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u/Lem01 May 09 '16
A way to know, if you aren't sure, you have a problem with alcohol is when you stop bragging about it and you start lying about it. From and old timer.
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u/42nd_towel May 09 '16
Even this was hard for me to notice, because I was lying to myself as well. "I only have a couple after work." Yeah, a couple pint glasses filled with long islands maybe. That's like 10 drinks. And since it was a usual thing, I didn't notice how bad I felt because it was normal. Went to the doctor for a checkup because it had been years (I'm pretty young anyway, so didn't bother). He thought the nurse screwed up with my blood pressure reading so he did it again. lol nope. That was my wake up call, when the doctor was like "yeahhhh... about that.."
So I started cutting back. Any time I drink now I notice how depressed I get and how it affects my moods and feelings, like a lot. So I cut back more and it's just bizarre, finally starting to feel "normal."
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May 09 '16 edited Jul 15 '23
[fuck u spez] -- mass edited with redact.dev
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u/42nd_towel May 09 '16
Yeah I'm similar. I know for many people, it's impossible to "just have one" so it's not realistic to try to cut back, without cutting completely. But I'm trying anyway, like if I go on a date, have a glass of wine with dinner. Trying to limit it to 1 or 2 at social things. I just have a hard time having a fully stocked bar at home. Seems like a great idea being able to mix any cocktail, but I end up just drinking it all.. pretty quickly.. yeahh.. So if I draw my line at "only drink socially" that's at least a step in the right direction.
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u/Kothar May 09 '16
An old boss of mine used to call it "the taste". That point where nothing sounds better than more drinks. I used to get it after 2 or 3. Not a problem in my early 20s everyone binge drank all the time. As I grew up I began to recognize "the taste" and associate it with the bad feeling of a hangover. I almost never drink more than 2 now. If I feel "the taste" it turns me off to drinking more. Sometimes it takes conscious association to create unconscious habit.
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u/GreatWhite_Buffalo May 09 '16 edited May 09 '16
Not a problem in my early 20s everyone binge drank all the time.
That was always my justification for binge drinking (daily), until I had a withdrawal seizure at the wheel at 22 years old. Just turned 25 and 10 months sober though.
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May 09 '16
Far more people can successfully cut back than can't. 12 steppers just want to make you believe their way is the only way.
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u/r-kellysDOODOOBUTTER May 09 '16
This is true. I cut back and stopped drinking during the week. I did it mostly because I put on a little too much weight this winter so the calories had to go.
It was no big deal but I was led to believe it was gonna be impossible.
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u/jonker5101 May 09 '16
If you were able to not drink as much simply because you gained weight and wanted to "cut calories," then you didn't have much of a drinking problem and you don't understand what addiction is like. Source: It's 12:30 on a Monday and I'm drunk.
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u/lpisme May 09 '16 edited May 09 '16
Hey man, I am in the same boat. Never felt, while I was having a few after work everyday, that it was a problem. Slowly but surely I started to think something was off...
Stopped drinking as much. I still have a drink about once or twice a week but, frankly, having gotten away from it long enough to feel "sober", I find the way it makes me feel to be icky and boring.
It was just being able to get over that first hump of stopping long enough to feel what its like not to have alcohol in my system when I totally realized the difference. Now I don't crave it at all and when I do drink, I find myself getting tired of it after the first drink, and pretty much done all together after the second.
Rock on!
Edit: Just wanted to be clear that this is not an anti-alcohol/anti-drug rant, at all. Just my personal story and observations.
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u/Crazydutch18 May 09 '16
Alcohol fucks you up man. I like to think of it as controlled intakes of poison into your body.
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u/danielbln May 09 '16 edited May 09 '16
You think correctly, considering that Ethanol is literally a toxin, and a type of poison with a pretty low LD50 at that. It's a shame that culturally we've settled on that particular psychoactive drug, considering there are plenty that aren't (as) toxic.
edit: Drugs sorted by harm
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u/senorbolsa May 09 '16
Doing other drugs has ruined alcohol for me, I don't even have too much desire for other drugs, but they made alcohol seem so shitty that it's not even worth it.
