Drinking

LegacyUser

Going unreg for this one. I'm not asking for medical advice here, more other people's opinions.

I've noticed I've started developing a pattern with my drinking. Every month or so, I'll be on a night out, have far too much to drink, and have no memory of what happened the night before, or even worse remember. I'll usually have done something stupid, and the remorse and guilt of this will make me cut down on drinking for a while. Until the next time.

I know I need to cut down, or even cut out drinking. I wouldn't class myself as an alcoholic, but I do abuse alcohol. I've put myself in so many dangerous situations as a result of my drinking, that I'm ashamed to even think about them.

I'm just after a night out, where again I drank far too much, and basically ruined my friends' night out. I need to know where to go to get help. I want to give up drinking or learn to drink in moderation but I've tried to do it alone before, and I don't seem to be able to. Is it worth my while going to a counsellor, and where do I find one? I really need some support with this. If I don't get help now, I can see myself being an alcoholic in the future, and I want to stop before I hit rock bottom.

Nevyn

You don't have to drink everyday or to excess everyday to be an alcoholic.
You do have to abuse alcohol which you have stated that you are doing.
I would suggest that you have a look at the AA http://www.alcoholicsanonymous.ie/opencontent/default.asp?itemid=15&section=About+Us

General Service Office of Alcoholics Anonymous
109 South Circular Road , Leonard’s Corner, Dublin 8
Hours: Mon. – Fri. 9.30am - 5.00pm (open through lunch)
Telephone: (01) 4538998
Fax: (01) 4537673
Email: ala@indigo.ie

AA Leinster Telephone Service
Tel: 1890 412 412

Central Service Office (CSO)
Suite 4, 7 Donegall Street Place, Belfast BT1 2FN
Tel: (048) 90 434848

Cork Telephone Service
Tel: (021) 4500481
Hours 8.00 pm – 10.00 pm

Limerick Telephone Service
Tel: (061) 311222
Answering Machine at all times

Kerry Area Phone Service
Tel: (066) 7128720

Connaught Telephone Service
To talk to someone tel: (091) 767777
Hours: Mon – Fri 7.30pm – 10.00pm, Sat 11.30am to 2.00pm
Or leave a message at any time.

Waterford Aea Telephone Service: (051) 373 173

They will offer suport and will know of counsellors that could help.

puffmullett

I was in exactly the same situation very recently & it got to a stage that I HAD to do something about it, after a good bit of thinking etc. I eventually dragged myself to AA & it helped an awful lot...as Thaedydal said you don't have to drink every day etc. to be an alcoholic. I would give it a go & see how you get on. You don't have to go back if you don't like it & it is "anonymous"

Best of luck!

kittenkiller

I found myself staying pretty much dry for most of the month & then going out & getting absolutely hammered once a month (thankfully i didn't really make a show of myself or anything or offend people more than usual). Then my hangover'd be monsterous & I'd try to lighten the disapproving looks by blaming the fact that my period was due & that's why my head was thumping, I was in a sh!tty mood, my stomach was in bits, I couldn't get out of bed, my head hurt so much I couldn't stand even opening my eyes....

Finally it struck me that it was probably something to do with it being due that made me go out & 'let my hair down' so much.
So now I just make sure that I don't go out around that time & if I do I just put €20 in my wallet & refuse to spend any more than that.
I start off by not really drinking & then if I really want one or two later on I still have money for them.

I think that if you spend most of the month dry then you feel kinda justified when you over-do it once in a while.
Next time you go out, make a conscious decision beforehand to control yourself & how much you drink.
If you can do that, then you're better off than most.

AngryBadger

I find there's often some underlying problem when a person drinks like this. Maybe it's worth talking to a counselor or at least having a look at yourself and asking if there's anything that's bugging you. Anything you need to address the fallout from which might manifest itself as binge drinking,

Nevyn

Yes, but there is also the phyiscal addiction to alcohol and the enoyment of getting not sober and trashed and it can take time and support to get a person to a place where they can see and deal with what ever the underlying problem is.

LegacyUser

Thanks for the advice. I never used to drink heavily, I used to always be the sensible one out of my friends, but my self confidence has taken a bit of a battering over the past few years, and I think thats whats causing the binging.

I've taken a few online quizes to see if I have a drinking problem, and every single one has come back with I'm an alcoholic. I'm finding it hard to accept thats the case, cos I have the stereotype in my head that alcoholics are always hiding bottles around the house, drinking in the morning etc.

Would I need to get my GP to refer me to a counsellor?

Nevyn

That would be one way to go about it and the dr can give you a check up as well.

CoolGuy2006

i didnt realise there was a religious element to the AA



The 12 Steps Of Alcoholics Anonymous
We admitted we were powerless over alcohol – that our lives had become unmanageable.
Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics and practice these principles in all our affairs.

Vinnie69

CoolGuy2006 wrote:

i didnt realise there was a religious element to the AA



The 12 Steps Of Alcoholics Anonymous
We admitted we were powerless over alcohol – that our lives had become unmanageable.
Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics and practice these principles in all our affairs.

Yes, there is and it is very hard if you are not a Roman Catholic or an unbeliver but most AA members will tell you that it doesn't have to be God that you believe in but some kind of spiritual figure ie a big oak tree. But it can be uncomfortable if there is a religious member who pushes God at you:)

DublinWriter

CoolGuy2006 wrote:

i didnt realise there was a religious element to the AA

In his autobiography Marc Almond mentioned that that turned him off AA initially. He said he was fine with it when his counsellor said that 'God' was really referred to as meaning as a higher-power.

I think almost all of us believe in a benign higher-power of some sort.

mayotom

Well I was trying to contact the AA but they kept putting me through to the RAC, it just didn't help

Nevyn

once you have a blief in a greater being or destiny or the universe
ie a force for goodness other then yourself then that is all that is needed.

manonthemoon

So before Christmas I notice that while my friends take the odd weekend off from going out & drinking. I noticed I didnt. Pissed at least once everyweek. Anyway, I was thinking something is not right here. Every Monday/ Tues I was dying & depressed, improve wed and thursday looking forward to the weekend and we start all over again. Something wrong here I thought

So I knocked it on head for a while . Personnally (And I know this is wrong) I dont drink in moderation. If I am having a drink I am having a drink!

For November December january, I went out drinking 2 nights. Normally I would have been out about 20 nights. As you can expect I felt better etc.

My point is I would not let myself stay in a watch TV. I still had to be out. Not drinking alcohol but i had to be out. ( Ithink I was out in pubs more often than normal.) It is tough going at times and some people resent you if you are not drinking. But I did have some good nights not drinking

But what I have learned now is that I can look forward to the weekend and not worry about getting pissed. I can enjoy my weekend. By the way I plan on a big drink tomorrow!:D

In summary, giving it up for a while might give you a different perspective on the whole boozing