What type of Drinker are you?
The Department of Health has released research where they have identified nine different types of person who drinks alcohol to excess (their definition of excess being double the recommended weekly amount or more).
It might be useful to see if you can recognise which type you are. The types they defined are -
- Depressed drinker
- De-stress drinker
- Re-bonding drinker
- Conformist drinker
- Community drinker
- Boredom drinker
- Macho drinker
- Hedonistic drinker
- Borderline dependent
It’s a fairly comprehensive list, but if you’re not sure which category you might fit into, have a look at the list of criteria for each type of drinker on the BBC
Of course it would seem to suggest that people who drink fall into one type or another, whereas experience would suggest that the same person could be defined under many of the categories, depending on what is going on for them that day.
i have been a heavy drinker since my early teens ive got no peticular regular drink i honestly drink anything i was drinking 16 cans of stella sometimes more a day im now 38 and after experiencing kidney pains and stomach problems digestion wise i moved on to red wine round two bottles a day which im not happy about either,
i would like to know from others if anyone has had balance problems in the legs and numbness which i have it makes walking difficult but i notice if i stop drinkin few days it goes, i take pottasium, milk thistle , kudzu root , vitamin b and thiamine daily i am desperate to stop but fuck up after two days dry im so scared.
Hello Robert,
I completely understand what you’re saying. I’ve been drinking on and off for at least twenty years and I am now 42. I was admitted to hospital last month because I had a relapse that lasted several months and I was a wreck. My flat went to pot and I could barely look after myself. I didn’t eat, I just drank. Litres of vodka and bottles of wine and champagne which I ordered online. I was a mess. I went into hospital on 11 January 2013 and haven’t had a drink since the 10th January 2013.
The main reason I am responding to you is because I am diagnosed with Alcohol Induced Peripheral Neuropathy (you can ‘google’ it), and this is what causes the numbness in the feet, and makes it hard to walk. My legs were also affected. My balance is now almost back to normal, but due to the amount of booze I was consuming will be relative to the amount of time it takes for my feet to recover. It is like having permanent pins and needles! But much much better than it was!
In hospital I was on drips, but the Stong Vitamin B12, Thiamine and Potassium are the best to take. You may need to check if you are taking lots more on top of this, as it may not help. I will leave that to you and your GP. But it sounds like you’re doing well, and if you can just turn 2 days of abstaining into 4, then 6, then you’ve done a week and then your system will start clearing up and you will feel the results. Check with your GP as you shouldn’t cut out completely, but cut down gradually. You probably know all this!
I hope it helps to hear from someone who knows exactly what you’re going through. I feel so much better now, and that is from an habitual relapser! It would be good to hear how you’re doing.
Take it easy and don’t be hard on yourself.
Linda :0)
Hi Robert,I’m the same age as you.it’s not easy admitting you have a problem at our age.I aim to make the 40s a more productive decade and I’m sure you can too.I’ve thrown myself into different sporting activities and feel great.I still haven’t got my head fully around never having a drink in a social setting again but I know it has to be done.I’ve tried moderation and even though I only ever drank at weekends,hangovers would last til Monday or Tuesday.this is a non runner when you’ve got small kids,a marriage and job to juggle!I wish you well.congratulations for deciding to change your life!
im 16, ive been going out getting drunk since the age of 12! When i drink, i dont drink just to drink, i drink to get drunk, i love being drunk. When i say drunk i mean like still stable, able to stand up, not being sick, just a happy fun drunk. Of course i have blacked out before in the past throughout the years just from drinking to much but lately the past 5 months ive found myself drinking far to much and just getting into the worst state ever, every time which is like weekly. blacking out not being able to remember things, being violent and a massive slut but not knowing anything and just being told the things that were seen by others. My friends dont say it but i know they feel it, theyre fed up of me making a show out of myself and them, they think i lie when i say i cant remember when i actually cannot remember, im extremely nice and fair and pleasant to be around always putting others first when im sober but when i black out i turn into a mental person and ive been told im not evan wobbly, i speak and walk around normal, i just act weird, like scream at no one, be really slutty, shout abuse at people who have done nothing. the black outs neeed to stop but i dont want to stop drinking, i need a black out cure, its ruining my fun life i used to have and im only 16 as well.
