Talk About Alcohol (1 Viewer)

[Max Power]

I'm also an alcoholic. Started drinking around 15, fake IDs at 18 got me into the bars on the weekends, college was Thursday-Sunday at minimum, this all turned pretty much daily mid 20s- early 40s. Crashed cars, nights in jail, ruined relationships, but i was functioning (not missing work, exercising, meeting my responsibilities) all was well when it really wasn't.

November 9, 2021 was my last drink. Cliche, but it really was the best thing I've ever done for myself. An addictive personality doesn't have to be a curse. I found so many healthy hobbies to fill the addiction void i haven't looked back. I can be around friends while they're drinking and be just fine at this point, though having friends that encourage sobriety vs pressure really helps. Even then the social aspect is the hardest part.

I have the addictive personality as well. Starting a hardcore workout program was the best thing for me to break my drinking cycles. After a good workout, I don't feel much like drinking because I never want to "ruin" the workout results. I also didn't want to drink because I knew the next day's workout would suck a bit more if I did. Exercise is an amazing outlet. I'm battling some painful elbow tendonitis at the moment and knew I was taking several rest days. I'm sure that played a role in the back of my mind that I had a couple days to recover after drinking.

Congrats on the 4 years.

 

[Mister CIA]

I had a bit of slip up yesterday and I'm feeling awful about it today. I had my years of being an alcoholic and I've closed that chapter of my life. I have no desire to go back to that. I don't even enjoy drinking all that much anymore. I'll keep my drinking to one or two at a social event just to take the edge off. My wife is fine with that and we haven't had any issues in years. I credit her with helping break a lot of my bad habits.

About a month ago we hosted some friends at our house for a BBQ and some football. We picked up some different drinks for everyone and had about 20 beers left over after everyone left. Work has a beer fridge that gets opened at the end of some days for special events, so I boxed up 12 beers in one of the leftover boxes and brought them to work. We put the remaining 8-9 beers in the garage fridge and just sort of forget about them.

Saturday I'm cleaning out in the garage and get some water from the fridge. I see the beers and it refreshed my memory they were in there. Sunday morning we go to church, then head down to the shopping center to pick up a few things. My wife and kids planned to go see a movie that afternoon, so I drove separately. I head back to the house for the Bears game. I'm home alone, turn the game on and figure I'll crack open a beer or two to unwind. Work has been stressful, the kids have a lot of drama and there has just been a lot going on recently.

Two beers turned into about 7 beers. There were some strong IPAs in there, but I was pretty lit for just beer. My tolerance is way down and at some point I just went on auto-pilot mode of grabbing a new beer once I finished my last one. My wife gets home and she's furious with me. I get upset back because I think I'm just trying to unwind from a long week and she's mad that I'm semi-drunk on a Sunday afternoon. We had planned to put the Christmas Tree up that night and decorate it. She then told me she didn't want to do that with me if I was drinking. So I got upset again and went to the garage where I watched some more football and finished off the beers.

I'm sobering up near the end of the Dallas/Philly game and come back into the house. We put the beef aside for the rest of the night. I made myself dinner and we went to bed. Of course this morning I feel terrible physically and mentally. I apologized to my wife and kids, but I still feel terrible. My wife thinks it's something with her that caused me to drink, but it wasn't.

I'm still an alcoholic, but I've been able to successfully thread the needle for years. Yesterday just somehow got away from me and while right now I'm back in the I never want to drink again mindset, I know that will fade. I don't think I want to give up the social drink or two, but knowing I lack self control after a couple drinks kick in is what gets me in trouble. For the record, I only drink about 3-5 times a year.

I say give it the cornerback treatment. Forget the last play and think about the next one. I'm coming up on my 2-year mark - for the second time.

 

[The Longtime Lurker]

I'm also an alcoholic. Started drinking around 15, fake IDs at 18 got me into the bars on the weekends, college was Thursday-Sunday at minimum, this all turned pretty much daily mid 20s- early 40s. Crashed cars, nights in jail, ruined relationships, but i was functioning (not missing work, exercising, meeting my responsibilities) all was well when it really wasn't.

November 9, 2021 was my last drink. Cliche, but it really was the best thing I've ever done for myself. An addictive personality doesn't have to be a curse. I found so many healthy hobbies to fill the addiction void i haven't looked back. I can be around friends while they're drinking and be just fine at this point, though having friends that encourage sobriety vs pressure really helps. Even then the social aspect is the hardest part.

I have the addictive personality as well. Starting a hardcore workout program was the best thing for me to break my drinking cycles. After a good workout, I don't feel much like drinking because I never want to "ruin" the workout results. I also didn't want to drink because I knew the next day's workout would suck a bit more if I did. Exercise is an amazing outlet. I'm battling some painful elbow tendonitis at the moment and knew I was taking several rest days. I'm sure that played a role in the back of my mind that I had a couple days to recover after drinking.

