I drink a lot

zxcvbnm1

Briefly - i think i drink a lot.

Once i start i cant stop. I don't have any mental issues fortunately.

But if ever i am out in comapany and they would leave i would pretty much always head off someplace myself and drink until closing time.
i would also not tell people i am doimng this.

I just love teh buzz of a pub.

I am 34 years old and single.
I genuinely think that if i was going out with someone i wouldn't nearly drink as much.
It seems like a default pasttime.

My main question is - do you need to have mental issues to be an alco?
I genuinely don't have any mental issue. I just love being drunk.

I would regularly drink 60+ units a week. Sometimes more. This week will be approaching 100 units i'd say.
A good chunk of that would be by myelf. (well - not a huge percentage - but when i'm by myself i do go drinking quivker)

By the way - i rarely hit shorts. Nearly always pints. Not sure if that makes a difference ?

It wouldnt be unlike me on a weekend if i wasn't going out to bring in 8 cnan or omething and just get drunk by myself.

Last night i was out wuth someone - they left at 10 or so.
I woke up this morning with a bloody nose and a big lump on the back of my head from obviously falling.
I went around the corner as they got a cab until they were gone and then hit the pub.

So i guess i kinda hide my drinking too.
I often arrive into work late due to drinking.

I dunno - as i say - i have no mental issues at all.
I know i drink more than others.

E.g. recently i went out on a monday night abnd drank 10 pints or so by myself. Obviously i wouldnt tell anyone this.
Is this normal? probably isn't.
Saying that i suppose its hardly the end of the world either. This has happened maybe 3 times since christmas. So hardly a regulart occurrence - but probabkly not normal behaviour.

Do all alcos have to have mental issues ? (i don't).

Can you be an alco purely because you like being drubnk?
I always assumed you had to have mental issues to be an alco.

I feel really pissed off with ,myself for getting so drunk last night by myself.

I've a greatfamily too and sometimes feel guilty if they knew how much i drinki.

Also - i shpould add it's not like i go drinking every night -but maybe certainly 3-4 times a week. And when i do i drink lots.
I just feel i cant go hoime after 4 or 5 pints.
Once i get the taste i just can't stop.

i must stres - i do gemuinely love being drunbk - and i know for a fact i don't have any nmental issues at all. I think that last point is important.
I do it more as something to do. I dunno. Not really sure why i do it. But i love the booze.

I come from a regular middele-class background too and i have a good job. Again - not sure if thats relebvamt - just trying to give u a picture of myself.
I am late for work again this morning. Saying that - if i knew i had a busy day at work ahead i wouldn't drink a lot.
While my job is a good job - it's njot all that streful. So i don't come in late to work when i know i have a big day ahead.
In fact - i only am late for work once a fortnight or so.so its not like i am late every day or anything.

xzanti

zxcvbnm1 wrote: »

IMy main question is - do you need to have mental issues to be an alco?
I genuinely don't have any mental issue. I just love being drunk.

I don't think you need to have a mental issue per se, alcoholism is a physical and emotional dependency afaik.. You may not have 'mental issues' to begin with but I'm sure if you abuse your body and your brain for long enough with any substance you're going to develope mental issues.

I'd seek help if I were you, it sounds like you do drink a lot.

You seem happy to live this way though so I don't really know what you're asking here?

petethebrick

I'm 28 and you sound a lot like me.
If I'm out with friends and they call it a night early I'll carry on at some other pubs around town on my own. I probably drink about 30 pints a week, thats 60 units right?
I think I have a problem myself.
I generally drink three nights a week (thurs,fri, sat).
It didn't used to have a negative effect on my life but its now starting to big time - looking like crap, often late for work on a friday, broke etc!
So I've decided to try and sort myself out. Trying to stay off the drink completely for a month or two and then to see what happens.
I never felt like an alcoholic but realised the fact that once I start drinking I cant stop until fully loaded means I deinitely have a drinking problem.

Contessa Raven

Hi OP,

I don't want to diagnose anyone here but I think you have a habitual relationship with alcohol and while you may genuinely enjoy it, it's very damaging to drink so much.

"Alcoholism is a primary illness or disorder characterised by some loss of control over drinking, with habituation or addiction to the drug alcohol, causing interference in any major life function, e.g. health, family, job, spiritual, friends,legal."

You do not need to have mental issues to be an alcoholic but prolonged abuse of alcohol can cause changes in the brain resulting in mental issues.

