David_Wallis

I claim I go to the pub to socialise but it ends up just being drink till I drop.. ( reguarly dont remember getting home.. and get that drunk that my brain just makes me walk out of wherever I am, without saying bye to anyone and take myself home, I personally have nothing to do with it )

Any suggestions for cutting down.?

I get bored / fed up if I just sit there drinking coke.

Day / Evenings drinking probably consists of:

6 - 7 stellas and around 15 double JD & Cokes (YES Im being serious) (Measure being 35ml)

easily spend around £50 - £70 per night

anybody else managed to cut down?

I actually went to the pub at 12:00 today to talk to some friends, one was out with me last night and cracked a joke which made me think.. he was drinking coke.. I was on the stella and could have quite easily stayed there..

Quite worrying really as all Im thinking at the moment is what time Im going to the pub at.

David

fitzscoob

yeah at 17 i was doing the same as you mate, untill i was in so much pain that i had to go to the doctors, stomach was on its way out. Was basically told to stop drinking or die.

you have to make a lifestyle change mate, either drink enjoy yourself and screw up your liver and stomach lining or cut down and be a bit more rational.

my bro did the same, hes now 39 cant eat spicey foods or drink beer as it makes him very ill.

im 24 now and drink every weekend, maybe only once a week, binge drinking is what kills.

having said that i went on a good pub crawl last weekend, felt like ****e for the rest of the week mind you.

David_Wallis

hmm.. im 23.

Spoon

Not good. I actually just stopped drinking as I got older which I'm glad about.

Plus I needed to use my car at all times and I wasn't prepared to take the chance.

Would you really find it hard to stop after say the Stellas?

ProperCharlie

David - I have tried cutting down more times than i can remember. what i have found is that if i want to cut down, basically i have to stop altogether. cutting down just doesn't work as you think to yourself that you will go out for a couple, two becomes three etc etc. if you can convince yourself to pack up completely, be it for a week, a month, two months, whatever - you have a chance of success. i give up and it's not that hard; ok i always start again but by giving up for a period i give my body a rest, and also when i go back to drinking i tend to drink less (at first ). so overall i feel that it is worth it.

if you do give up, my advice is don't go down the pub and drink coke - nothing could be more unpleasant. do something non drink related instead, or just stay in and surf SN

i also found reading and posting on a newsgroup helpful: alt.recovery.addiction.alcohol

yes there are plenty of AA types on there, but there are also a lot of intelligent people who have done everything that you have and lots more besides, and can offer really good advice.

hth

feel free to mail me if you have any questions.

David_Wallis

I wouldnt find it hard to stop after the stellas, I couldnt.

I Cant stay in.. I have to go out.. Its more since I got banned that as I didnt need to drink or be sober the next day.. I just drink.

I went out for a couple with the lads from work last thurs (before bank hol) one pint turned into 6 stellas.. in 1.5hrs.. I was arseholed from drinking too quickly.. still went home put some jeans on and took myself to the pub.. dont remember getting the taxi to the pub.. forgot to pick up one mate, and dont even remember getting the pub..

Went out last night to Majestyk in leeds... £15 and drink free.. (why did I drink like I was in an all you can eat resteraunt in a competition and Im the only competitor?)

D

ADP

15 doubles!! yowsers thats a lot.

I also found as I got older (27 now) I kindof naturally lost the taste for it and also grew tired of massive hangovers and also regretted spending 50 quid on booze......I still drink, but generally only at weekends and then Ill probably have say 4-5 pints and a few doubles and that would be enough for me...........

thing is youve probably built up a tolerance, so its harder for you to get drunk hence you drink more.........have you asked why you want to get in that state??? it MAY be because you want to lose your inhibitions, that was MY reason..........however I now dont feel the need for it so much, though I would say if I go to a club and want to dance I turn into a drink monster because I know the only way Ill dance is if Im shedded.......But its different for everyone

ProperCharlie

if you can't stay in, do something that doesn't involve drinking. go to the cinema, go for a walk, whatever. if you have the mentality that you *have* to do this that or the other, then you will just carry on drinking more and more and more until you get seriously ill. either that or you will meet a woman who takes your wallet away - permenantly .

you should take this seriously. there is more to life than rolling around in pubs and clubs pissed out of you mind. i have the complete collection of t-shirts for that activity.

