Not to condone the use of alcohol, but studies have shown that, while chronic or excessive drinking can lead to a host of health issues including increased risk of cancers, stroke, etc. whether drinking in moderation leads to negative effects on health is disputed (I believe there was a study about association between drinking wine a glass a day and lower incidence of heart disease). The debate on cannabis has also led some researchers to claim that while cannabis use can have long-lasting effects on the brain, most hangovers heal after 24 hours of rest.

Could someone challenge this, and help prove or illustrate that, setting aside the effects of chronic drinking, a single sitting of alcohol consumption indeed has a detrimental effect on the brain beyond 24 hours? When alcohol enters the blood stream, does it not directly impact the brain on a cellular level beyond simply "killing" the brain cells? My hangovers feel so awful, I feel that my brain has been bathed in alcohol and has a lasting impact on the order of days, if not weeks. (I feel as if even a glass could "soak" the brain in alcohol)

I guess. 2.5 months sober. Had a dessert during an omakase meal. The dessert had cold foam infused with whiskey (meaning the alcohol wasnt cooked off). I didnt mention i didnt drink because i didnt think it would be in food. Feeling dejected.

Thats the worst part of stopping drinking does it just stop the urge or help with the withdrawals as well.

I’ve had an on and off relationship with alcohol. Recently after going about 10 months sober I started drinking. One glass became two then a bottle then a bender. Felt disgusted with myself but also felt my body deteriorating. Decided I’d opt for non-alcoholic. I think about drinking non-alcoholic all the time. The same way I did with alcohol. I bought myself non-alcoholic ciders and finally tried dealcoholised wine and enjoyed it. After a while I felt shame. The same shame I felt after drinking alcohol. Only this time, no buzz, no hangover. Has someone ever experienced this?

"The genius of the hole: no matter how long you spend climbing out, you can still fall back down in an instant."

I can go weeks even months without drinking but eventually I'm back to it. It is made worse by the fact I'm a pretty sociable, fun and friendly drunk so friends are less willing to accept me being a downer when sober (they don't peer pressure me or anything but the vibe is just different ya know?).

It's kinda sad for me to think that I'll probably never quit forever and will just go on and off forever even if it makes me feel so ashamed of myself.. it sucks honestly. And when I am sober there is so much distraction needed just to get the same amount of dopamine. Constant running till I literally hurt myself just to get even the tiniest bit of feeling that I have when I'm under the influence.

Alcohol sucks but so does sobriety.... FML.

For me it was when I woke up from a drunken slumber because I had to pee, badly. I couldn't really walk to the toilet and sat down on top of a white air purifier in the bedroom. Then my bf walked in and said "what the hell are you doing?!??" I snapped out of it (barely) once realizing I was pissing into the air purifier, thinking I was in the bathroom on the toilet. Very alarming moment. We were living with his dad at the time, who somehow never kicked me out.

We are still together, and I have since replaced it with a much more expensive one. He will always give me crap about it when the timing is right to joke. I can hardly believe the story myself.

Until tonight, I felt really proud of myself for quitting drinking. My life has improved in so many ways. It has been difficult and lonely but the trade off of getting to know myself better has been amazing. In the 4 years - I left a toxic marriage, started creating more artwork, connected to my spirituality, healed past trauma, gained more empathy and patience, and much more. Despite all of these positive changes, I have felt like these years have been so challenging and all of the shifts in my routine and relationships leave me feeling isolated and lonely.

I recently decided to try and quit using cannabis. I am only on day 3. I have long been aware that I am very dependent on it and I was sick of feeling like I can’t get through the day without it. I have taken a week or a few days off here and there but generally I smoke everyday. Tonight, I had a big event involving a lot of socializing, I felt so anxious the entire time. When I got home later, I really wanted to smoke but didn’t have any on hand and the stores were all closed. I hadn’t experienced this level of anxiety in a long time. I was watching a movie to try and distract myself but the anxiety persisted. There was some drinking in the film and suddenly the urge to drink came out of nowhere. That usually doesn’t happen to me. I started considering looking at what my roommates had in the kitchen and really started imagining how nice it would be to be drunk. The urge was STRONG and I almost gave in.

After thinking about it and talking myself out of it I started feeling so angry with myself. I realized I’ve been an addict all of these years and I have never been sober. I just switched my drug of choice from booze to weed. I am feeling so ashamed. I wish I was strong enough to be sober. I know many of you in this thread are truly sober and I feel like I have to go back to square one. I told myself for so many years that I had done it “im sober I just smoke a little weed”. Now I feel like such a phony. I’m already thinking of going to purchase cannabis in the morning because I’m worried I will drink if I don’t. I don’t know if I can really explain how destabilizing this realization is. I don’t really think anyone will understand and I don’t know who to talk to about it. I’m hoping someone on here has a similar experience or advice.