"Alcohol damages almost every organ in the body, including the brain; because of the cumulative toxic effects of chronic alcohol abuse, the alcoholic risks suffering a range of medical and psychiatric disorders." - Wikipedia

If you want to stop your heavy drinking then you must be willing to go to your GP/local AA or a counsellor. It will not fix itself overnight. I get the impression here though that you are just looking for reassurance that this is normal behaviour. It's not. It is very harmful to your physical and mental health and over time can become a huge burden on your personal life.

Please think about getting help for your problem as speaking from personal experience, it damages the people that love you as well as yourself.

CR

lazygal

I know someone who works in addiction counselling and she would always say if you are questioning whether your behaviour is normal and if it is affecting your life, then it is a problem you need to address. I know I was drinking too much a while back, it was a combination of various social things all close together and plus Christmas is a boozy time. I was also getting into a habit of having a glass of wine every evening. It was a habit which I wanted to keep an eye on. My boyfriend and I are not religious but we gave up drink for lent and it was brilliant for us. Since then we have noticed we've cut back big time. We used to share one or two bottles of wine if out for a meal, followed by drinks in a pub and now we have a glass each with a meal and a drink alternated with coke/water in a pub.
If what you are doing is affecting your life, you need to do something. I don't know if you're an alcoholic, I don't think I am or was, but I needed to know I would not head that way, and I now know I can do without drink if I want to.

Miss Fluff

Once i start i cant stop. I don't have any mental issues fortunately

.

My main question is - do you need to have mental issues to be an alco?

I genuinely don't have any mental issue.

I dunno - as i say - i have no mental issues at all.

Do all alcos have to have mental issues ? (i don't).

I always assumed you had to have mental issues to be an alco.

i must stres - i do gemuinely love being drunbk - and i know for a fact i don't have any nmental issues at all. I think that last point is important.

For some really strange reason you seem to think that in order to have a drink problem you must have mental issues. This does not follow at all. I know raging alcoholics who are totally "normal" for want of a better word. That's like saying anyone who is addicted to cigarettes or heroin or any other addictive substance has to be unhinged in the first place. No corrolation between the two at all .

Seems to me like you are using your sanity to defend your lack of sobriety?

Lux23

I would go to your GP and tell that you feel you may drink too much. I don't think you need to cut it out altogether but you may need help learning to moderate on how much you drink. I find its all about breaking habits but sometimes your life has to change in some way to force you to do this, i.e. you get a new job and you can't afford to have hangovers any more or you have children. Maybe you are one of these people who can't drink moderately which means you may just have to give altogether, I really don't know.

I had a similar problem where I would drink Thursday, Friday and Saturday regardless of what my plans were. I would drink two bottles of wine easily a night if I was at home but if I was out it would be a bottle of wine before leaving the house and about 10 drinks in the pub. I got a new job and I found I couldn't handle the hangovers so now I normally only drink once a week. I normally drink too much in one go but usually I wouldn't go over the weekly limit so its not as bad. Now the only reason I have been able to do this is because I couldn't handle my job while hungover or on Mondays after a mad weekend so it had to stop. I don't know what you need to happen to force a change in your life but maybe a doctor or counsellor can help you come to terms with making that change in your life.

kjl

Right, you keep saying that you don't have mental issues, but its almost like you are saying it to convince yourself as Miss Fluff pointed out you said it 7 time in a couple of paragraphs.

Here are some cold hard facts for you

YOU DO HAVE A DRINKING PROBLEM, and not only that but it sounds to me like a bad one.

You have a psychological and probably physical addiction to alcohol, you are obviouly using it as an excuse because you are unhappy in some aspect of your life. You say you average about 60 units a week, well at that kind of high volume and consumption you must be very overweight, you say you have no mental problems but do you not think that self abuse is a mental problem? With 12,000 extra calories a week you are having Ill bet you wont make it past 60 if you keep up this lifestyle.

I know in Ireland we have a very forgiving mentality to alcohol, but really this should be addressed, its not healthy.

I give you an example which might make you see a little. We think alcohol is ok because its legal and it part of our lifestyle, but if you were to compare yourself to a hard drug addict, say a heroin addict, the heroin addict would shoot up once a day. The heroin addict is doing less harm to himself than you, and not just a little bit less.