Spoon

It's this that gave you the time to form the habit unfortunately, it's now time to break it somehow.


At least you recognise it. I take it at 23 you have no children or wife? Not that I'm suggesting you run out and get either if you haven't!!

You may need to seek professional help before your health really suffers.

MooseRacer

I used to be in a similar position - basically totally pished 5 or more nights a week, drinking huge amounts and rarely remembering much about it

I 'progressed' from being what I'd call a heavy drinker in my teens to the above state over a period of years until my early 30's. For the past few years I've tried cutting down, not drinking shorts etc etc and never found it worked. I tried stopping completely several times but always loved drinking - if not the after affects and consequences - too much.

For some reason one day in November I stopped drinking altogether, and unlike previous attempts haven't drunk since - and can honestly say my life is more enjoyable for it. Once I got my head around the fact that I can enjoy myself just as much, socialise just as well, relax better, sleep better, be more active and am hugely better off I find myself not missing alcohol one bit.

An interesting thing to try would be this (assuming Stella and JD is your thing):

Limit yourself to a maximum of 2pints and 2shorts a day for 2 weeks, with 2 days totally alcohol free. Keep a 100% honest note of what you drink over the fortnight - no 'saving' of drinks for a few days to have them all in 1 go either!

If you fail miserably then it's time to do some serious thinking.

ProperCharlie

other worthwhile tips:

don't drink stella - make a rule that you only drink the horrible cooking lager (carling, skol, heinken, whatever) you get used to it, honestly. i went from special brew to carling, so it can be done.

don't drink shots or shorts, ever. tell your friends that you have stopped drinking spirits and that they shouldn't buy them for you. you will wake up in a ditch covered in puke, otherwise. the novelty of this wears off surprisingly quickly, unlike the hangover.

ProperCharlie

moose - i know everyone is different but tbh i would think that trying to do what you suggest is a recipe for failure. most drinkers will be well passed caring by the time they have wolfed down their two pints and two shorts ration. i would suggest taking it easy for a week, as best you can, and then just stopping. the only thing i would say is don't try to stop on a day when you have a massive hang over - too difficult and will lead to sleeplessness, cold sweats, other unpleasant things.

MooseRacer

ProperCharlie - that's precisely why it's a good test. Maybe 2 Stellas and 2 shorts is too much though. If someone cannot control their drinking enough to only have 2pints a day then they may well have some issues that need addressing.

ProperCharlie

fair point - but from what DW says in his posts i don't think there's much doubt that there *are* certain err, issues to be dealt with.

MooseRacer

True enough, and although I was trying to avoid saying it, if a person fails the test *badly* despite giving 100% effort then they should not be trying to cut down imho, rather they should be stopping altogether as alochol is controlling them, rather than the other way around.

ProperCharlie

that's exactly my point. that's why "cutting down" usually doesn't work - the person is still having their thinking influenced by alcohol, and so will always tend to give in to more drink. it's only stopping altogether that gives you the will power needed to not drink.

Spoon

It's gone quiet from David, is he on his back already?

sti555

he's gone off to bargin booze

ajm

David,

I too went through a boozy, self destructive phase aged between 23-26. Weekends used to disappear in a blur, hangovers were fended off with vodka and ribena in the mornings followed by lunchtime beers and several pints of vodka redbull before going out in the evening. Myself and my mates were banned from pubs, clubs and taxis and we used to take turns going to casualty to get stitched up after drunken pain games and general lunacy.

Don't get me wrong, at the time it felt great but the 2 day hangovers grind you down, especially when you feel it starting to affect your general well being, performance at work etc. and that awful guilty feeling you wake up with when you know you did something bad the night before but can't remember what! . The loss of weekends was a big thing too. I would sit at work on monday realising I had done nothing all weekend except p!ss it away.

