Alcoholism.
LikeAnOcean
Posts: 7,718
A few weeks back it got to a point where I couldn't fall alseep without finishing off a whole bottle of wine, so I knew then something was not right..
I have nothing against daily moderate drinking, binging every once in a while, but I've cut back to just a few glasses of wine a day (which is healthy) and cutting back beer intake on weekends and after a few weeks have already felt improvement, although it was hard at first.
Here's the backtracker.. Why is it always that the alcoholic friend gets offended when you won't binge with them?
I've been trying to avoid hanging out with them for this reason alone, knowing they are going to give me crap for not drinking.. for instance, we are watching hockey game tonight and grilling. He asked me if I was coming so he could get a gauge as to how much alchohol to get. I told him I was coming, but probably won't drink. This boggled his mind. When I told him it was for health reasons, he responded I was reading too much on the internet.
In this case, its a childhood best friend and coworker. The type who cracks a beer the second they get off work and probably averages 6 to 10 drinks daily.
Is it that hard for people to fathom it might be possible to enjoy life without alcohol? I understand where's he's coming from, I really do and am craving a drink right now, but since I've cut back, the need for a drink is greatly diminishing and I'm starting to enjoy things more when I'm sober.
I understand the good time with alcohol, but also understand something is wrong when you can only have a good time with it. It takes will and brainpower. I'm tired of feeling like crap when I'm sober. It needs to stop.
I have nothing against daily moderate drinking, binging every once in a while, but I've cut back to just a few glasses of wine a day (which is healthy) and cutting back beer intake on weekends and after a few weeks have already felt improvement, although it was hard at first.
Here's the backtracker.. Why is it always that the alcoholic friend gets offended when you won't binge with them?
I've been trying to avoid hanging out with them for this reason alone, knowing they are going to give me crap for not drinking.. for instance, we are watching hockey game tonight and grilling. He asked me if I was coming so he could get a gauge as to how much alchohol to get. I told him I was coming, but probably won't drink. This boggled his mind. When I told him it was for health reasons, he responded I was reading too much on the internet.
In this case, its a childhood best friend and coworker. The type who cracks a beer the second they get off work and probably averages 6 to 10 drinks daily.
Is it that hard for people to fathom it might be possible to enjoy life without alcohol? I understand where's he's coming from, I really do and am craving a drink right now, but since I've cut back, the need for a drink is greatly diminishing and I'm starting to enjoy things more when I'm sober.
I understand the good time with alcohol, but also understand something is wrong when you can only have a good time with it. It takes will and brainpower. I'm tired of feeling like crap when I'm sober. It needs to stop.
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...are those who've helped us.
Right 'round the corner could be bigger than ourselves.
I guess I'm guilty of doing the same to another friend that barely drinks at all, but thats trying to get him to have a beer on the weekend..
Why do we always have to bring people down?
This thread is more of an observatory thing rather than looking for advise.. My friend will have to deal with me not drinking and if he can't I won't be hanging out with him.
Good attitude.
...are those who've helped us.
Right 'round the corner could be bigger than ourselves.
Eventually, from what you wrote, he should cut back also. You could always just milk a beer for 2 hours, huh??
Where I'm not ugly and you're lookin' at me
yeah, the whole nursing thing isn't a bad idea. Keeps you from just standing around with your hands in your pockets, and your freinds will notice less.
A few glasses is a bottle, no?! I'm pretty sure a bottle of wine a day is not 'healthy'.
He's being defensive because he's afraid that you "improve" yourself by not drinking, that's something positive he's not doing. I would really continue doing what is best for you, but really make an effort to say as little as possible about it to your friend so he doesn't think you're judging him. I have a friend who likes to go on diets, and she wants everyone to be miserable with her so she goes around making other people feel bad because they're not on a diet too. This is not the route to take.
How did that work out? That's not much at all for 6 hours, yet you were still having beers with him...
The moral of the story is.. I don't want to be questioned by him if I don't have a drink in my hand.
Have you tried maybe 1 glass of wine and a couple melatonin pills? Those have never worked for me, but I know some people who swear by them.
There seems to be that time where all people start drinking less than their college/early adult pace... i can see how being the first in a group can be kinda strange.
I remember when I was in high school (we drank a lot), my mother was pretty strict about not drinking... my dad (besides the vague "be careful out there" warnings) never brought the subject up. One day out of the blue, he said, "you know, there's no shame in throwing a shot over your shoulder... it's not like it's a competition or anything..."
That is one thing that stuck with me for all these years. In those days when peer pressure was there, on many nights when I realized I was going at too fast of a pace or getting past that line to being shitfaced, I'd dump out a cup of beer, or leave a half full one lying around or whatever. Sure, I had my share of fall down drunk nights, but I took that advice pretty well.
was like a picture
of a sunny day
“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”
― Abraham Lincoln
The risk I took was calculated, but man, am I bad at math - The Mincing Mockingbird
Riiiiight. And next thing you know you will tell me that my crack for breakfast isn't the most important activity of the day. Or, that I can't swim for thirty minutes after being impaled by a unicorn. Do I look like I fell off the turnip truck yesterday?
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What is this thread really about? Is it about your friend, or trying to justify you having few drinks?
From my experience (not first-hand, my partner had some alcohol related issues not so long ago), I think offering your body a detox period is much needed. It will give your liver a little break and for you the time to think about your new drinking habits, how many would you allow yourself a week, which occasions etc...
As for socialising, I understand how difficult it is to socialise without alcohol. 'Going out for a drink' is something you can't avoid, especially when you are under 35, maybe even older I don't know, but drinks are always an important component of many of the social events we attend.
As a result of my boyfriends' abstinence, I stopped drinking too. I didn't want to come home smelling of booze, it was already difficult for him... But I found that the most effective way is to actually grab a drink and take your time with it, and always ask for a glass of icy water along with your drink, it would keep you occupied and looking busy.
As for my partner, he quit for 5 months and now he drinks a few beers a week when he hangs out with the boys and there doesn't seem to be any problems.
Trust me, only people who are the closest to you would actually support this, it really is a tough decision to make, and I congratulate you for being brave enough to admit that you do have a drink related problem, and that you actually want to do something about it, that was the toughest part of your problem!
Rock on!
to come around whether you decide to drink or not.
Stay strong.
I got memories. I got shit so much it don't show."
8/08 - Ed solo in DC, 6/09 Ed in B'more,
10/10 - Brad in B'more
so don't drink
8/08 - Ed solo in DC, 6/09 Ed in B'more,
10/10 - Brad in B'more
Ah right, when you said a few I was thinking like 4-5 or something.
Hey I'm not knocking it, I'd drink beer every day if it didn't make me feel fat and sluggish, but I wouldn't try and call it healthy. Plus there's research that indicates that grape juice has pretty much the same health benefits as wine - I'm betting the OP doesn't drink a few glasses a day purely for the health benefits
As far as antioxidants go, yes grape juice has the same benefits, but the alcohol in moderation thins out the blood, which is good for the heart and also boosts some other things in prep for a high alcohol intake, so long as you stop drinking...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20 ... 133610.htm
so in a sense, wine is a little better.
but more importantly, what the fuck is with your screen name?? why does it keep changing?? :?