Any weekend bingers in?

daveyboynire

I've been a weekend binger since I was 18 (32 now) I am at the stage where I am desperately sick of it. I have gone from drinking Fri,Sat & Sun to just Sat night now but I am sick and tired of feeling $hitty on Sundays but I just can't seem to stop. Come Saturday the cravings start again and off we go again. Its a rare thing I go a weekend dry, I think the last one was some time in Summer last year and I only did that as I had a funeral to attend on Sunday.

Sunnyisland

daveyboynire wrote: »

I've been a weekend binger since I was 18 (32 now) I am at the stage where I am desperately sick of it. I have gone from drinking Fri,Sat & Sun to just Sat night now but I am sick and tired of feeling $hitty on Sundays but I just can't seem to stop. Come Saturday the cravings start again and off we go again. Its a rare thing I go a weekend dry, I think the last one was some time in Summer last year and I only did that as I had a funeral to attend on Sunday.

So daveyboynire what you gonna do about it ?

Don't mean that in a smart way, but the change your looking for has to first come from you,

Write down or post here what exactly you want to achieve,A lot of us here were/are in the same boat, so maybe we can give some advice from past expearence.

Keepan Eye

Hi Daveyboynire.
You've got this issue going around in your head. and it has nowhere to go.......except around again.
So you need to get it out to another human being. Boards is a great beginning. Next take action.
a] you can Speak to a doctor......don't worry, they've seen and heard it all.
b] Speak to a councillor. Get one that is recognised by a reputable professional body.
c] Speak to an addiction councillor again that is recognised by a reputable professional body.
d] If you don't like the doctor or councillor, try a different one.

I used to think I could solve all my problems but after talking it out with people I came away saying..."now how come I didn't think of that". My relationship with drink was bad and I thought it was the drink. Really my issue was hidden by the drink and I realised after talking it out that I used drink to manage life. I had to get a better handle on managing life and myself. I did, not overnight, but I did and you will too. Just talk to someone who has some expertise. The Stanhope Centre in Dublin deals with issues such as you describe. They may have access to a list of people in Ulster who can shed some light on solving your issue. phone: 01 - 677 3965 / 677 9447
If not, Derry/Londonderry mental health services will have a list of people you can 'run this issue by'. All the best for the moment.

_lietome_

This post has been deleted.

outandout

daveyboynire wrote: »

I've been a weekend binger since I was 18 (32 now) I am at the stage where I am desperately sick of it. I have gone from drinking Fri,Sat & Sun to just Sat night now but I am sick and tired of feeling $hitty on Sundays but I just can't seem to stop. Come Saturday the cravings start again and off we go again. Its a rare thing I go a weekend dry, I think the last one was some time in Summer last year and I only did that as I had a funeral to attend on Sunday.

Read Allen Carr the Easyway to control alcohol. Trust me

daveyboynire

outandout wrote: »

Read Allen Carr the Easyway to control alcohol. Trust me

I have. It didn't work, I also tried is quit smoking book it didn't work either.

But i've just had my first alcohol free weekend in about a year. The reason? I had a funeral to attend yesterday so could not be hungover. Once I knew I couldn't drink this weekend I had no cravings at all on Sat night, it never entered my mind to be honest.

Keepan Eye

That's great Daveyboynire. So maybe the responsibility of paying your respects 'in good order' kept you grounded.
See how it goes. Keeping busy and active is always good. Meds prescribed by a reputable Doctor are very helpful too.And don't get me wrong, reading around the subject is useful.
I have a mate who can open a bottle of plonk , have 2 glasses and then voluntarily goes for a cup of tea or a soda. OR if he has to drive to a function, it doesn't bother him not to drink. Not me, once I started a bottle of plonk ....well that was that.
My brother went through a phase of drinking almost 7 nights a week. Luckily he stopped after a year or 2. So its do-able.
Anyhow take it easy and if it really bugs you come back on line for ideas.
As an aside, everyone on the planet is " a touch mad"....even people who never drink or drug. Look around the work place.......even the most balanced looking person is a 'tad off kilter'............[control freak maybe, though to look at them you'd never think so]...that's only a simple example.
Getting a handle on your emotions may help you where some Saturdays you may just want to arrange a Walk Sunday morning or a game of Golf or a Motorcycle ride out or whatever. Meditation --lots of perfectly basic stuff on the Net--that helps settle the emotions. 10 minutes a day even. Anyway, all the very best -KPE

daveyboynire

daveyboynire wrote: »

Once I knew I couldn't drink this weekend I had no cravings at all on Sat night

That's a hugely hopeful sign. Right there is the foundation for stopping, if you extend it into every day of your life. That gets easier with time, with time.

I just cannot drink because I know it is the beginning of the end if I do. That simple, harrowing reality which I can never lose sight of has put the kibosh on my cravings - that, and removing myself entirely from environments where alcohol is. My biggest challenge is not succumbing to romanticising how I feel when I drink but instead having the courage to be honest about alcohol no matter how many times I need to escape from life. As long as I remain honest about my relationship with alcohol, the cravings are not there.