Lisa,
I can relate to your story even though i’m 55 – I’m still a 16 year old party girl at heart and even though most of the time i can enjoy one or two glasses of wine, once or twice a year, I can’t seem to monitor and I end up blacking out, driving home in Los Angeles which is crazy. I’m also on an anti-cancer drug, tamoxifen which makes the effects of liquor worse – although i don’t consider myself an alcoholic, i don’t want to take any more chances of waking up not knowing how i drove home – despite only happening on such rare occasion – you are only 16, your brain is still developing – I’m sure i did plenty of damage to my brain at your age and although i seem fully functioning with excellent job and life, i wonder what i might have become or done had i not tried to cover up insecurity with alcohol. This website is excellent and you will find support here. Imagine yourself 10 years from now coming back to visit yourself and what you have been able to do without alcohol. I am like you too – very happy when i’m drinking for the most part, lots of fun and people enjoy my company – but it’s not worth the price – who are these people you have to impress or be friendly with if you can’t just be you. You need to visit the website of Dr. Amen – he talks a great deal about the effects of alcohol on the brain – you could get a scan and see the damage – i don’t say this to worry you or scare you, but i see myself in your post and i still have work to do – am this week deciding i need to go off alcohol all together. I’m excited by the prospect of never having to wake up wondering if i said the wrong thing, did something awful or hurt someone. Good luck to you – you have an amazing life ahead for you – don’t sabotage it! -
Lisa, is there someone you can go to for help? I know you don’t want to quit drinking – you just don’t want to black out. That’s smart cause bad things can happen when you’re blacked out. Problem is you’ve been drinking for 4 years, right? Your system is used to alcohol so you need so much more to even get drunk. The blackouts are a problem but you could even get alcohol poisoning. Could you cut back a little, drink fizzy water or something between drinks, or drink slower? You gotta take care of yourself.
My daughters father was always a drinker but around 6 years ago it became worse and I had to have him hospitalized. He was dry for 4 weeks (3 of them in hospital) and one at home and then I saw that his latest trick was to abuse the anti convulsant he had been given to take. Alcoholics blame everyone else for their condition. They dare never responsible, can’t remember what they have said, are verbally and emotionally abusive and quiet frankly after yesterdays ambush with this man, I have made up my mind to detach myself no matter what the cost. I don’t work as I am too busy running after the alcoholic who doesn’t file his taxes and treats me like his serf. From today onward, I will not take a call from him (I don’t care if I starve to death) and lose my animals and end up living on the streets but I do not want that alcoholic or any other alcoholic near me. To my mind the sooner his wet brain collapses and he dies of cirrhosis of the liver, the better. The death is not a pleasant or pain free death and quiet frankly cannot wait for the day to come. Interestingly enough, he has just called my number (I don’t live with him) again! THis is typical behavior of the alcoholic. Violent and vicious verbal abuse – I walk out – phone call the next day – is coming here to dish out some more. What a lot of people on this site do not know is that is takes an alcoholic one drink and his drunk. The menenges in the brain start to weep (called Wet Brain). I nursed at very high level – 8 bars – which is the highest level in this country, spent years on the Psychiatric Ward and can say without hesitation that alcoholism is a choice and not a damned disease. It can be learned behavior if the alcoholic was brought up in a home characterized by alcohol abuse, but it simply shows the weak personality of the alcoholic and isn’t the law of nature “the strongest survive”. I have also seen the effects of alcoholism on the people surrounding the alcoholic, their children, spouses etc… and worked the trauma ward dressing bodies of those killed in drunk driving accidents…..the youngest a 6 week old baby. All alcoholics should be shot at dawn – and that goes for drug users as well – oh well bang goes my Florence Nightingale Oath but that is just the way it is.
I got a Lot from you…thank you! Especially when you said alcohol is not a disease….I agree. It’s a choice. There is a lot of help out there for alcoholics and it’s time for society to realize where the responsibility lies and the Government to stop spending tax payers money. It’s WITHIN us! Our job to do!!! Thank you! Thank you!
Drink driving makes me Seeth with anger when i was living in nz almost everyone I meet out there drink drives. I have a drinking problem I’m no raging alcaholic but I do have a problem. The only person I’m hurting is myself. It hasn’t always been this way it took years for me to recognise the pattern. Now I am raining it in and almost have it under control. People can change but there is no excuse for getting in a car under the influnce regardless of if you have a problem with alcahol or not! I was shocked by some friends of mine whom I considered to be far more mature than myself once when they sat there 4 yr old in the back seat without strapping her in drove drunk to the liquor store. They had the nerve to turn to me later and tell me I had a problem ( which to be fair I was already aware of) I’d put my own life in danger almost killed myself because I was depressed and drunk and couldn’t cope with the loss of someone dear to me. I stupidly tried to burn the house down with me in it. Luckily I had a very real and sobering realisation and put the fire out before it got out of control. But what’s the difference between that and recklessly driving under the influence with a child not even strapped into the car. Just because they were not depending on alcahol like I was does that make them saints and me the sinner? That’s how they made me feel. I was cast out of my job and life I’d made for myself because of them!
