your frustrations and pent up anger. But is that the real me? Would I have done the crazy things I did if I was sober? God no! If I did anything like that sober I'd have been put in Broadmoor (psychiatric hospital) long ago.

2 and a half months sober and want to make it lifelong. I have to in fact to survive, and long term sobriety sounds like heaven compared to the alternative - insanity, illness, poverty, jail, death...

Jim1958

I did and said things drunk that I never would have sober. I also had a short temper when I was really hung over. So being sober I find myself much more in control of what I say and do. It is a good feeling.

least

I was a depressed and hopeless drunk. Now that I'm sober I feel much better about myself and my place in the world.

Hawkeye13

I became a nasty and toxic drunk, saying hurtful things I never would sober (just like my mom ). Not because I believed them, but because I wanted to lash out so people would also hurt / engage / and keep me company in my negativity.

boreas

Drinking lowers inhibitions, and I feel my inhibitions and filters are a big part of who I am. The drunk, unfiltered me was a hateful and undisciplined version, and didn’t represent who I am in my entirety.

There are many things I may think while angry...sobriety gives me the self control to keep my damn mouth shut.
-bora

D122y

Once I started drinking it was anything can happen time.

Like someone else already said, I shudder thinking about some of the things I did and said while drunk.

The only folks that really know how bad it was for me are here in SR.

My boss asked me a while back, after I had quit drinking for a couple of years, if I was ok with how things were going at work. He was concerned I was upset that I was not selected to handle a project.

I told my boss I was not mad at all. I made my own mess. I told him that I feel lucky that I was able to hold down my job all those years while being a selfish primadona (drunk). I remember how he used to sometimes shake his head at me when I would show up for work hungover.

Of course, nobody knew how bad it was sometimes back then. Only by the Grace of God, I hadn't had a problem (that I got caught in) in many many years.

Since then things have changed for the better. My relationship with him and everyone at work is better.

Drinking was the old me. Drinking was the chemically altered version of me. I am D122y version 5.3 and proud of it.

Thanks.

Noam19

Hi PrettieKittie. I'm not sure I agree with that saying. My family has told me that I'm just a different person when I drink. I lose my sense of humor, I'm not as intelligent, and I'm just not someone they want to be around. The things I do/say drunk are nowhere near things I would do or say sober. I forget which book I was reading that said alcohol is often referred to as Spirits because the is kills your spirit and your soul. That resonated with me.

Nonsensical

I would act in a manner inconsistent with my core values when I was drunk. One of the side effects I hated most about drinking was waking up to discover the things I had done or said. Drunk me is a real A-hole.

thomas11

I find it an interesting topic. I can this,when I was drinking, I did not drink in public. Never. I drank at home.

shortstop81

I said things and acted in ways that were completely nonsensical to my sober self. Sure, there were probably many times where the loss of inhibitions led to too much "honesty." But when I was VERY drunk it was like a complete detachment from reality.

And I don't mean that excuses my behaviour. But that wasn't at all the true me.

prettiekittie

Thank you all for your responses. I was hoping I wasn't just making excuses for myself. Obviously everything I did/said is my responsibility but looking back, it was all so erratic and bizarre, and as one of you said, not in line with my values.