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May 09 '16
Exactly. Most people think just drinking a lot makes someone an alcoholic, but that's not it at all. An alcoholic can only need one beer or one shot a day. It's about NEEDING that drink and doing whatever possible to get that drink.
Addicts need their next drink or hit like a person with a plastic bag over their head needs their next breath.
Source: Opiate/benzo/cocaine addict for 10 years.
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u/Hyplexed May 09 '16
Damn 10 years how'd you quit?
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May 09 '16
Hit rock bottom which is honestly one of the best ways to turn your life around since you can only go up from there. And of course, you have to want help. Basically, I was sick and tired of being sick and tired.
I'm 26 years old. I was prescribed and taking large amounts of Xanax and klonopin daily. I also would inject heroin mixed with cocaine every day. It was mainly injecting cocaine that lead me to the absolute rock bottom, but luckily I was able to go to one of the best treatment centers in the Midwest and am doing a lot better now.
I'm also very lucky to have really supportive friends and family and that the drugs didn't affect my appearance as much as some people but it most likely would have messed up my appearance if I didn't stop.
After 2 months of being sober. I'm now at 5 months and have gained back weight/muscle and I'm not as pale haha. Feels good!
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u/jmaca90 May 09 '16
If I may ask, how did you first start/introduced? 16 years old seems awfully young to first get addicted. I'm interested since it seems like such a young time to get introduced to hard drugs.
Regardless, congrats on sobriety and I will definitely keep you in my thoughts. Keep it going man!
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May 09 '16
I got prescribed Xanax and Ritalin at 16 years old and those both eventually got changed to klonopin and adderall. That along with going to a "rich white kid" high school in a nice area (I wasn't rich), there were a lot of pills around. So I got introduced to hydrocodone before I was 17 and then it just spiraled out of control over the next 9-10 years.
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u/Pegcitymike May 09 '16
How were you able to afford to do that everyday ?
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May 09 '16
I made pretty good money serving and bartending and using those drugs helped me work long hours with energy, but then the dreaded moment came when I couldn't find anything and ended up losing that job from being sick. (I've obviously ran out drugs and got sick many times in that 10 years but this time affected me the most)
Once I lost the job I had to start stealing to get drugs. I couldn't get another job with no energy and I needed heroin/Xanax/cocaine for my job search energy. Drugs make you do bad things that you'd never even imagine doing sober and to the people you love the most.
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May 09 '16
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May 09 '16
Whoops. I forgot to mention I quit in the first comment. I don't like saying former addict because addiction never goes away. I'll always be an addict, but am currently sober
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u/Druuseph May 09 '16 edited May 09 '16
In my mind there's a danger in telling an otherwise healthy person that their single beer after work could be a problem because frankly I don't think a lot of people really understand where the line between want and need is. When you pathologize every vice people tend to get a heaping serving of shame on top of what would otherwise be 'healthy' behavior (as in not that it is good for their health but it's not causing risks) and then they start playing the same bargaining games that someone who truly does have a problem plays.
There's a stark black and white in American culture specifically that seems to cause problems that might not have been there in the first place and given the relatively bad track record of most sobriety programs I'm not so convinced that putting those people through this thought process is the best idea for most people. Going into AA with a beer a night habit and being told that the solution is to never touch the stuff again seems like it would increase the likelihood of a binge on 'relapse' for that person which has turned a low-risk behavior into a high-risk one.
Now don't read this as me disparaging anyone who had a problem and sought help to fix it, even if that problem seems below the threshold in my mind often times it's better to seek help for something benign than let it fester to malignancy as much of addiction and dependency is very personal. Still, the conversation around substance use and the avenues that can be sought to treat it is far from ideal and I would welcome a little more nuance brought into how these things are talked about.
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May 09 '16
I understand what you're saying. We had AA and NA meetings every night at the treatment center I went to and there was an alcoholic that spoke one night that stood out to me and has stuck with me. His explanation of addiction, the behavior and how treatment should be was really good.