I’ve decided to quit drinking for good, part of my new year’s resolution.
I drink every day, lunch times I would do 4-6 cans of beer and if my girlfriend had a bottle of wine open then I’d polish that off too during the day. Then evening I’d either do the same again or worse if we went out for food somewhere.
I hide a lot of my drinking from family and friends. I’m always nipping to the shop to
replace the liquor in the cupboard so no one notices. It’s become a bit pathetic.
Alcohol makes me depressed sometimes, makes me talk too much and argue with my
girl.
I’m a musician and everywhere I play there is always free booze on offer so that doesn’t help.
Alcohol prevents me from studying my instrument during the day and I play much worse when I drink.
I wake up most days feeling like shit and I sleep really badly. I lose weight because I have no appetite and can’t find any positive reasons for drinking at all
I wake up most days feeling shitty and the hangovers get worse as I get older.
I managed to quit for about 6 months once and I got used to it and so did everyone around me so I know I can do it again. Good luck to eveyone out there trying to quit.
Hey Phil, hope your new year’s resolution is going well. If not, don’t beat yourself up. Just consider the first go as practice and pick a new date. Chinese New Year, someone’s birthday, Easter – doesn’t matter. You obviously thought about why you want to quit drinking. Refer back to that list. The free booze where you play music will be a problem. Does de-alcoholized beer or wine work for you at all? That’s what I take to places where I want people to think I’m drinking so they’ll leave me alone but I don’t want to actually drink any alcohol. Good luck to you.
Hi Phil, I know what you’re going though. I have had various problems with drink over the years some aspects I managed to control but the drinking continued. I moved abroad to try and escape old habits and i managed to knock some pretty bad shit on the head like the violent blackouts and fits of rage but in the last two years that turned into seeking and hiding alcahol and drinking in the day around friends and later family (once I returned home) I would even drink on the job. Most of the time I’d drink in order to feel or to cure my boredom with life and everyday situations. Things where just more interesting when I was drunk. I’d drink a quite of rum before noon hiding it in grape fruit and drink 5-6 beers after lunch as i deemed it socially acceptable. Then if I’d go out to a restaurant with my girl in the evening I’d always have wine waiting for me when I got home while getting tanked up on liquor and beer at the restaurant. On my working days I’d drink 3-4 beers on my break before going back to work after work I’d have a drink with Co workers and then wine when I got home and usually be hungover for work the following day only to repeat the pattern. A quite night in to me was 8 cans of larger a bottle of red wine and whatever else I could find lying around that I could polish off. My girl isn’t a heav
…heavy drinker so if we we’re staying in I’d always over compensate the amount of booze needed in order to fulfil my habit without her drinking into my supply without the shops closing so I’d have a bottle of red for both her and one for myself as well as the beers. She would only ever drink one glass so I’d normally drink the remains of her bottle to! All this I deemed normal at the time!!! WTF was I thinking? I lost so much to drink! Good jobs, a chance of a new life in a new country which costed me my amazing girl. In the past I’ve lost friendships, trust and have made a reputation for myself which has followed me everywhere people who I have never meet before know of my exploits which I feel ashamed about! I fucked up really bad one time when I came into money which could have helped me out of a very sticky financial situation at the time..I was board line homeless and in someone else’s country barely legally with no cash to fly home, instead of doing the right thing with that money I spent four nights wining dining and destroying my liver in the company of strippers. Now I’m at a cross roads and the only way to improve myself worth is to walk away from alcahol for good! I haven’t drank now in three weeks! The boredom is killing me! But it’s gotta be done! I have alot to offer the world as i imagine you do with your music and booze is not going to stand in my way!
