I need thoughts and prayers guys

[AbsolutSurgen]

Just now, Best said:

 

Interesting. I'd love to be able to drink 2-3 beers a night and then call it quits. But I litteraly can't. I'd keep drinking. 

I understand.  When I am drinking, it is VERY easy for me to just have another drink.  

[Andrea]

I’m a week away from officially being 4 years sober!

[Biggie]

19 minutes ago, Andrea said:

I’m a week away from officially being 4 years sober!

Damn 4 years. Awesome for real. 

[Best]

I don't know how to measure my sobriety because of the two small hiccups that occurred.

 

It has been exactly 10 years since I completely stopped binge drinking. So I'm definitely proud of that. 

[AlwaysDyingX]

My 84 year old grandfather has recently decided to start binge drinking......

 

No one can tell him shit, he calls me to buy him crown royal but I tell him "Im not allowed to". Pretty sure he makes my grandmother go get it. 

 

He goes to (supposedly) dialysis so I'm sure the alcohol really is helping with his kidneys. 

 

But then he cries he doesn't want to go to the hospital and rehab places when his health goes into decline. 

 

I'm a lot like him but I don't drink. Well its not an official "I don't drink" because I don't have personal issues with alcohol nor is there any effort I put forward to not drink. I just prefer coffee, driving, and safe boating.  Its probably been over a year since I've had a drink.  

 

[Ominous]

I gave up drinking last year. I never had a problem with it, but alcohol is actual poison with no real non harmful dose in humans. It's pretty messed up though when you tell someone you don't drink and they assume it's because you are in AA or something...says a lot about drinking culture here. 

 

I think I had all of maybe 4 beers last year...and maybe 8 or so the year before that. Can't take care of family if you can't take care of yourself. 

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

The fact that practically every human social custom involves the consumption of alcohol to some degree or another truly is an unfortunate situation. 

[TheShader]

9 minutes ago, Ominous said:

It's pretty messed up though when you tell someone you don't drink and they assume it's because you are in AA or something...says a lot about drinking culture here. 

I feel this sentiment. It's why I don't like talking about my drinking habits because most people end up thinking I have a drinking problem because I take intentional stretches of time away from alcohol now. At one point I took a whole year off without drinking and couldn't tell anyone without them thinking it was because I had a problem. And then when they next saw me with a single beer it just reinforced in their mind that I 'fell off'. 

 

As I get older I've just become more mindful of the things I consume. For example I still like to have cake for very special occasions but I don't need cake every single time it's offered to me. I also don't need daily candy although I'll sometimes cut myself some slack in October because it's impossible to avoid candy. Same thing with alcohol. I like to have the occasional beer with dinner or even night out drinking with friends. However, I don't need that to be my every weekend activity. Or sometimes, like around elections, I know I'm going to be exposed to a lot more drinking so I just go with the moment but plan to cut it out for at least 5 months after. 

 

I'm just trying to have a balance, not escape an addiction. But people only see the latter if I ever talk openly about it. For me it's no different than understanding as I get older that I can't just blow every paycheck on video games and trips to Disneyland. I can still buy video games or take trips but I also need to balance that out with paying bills and put some money into savings. 

[Best]

8 minutes ago, TheShader said:

I feel this sentiment. It's why I don't like talking about my drinking habits because most people end up thinking I have a drinking problem because I take intentional stretches of time away from alcohol now. At one point I took a whole year off without drinking and couldn't tell anyone without them thinking it was because I had a problem. And then when they next saw me with a single beer it just reinforced in their mind that I 'fell off'. 

 

As I get older I've just become more mindful of the things I consume. For example I still like to have cake for very special occasions but I don't need cake every single time it's offered to me. I also don't need daily candy although I'll sometimes cut myself some slack in October because it's impossible to avoid candy. Same thing with alcohol. I like to have the occasional beer with dinner or even night out drinking with friends. However, I don't need that to be my every weekend activity. Or sometimes, like around elections, I know I'm going to be exposed to a lot more drinking so I just go with the moment but plan to cut it out for at least 5 months after. 

 

I'm just trying to have a balance, not escape an addiction. But people only see the latter if I ever talk openly about it. For me it's no different than understanding as I get older that I can't just blow every paycheck on video games and trips to Disneyland. I can still buy video games or take trips but I also need to balance that out with paying bills and put some money into savings. 

 

This just explains to me that you're living a very healthy lifestyle. 

[Paperclyp]

1 hour ago, Ominous said:

I gave up drinking last year. I never had a problem with it, but alcohol is actual poison with no real non harmful dose in humans. It's pretty messed up though when you tell someone you don't drink and they assume it's because you are in AA or something...says a lot about drinking culture here. 

 

I think I had all of maybe 4 beers last year...and maybe 8 or so the year before that. Can't take care of family if you can't take care of yourself. 

 

I do feel like it's getting better though. Gen Z is perhaps good for something am I right. No but seriously even some of my friends when I tell them I don't really drink much anymore don't really give a shit, and I think they would have used to. Like, we went to Vegas last year for our fantasy football draft and I think I drank 3 beers over the course of 3 days, and nobody said a word about it to me. 

[Biggie]

I used to drink and mix pills but I don't do that shit anymore. I haven't drank in months. 

[Best]

2 minutes ago, Biggie said:

I used to drink and mix pills but I don't do that shit anymore. I haven't drank in months. 

 

Yea I'm guilty of that too which is extremely dangerous. I remember you getting some white claws some weekends but you never came off like you were abusing it. 

[Biggie]

13 minutes ago, Best said:

 

Yea I'm guilty of that too which is extremely dangerous. I remember you getting some white claws some weekends but you never came off like you were abusing it. 