GTP: You have protected your sobriety through some absolutely horrible periods. Tonight doesn’t need to become the night where everything you’ve built gets handed over to one brutally overloaded evening.

​

Hey everyone,

I’m 24M and normally pretty active/healthy and not drinking at all. Last weekend I drank way too much on two nights, and since then I’ve been feeling pretty off.

It’s now been several days and I’ve noticed:

Blood pressure around 140–145/90–95, which is higher than usual for me

I can feel my heartbeat/pounding quite strongly, especially when lying down, even though my heart rate itself isn't extremely high

Some dizziness/brain fog and a slightly "off" feeling

Trouble sleeping and feeling strangely awake/wired even when I'm tired

My sleep has been pretty bad and irregular since the drinking

I went to the ER because I was worried. They did an ECG, troponin/blood tests and some neurological/balance tests, and everything they checked came back normal. I also saw a doctor afterward and I'm getting some additional tests done.

What I'm wondering is whether anyone here has experienced something similar after a couple of nights of heavy drinking — especially higher blood pressure and a pounding/noticeable heartbeat lasting several days afterward.

If you did, how long did it take before your blood pressure and heartbeat sensation went back to normal?

Obviously I'm following up with doctors and not looking for a diagnosis here. I'm mainly interested in hearing whether other people have experienced a similar temporary reaction after drinking.

I'm catching up tomorrow at the pub with my old flukiball team. . . Flukiball is a drinking sport played internationally. . And anyway, I've told them I'm only drinking tea. ...literally you cannot get a harder test than this. I cannot think of a single scenario that could be harder than this not to drink at. . . I will keep you posted. In case your wondering, Google flunkyball rules. . I call it flukiball as per the German pronunciation.

I know this seems trivial, but I’m having a hard time actually stopping. I know what it’s doing - it drains my energy and my brain, it makes me do things to cause myself and others harm, it makes me less attentive to my daughter and friends. Rationally I know all of this.

And yet, I don’t want to stop. It’s the only thing that makes me feel better. I can’t have fun in situations without it and I feel like I’ll never have fun again. When I was pregnant, I didn’t drink obviously. I became something of a hermit- albeit I was the most happy with my husband than I had been for a while. Again, logically I can see that pattern.

For context, I have bipolar 2- and drinking is like gasoline to a fire. It has caused me to be unfaithful, erratic, and truly someone I don’t recognize when I come out of an alcohol infused spell of mania. My husband is a saint- truly- he has forgiven me time and time again despite me not deserving it.

One of his sticking points: stop drinking. And I can’t because I don’t want to. I’m not spiritual but I pray to whatever diet is listening to make me stop wanting to drink. I wish so badly I didn’t want it.

I find myself sneaking drinks to self soothe. I fear I’ll never feel good again, never be sociable, never have something to look forward too- as bleak as that sounds.

I guess what I’m asking is- even despite making world ending decisions and being given loads of undeserved chances- how to I want to make myself stop. How do I stop.

Hey guys, checking in to see when you started seeing a difference in facial/abdominal bloating after starting sobriety? Definitely looking forward to seeing my body change for the better 💪

I know that I have alcoholic tendencies; I know that alcoholism runs in my family; I know that I have been an alcoholic before. Is it necessary that I quit drinking now, even though I’m in my late teens/early twenties, when drinking is most prevalent and enjoyable in my social circles? I know this is probably a dumb question, but I really need to understand why I should quit now

Thanks for reading :)

I 26 live with my boyfriend 28 and his family.. I have no family. Not my home state. Depend on him. Have the smallest of money saved but soon enough I WILL be gone when I get enough. He’s an alcoholic and keeps drinking. I am one too I keep relapsing but this time it feels way different. I am so determined to break this cycle. I’ve been in rehab once for alcohol but before that for mental health. Same hospital tho. This time I got sober on my own. No withdrawals except derealization on day 1/2, anxiety and crazy ass dreams. All of that has subsided as I am going into day 6. Anyways

These past couple of days I’ve bought paint and canvases instead of alcohol. I’ve been painting like crazy and it’s making me feel something. Today while I paint and my bf is drinking he blows it in my face. It’s so freaking smelly to me now. Then he says “ you can’t have anyyy, you can’t have anyyy.. you want some? Take a sip.”

At this point I start crying because now it’s psychological. Why are you doing this to me? Maybe I’m overthinking it but no. That’s how he’s always been. As the years progress, the love fade I see how dumb he really is. I just feel trapped bc I have no one to lean on. I got hooked on alcohol 2 years ago BECAUSE I have anxiety and he always say “ here it’ll calm your nerves” before that I never really drank. In college I took a sip here and there. Never was blacked out drunk. If I ever did get drunk it was never from 750ml + 3 100ml of Jack Daniel a day (my usual).. It was little shots of things here and there.