Thanks so much everyone for sharing as you realise from this site that you are not alone. I have often felt that it is only me who has a problem with binge drinking while everyone else can keep it under control. I am 47 and have drunk all my life with occasional binges to the extent that I wake up depressed and ashamed that I cant keep it under control. This is the first time I have contributed to a site and this is DAY 1 as I am determined to try and stop for good. I have a relationship of 16 years and a great partner but the alcohol causes arguments and its a real struggle as rather than supporting me in stopping, the response is that it will be boring if all our friends our drinking and I am not. So its the social pressure I find difficult too and when everyone else is drinking, I find it difficult not to and then it ends up in a binge. Help! Any suggestions welcome but I am determined to get back into the gym, cut out the booze and I hope that if I can stay off it, the good feeling of being in control will help to keep me going. I wish you all well with you own struggles with the demon.
You really care, don’t you! This is going to be hard, but you obviously love your ‘special other’ enough to do it! That alone will give you the strength you need. But be sure to let that person know you will need to lean on them for strength. That way, they can help you with their support, make them feel special because they are helping you get through this and all the while, supporting the love you have for each other. Together, I think you can do this!!!!
I drink every night. Sometimes just a few pints, like 6, some times 12pints I also drink a bottle of wine. I hate the fact I drink I hate the fact I have no cash I hate the fact I drink. I hate the fact I drink and the family cant go on holiday. WHY THE FUCK DO I DRINK?
Only you can answer that my friend. I drink ,or I suppose drunk, to begin with because I was depressed and angry for reasons beyond my knowledge. The last two years or so I’ve been drinking because I get bored easily and it seemingly makes life peachy for a short period but that soon turns to depression because of the booze. Depression never really goes away I’ve just learnt to live with it more managably over the years. Drinking does not help as it is a depressent and can fuel it. Way back when i had real problems drinking would be a way to release all the anger I had bottled up inside me. That was when it was really bad but that I knocked on the head but I started drinking more because I thought that because I’d put the beast back in his cage and let him out at regular intervals in a healthy way that that meant that I was clear to engage in drinking without fear of upsetting anyone. Now I only really upset myself a new demond to deal with. I stated drinking more and more especially when i was living in nz. I lived in paradise on an island in the bay of islands and everybody there was a drunk so i slid under the radar somewhat. I went out there to escape my demonds and in doing so created new ones. I would start most days with a qaut of rum which I’d conseal in grapefruit as to not raise to much susspion. Then by the afternoon I’d drink copious beers as it was deemed acceptable by locals and friends alike. I would continue drinking long into the night hitting the bar for our half price drinks cortiousy of my job. Finish it off drinking box wine or sports or beers or whatever I could get my hands on. The place in question wierdly had a notorious history for being a retreat for drunks and crooks going way back. Darwin had coined the place the hell hole of the pacific. I think the spirit of that town is still going strong today. I had kicked old drinking habits and swopped them for new ones in this place. Though socially acceptable whilst I was there little did I know at the time that these new habits would follow me. I started drinking more than ever but at least I wasn’t violent or nasty anymore…partly the reason I think I began to drink more! I moved to a city afterwards and life there just wasn’t the same a drunk really stood out and a drunk I was. I lost a very important job because of it! Now I’m back in the uk my home,
…, and its even worse here. My old reputation is still loomimg around and people I don’t even know know of my old exploits and habits which is shameful tbh with you. I have taken it upon myself to quit altogether. Because I do not wanna get lumped with a drinking problem round here because round here it just ain’t no fun! I did start drinking heavily to stop myself from dying of boredom but it’s stumped me and made me really really broke. I order for me to get back out in the world and start living life again I need cash and drinking is a hindrance on the wallet! It’s slowwing me down and i walked out of a good job because I was to shit faced hung over to deal with it! Instead of saving the money I made I drank it all! I’ve gotta stop or else I’m fucked! I don’t consider myself as much of a problem as i once was but any tiny defect is duelly noted by the family as me having alcholism and this is only because currently I am a drain on them both emotionally and financilly. So i know ed drinking on the head I managed 2 and a half weeks with no sweat but last night I really wanted a drink and drunk a bottle of wine.didn’t feel any joy from it…I guess my problem ultimately is boredom.
I used to be a weekend warrior, then I started getting bad.. drinking at lunch, spending money I did’int have on credit cards just to get booze…If I try and stay away from Whiskey I just end up drinking an 18 pack but at least it takes longer..it’s become the cause and solution to all of my problems. Now i’ve got no job, a wife that hates me and bills stacking up and all my beer-belly ass wants to do is drink myself to death but I have to Fight on..it happend so quick…but not really it’s been 15yrs coming
no longer ‘analcoholic’ but no longer a drinker either! I believe we can go through phases of drinking alcoholically, particularly during times of stress or trauma, this was my experience, however, i saw it for what it was and dealt with it. I cut back to drinking only on weekends, then only on Sat nights and now i dont drink at all..