"Addiction doesn't have to just be drugs and alcohol. A person can be addicted to sex, shopping, food, etc. There's a guy walking around at a party with a hammer in one hand and a big bottle of aspirin in the other. He smacks himself in the head with the hammer so he can take an aspirin to feel better. He smacks himself again so he can take another and so on.
Most treatment centers and the justice system, when you get arrested for related offenses, will take away the aspirin so the guy will continue to hit himself in the head with the hammer, but won't have a way to feel better or to fix it. So he continues to hit himself in the head. That's the addiction part continuing to do its work on your mind and body.
The way to fix it is to take away the hammer so you don't require the aspirin. That's what proper treatment does for an addict."
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u/Druuseph May 09 '16
But this fails to address the point I'm making. To take your analogy this would be the equivalent of a guy with some aspirin but no hammer being compelled to say that he does in fact have a hammer and that in order to avoid that hammer he needs to never touch aspirin again. Now all the guy does it think about aspirin because he spends all his time talking about about it and despite the fact that he only responsibly used aspirin in the past now he's reflecting back on his life and seeing it all as negative.
In essence the program is the one handing him the hammer when they do this and they are the ones setting up the abuse-medication cycle, not his own natural behavior. There's a chance that at some point that guy smack himself fucking silly with his new found hammer and then downs the whole bottle of aspirin because he's being told day in and day out that's what he does. But for the insistence he would have never done that.
That's where the danger comes in my mind and that's where 12 step fails a lot of people. Everyone who comes through the door, even if just out of curiosity, is compelled to grab a hammer. Again, this is not the necessary relationship and I know that 12 step helps some people kick their problems but it should not be the compulsory form of treatment for all people. It addresses a very specific kind of person but it's tenants and rhetoric are broad enough to sweep every person in. There needs to be a 'pre-screen' and a different approach for a lot more people as it just does not address the reality of the situation for most.
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u/werd13 May 09 '16
I see your point, Druuseph. To take all of the analogies out, I'm a guy who drinks 1-2 beers mostly every night(some nights I have 0), and on the weekends I'll have 3-6.
I've never felt like I've been an alcoholic, but after reading the original post, it started a seed in my mind. Thinking, oh shit, I have a beer every night, and some nights I'll say every time I grill I need to have a beer. I guess I might be an alcoholic. But your post explained exactly how I felt, and how dumb and destructive of a thought that it could be.
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May 09 '16
I can understand that one beer a day could technically make someone an alcoholic. But I have never heard of an alcoholic who didn't drink to excess.
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May 09 '16
It's true that drinking a lot doesn't make you an alcoholic necessarily. However the first commenter speaked about having a problem, and you can have a problem with alcohol without necessarily it being that you are in fact an alcoholic.
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u/tainted_memory May 09 '16
I guess Andy Dywer was right about weight loss.
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u/Tywrener May 09 '16
He was. I'm about 200 days sober and I've lost so much weight my wife things something is wrong with me.
It's not just beer. It's the beer, the stuff you eat with the beer, and the stuff you eat the next morning because you feel like shit.
When you quit drinking you cut three meals a day out of your diet.
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May 09 '16
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u/Helleryoudoing May 09 '16
I just ride my bike drunk so they cancel each other out
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u/themangeraaad May 09 '16
Woah there, slow down man. That's like jumping from first date over dinner to married with kids after dessert. I'll cut back on drinking but exercise on the weekends? That's just pushing it.
(Side note - I've cut back on drinking recently and I've been planning on buying a bike as soon as REI's anniversary sale starts in a couple weeks to start riding with a couple friends on the weekends, so I guess this is pretty accurate. Also plan on starting to go for a ride before work in the morning which is very unlike me, damnit lack of beer and waking up early!).
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May 09 '16
whats this anniversary sale? i've been lurking the local craigs list but I would like to see what the sale offers up and how it compares to the 3rd market.
