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Alcohol Problems

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Post by Dannyboy Fri Jun 12, 2015 10:01 pm

Sorry to keep making these problem posts, guys.

Anyway, me an alcohol have an...interesting relationship. I've always been far more interested in the buzz than the actual drinks, even back in my teenage years when my parents would only give a couple of glasses at special events, I'd just guzzle the stuff down really quickly. But I never binge drank until, well, my sophomore year of College. I read something online about overpopulation and declining oil supplies and I became convinced that the end of world was soon to be upon us all. I became really depressed and anxious for the rest of he semester and then, compounded to that, I began to fear going to hell. I read the verses in the Bible where Jesus talks about giving up all your possession and giving your money to the poor, and I realized that my comfortable, Middle Class life had been the exact opposite of that. I was filled with so much fear and guilt that I would sometimes shake, and I couldn't sleep for the life of me. This is when I first began to binge drink. I spent the entirety of my winter break that year drinking several glasses of wine and shots of tequila at night so that I could calm my nerves and get to sleep. After that my parents insisted (for obvious reasons) that I take a break from drinking, which I mostly did despite a couple of binges that spring and summer.

Sadly, I began to binge drink again during junior year. It began during finals, where I realized the last month that I had only a few weeks to write a bunch of term research papers. I panicked, and began drink two glasses of wine and two-to three beers each night to calm my nerves. I succeeded in getting all my papers done, and got all A's that semester, but I continued binge drinking afterwards during periods of high stress like when papers were due or I had a problem at work. I thought that I had put an end to the problem a couple months ago, when I went to the doctor to get Lexapro and Ambien to control my anxiety and help me sleep at night. But recently I began drinking a couple of bottles of wine each night in order feel better when I feel unattractive,lonely, and depressed.

I know that I have a problem, and I know that the only way to stop drinking is to quit it altogether... but I really don't want to. I'm going to be going to graduate school in a year and I'm afraid if I don't any booze the essay anxiety and stress are going to kill me. In addition, my drinking is kind of a part of me know. My parents and brothers often crack jokes about my drinking habits (they generally don't know how far its gotten) and I've started trying to brew my own beer as a hobby, a skill to make me a more interesting person. I'm trying right now to stop drinking for a couple weeks, but with all these new social things I've got planned, I'm wondering if I'm going to need alcohol again.

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Post by Enail Fri Jun 12, 2015 10:23 pm

Have you considered discussing it with your doctor? It sounds like the meds aren't helping with the drinking - and there may be harmful interactions with alcohol - so it might be good to explore other options or add some therapy to develop other techniques to cope with stress and depression. Or even a support group?

It seems like brewing is not a hobby that goes very well with trying to stop drinking; maybe it would do you better to switch it up for a different one less likely to mess with that.
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Post by JP McBride Sat Jun 13, 2015 6:26 pm

Dannyboy wrote:I know that I have a problem, and I know that the only way to stop drinking is to quit it altogether... but I really don't want to.

It's possible to exercise self-control without completely abstaining from alcohol.

There are a bunch of tricks that you can use to cut back on your consumption:

- Only buy one bottle of wine or one six-pack at a time.

- Store your alcohol out of sight.

- Only pour yourself one drink at a time. After you've poured yourself a drink, close the container and put it back.

- Teach yourself how to drink slowly. Take one sip at a time and pay attention to the experience.

- Keep track of how much you're drinking. Write it down if you need to.

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Post by Guest Sat Jun 13, 2015 6:37 pm

So, there's been some interesting research and commentary lately on alcohol abuse, talking about how the AA approach, with it's "abstain completely and rely on a higher power" is neither scientifically based or necessarily the best approach. It's a very US-centered approach, and in much of the world, it's not really the direction alcoholism treatment is moving.

http://radioboston.wbur.org/2014/03/31/12-step-dodes

I'd advise you to seriously look at some other approaches and ideas before deciding all-or-nothing is the only answer.

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Post by Caffeinated Sat Jun 13, 2015 8:38 pm

Many of the alcoholics on the Catholic side of my family have for many years given up alcohol for Lent.
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