I dont agree with a lot of the stereotyping and jargon that goes with alcoholism particularly with AA, and i feel telling someone that they have a disease and will die if they drink again, is pretty damaging and potentially dangerous. Also SOME people who had alcoholic symptoms, can learn to monitor their drinking patterns.
We need a more positive approach in dealing with ‘problem drinking’ and less of the scary tactics and spiritual ‘teachings’. One has nothing to do with the other.
Depressed Drinker, De-Stress Drinker, Boredom Drinker and Hedonistic Drinker
My drink problem started when i had problems with my ex, im over her now, have been for ages but the drinking stayed with me out of habit. Whether i was happy, depressed, excited or bored it all resulted with me consuming alcohol, usually far too much and far too fast.
I was in denial because my idea of an ”alcoholic” was waking up in the morning with the shakes and reaching for the vodka. I was waking up, going to work for 12 hours and then drinking when i got home – i thought i was in control, i maybe was for a little while but not for long.
It eventually escalated to the point where i was drinking 2-3 bottles of wine PER NIGHT and within just a few hours. End up either collapsing into a coma or making an embarassment of myself and even losing friends or falling out with family members.
Luckily for me i dont get physical withdrawal symptoms so its just a case of kicking the habit in my head and refraining from buying alcohol whenever im in a shop.
Hiya Dave just wondered how you were getting on?
Help me I’m 28 years old and I need to stop….not slow up, or back off but stop. I work hard and am successful on the outside but inside I’m dying. My day yesterday….to combat the withdrawal from the days prior, consisted of this. In order kinda….4 shots of vodka 2 Heineken 3 pints of beer. 4 more beers a shot of Jameson then into the evening a plethora of and shots. My point is today I hate life oes anyone know how to make this stop. Thanks
Hi jay, it sounds like you may be suffering from depression, and the alcohol though it may seem to work in the short term will make this much worse.
I would suggest you start with cutting down, get yourself a doc appointment. It does get better the hardest part is the beginning x
Some tips that have helped me.. making a list of all the reasons why i want to stop drinking eg. damaged relationships, health, productivity, work..mental health, remorse, guilt, lack of control, i could go on and on..
and a list of the benefits of stopping..being in control, no hangovers or sickness, weight loss, better relations, better appearance, not worrying about smelling of booze, always being able to drive.. feeling positive, good luck folks!
Have just found this site and this forum. Along with so much else I have read today it so resonates with me. I am 60 and have been a drinker since my twenties. Only ever wine but every night. Have now graduated to two bottles a night as a result of excessive stress and I am finding my “Jekyll and Hyde” personas and it is terrifying me. I have struggled to stop for so long but never manage it. Always find an excuse by 5pm to go and get my ” friend” ( which is now 2) I have to get some control somehow….I really hope this site might be the breakthrough I need to the right kind of help for me. I certainly understand what everyone else has written. I hope you you are starting to make some headway with bringing alcohol to heel.
Some of the things I’ve read here make me think ‘I wish I only drank that much’. I’ve been drinking to excess for about 33 years. It started when my mum left – I was 16 – then my dad kicked me out. Drink was my friend. I moved 50 miles away for a ‘new start’ but that never happened. Life got worse and the drinking progressed to new levels. After 26 years I moved again to the Midlands, but again – the fresh start all went horribly wrong.
I have been lucky as a functioning alcoholic to have been with the same employer for 30 years, good salary and own home. But I have lost my car, many friends and my health. I used to win Triathlons, have done the Tough Guy several times, the London Marathon twice and a half Ironman.
I had a couple of days last year when I didn’t drink – and I had two seizures. One at home and the next day at work. I ended up in hospital and yet still that has not been enough to make me stop.
I have a loving boyfriend but he drinks to excess also. We have a regular pub and everyone there drinks to excess. I want to stop but then again I don’t. I have lost friends who were ‘healthy’ – didn’t drink, didn’t smoke, went to the gym etc – all died very young. it kind of makes me think ‘what’s the point’. I’m nearly 50 now and still alive after years of excessive drinking.
I wish there was some help. I went to AA years ago but it seemed like they had just swapped an addiction with alcohol to one with God – and I don’t believe in any God’s. So that’s me pretty much on my own and unable to stop. I wish someone would come up with a magical pill that would stop me drinking. But the reality is, I do drink, I can function to an acceptable level, and until I get some real health issues then I don’t suppose I will be scared into stopping any time soon.