Being honest the main reason I cut down was because friends started settling down. I sold the house I was sharing and letting to housemates which made a big difference to daily drinking because there was no longer someone always around that was willing to go to the pub!

You need get yourself doing things basically. Go fishing, driving or whatever your hobbies are, after work and on the weekend. 4 pints after a day of doing something meaningful taste so much sweeter than 12 pints throughout the day, followed by half a bottle of scotch and 6 hours in A+E!

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

Cant imagine how you put that lot away and still function the next day, if I did that I would be a right state for a couple of days, I find if I drink more I dont enjoy myself more, less usually, it took until 30 to make the connection and still remind myself sometimes by getting hammered but the next day I cant hack normal life with wife and kids so I avoid it.

Tonight, 2 glasses of wine and will leave it at that.

Basically you need to stop this or you will damage your health irreperably if you havent already, you are talking about consuming 45/50 units in one night, the male recommended (and in my opinion very mean) allowance is 28 IN ONE WEEK !

So do that 4 or 5 times a week and you are drinking ten times the recommended maximum.

More to the point, how the hell do you afford it !

dpb

...and stay in job?

unclebuck

You're deffo on the slippery slope mate. Some will power will *have* to be employed. Cut out the spirits and coke first. They are both *really* bad for you. Such a feckin waste of money too.

UB

fast bloke

David - don't panic - I've been drinking like that since I was 16 - I'm 33 now - (The doc says I might make 35 - only joking) I have always told myself that if I ever missed a day off work through drinking/hangover then I would admit to having a problem and look for help. I did end up in hospital once aged 26 - we were having a big night out drinking everything under the sun including sambuca and blackcurrant. Everyone was slaughtered and someone suggested getting pints down in one - A race is a race is a race - I got 7 pint of Guinness (apparently) down in one, then barfed all over the place. Barman spotted red barf and called ambulance - I went off on a stretcher - got a blood test at hospital - doc suggested that I may die from alcoholic poisining - was 14 times the legal drink drive limit. Red barf turned out to be blackcurrant, but they kept me in the next day. I didn't have a drink for 6 months afterwards...... been making up for it since though

fast bloke

Oh Yeah - forgot to mention - I will more than likely have a shorter life expectancy than a non smoking, non drinking vegetarian that works out 5 times a week. If that means I don't get to spend the last 30 years of my life in a 'home' talking ****e (more ****e than usual I mean) and someone changing my nappy then I am prepared to take the risk

sti555

i'd prefer to eat/drink/smoke & enjoy myself & live shorter than have a 'healthy' lifestyle....

When it comes to years it's all about quality not quantity.... Have fun whilst you can & enjoy yourself... do what makes you happy..

dpb

...umm yes but if drinkin yerself to oblivion 5 nights a week is quality...??

Nick

David

You seriously need expert help, call Alcoholics Annoymous on 0845 769 7555, it's a 24hour helpline. If you don't want to call them now, why not write the number down on a piece of paper & call them some other time.

Try to find some hobbies, how about the gym? Sports, like squash?

You can pull yourself out of this.

Good luck

StickyMicky

i didnt cut down,i just cut out

gave it up unless its sumthing special or a one off (eg going for a drink with the GF or simmiler)

dont miss it at all tbh

i was shoving that much beer down it was ****ing me up lol

i must have had 6 drinks scince christmas, and i feel 10 times better for it

fast bloke

actually - this bit [being drink till I drop] should be worrying - I go to the pub and drink and drink and drink. If there is no craic I just go home after one, or sometimes none. I wouldn't worry about the amounts too much, but maybe the reasons you drink are something you should give more though to? If you drink to get drunk, then get the number above and start sorting it from Monday, or tomorrow even. If you just always keep drinking until you get drunk then it might be an idea to give them a call anyway. If you just drink a lot, you enjoy it, you don't worry about it all the time, your work/social life doesn't suffer and your family doesn't suffer and you have a laugh while you are doing it..... then I would say chill out - you are having a premidlife crisis

16vmarc

Be like me, have no friends lol you dont go drinking that often then, imo.