The number one problem with drink is that we don't realise we have a problem until its a serious problem, and from what it sounds sir, you are a very serious problem. Don't pat yourself on the back because you have only been hammered 3 times on a Monday since January, that is not an achievement, that's cause for concern that you think it is.

Go to a GP, get a check up, Ill bet you it comes back with very bad liver functions. Probably diabetes poor heart functions. You think you can attract a mate like this? No girl want to be with a drunk loser.

Nevyn

http://www.alcoholicsanonymous.ie/page5.html

Are YOU Alcoholic ~ only YOU can decide


To answer this question ask yourself the following questions and answer them as honesty as you can.

1. Is drinking making your home life unhappy?
2. Does your drinking make you careless of your family’s welfare?
3. Do you drink because you are shy with other people?
4. Is drinking affecting your reputation?
5. Do you drink to escape from worries or trouble?
6. Do you drink alone?
7. Have you lost time from work due to drinking?
8. Has your ambition decreased since drinking?
9. Has your efficiency decreased since drinking?
10. Is drinking jeopardising your job or business?
11. Have you ever felt remorse after drinking?
12. Are you in financial difficulties as a result of drinking?
13. Do you turn to or seek an inferior environment when drinking?
14. Do you crave a drink at a definite time daily?
15. Does drinking cause you to have difficulty in sleeping?
16. Do you want a drink the next morning?
17. Do you drink to build up your self-confidence?
18. Have you ever had a complete loss of memory as a result of drinking?
19. Has your doctor ever treated you for drinking?
20. Have you ever been in hospital or prison because of drinking?

If you have answered YES to any one of the questions, there is a definite warning that you may be alcoholic.

If you have answered YES to any two, the chances are that you are an alcoholic.

If you have answered YES to three or more, you are definitely an alcoholic.

Why do we say this? Only because the experience of hundreds of thousands of recovering alcoholics has taught us some basic truths about our symptoms — and about ourselves.

If you admit you are an alcoholic there’s hope for you.

Many people are alcoholics and because they are not some nutter on the street they think they can't be an alcoholic and they are wrong.

Your drinking is effecting your life, your job and your health
I suggest you start by talking with your dr and seeing for how long you can stay sober.

LegacyUser

I drank that heavy from my early twenties to my early thirties. I then met someone and we had a kid. I have dropped down to 10 pints a week.

I drank that much because I was single, which in turn made me unattractive (being blitzed). So I think you may have a problem but not necessarily an alco.

Contessa Raven

zxcvbnm1 wrote: »

Once i start i cant stop.

But if ever i am out in comapany and they would leave i would pretty much always head off someplace myself and drink until closing time.
i would also not tell people i am doimng this.

I would regularly drink 60+ units a week. Sometimes more. This week will be approaching 100 units i'd say.
A good chunk of that would be by myelf.

The above would indicate to me that you are somewhat ashamed of the amount you drink and that you know on some level that it isn't normal/healthy.

zxcvbnm1 wrote: »

By the way - i rarely hit shorts. Nearly always pints. Not sure if that makes a difference ?

Not really. It's all alcohol and it's still alot of it. No matter what it is, if you do it in excess, it's damaging.

zxcvbnm1 wrote: »

It wouldnt be unlike me on a weekend if i wasn't going out to bring in 8 cnan or omething and just get drunk by myself.

Not unheard of but most people may do this once a week while not going out the rest of the time.

zxcvbnm1 wrote: »

I woke up this morning with a bloody nose and a big lump on the back of my head from obviously falling.

Blackouts are generally a sign that you have had far too much.

zxcvbnm1 wrote: »

Last night i was out wuth someone - they left at 10 or so.
I went around the corner as they got a cab until they were gone and then hit the pub.

Guilt?

zxcvbnm1 wrote: »

So i guess i kinda hide my drinking too.
I often arrive into work late due to drinking.

This is effecting your job. We've all been in work dying with a hangover but it's not a regular thing for most people IME.

zxcvbnm1 wrote: »

I feel really pissed off with ,myself for getting so drunk last night by myself.

Another suggestion that you know you may have a problem?

It's very easy to fall into the mindset of "I don't have a mental problem therefore there is nothing abnormal about me." but there is clearly an issue with alcohol here.

Please get help, OP.

CR

DublinWriter

A large part of alcoholism is control, and the lack of where drink is concerned.

The fact that you mentioned that it's happened three times since Christmas isn't necessarily a good thing. A key indicator is that when you start drinking you can't stop until you are physically incapacitated.