Good luck to all out there who are making the strong and admirable decision to stop drinking. I wish you well and also wish I had half your willpower and determination.
Hi Middas, you’re obviously a survivor and you are prob correct, you wont want to stop drinking until you’re suffered enough, for me i didnt lose my kids or my hubby or anything, i lost myself, i didnt know who i was anymore. i couldnt feel anything but sadness and depression without alcohol. The chronic hangovers meant i could barely function some days and i felt ill all the time. Cutting back gradually and eventually abstaining have given me back me to my family. I have energy again, i am healthy, i can laugh and smile again. best of luck x
Hi,
I opened up to my mother about my drinking problem.to my surprise , she was very supportive.she suggested that every time I want a drink,I write a list of dangers down ( such as falling over on my little dog and hurting him)…or losing my husband….im only sober a few hrs…but I intend to try it….
great, you have to start some where..
David hi, I was in a relationship with a man who turned nasty when he was drunk, I also enjoy 2-3 glasses most nights, we had the worst 2 years together before I left him. I feel I drink a lot and am terrified that I will become like my ex, so I understand what you are saying. I knew a friend your age who stopped drinking completely… same reasons as yours, what he did is change his living situation: he found new friends who where non- drinkers, he found a fitness group that he attended most evenings and he started collecting teas. (i know it sounds daft, but it helped him so much!) He is now happily married and has 2 children, he is not drinking and his wife and him have left the place where he used to live his boosy lifestyle. ..I am thinking of loosing some of my heavy drinkers – friends.. as sad as it might be I don’t want to get any worse. I am also thinking about joining a dance class 3 days a week to get my mind of drinking. Good luck to you!!
I am 28 years of age and l have lost practically everything l have loved through alcohol, in general l am a good guy but when l start drinking, all is well then l drink excessively to the point of being aggressive and slightly violent. This is my dr jekhyll and mr hyde routine, for me l need to get this sorted once and for all as l fear my life will be over shortly if l dont, if there is anyone out there who has any advice are able to talk some please get in contact with me, l think l need all the help and advice l can get. I also hope those who are dealing with this addiction are smiling a little more …
I never drink during the week, and generally have my first drink weekly on a Friday after 6pm. Usually start with 8-10 beers and then onto scotch – half a bottle, unless there is more to be found.
I repeat for Saturday and then Sunday is recovery day and the week begins on Monday, waiting for another drink on Friday.
I have scared myself on occasion where there has been more drink in the house. If there were 2 bottles of scotch, I may get through 1 and half – no control once started!
I’m a 41 year old man that binge drinks,..I can go some weeks without a beer, but as far as I am concerned alcohol is drunk to make us feel different, and the more we drink, the more “different” we feel.
It has just messed up my relationship too.
I had some problems in my younger years and turned to different substances for solace.
I have those problems still, and they have slowly pulled me down.
I am currently living with my sister,( after having split from my partner in Germany and having to leave my job there) and I am also unemployed.
I am a fairly lucid, and intelligent with varying interests, but because of my core values, I suffer from my perceptions, my beliefs ( or lack of them) these manifest through stress and anxiety, and these negative feelings are “purged” ( momentarily) via the medium of alcohol.
This , of course, leads to further bouts of anxiety in that wonderful cyclical way of things!
What I would say to any youngster on here who is worried about their alcohol consumption, is to be honest and address the reasons why that need exists.
Being honest with ourselves is the first step on that road to recovery.
It’s not an easy road..but look around you!..there are many of us walking beside you.
I went through PTSD after 3 years of 24/7 on call in a traumatic situation. I began to drink 6-16 ounce lite beers a night most days to deal with the fear, then after I left the trauma went on I could not find work etc.. I had a few medical emergencies and my life began to fall apart. Now I am drinking much more and at times everyday…I am barely functioning, because I feel hopeless with my life and so many things are out of control.
I drink every night, sometimes 2 bottles of wine, other times 10 or so beers
I just this minute found this site. I have to keep looking to see if there are more recent posts. Emma, I really understand where you are. I can easily drink two bottles of wine or 3 double vodka gimlets. It has to stop, and I am trying now!
If you want to converse more easily with other people with similar problems, we’ve got a free forum on this site.
