I drink too often.

LegacyUser

Background: No record of alcoholism in my family. My father runs a very successful business, but I think he drinks too often also.

I'm 30 and I'm starting to think I drink too often. I rarely go three days without a drink. I am a (degree) mature student in college and have an easy part time job so hangovers are not an issue for me. Work nor college suffers nor does any sort of relationship.

Over the last two years I've began drinking on my own. I live alone so sometimes I'll get a bottle of wine or a few cans, and occasionally go to the pub alone after work to read the paper or my phone. Up to this, I was your stereotypical Irish weekend binge drinker and only drank on a Friday and or Saturday. Now I find myself never going three days without a drink.

I think a doctor would say I'm an alcoholic. But one of the problems I encounter is that I think a lot of my friends are too. Binge drinking is big in my circle of friends. And I'm as guilty as the next.

I've thought this for a while, but on Tuesday I got out of college late and my bus wasn't coming for 30mins so I went in for one pint. After one, I couldn't leave. I ended up getting 6 cans and going home and drinking them and waking up thinking that, 'It's Tuesday and I'm drinking like it's Friday, and I'm on my own' ...this is probably not good.

Should I seek advice on this? I don't want to stop drinking. I just want to, if possible, stop drinking as much. I get bored sitting at home watching mind numbing junk on the tv or internet and a few drinks make this a lot easier. I love going for a few with my friends and can't fathom the thoughts of being a tea totaller in their presence for the rest of my life. But the way this casual drinking has crept into my life, I don't want full on alcoholism to creep in either.

Thanks

Tokyo

I am not Dave wrote: »

I'm starting to think I drink too often. I rarely go three days without a drink...

...Over the last two years I've began drinking on my own. I live alone so sometimes I'll get a bottle of wine or a few cans, and occasionally go to the pub alone after work to read the paper or my phone...

...Now I find myself never going three days without a drink...

...on Tuesday I got out of college late and my bus wasn't coming for 30mins so I went in for one pint. After one, I couldn't leave. I ended up getting 6 cans and going home and drinking them...

Should I seek advice on this?

Sounds like you already know the answer to this one OP, if you are posting here. Yes, I do think you need advice on this one. I'm not qualified to put any label on your behaviour, but it sounds like you are stuck in a viscous circle where any downtime is associated with having a drink or three, and the way things are going it does seem like the beginnings of a bigger problem. I don't think you necessarily need to start running off to the AA meetings just yet, but you definitely need to take some steps to change your lifestyle, IMHO.

The fact is, you are drinking so much that it's causing you concern, especially the drinking alone, so you definitely do have to take a step back and look at your behaviour. The first step would be to cut back drastically and see if are able to drink in moderation. Try to limit yourself to once or twice a week when you are out with your friends, you don't need to get pissed with them to have a good time. Cut out the mid-week drinking altogether - while you say it's not affecting you now, it will catch up with you sooner rather than later, and your education and future work will suffer for it.

And importantly, don't beat yourself up too much just yet OP - most of us drank far too much in college, but thankfully grew out of it. Congratulations on recognising the potential problem that your behaviour may cause you and nipping it in the bud.

thegreatgonzo

I am not Dave wrote: »

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. I get bored sitting at home watching mind numbing junk on the tv or internet and a few drinks make this a lot easier.

Thanks

Have you thought about lifestyle changes you could make?
Your course and part time job seem to leave you with a lot of free time that you could spend on other non drinking related activities.
When I went back studying I cut drinking out totally during term time. It's not that I felt I had a problem but I hadn't realised how much time can be wasted when you have a fuzzy head the next day. I took up some new hobbies like horse riding that I'd think about when I wasn't actually doing them. Now when I have a drink I tend to savour it and don't have as many.

Merkin

It sounds like habitual drinking more than anything. You say you mainly crack open the cans to alleviate the boredom of rubbish TV etc so maybe you need to reevaluate how you spend your evenings? Would you join a sports team or gym so that would occupy your time? Boredom and being at a loose end seems to be a trigger for you so if you can fill your time with non alcohol related activities or activities that don't bore you rigid then you will find that you drink less.

Also, if you're worried you've been overdoing it, why not quit booze for the remainder of Lent in order to explore new ways to occupy your time and also clear your head in the process?

Koptain Liverpool

Well a first step should be to try and limit your drinking to weekends for a while. Maybe even just one night at weekends.

If you can't do that then you may have to think about stopping altogether for a while.

I'm sure you could cut it out during the week if you try. You're not physically addicted to drinking, its just a habit. And like all bad habits can be broken with effort

Defiler Of The Coffin

Koptain Liverpool wrote: »

You're not physically addicted to drinking

Not wanting to have a go at you but there's no way you can say this for sure. It's not uncommon for alcoholics to go days or weeks without having a drink but this doesn't change the fact that they are addicted. The OP may feel he doesn't fit into the mould of a stereotypical alcoholic but he may just be deluding himself.

The OP should speak to his doctor who will be best able to advise him. From what he has written here there's definitely cause for concern.

GreeBo

I probably have a drink 3 or 4 times a week, typically halving a bottle of wine with my partner. I wouldn't even contemplate thinking I'm an alcoholic our have a problem. I can take or leave it, but some nights I'll enjoy a glass or two after work.

However finding myself unable to leave the pub, when I'm there on my own would be a big warning for me I have to say Op.