How do i stop drinking?

rachelrat

I'm twenty and on erasmus in a foreign country. Everything here seems to be based around drink and involves constant going out. My problem is when I drink and get drunk I lose stuff. In the last two months this has resulted in the loss of a camera,phone and one boot. I'm at the point where I think I just need to stop drinking but I don't know how. Can anyone help me please???

Caoimhín

rachelrat wrote: »

I'm twenty and on erasmus in a foreign country. Everything here seems to be based around drink and involves constant going out. My problem is when I drink and get drunk I lose stuff. In the last two months this has resulted in the loss of a camera,phone and one boot. I'm at the point where I think I just need to stop drinking but I don't know how. Can anyone help me please???

If you feel that you need to stop then just stop, but if you are just misplacing things then maybe you should just cut down on how much you drink? Drink a glass of water in between drinks, stick to one type of drink, ideally not spirits.

Other than that, if it is because you still want to go out with your friends but maybe feel as though they would pressurize you into drinking then just tell them you are on anti-biotic until they get used to you not drinking.
Stopping suddenly and isolating yourself wont be very successful.

rachelrat

I've tried everything ...not drinking as much but it seems that once I start there's just either sober or drunk with me,no medium level whatsoever. The only reason I feel I need to drink when i go out is because if I dont I get tired really quickly and I suppose also feel I dont have the confidence to talk to people if Im sober. No its definitely not a question of misplacing things, my bag got stolen because I was so drunk I left it somewhere in the club and then couldnt find it. Countless amounts of times I have woken up with no coat/cardigan etc; I'm just so sick of it repeating itself over and over again

Caoimhín

Ah, well without discussing anything specific on a public discussion board, i can only offer some advice in general.

If excessive drinking is causing problems, then it is in itself a problem. Some people simply dont mix well with alcohol, it just doesnt suit their personality. Depending on how much someone is drinking, it might be a good idea to speak to their Doctor before stopping abruptly.

Look, how about stopping drinking for one night out first and see how that goes. If you are only drinking on a Saturday night when going out with friends then simply make the decision that you wont drink for one night to see how it goes. I get pretty tired and pissed off if i am out with friends while they are drunk and im not.

It sounds like there are some confidence issues there too. Have you tried any of the endless other social things you can do for a night out? I wont start listing things but I think that going out and getting mindlessly drunk is about the dullest thing i could do.

mikemac

I'm not laughing at your serious posts, realy I'm curious to know how you lost one boot

People drinking to help mix and make conversations is so common.
You certainly aren't alone there but realy alcohol is just a crutch in these situations. It isn't going to improve your confidence, in fact it'll make make it worse as you'll lose inhabitations and do realy daft things when drunk. Stuff you may be ashamed over.

One night at a time
Next night out just go on the minerals for the night. If you can do one night then take it from there.

rachelrat

Honestly while on erasmus there arent many other things to do that doesnt involve going out or drinking; and I dont get mindlessly drunk I drink the same amount as everyone else but for some reason Im the only person who looses stuff. yes maybe I should give it a try for a night and maybe I wont find it too bad, but I agree, there's nothing that puts me in a worse mood than being with friends while they're drunk and Im sober

rachelrat

I'd love to explain how I lost one boot but infortunately I dont remember. Why someone would get the notion into their head to take off a boot I have no idea. God as I say it I realise how bad this is. I don't know anybody else who does that kind of stuff when they're drunk. And it was an expensive mistake

Thoie

May I ask what country you're in? Given that Erasmus is an EU thing, I assume you're somewhere in Europe. While you say everything is about going to bars, if you're hanging out with a lot of non-Irish students, watch how they drink. It's highly likely that the others just aren't drinking as much as you, even though you say you're drinking the same amount.

While I think that just sticking to soft drinks would be better for you, if you really want to have a drink, switch to wine spritzers or beer shandies (whatever it is you normally drink) - then for each glass you're only drinking half the amount of alcohol. Make sure you're eating properly before heading out as well.

I'd also mention the fact that there's no middle ground between sober and drunk to your doctor the next time you're there.

rachelrat

I'm in Italy. You're right I have noticed a different attitude between the Irish and the Europeans but unfortunately I mainly hang around with English and Irish on nights out,well for the pre-drinking part anyway. The main problem I find is that the drinks here are so strong and when you go to a club and you get "free" drinks with your entrance fee the only options seem to be beer or spirits. But honestly I don't think changing my drinking habits are an option i think I just need to totally stop.

Karen_*

I was always losing things, went through countless phones and lost jackets and bags, ended up in strange places etc etc. And worse I'd sometimes have someone elses handbag or jacket and not my own in the morning!

It only got worse and worse and I stopped in my thirties but that carry on had been going on for all of my drinking. I do think you need to stop totally. Problem drinking never pans out or goes away. Try stopping yourself and if you can't then think about counselling or AA. I needed some form of support.

You're very young and you'll have a brilliant life if you stop altogether. I wish I'd had the cop on you have at 20.

Like I say, try just stopping and if you can't then look to get some help but please please don't carry on thinking this will somhow improve and you'll be able to drink because it won't and you won't. Like another poster said, drink just does not suit some people at all.

rachelrat

Thank you for the nicest most encouraging thing anybody has said to me all day. The feeling when you wake up the next morning and realise you've lost yet another expensive coat/camera/phone is just the worst feeling in the world and its so stupid that its caused by drinking too much when I could have an equally good night if not a better one by not drinking and woken up the next morning knowing I have all my belongings and didn't do anything the night before. I'm going to try stopping totally,not too sure where or how I can get help if I need it because Im in a foreign country but Il try it by myself anyway and hopefully I won't need help. Thanks again

zero_nine

I agree with Karen. If it has become a problem for you you should quit completely. You'll end up wasting your twenties being hungover and wishing you didn't *have* to drink, as I did. The main problem people seem to face in quitting is what their friends will say, I know thats my biggest problem anyway. Thats why people have to resort to announcing that they're an alcoholic, only then do people seem to get off your back.

I have tried unsuccessfully to moderate my drinking. It doesn't work IMO in the long term. Just quit, simples!