I’m a binge drinker. I might not drink for weeks, usually 3 or 4 but when I start I cant stop. the party would stay going for up to 3, 4 days for me until I’m so violently sick, cant eat, depressed, anxiety. IT has been a vicious cycle for me for a long time. Its like after a few weeks I forget I have a problem with drink and say Ill go out for a few. I found this site recently and think its fantastic, I will be on here alot over the next few months to help me in recovery as well as aa meetings. I hope some day I can have control ove my drinking, if I continued I would have had huge problems, hope this comment helps people with similar problems.
That is exactly me !! I don’t drink for weeks (somehow I manage to avoid it) but I’m constantly craving it and when I do drink I binge by drinking until I pass out. I would use the fact that I rarely drink as an excuse ti binge…I’m tired of it. I have to change.
Hey Lads,
I also am a weekend bindge drinker. I very rarely have a drink during the weekdays but from Friday til Sun I drink to excess. I cannot social drink as I struggle to only have one or two beers. My hangovers last until mid week until i feel better then friday comes around and the cycle starts again. I have a good job but i feel that my drinking is getting the best of me. i have been doing the weekend party scene since high school and i have never grown out if it yet. i have destroyed relationships due to my behavior on alcohol and i guess i really need some help.. just wanted to share and tell someone. thx
I found this site through a google search. This describes me exactly. I am an awful binge drinker. I can go weeks at a time without drinking. I hold a professional job and keep up with daily responsibilities. But, when I start drinking, I literally can’t stop. One drink leads to two, and then three, and then I start doing shots. I will be out for 2 or 3 days at a time. Thankfully, I usually do not drink between Monday through Friday. If, for example, I go out socially after work on Friday, it would not be unusual for me to come home on Sunday, having experienced one or more blackouts during the binge. The hangovers are the worst part. I have tried going out with friends and just drinking diet coke or soda. I always end up having “just one” or doing a shot which leads to more. It never fails. I know the answer is to give up drinking altogether. However, it is not as easy as it sounds. I wish I could go out and just have a few drinks like most people. I have come to the conclusion that it is not possible for me. Sometimes on weekends I sit at home by myself, exercise or go to the movies alone when my friends are out in order to avoid going to bars because I know what will happen if I start drinking. I have ruined relationships and friendships because of my drinking. I had a great girlfriend who ended our relationship because of my ridiculous behavior. I am 40 years old and male.
I started binge drinking in high school at 14, and I’m 27 now. I’m glad I found this site. I drink in groups or not at all, only on weekends. I’m good about not doing it during the week. I can’t work with a hangover and my job is important to me. My binge drinking reached it’s height when I cheated on my significant other, twice. I had no memory of the instances, but the writings on the wall when I don’t wake up at home. I would make excuses for my binge drinking in reconnecting with friends in town for the weekend, having nothing else to do on a Friday evening, and saying to myself, “well I’m six beers into my night. Might as well get black out drunk.” It’s a lot of work to repair the damage I’ve done but I’m starting.
Hi, Started drinking socially over 20 years ago then graduated to drinking alone at home every night.I surpose I would now class myself as a depressive drinker.I get depressed drink and then get even more depressed ! I drink anything from 4-8 cans per night and wake up every morning feeling rough. I feel ashamed and totally disgusted with myself,that i have allowed drink to control my life. My husband isnt exactly surpportive. He just laughs and calls me an alcholic ! which i am. I usually only drink after 6pm it has become a terrible habit .
It is now affecting my health , my eyes are going a tinge of yellow and I feel like ive been kicked in the kidneys,but i know really it is my liver packing in.
Ive managed to always work but working shifts now,finishing very late some nights. Last saturday all shops were shut couldnt get my fix and i cried like a baby ! so i have decided to do a self detox this is my second day and feel like shit but desperately want to change my life kill or cure !
Wow when I read ur post its like I wrote it myself almost. I have got to stop my liver enzymes are elavated and they are going to run more tests monday. I have a 11 yr old and I dont know what he would do without me. I have to do something my health is getting bad. I hope the best for u and u find a way to beat this.
Hi, I don’t feel like I fit into any of those catergories I usually only drink at weekends but I drink too much I know I do and wish I could cut down. I have very good intentions and think i’ll just have a couple but once I start i just don’t know when to stop! I feel like a weekend alcoholic
x
Ok…The kind of drinker i am? To put it bluntley…I drink like it’s a cure for Alcoholism!!!!!!!!!!
I will probably do this till I get a brush with death.