I’d drink vodka, craft beer, and throw in some muscle relaxers just to intensify everything 

[S3xB0t]

I’ve had a lot of good times with drugs and alcohol and a fair number of bad ones, too. Sorry to hear about your brother, @Best. Addiction is a helluva thing. Ever since us kids moved out my dad has taken up drinking daily. He just had a heart attack two months ago and hasn’t stopped. It’s fucked.

 

The older I get the more I want to take care of myself. I want to be around for my kids and be able to stay active when they’re older and I have more time for myself. 

[DarkStar189]

Sorry to hear about your brother Best. Alcohol can really mess people up. I can’t stand how our culture glamorizes drinking. Music, tv, and movies all constantly talk about it and show it as this great way to relax, have fun, and take the edge off. They never glamorize the next day when you wake up asking yourself “why the fuck do I do this to myself every night?”. You regret it, but 12 hours later evening rolls around and that craving…or habit kicks in and you’re like “hell yeah let’s go”. The cycle repeats and your consumption increases little by little.

I also quit drinking. It’s been almost a year and half with not even a sip. I get the weird looks when I’m offered a drink and turn it down.  Like Ominous said, it’s literal poison that serves no purpose to the human body.
I hope your brother can get it together sooner rather than later. My dad is going through a rough patch right now with alcohol. He’s always been a drinker but it’s worse now. About two weeks ago my mom was sleeping and woke up to a loud crash around 1am. She comes out to see my dad laying at the bottom of the stairs. She said it didn’t even look like he was breathing. Fortunately he was mostly fine other than some bruises. He was just drunker than usual and happened to stumble too close to the steps.  I remember when I was younger he would say things like “party as hard as you want, as long as you show up for work on time the next day”.  That just not a good reality ya know?

[Andrea]

I truly do not give a fuck when people get weirded out that I don’t drink. Their problem, not mine. 

[Andrea]

Also alcohol is drug. Separating it from other drugs is just societal nonsense. It’s a drug. 

[TheShader]

36 minutes ago, Andrea said:

Also alcohol is drug. Separating it from other drugs is just societal nonsense. It’s a drug. 

Alcohol and caffeine being drugs is a hill I die on nearly daily. If someone suggests either isn't a drug in my presence they WILL hear it from me. 

[Ominous]

At least caffeine is enjoyable. 

[CastlevaniaNut18]

I've just never had a big attraction to alcohol. I enjoy a beer on occasion, almost always with friends. I got pretty drunk earlier this year and ended up staying the night at my friend's house. But actually getting drunk is really rare for me. I'm typically just one or two beers and I'm done. Really looking forward to having a pint in an old pub next week. I love that atmosphere.

 

My brother-in-law had a terrible problem with alcohol before he died. He'd dealt with depression and anxiety for years and had never been very productive and didn't stay employed for long stretches. Then he picked up the booze and what little shit he had together just fell apart. He was basically a burden on his family and I was sick of him. My MIL paid his mortgage and all his bills. He'd detox and say he was done, but within a week or two he was back at it. It was just a sad end to an unhappy life. Their bio-dad is a mean drunk and they had nothing to do with him. Why my husband stays away from all booze. Their dad didn't even show up to his funeral.

[ApatheticSarcasm]

On 8/30/2024 at 2:23 PM, Commissar SFLUFAN said:

The fact that practically every human social custom involves the consumption of alcohol to some degree or another truly is an unfortunate situation. 

That reminds me of a Youtube clip I saw, it was probably from some Animal Planet show long ago, but it showed a bunch Capuchin or similar smaller kind of monkeys going through a tourist resort and drinking all the unguarded alcoholic beverages. It feels like convergent evolution will make whatever these monkeys will evolve into be alcoholics just like us mainline humans.

[Triage]

I am truly sorry you're dealing with this and I know how painful and scary it is. I've been dealing with my oldest daughter she's an alcoholic and used drugs. Last two years have been rough I had to bail her our from jail once and once get her from hospital after attempting suicide last year. She's been alcoholic now about 2/3 years and after suffering watching her I realized you cannot help anyone unless they help themselves first. I love my daughter and realize alcoholism is a disease. My biological dad was an alcoholic too. He's been sober now for second time 5 years. Stay strong don't forget to take care of you and I hope and pray he'll find his way. 

[Best]

3 hours ago, Triage said:

I am truly sorry you're dealing with this and I know how painful and scary it is. I've been dealing with my oldest daughter she's an alcoholic and used drugs. Last two years have been rough I had to bail her our from jail once and once get her from hospital after attempting suicide last year. She's been alcoholic now about 2/3 years and after suffering watching her I realized you cannot help anyone unless they help themselves first. I love my daughter and realize alcoholism is a disease. My biological dad was an alcoholic too. He's been sober now for second time 5 years. Stay strong don't forget to take care of you and I hope and pray he'll find his way. 

 

Really sorry to hear this. You're absolutely correct in that she will need to be the one who makes the decision to get sober. I hit a point in my life in 2013/2014 where I hit absolute rock bottom and stopped drinking.

 

I wish you and your family all the best. 

[Triage]

54 minutes ago, Best said:

 

Really sorry to hear this. You're absolutely correct in that she will need to be the one who makes the decision to get sober. I hit a point in my life in 2013/2014 where I hit absolute rock bottom and stopped drinking.

 

I wish you and your family all the best. 

I'm glad you did. I fear my daughter's rock doesn't have a bottom. I'm still hopeful though. 

[Andrea]

Alcoholism is absolutely tragic 

[Fizzzzle]

On 8/31/2024 at 9:43 PM, Ominous said:

At least caffeine is enjoyable. 

Says you. It makes me feel like I'm on crack, I hate it.

 

I like to drink and I've had to take breaks before (especially after lockdowns), but generally speaking, if you ever see me genuinely fucked up... something went wrong in my plans.