Congrats on the 4 years.

Similar story for me. I always exercised, but getting really serious absolutely helped and took a negative addiction and turned it positive.

Can't do what you do and drink here and there though. 1 is 13 and as the song goes there is no in-between. The ever increasingly worse hangovers also helped me stay away, 4 beers started to feel like 18 the next day.

I just got over a 2 year battle with tennis elbow. My unsolicited advice for what helped me. Full elbow braces helped lifting and with yard work. Absolutely under no circumstances did i do any curls of any kind. Dead man hangs ike you would for your shoulder helped, 1 or 2 minutes full body weight. I did use cups on it, but i don't think they helped. Theraband and stretching was probably the most helpful. I let it go too long before treating it, but once i did it cleared up in a few months
Theraband flexbar if you're interested.

Thanks for the congrats. 4 years ain't nothin after all those years.

Don't sweat the slip up, it happens. As long as it's a one off it's just a bump in the road.

 

[bro1ncos]

He described falling off - had stopped for gas at a convenience store and never once considered drinking, furthest thing from his mind - but was walking down an aisle at the store and just reached out and casually grabbed a bottle of booze off the shelf just like he'd grab a pack of gum.

This is my fear still. Coming up on 6 years in March. I was never an every day drinker. But, I could be driving down the road on a random Tuesday and the car would turn into the liquor store. I would buy a bottle and didn't stop until that one was done.

Always afraid.

 

[bro1ncos]

I had a bit of slip up yesterday and I'm feeling awful about it today. I had my years of being an alcoholic and I've closed that chapter of my life. I have no desire to go back to that. I don't even enjoy drinking all that much anymore. I'll keep my drinking to one or two at a social event just to take the edge off. My wife is fine with that and we haven't had any issues in years. I credit her with helping break a lot of my bad habits.

About a month ago we hosted some friends at our house for a BBQ and some football. We picked up some different drinks for everyone and had about 20 beers left over after everyone left. Work has a beer fridge that gets opened at the end of some days for special events, so I boxed up 12 beers in one of the leftover boxes and brought them to work. We put the remaining 8-9 beers in the garage fridge and just sort of forget about them.

Saturday I'm cleaning out in the garage and get some water from the fridge. I see the beers and it refreshed my memory they were in there. Sunday morning we go to church, then head down to the shopping center to pick up a few things. My wife and kids planned to go see a movie that afternoon, so I drove separately. I head back to the house for the Bears game. I'm home alone, turn the game on and figure I'll crack open a beer or two to unwind. Work has been stressful, the kids have a lot of drama and there has just been a lot going on recently.

Two beers turned into about 7 beers. There were some strong IPAs in there, but I was pretty lit for just beer. My tolerance is way down and at some point I just went on auto-pilot mode of grabbing a new beer once I finished my last one. My wife gets home and she's furious with me. I get upset back because I think I'm just trying to unwind from a long week and she's mad that I'm semi-drunk on a Sunday afternoon. We had planned to put the Christmas Tree up that night and decorate it. She then told me she didn't want to do that with me if I was drinking. So I got upset again and went to the garage where I watched some more football and finished off the beers.

I'm sobering up near the end of the Dallas/Philly game and come back into the house. We put the beef aside for the rest of the night. I made myself dinner and we went to bed. Of course this morning I feel terrible physically and mentally. I apologized to my wife and kids, but I still feel terrible. My wife thinks it's something with her that caused me to drink, but it wasn't.

I'm still an alcoholic, but I've been able to successfully thread the needle for years. Yesterday just somehow got away from me and while right now I'm back in the I never want to drink again mindset, I know that will fade. I don't think I want to give up the social drink or two, but knowing I lack self control after a couple drinks kick in is what gets me in trouble. For the record, I only drink about 3-5 times a year.

Back on the bike. You got this.

Be thankful the family is still willing to give you "one more chance"

 

[snellman]

Kudos for sharing your stories, that is a big step in the recovery process and we have to always make sure we take it 24 hours at a time.

I have been sober for 23 years, but it is still 24 hours at a time and there are still times where I think a drink would solve the problem.

The Auto dealership I work at went through a purchase at the 1st of the month. It has been a very stressful 3 weeks with a new operating system, trying to figure that out along with still trying to service 55-75 vehicles a day and take care of our customers along with the uncertainties of the new ownership, what the expectations are and trying to relay all of the information to my technicians. I haven't been able to sleep at night, have been going into work at 5 AM, (normally go in at 6:30, we open at 7) to try to get caught up on paperwork when no one is around. Going in on weekends when we are closed to work in quiet and bringing work home. I have thought many times how cracking one open would help calm me down and relax. Whenever I think about it, I call my brother and he tells me that he will come kick my *** if I do that.

Having a support system around you is key, thankfully for me I have that between my wife and siblings.

Happy Thanksgiving to all.