Needing advice on binge drinking
Hi,
I have always been a very social, outgoing person however i do struggle with the amount of alcohol i consume when out. Every time i go out with my friends i will always drink a lot more than everyone else. I struggle to have a normal conversation without slurring my words and will fall over a lot, usually always covered in bruises. Sometimes i have even woken up in random peoples houses with no recollection of how i have gotten there. My family are very concerned with my drinking but i have never thought of myself as being an alcoholic. I always say i will cut down my drinking but the next time i am out i end up doing the same thing and become extremely intoxicated and have no control over what i am doing and tend to black out. I am going overseas next month and everyone is very worried about my safety. I have told my loved ones i wont drink as much and be responsible however once i have a couple of drinks i completely lose control.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Comments
Hey @Jayne08 welcome to RO!
Honestly my best advice is to cut out alcohol all together. I had a little trouble with alcoholism, but different to your situation. But also I know a family friend who had a similar thing to you so I'll share what he did
So basically he wasnt a huge drinker. But one night he was supposed to go home and have a nice dinner with his wife, but decided to stop at the pub for a couple of drinks. He got black out drunk, and spent a huuge amount of money gambling. Even though it was only once, he started going to AA and has been sober for a couple of years.
Both my partner and I are pretty much sober - my partner is completely, and I only drink sometimes. I get super sad and emotional when I drink, and I used to drink a couple of bottles of wine every night.
Getting out of the habit has really helped me. And from what it sounds for you, when you start you cant stop. so its good to just stop... dont start the behaviour.
I know its hard because we have a lot of expectations. So many people ask me how I have fun going out and being sober but honestly i think if you cant have fun without substances maybe its not the event you think is fun, you know?
sorry this doesnt make a whole lot of sense >.<
Hey @Jayne08 Welcome to Reach Out and thank you so much for sharing your story with us.
First off, I'd like to ask you to put aside all your ideas of what an 'alcoholic' is. We all have pre-conceived ideas about most things and a lot of us, when picturing an alcoholic, will imagine someone that can't get through a day without drinking. And for some, this is absolutely correct. But for others, their drinking manifests in very different ways.
There's also no answers in asking yourself "am I an alcoholic?" Who knows. But, you could ask yourself some other questions, like:
Once you start drinking, is it hard to stop?
Have you ever 'blacked out' when drinking? Or woken up and not remembered what happened?
Has your life been negatively affected by your drinking?
Do you tell yourself you're not going to drink and then find yourself doing it anyway?
If you answer yes to even just one of these questions, then you might be drinking problematically. So the next step is to talk to a professional about it. Many community health services will have an Alcohol and Drug Counsellor. Don't be mislead by the title. This is not just for people who live in gutters and start drinking in the morning. It's for anyone that wants some support to manage their drinking or drug-taking. Talking to a counsellor can help you understand what's going on for you, when you drink, and what steps you can take to keep yourself safe.
If you call your local Headspace, they usually have one. Or click here for the Australian Drug Information Network search page. You can also have a read of some info here .
The most important thing is to remember you're not alone. Your family clearly care about you enough to be worried and there are many other young people that go through similar struggles to this. Here is a link to Hello Sunday Morning. This is a group of people supporting each other to reduce their drinking or stop for periods of time. I don't know your age so I don't know if it's for you, but you could have a look. If only to realise that there are others who are struggling with similar things.
How does that sound to you?