I've known plenty of 'functioning' alcoholics, most holding down stressful jobs, but in a way I think it's a dangerous and crueller form of alcoholism as it takes far longer for you to reach your lowest point in order to be able to turn your life around.

from my own personal experience, you sound like I was about half way through my drinking career. Alcoholism is progressive, for me it progressed insanely fast and I went from a few cans when I was 15 to not being able to drink one or two without staying drunk for days when I was 24. Sure the odd time I would stop after a few but I would spend the rest of the evening obsessing and being annoyed that I couldn't drink until I passed out.

The first sign of a problem is when you're drinking enough to make you think "Do I have a problem?". You display a lot of the signs of an alcoholic, but that said I would never diagnose you as an alcoholic from just a few sentences.

You make a lot of excuses for your drinking. I did this too. "I'm a normal bloke so I can't be an alcoholic" etc. I even told myself that "sure you're an alcoholic, but you're strong, you can control your drinking no problem"..ha.

I would advise you to perhaps try kicking the drink to the curb for a while. If you can do it easily then you don't have a problem. If you're craving it then I would definitely view it as a warning sign. Then when/if you decide to go back drinking you pick up right where you left off then I would be very worried if I was you.


AA isn't full of mental weirdo's you know, you wouldn't know any of the people I've seen are alcoholics..
Check out a site called "sober recovery", it's full of people who are trying to get sober and who have many years of sobriety under their belts and they will give you some great advice.


Just to end - there is a difference between a heavy drinker and an alcoholic. In Ireland it's very hard to spot that difference though.

zxcvbnm1

Op here. Sincere thanks for everyones replies. It has given me food for thought. Think I'll pack in the booze for a few weeks just for the hell of it. I think a habitual heavy drinker best describes me. As in - I only answered yes to one of the questions listed by a previous poster.

Waking up this morning with cuts and bumps on my head from a night on the town by myself made me sit up and think.

Thanks again everyone.

iguana

A word of warning. If you are continually drinking as much as you describe you will currently be physically dependant on alcohol. This means that your body is used to functioning with alcohol and has adapted to that. Your brain is probably not producing thiamine for example. If you just stop drinking cold turkey you could suffer a severe physical withdrawal. You could have shakes, heavy sweats, hallucinations, heart palpitations, seizures or even a stroke.

I strongly advise that you seek medical advice before just quitting.

kjl

zxcvbnm1 wrote: »

I only answered yes to one of the questions listed by a previous poster.

Are you serious?


6. Do you drink alone?
7. Have you lost time from work due to drinking?

In your first post you said you are always late for work because of drinking and that most of your units this week were drunk alone.

zxcvbnm1

kjl wrote: »

Are you serious?


6. Do you drink alone?
7. Have you lost time from work due to drinking?

In your first post you said you are always late for work because of drinking and that most of your units this week were drunk alone.

well ya - i'd answer yes to number 6.
And number 7 too. But that doesn't happen that often. maybe once every 2-3 week. In fact - probably less than that on average i would say.
And i would normally just take a few hours in the morning off.

And it would normally only happen when i know i have an easy day at work ahead. As in - if i know i have a tough day at work ahead i wouldn't be out teh night before because i know the work would need to be done.

So i'd give myself half a yes to that question.

Best thing to do anyway is keep off teh booze for a month and see how that goes.

Thankls again for all your replies.

Spiritoftheseventies

OP. Little tip for you. Dont go cold turkey. Cut down on your intake. You simply cant turn things off like that. And for whats it worth it is a mental issue. If that is what makes you happy, something else isnt.

blairbear

To be honest, when I read your original post OP, I was sure that you wrote it while drunk. The repetitiveness is very reminescent of drunken ramblings. If you were sober while writing it, it makes me wonder if you're having some cognitive or memory problems.

Please go to your GP before cutting back on drinking. That's a huge amount of alcohol that you're drinking right now, and people really do tend to underestimate the amount that they consume.

Being Irish and living in a country that tolerates heavy, problematic drinking more than others won't make a blind bit of difference to your liver or your health. It seems as though the most significant relationship you have in your life is with alcohol, by a country mile. Just going on the information you gave us in your original post, I would have answered yes for you on several other questions. But it's no use that I can see that. You need to.

Good luck. It's positive that you're questioning your relationship with alcohol and hopefully more positive steps will follow.