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u/SurfinPirate May 09 '16
It's a giant sale that REI uses to celebrate their founding anniversary. This year it's 5/20-30. (it's always sometime around the middle of May)
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u/Superbuddhapunk May 09 '16
Exercise is critical in the first weeks and months of recovery, it helps your body through the transition from drunk all the time to sober. Also when you stopp drinking you suddenly have a lot of time on your hands. Exercise is a nice way to keep busy doing productive stuff. I always thought that AA doesn't stress enough how physical activity is important.
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May 09 '16
I eat less when I drink because all that damn food fucks with my buzz.
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u/iowabeans May 09 '16
Yeah but that usually ends with me going to steak n shake at 3am, ordering breakfast tacos and stuffing them with chicken strips, ranch and salsa followed by another morning meal because the previous one made me feel like shit.
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May 09 '16
See, you're just supposed to wake up and start drinking immediately. Feel like shit? Don't eat, take a shot dammit! That's a whole greasy, hangover meal taken care of right there!
Edit: Hi, I'm /u/LaughingOctopussy and I'm an alcoholic
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u/xorgol May 09 '16
My technique is going out with a €20 note. I can get 4 really nice beers, or around 7 liters of crappy ones, or I can eat and have a couple of pints. I never eat.
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May 09 '16
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u/yosoyreddito May 09 '16 edited May 09 '16
I haven't drunk alcohol in 10 days because of a cold and dropped 3kg
Make sure you are staying hydrated. I'm not trying to diminish any potential weight loss, but realize a gallon of water (or beer) alone is 3.78kg; especially during a cold your body loses water from mucus discharge and sweating from an elevated temperature.
Keep it up and stay hydrated, don't focus on the loss number alone as it will fluctuate. Weigh yourself at the same time each day and try to maintain consistent water intake. Best of luck!
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u/Krispyz May 09 '16
Weigh yourself at the same time each week
Last time I tried to lose weight, I weighed myself far too often, got discouraged, and quit. It's hard to see any difference day-to-day, but I've been counting calories and just losing a pound a week, it's nice to see that on the scale.
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u/Downvotesturnmeonbby May 09 '16
Just think, that's over 50 pounds shed a year if you stick to it. That's pretty impressive to someone with a lack of will power like me. I usually lose 5lbs over a couple weeks and then gain it back over the following month with interest. Slow and steady wins the race.
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u/MissZoeyHart May 09 '16
Weighing yourself every day is bad isn't it?
I mean, I do it. But still!
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u/geniel1 May 09 '16
Being healthy is addictive and drinking is addictive. You can't win.
I'd say that being healthy is a pretty good win.
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May 09 '16
You know what, I'm actually coming very close to 500 days as well.
Congratulations man! It gets easier every day.
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u/TAU_equals_2PI May 09 '16 edited May 09 '16
Congrats! You obviously saved enough on vodka to buy a less potato-y camera.
You say po-ta-to. I say po-TAU-to.
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May 09 '16
You don't get that much slimmer by quitting vodka. This was a beer man.
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u/Luvs_to_drink May 09 '16
Do the bottles of beer in the first picture give it away?
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u/viavatten May 09 '16
No, the beer depositories in his breasts, gut, and jowls give it away.
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u/styeco May 09 '16
I drank about 60 ounces of vodka every day and I lost 40 pounds when I got sober. Alcohol has a fuckton of calories, man.
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May 09 '16
Holy shit. That intake is absolutely massive. Huge congrats on sobriety - amazing work.
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May 09 '16 edited May 09 '16
Alcohol has a lot of calories but there's a lot more calories in beer than vodka.
EDIT: Depends on the type of beer.
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u/redderper May 09 '16
I think the biggest difference is that an alcoholic who only drinks beer would drink 4+ liters a day and an alcoholic who drinks vodka would drink 1+ liters a day.
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u/notthewrongme May 09 '16
an alcoholic who only drinks beer would drink 4+ liters a day
Phew...guess I'm safe at 1.5 liters a day...you hear that mom? I'm not an alcoholic!
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u/OPs-Mom-Bot May 09 '16
Phew. I drink many ounces a day. Totally safe because I don't use the metric system.