The DT’s terrify me and i have almost no willpower. The only time i slow down is when fell like I am gonna collapse.I am a functioning drunk.
People no i am a serious drinker…But don’t know the gravity of my situation…yet.
So…type…It’s unfortunately not listed here.
Love to all of you…And never take this thing called alcohol for granted…it has patience and can slither it’s way into your soul!!
Wow, you sound so much like me. I don’t think I’m on the list either!
I do have to say though I don’t drink ‘as much’ as I used to. They say the standard drinks for a female are 1-2 glasses a day??? Well I could drink 1-2 bottles of wine a day and still function like a normal person :/
I’ve asked people who ‘supposedly’ know, if I’m an alcoholic and they say no. Yet, rarely a day goes by that I don’t drink – I might not get drunk EVERY time now but I still drink….?
I used to drink every day: one day to get blind drunk, one day to drink to try and ease the hangover, one day to tread the water and drink just enough to be somewhat drunk, and then the cycle repeated.
I now can go a day or so without drinking, but often when I do drink i still go completely overboard; usually knocking back at least 700ml-1L of Southern Comfort.
I wish I’d never started drinking – its such a shit!
This is so like me too….I drink near on a bottle of wine every night, I don’t feel drunk once I have finished, I can drink less some nights but some night sI will drink more and I don’t seem to be able to say I have had enough and stop til I pass out. I remember very little when I get drunk and I am sure my memory is getting really bad in general. I end up taking milk thistle, Vitamins and all other herbal stuff to counter act but I know I really need to cut down….I don’t want to completely stop, just be bale to drink in moderation. After 2 days of no alcohol I get psychological withdrawal, whether I have any physical I don’t know
I would say I am a conformist drinker but I am female and the definition is the usual sexist stereotype. Either that or there is another type of drinker that has been over looked. The one who conforms with a team mate. I am in a husband and wife team. We collude with each other. When I say I want to stop drinking my team mate sulks and of course, I conform and drink. He is my excuse not to stop.
I was with a girl for 6 years and we would match each others drinking habits we were great together but toxic when it came to booze. I left her and moved away to try and shake the problem but the problem only took on a new form. I am still battling this but today I can admit I have a bit of a problem. I’m not a hardcore drink everyday type (although there was a time when i wasn’t far from it) but I d not know how to have just a couple of drinks when i do start. Once I get that ball rolling and the alcahol kills off the boredom of the mundanities of life and relaxs my mind and muscles and tounge I suddenly reach a ‘I’ll just have one more’ of course one more turns into trying to drink the bar dry. I was awfal I’d bate anyone into having a drink with me strangers, friends, anybody really it didn’t matter so long as i wasn’t drinking alone…then again sometimes that didn’t even matter. My reasons for wanting to quit are down to all the stops alchahol has in my life. I will get so far in work and life and things will be going well but then I pull out the drink trump card i screw it all up. I want to kick this or learn to control my attitude towards booze
every type probably except for conformist and macho, and a few more besides….
think that is the wrong page to share my problem; but anyways…thank you for being out there
love to all of you Andrea
I am more into Tea and dunking Ginger Nut biscuits now
Good for you, I can’t seem to help getting four drinks in so I don’t have a second to think about how much i’ve fucked up by the age of 22.
Boredom drinker, Depressed drinker, De-stress drinker, Borderline dependent all in that order thats how i started drinking to much
I’m been drinking two glasses of wine each evening for a number of years. I water the wine down approx. 50/50 in an attempt to reduce my actual intake. The drinking tends to make me a bit slow, and non-responsive to my family, and I have also stopped evening sport classes. Every now and then, looking over the last few years it seems to be something like each 6 months, I drink wildly to excess and become quite aggressive. The aggression usually starts with some kind of argument/disagreement and my temper flares up, and I start to destroy objects around about. I have never become physically aggressive with other people, although I feel I have been very lucky in this respect because it seems I get blackouts occassionally, and I don’t recall everything I have done while quite so drunk. The thought of hurting innocent people while I’m in this state terrifies me. I think I need to stop drinking altogether, so it becomes impossible to drink too much at some arbitrary time in the future.
I’ve stopped smoking cold turkey some twenty odd years ago, and guess I have to do the same with drink, but my mind control does not seem to be what it was back then. I seem to be able to stop for a few days, and then “just the one”, then, after a few more days, “two is only one more than the one”… If anyone here has some hints on this score, I’d welcome them. Thanks.