Miss Fluff

zxcvbnm1 wrote: »

well ya - i'd answer yes to number 6.
And number 7 too. But that doesn't happen that often. maybe once every 2-3 week. In fact - probably less than that on average i would say.
And i would normally just take a few hours in the morning off.

And it would normally only happen when i know i have an easy day at work ahead. As in - if i know i have a tough day at work ahead i wouldn't be out teh night before because i know the work would need to be done.

So i'd give myself half a yes to that question.

Best thing to do anyway is keep off teh booze for a month and see how that goes.

Thankls again for all your replies.

You know if you're to get help for this, you have to be totally 100% honest with yourself and with others? How you can say you answered all those questions and said yes to one and "a half" to another is beyond me. From what you've told us, you should have said yes to 9 or 10. I mean a question like "have you ended up in hospital because of drinking" is the same as "have you ever injured yourself through drinking" imho so maybe you should look at those questions again and answer them truthfully. And it is having an effect on your job and on your efficiency whether you care to admit it or not.

And on another note, if you do decide to give up the booze like you say, then you should go and consult your GP about this first. You have been given very good advice on this thread so you should maybe think about actually paying some heed to it.

davyjose

Are YOU Alcoholic ~ only YOU can decide


To answer this question ask yourself the following questions and answer them as honesty as you can.

1. Is drinking making your home life unhappy?
2. Does your drinking make you careless of your family’s welfare?
3. Do you drink because you are shy with other people?
4. Is drinking affecting your reputation?
5. Do you drink to escape from worries or trouble?
6. Do you drink alone?
7. Have you lost time from work due to drinking?
8. Has your ambition decreased since drinking?
9. Has your efficiency decreased since drinking?
10. Is drinking jeopardising your job or business?
11. Have you ever felt remorse after drinking?
12. Are you in financial difficulties as a result of drinking?
13. Do you turn to or seek an inferior environment when drinking?
14. Do you crave a drink at a definite time daily?
15. Does drinking cause you to have difficulty in sleeping?
16. Do you want a drink the next morning?
17. Do you drink to build up your self-confidence?
18. Have you ever had a complete loss of memory as a result of drinking?
19. Has your doctor ever treated you for drinking?
20. Have you ever been in hospital or prison because of drinking?

If you have answered YES to any one of the questions, there is a definite warning that you may be alcoholic.

If you have answered YES to any two, the chances are that you are an alcoholic.

If you have answered YES to three or more, you are definitely an alcoholic.

Why do we say this? Only because the experience of hundreds of thousands of recovering alcoholics has taught us some basic truths about our symptoms — and about ourselves.

If you admit you are an alcoholic there’s hope for you.

Apart from the obvious contradiction highlighted above, I think it's absolute Bullshìt to label someone with such a serious condition without having even met them, nevermind using a 20 point list.

Almost everyone I know has pushed it bit hard from time to time, but they wouldn't be alcos. it's the repeated use of the word "ever" in that list that makes me cringe.
And I'm not sure the people at AA have enough objectivity to decide what an alcoholic is.

davyjose

davyjose wrote: »

Apart from the obvious contradiction highlighted above, I think it's absolute Bullshìt to label someone with such a serious condition without having even met them, nevermind using a 20 point list.

Almost everyone I know has pushed it bit hard from time to time, but they wouldn't be alcos. it's the repeated use of the word "ever" in that list that makes me cringe.
And I'm not sure the people at AA have enough objectivity to decide what an alcoholic is.

You don't have a clue about AA, mate. Lets be honest, alcoholic or not the OP really needs to moderate his drinking and that's the important thing.

I'm pretty sure that 'definitely an alcoholic' isn't right on that list anyway, or it's an old version or something.

LegacyUser

You are in the denial stage OP! Classic addiction behaviour. You are not ready to admit you have a problem so you decided to post on boards just to check and not you are happy that you don't have any issues with alcohol. I think you are kidding yourself. Alcoholics play games all the time with themselves to convice themselves they don't have a problem. I can stop anytime, give up for lent etc. You won't change until you admit you have a problem. You are not ready yet but hopefully in time you will address your issues. Nobody drinks that volume unless they have some deep rooted issue. You may not be mental as you put it but I bet you any money you are depressed and anxious a lot of the time. People often fail to link their drinking to depression. Alcohol is an antidote to pain. Get in touch with yours. Good luck

davyjose

Rojomcdojo wrote: »

You don't have a clue about AA, mate. Lets be honest, alcoholic or not the OP really needs to moderate his drinking and that's the important thing.