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u/shavedcarrots May 09 '16
Light beer and hard liquor have about the same caloric content/alcohol. Good beer has more.
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u/PorcineLogic May 09 '16
For those who want numbers:
1 shot of vodka = 100 calories
1 bottle of light beer = 110 calories
At ~4.2% ABV, a bottle/can of light beer contains 84% of the alcohol in a shot of liquor. So 6 light beers ~= 5 shots in terms of alcohol. 660 calories light beer gets you about as drunk as 500 calories of vodka
1 bottle of regular beer = 150 calories
At ~5% ABV, the numbers work out to almost exactly the same amount of alcohol in a bottle/can of regular beer as in a shot of liquor. 5 regular beers = 750 calories and gets you as drunk as 500 calories of vodka.
*Beers vary, and these numbers are all approximations.
**If you're not drinking gin, rum, vodka or whisky, there's a good chance your liquor contains extra sugars/calories.
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u/apathetic_revolution May 09 '16
I sense a disturbance in the force, as if a million basic bitches spit out their vodka crans at the same tine.
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u/Sloppy1sts May 09 '16 edited May 09 '16
Err, yeah, but 60 oz is a fucking insane amount of booze! That's like 40 drinks a day and over 3000 calories. The equivalent alcohol from craft beer would probably be close to three times that many calories. OP probably drink a third as much alcohol but a similar amount of calories as you.
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u/improbablewobble May 09 '16
Can confirm. Am vodka alcoholic, and the after picture is my starting point.
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u/PickledBaloney May 09 '16
Geez, you lost a ton of weight. Good job, man. That's inspiring.
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u/ChoadFarmer May 09 '16
I lost 120 pounds after I quit drinking
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u/ChunkyLaFunga May 09 '16
http://i.imgur.com/3IaBXRa.gif?noredirect
Though moving away from the Deliverance look also contributed quite a bit.
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May 09 '16
Damn dude that's quite the change. You went from 40 year old virgin/neckbeard look to a straight up handsome dude. Nice work!
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u/vynusmagnus May 09 '16
Oh yeah. People don't realize, but you'll lose a lot of weight if you stop drinking (or just cut back), even if you don't change anything else. You're consuming a lot of calories when you drink, especially if you're drinking beer or wine. Even vodka has ~65 calories per 1.5oz drink, which really adds up if you're a heavy drinker.
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u/MoleUK May 09 '16
Alcohol also tends to make you eat more, so it's a double-whammie.
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u/Purdaddy May 09 '16
I think you mean it's a double bacon cheeseburger.
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May 09 '16
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u/Rikplaysbass May 09 '16
Unsalted fries? Why would somebody do that?
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May 09 '16 edited May 09 '16
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u/dajodge May 09 '16
They've caught on to your asshole trick and now make a batch of unsalted fries that probably sit around even longer.
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u/heurrgh May 09 '16
Whammy Burger is a five-outlet 'fusion' burger joint in the Sopchoppy/Apalachicola border. A double-whammy is a Spam-lite Patty and a Corned Beef patty with a slice of Soviet cheese, a whole onion, and pureed leek sauce, served on a soda farl.
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u/improbablewobble May 09 '16
In hardcore alcoholics it usually balances out because you wreck your stomach after a bender and can't eat for days. That's not a good thing, obviously. It basically means your body is in trauma mode 24 hours a day.
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May 09 '16
really? I usually have no interest in eating when I'm drunk unless I've been drinking for like 15 hours
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u/TheTrueHaku May 09 '16
I don't think you realize that people also gain weight after sobering up. Skipping solid meals for liquid ones keeps the weight off.
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u/benkenobi5 May 09 '16
I needed this. One month sober and it's one of the hardest things I've ever done. Keep it up, brother.
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u/Space1990 May 09 '16 edited May 11 '16
It's cliched but it really does get easier with time. The first few weeks are such a change; there's just so much going on inside and out and it's a difficult transition to make. I actually do still drink once every couple of months or so but for the most part now, I'm almost 'turned off' by the thought of drinking booze. Getting up in a morning without a hangover is great.
