Drinbk Problem

annalucia

Its very hard to write this post but I feel really upset. Im 25 and in the last few years, I have started drinking more and more on nights out and last year I went travelling with some friends and had a few episodes where I drank too much and forget how I got home. I started getting accustumed to these blackouts thinking they were normal and most of my friends have experienced similar situations. But at christmas I got really drunk at st stephens night and woke up in someones house, I asked my friend the following day what happened and she said I was talking to 2 foreign guys, Im afraid if the two guys did something while I may have been pass out. I stayed off drink for 2 months and I decided to drink last week as I was stressed from work and I ended up walking up in my house, not remembering a thing and a naked guy next to me, my friend said I was trying to get rid of that guy but he kept following us. At the moment after these two episodes I feel humilated and sick to my stomach. I dunno weither I asked for these things to happen or was it people taking advantage. I cant talk to anyone cos I am so ashamed. I need to know what to do, I have booked a sti check and have taken the morning after pill on both occasions but I dunno what to do. When I drink I dont realise Im drunk and should stop especially if Im worried about something. Im thinking of becomign a pioneer but Im so worried I have caught something. Has anyone had a similar situation or know what I should do? Thanks

puglover

annalucia wrote: »

Its very hard to write this post but I feel really upset. Im 25 and in the last few years, I have started drinking more and more on nights out and last year I went travelling with some friends and had a few episodes where I drank too much and forget how I got home. I started getting accustumed to these blackouts thinking they were normal and most of my friends have experienced similar situations. But at christmas I got really drunk at st stephens night and woke up in someones house, I asked my friend the following day what happened and she said I was talking to 2 foreign guys, Im afraid if the two guys did something while I may have been pass out. I stayed off drink for 2 months and I decided to drink last week as I was stressed from work and I ended up walking up in my house, not remembering a thing and a naked guy next to me, my friend said I was trying to get rid of that guy but he kept following us. At the moment after these two episodes I feel humilated and sick to my stomach. I dunno weither I asked for these things to happen or was it people taking advantage. I cant talk to anyone cos I am so ashamed. I need to know what to do, I have booked a sti check and have taken the morning after pill on both occasions but I dunno what to do. When I drink I dont realise Im drunk and should stop especially if Im worried about something. Im thinking of becomign a pioneer but Im so worried I have caught something. Has anyone had a similar situation or know what I should do? Thanks

If you can't control your drinking you need to give it up altogether. You obviously aren't able to look after yourself in the state you are getting yourself into and it's dangerous. If all you've come out of this with is an STI you'll be lucky, most can be treated but I would still hope that this isn't the case & you get the all clear.

The best thing you can do is take a lesson from what has happened and take steps to make sure it doesn't happen again which includes not drinking.

Is there something going on in your life that has made you turn to drink for a release? Maybe you should talk to a friend/doctor or counsellor about it...

kevmy

Well theres really 2 issues here.

One is the drink, the other the possible sti.

Hopefully the visit to the sti clinic will come back with a clean bill of health and you won't have that problem. You can't really worry too much about that - whats done is done - but you are right to go and get it checked out.

Now for the drink. Most people who drink have on occasion drank too much and have had blackouts - however this would generally be the exception rather than the normal night out. You say you are only recently getting blackouts which I assume meant that at an earlier stage you could go out without getting really drunk ie. you knew your limits. You have to try getting back there. If you decide you are only going to have say 5 drinks on a night out tell your friends that before you go out and make sure you and they make you stick to it.

If you genuinely can't cut back on the amount you are drinking and really feel you can't have one or two drinks without it leading to 10 more then you do have a problem. AA would be the way to go then.

As I said try to cut back with the help of your friends and get back to your previous calmer level of drinking.

AARRRGH

I gave up drinking last year. I replaced it with the gym. I didn't have a drink "problem" in the sense that it wasn't messing up my life, but I felt it was holding me back from accomplishing everything I want to accomplish.

The gym is a great replacement as -

a. it is time consuming
b. when you feel healthy you don't want to drink
c. it becomes a very positive thing in your life

It sounds like you can't handle moderation, so just give up booze altogether.

LegacyUser

Here's what I do if I want to drink in moderation......

Decide
(a) I'm only having 3
(b) start off on non alcoholic drinks first
(c) decide I won't drink alcohol after 11 or midnight

And I stay out of rounds.
And I never do shorts, shooters or cocktails. And avoid wine.

i've done lots of things I have regretted while drunk and have gone for STI screenings afterwards - always came out clear.

I stick to the drink I know I won't get drunk on now, one that I know I'm getting tipsy but which won't turn into a mess... might get drunk once or twice a year now.

And as AAARGH says, the gym or a sport can work wonders. I have taken up a sport which means I have to get up early on Saturday mornings - I have to call it quits early on a friday night.

Karen_*

I've been where you are OP and I know exactly how you are feeling. Its totally horrible and like living a nightmare. And it will only get worse if you keep drinking. I've given it up and everything is better, absolutely everything. If only I'd realised before that things could get better but I didn't. After drinking and the things I did I always thought 'who is this person I become'. I usually had no memory or a very disjointed one as if I was watching the events instead of participating in them.


Would you consider going along to AA or talking to an addiction counsellor? I know its not the most pleasant of thoughts at the moment and certainly nothing like you imagined your life would turn out but you're still really young and have a brilliant chance of a great future if you sort out your drinking. Oh and a future with no shame and loads of peace of mind and self control.

annalucia

Thanks for your replys, I have been thinking along those lines of getting fit and replacing drinking with exercise. I think part of the issue is most of my socialising revolves around drinking at weekends and when I spent two months not drinking, everyone was asking what was up. I tend to drink really quickly and then end up going from sober to paralethic. The guilt is so bad but there is nothing I can do about the past. I think if I became a pioneer it would be a good excuse for to be teetotal without getting remarks from people. I really hope there is no more consequences to these episodes.