I'm pretty sure that 'definitely an alcoholic' isn't right on that list anyway, or it's an old version or something.

Whether or not i know a thing about AA, i know that the list is horribly pigeonholing. I've seen friends drink because they are nervous, or their girlfriend dumped them, or they're bored - hell, I've done it myself. What is important to note, is that this "phase" tends to pass. Drinking Alcohol can be a symptom of other issues. That list seems to claim, all these other issues are a symptom of Alcoholism. That's untrue.

I think recovering alcoholics can look back over their lives and see what caused them to drink, or what facilitated their drunkenness, but that's their story. But not everyone else who drinks alone, or drinks when nervous is an alcoholic just because they were/are.

The OP does need to make changes, but it's possible that alcohol has filled a role, otherwise empty, in his life, that needs to be addressed first.

My story: I was in a LDR, and found myself spending time drinking heavily. I questioned if I was an alcoholic or not. Since the summer, she's now living with me, and I've been drunk once since then, haven't drank in weeks. Last time I did I had about 3 pints. So am I an alcoholic? Because according to that list, I'm a raging one.

Spiritoftheseventies

I think in all honesty the OP is looking for validation for his drinking problem. What does he want posters to say. You're fine mate keep going the way they are. Who does that help. Again giving up the drink for a month wont help. Something will spark it off again and poster will be back on it.
Alcohol is an addictive substance and if anyone is drinking that much there is something wrong.

changes

Hello OP

You are certainly drinking too much imo. But you may continue to drink like that for years and years and not change, you may cut down or you could be completely out of control in a few short years its difficult to know how it will pan out.

I will tell you that I was drinking like you in 03 and 04. But i was missing work and running up debt. I had to go off it in 06 because control was gone for me. Thats the thing i found, once you lose control you never really get it back.

Also, Getting out of bed on a sat and sunday morn and goin straight to the pub is a real danger too especially if it runs into mondays and then tuesdays.

If you say to yourself i'm not going to drink during the week or on sundays and mondays but you find yourself drinking on them days (no matter what excuses are available) then its a bad sign.

Try and cut down and see how you get on, if you cant then thats not a great sign. Beware of letting excuses for drinking kid you into thinking you don't have a problem too. Be it friends calling, functions, football, hangovers, winning money, bad day or any other excuse... the bottom line is are you consistantly drinking when you promised yourself you wouldn't.

Faith

6. Do you drink alone?

zxcvbnm1 wrote: »

But if ever i am out in comapany and they would leave i would pretty much always head off someplace myself and drink until closing time.
i would also not tell people i am doimng this.

I would regularly drink 60+ units a week. Sometimes more. This week will be approaching 100 units i'd say.
A good chunk of that would be by myelf. (well - not a huge percentage - but when i'm by myself i do go drinking quivker)

It wouldnt be unlike me on a weekend if i wasn't going out to bring in 8 cnan or omething and just get drunk by myself.

E.g. recently i went out on a monday night abnd drank 10 pints or so by myself

7. Have you lost time from work due to drinking?

zxcvbnm1 wrote: »

I often arrive into work late due to drinking.

I am late for work again this morning

i only am late for work once a fortnight or so.so its not like i am late every day or anything.

10. Is drinking jeopardising your job or business?

zxcvbnm1 wrote: »

I often arrive into work late due to drinking.
I am late for work again this morning

i only am late for work once a fortnight or so.so its not like i am late every day or anything.

11. Have you ever felt remorse after drinking?

zxcvbnm1 wrote: »

I feel really pissed off with ,myself for getting so drunk last night by myself.

18. Have you ever had a complete loss of memory as a result of drinking?

zxcvbnm1 wrote: »

I woke up this morning with a bloody nose and a big lump on the back of my head from obviously falling.

20. Have you ever been in hospital or prison because of drinking?

zxcvbnm1 wrote: »

I woke up this morning with a bloody nose and a big lump on the back of my head from obviously falling.

From one post, knowing nothing else about you, you answered 'yes' to 6 of those questions at least. Drinking 30 pints a week, at a rough cost of €4.50 a pint, costs you €135 a week. I wouldn't be surprised if you had financial difficulties too.

Honestly, it sounds to me like you have a serious problem, and I think you should go to your GP asap to discuss it. Like the others have said, going cold turkey alone is not a good idea.