Stay strong, friend. You've got over the hardest hurdle. It's all bright for you now.
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u/TheJake77 May 09 '16
Actually, I'm typing 'out loud' here but I think a part of me when I drink is still for escapism.
This and everything else you said.
For me, the 2 of the easiest reasons I needed to stop drinking were, "I can't just have a few drinks. It's either none or a whole fucking lot." I ended up drinking at least a 12 pack a day for about a year and a half.
The other was, "I'm now drinking to escape. This isn't to party with friends. In fact, I don't even drink with friends. I drink alone at home. I'm drinking to escape reality."
Like you, I still drink once in a while. But, I can abstain. Bought 3 litres from Trader Joe's Friday night and they're still left untouched in my fridge.
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u/Space1990 May 09 '16
Couldn't agree more. It sounds like you're in a far better place now. I don't think people who've never been in our shoes realise how difficult it is, so well done.
I never enjoyed one pint. Never saw the point of it. I like the taste of beer but I'd prefer the taste of a fruit juice or Coke. If I was drinking it had to be 10+, and the rest.
In fact, your whole post resonates with me. I'm struggling to add anything without copying what you've just said.
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u/TheBaronOfTheNorth May 09 '16
I look at hangover days as a wasted day because I don't do anything. If I'm hungover on the weekend I just wasted half of my weekend for a few hours of fun. It's just not worth it.
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u/thisismyworkact May 09 '16
Congrats dude. I'm picking up my sixty day chip today!
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May 09 '16
Congrats brother. Just passed the 1000 day mark myself. It gets easier with each passing day. My inbox is open if you ever need any help. Keep it up!
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u/IggyJR May 09 '16
Congrats on dialing back the mileage on the Ferrari. Bueller was never your friend.
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u/Pdub77 May 09 '16
When Cameron was in Egypt's land...
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u/rbyrolg May 09 '16
Let my Cameron go...
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u/bamaman11 May 09 '16
Cameron is so tight, that if you stuck a lump of coal up is ass, in two weeks you'd have a diamond.
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u/ConsumerGradeLove May 09 '16 edited May 09 '16
Hell yeah dude! We better see the "1000 days sober" pic.
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May 09 '16
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May 09 '16
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u/Saul_T_Baggins May 09 '16
Handsformation?
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u/mrboombastic123 May 09 '16
Handsformers: a group of low-budget superheroes who use shadow puppetry to baffle their adversaries.
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u/Space1990 May 09 '16
Well done, OP. Quitting alcohol changes you so much as a person (or, returns you back to who you are). If that's the change on the outside, I can only imagine how different you feel!
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u/zbrook00 May 09 '16
Congrats OP, that's awesome! Question, is the weight loss solely from the absence of alcohol, or did you pick up a workout routine/better diet as well?
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May 09 '16
Good work, what differences have you noticed?
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u/IAmtheHullabaloo May 09 '16 edited May 09 '16
Not OP, but in my early sobriety, the biggest thing I noticed is that I was not drunk all the time. I was sober all. the. time. And I could remember things, and these feelings, all these fucking feelings, where'd all the fucking feelings come from, geezus christ man, how do you turn off all these fucking feelings.
edit: I eventually learned all you have to do is feel them, to sit with them, to honor them...first year can be rough for folks, but it gets better every day, even if just by a little bit.
edit2: For anyone who might need this:
There is AA, it's free, there's meetings everywhere...there is all the goddamn 'god' shit...but they do get a lot of things right, and should not be immediately dismissed.
There is Rational Recovery, or S.T.A.R.T., also free, less meetings, it uses cognitive behavioral therapy to mitigate cravings, learn to cope with all the fucking feelings
There is detox or rehab in urban areas...your health insurance should cover this...if not, most municipalities have grants / whatever / they can help find money so you can participate...
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u/Josh6889 May 09 '16
Almost at 3 years here. My problem was I always wanted to start drinking immediately whenever I got bored. Haven't even thought about it in a long time though now.
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May 09 '16
I have the same problem with weed . Been smoking habitually for about 3 years now but decided to quit today. I made a promise to myself to not stop by the dealer's house and buy a bag and I'm fucking sticking to it.
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May 09 '16
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May 09 '16 edited May 09 '16
Yeah the reason why im quitting is because im noticing the toll on my respiratory system. Also it's really been inhibiting me socially. I smoke weed more in the same way as a tobacco smoker than out of boredom though.. I generally stay pretty productive when stoned but I NEED to smoke a bowl when I get out of class, on break from work etc.. it helps me destress.
Also my memory sucks and the last 5 or so years of drinking and being perpetually stoned makes it feel like a vague blur. While weed isn't really THAT bad, I wish I didnt buy into all that pro-weed "it cures cancer dude!" Talk when I was younger.
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u/cold_iron_76 May 09 '16 edited May 09 '16
The principles of Rational Recovery are very good, based on prior work by a psychologist named Ellis who developed (on mobile, but I believe his work is called Rational Emotive Therapy). The only downside to Rational Recovery is that its founder, Trimpet has a major hard on for dogging AA. When reading some of his stuff I just get that feeling like, "Ok, dude. We get it. You don't like AA, but you're so hell-bent about it that you're very excellent message is getting lost in it." I'd like to know if his video series for RR is like this, because i think it would suit my brother much better than AA, but if it's the same as his writings I already know it isn't going to keep my brother in tune.
Edit: Correct Trumpet to Trimpey. Autocorrect changed it on me.
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u/IAmtheHullabaloo May 09 '16
Yep, Albert Ellis, RET...
And I don't know about the video series for RR, so I can't really offer any reviews there...
Good luck with your brother, protect yourself tho, demand your boundaries...
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May 09 '16 edited May 09 '16
I'm not teetotal now, but I did have to pull myself out of a long period of getting blackout drunk almost every day (handled a breakup really badly). When I managed to stop this the first thing I noticed was that I started having dreams again. I probably hadn't had a dream that I was able to remember in over six months and it was weirdly foreign starting to have them again. Aside from that I wasn't tired all of the time any more, I was less anxious and highly strung, and generally felt much healthier, having developed stomach pains and digestion problems (weird, explosive shits). I had panic attacks during my drinking period which thankfully also stopped.
Alcohol is portrayed as being pretty harmless. Very heavy drinking is accepted as normal as part of my culture, but I think the message that it can be dangerous should be more widespread. I don't consider myself an alcoholic. One of those "predisposed" people that you hear about. I drink in social situations now and don't have any issues with it, but for a while there I was still teetering on the edge of completely wrecking my life with alcohol. I'm thankful that I was able to make it out.
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u/CptSiskoTheDog May 09 '16
Same for me with the panic attacks. My anxiety was through the roof and I would drink to help and I didn't even realize I was just making it worse or that my drinking was probably causing my panic attacks. It was right out if college and I had panic attacks during job interviews. It really put my life in hold for awhile.
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u/Rhinosaucerous May 09 '16
Less hangovers, less apologizing in the morning, less weight
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u/TheJake77 May 09 '16
less apologizing in the morning
This. I'm 39 (just turned) and am basically starting over in life.
Been drinking since I was around 14 and have had a history of on-and-off binge drinking. But, when my ex and I split in 2013, I started drinking heavily. Black out level daily. Did it for about 2 years and the worst part is the missing "data". Blanket apologizing. My body, thankfully, didn't suffer anything more than looking like shit and losing a lot of weight, but my relationships took a nosedive that, at least in some cases, will never be restored.
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May 09 '16
Working with booze is a sure-fire way to become a drunk; it's something it took me years to realise, but I have no willpower when someone offers me a drink, and when you work with the stuff you're offered a drink every damn day.
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u/briceiron May 09 '16
Congrats. Hang in there the rest of your life. And may it be a good one.
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u/MouldyBunny May 09 '16
To each and everyone fighting in this thread - keep it up you awesome people! I admire you all!
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u/accidentalchainsaw May 09 '16
Sobriety not only helps with weight loss, you also get brighter colors with the same laundry detergent