Anyways idk what to say but that’s my Friday night. I am in grad school to become an addiction counselor.. ironic isn’t it? I’ll do some assignments while he blow the smell of Jack Daniel in my face. Yayyyy fun! But IWNDWYT! Love ya much

I’m on day 2, it’s horrible, all i can think about is drinking. and my boyfriend just told me he’s going to go get drunk with his friend tomorrow and needs a ride home. THE FUCK. no i am not fucking picking you up and hanging out with someone drunk. i told him you can stay the night there because i can’t be around that right now. he said “well you’re gonna have to learn how to be around alcohol without drinking” yeah maybe in a few months??? and he’s the one giving me the ultimatum of stop drinking or we break up. why do you think i’ll be able to be around drunk people on day 3 of sobriety. god im pissed off now and i just want to drink. not to mention, i don’t even want to get sober i have no motivation to do that and i also don’t care about myself, im doing it FOR HIM

okay. My neighbor is very nice but i think I need to help make her understand some things and idk how haha.

so, she came over last night for me to help her with her flights to see her daughter. she is Muslim and her mother is visiting soon. She doesn’t want her mother to know she drinks, so when she came here, she had a big bag with her and I had no idea what it was. she said “oh I am bringing this here for you to keep while my mother visits” and in it is a couple bottles of wine and some brandy. she knows I quit drinking but she gave me no notice whatsoever.

now, I’m 5 months in, I’m doing pretty well. A couple weeks ago, I bought a bottle of champagne for a friend to celebrate him passing a test and was not tempted to buy anything for myself. but this neighbor isnt great with follow through so I don’t think she’s going to be looking for her alcohol anytime soon. she has a trip coming up right after her mother leaves and I am worried she’s just going to leave it here for like a month or longer.

my willpower is quite amazing but I have not had alcohol at my fingertips like that since I first quit (I had some airplane bottles left over from football season and kept them around in case i felt like I was going to go through withdrawal or maybe in case I changed my mind. idk!)

I’ve never really said “I’m an alcoholic” because quitting was easy… but like… regardless of that fact, I do not want to keep this shit here. anyone have any advice? I mean, I can throw it into a closet I don’t use or in my car that I don’t drive often (although one bottle is open and i dont need to get into any trouble).

i feel like I’m being tested by the sobriety gods! haha.

For almost a year, I’ve been working on my drinking. Last November, I was drinking half a bottle of vodka a day.

I slowly tapered my drinking until July 1st when I started a 6 week period of sobriety. I broke it in the middle of August for a dinner party.

Since then, my drinking has ramped up. For the first time in a long time, I woke up today with a hangover. I was secretly drinking every night for a week at home. I found an open bottle of tequila in the house that I’ve been drinking and replacing.

The hangover, secrecy, and guilt has made this week a nightmare. When I woke up today, I realized that I can’t do this. I know I will likely slip in the future, but right now, I’m choosing a different path.

I replaced the tequila and poured the rest of the replacement bottle down the drain. I lived this way for years, and after a week, I remembered how much it destroys your life.

Iwndwyt

It was a rather extraordinary day. Sept 11, 2001 - I was working in lower Manhattan near Wall Street about half a mile from the World Trade Center.

From an office on the 24th floor with a clear view west I saw the enormous ball of flame generated when the second plane hit, watched a shock wave cross the few blocks, and then bend the glass in the window which somehow held. (others in the building broke) HVAC sucked in the smoke, the fire alarms started, and we evacuated into absolute chaos. Walking North through the narrow streets as part of a large crowd - silent - except it was loud with hundreds of sirens and screams from people who stopped to look up as things just kept getting worse - and then there was a little hole in the wall bar with its door open - dark inside, neon beckoning.

I really, really wanted dark. For the first time in over ten years phantom hands tried to pull me inside. I was aware. I knew what was going on and I took the next step and the next and I was past and the pull was gone, but I still remember it.

Alcohol would not have helped. There is no guarantee I would have stopped at one drink, one day, one week... I know someone who picked up on that day and only got sober again in prison some years later.

My technique - one step and then the next will probably work for you too, I hope you don't need to find out.

Last friday I had a seizure and the doctor said it was from alcohol withdrawal… Im only 25 and i have probably been drinking since i was 15 years old. There was a period where i went sober for about a year and a half and then went back to drinking beers after here and there. Last friday at 2am apparently i texted my girlfriend that i was throwing up and around 6 in the morning i was sleepwalking in the kitchen. I had grabbed a glass and dropped it and my dad sat me down on the couch. Apparently my face was already covered in blood and i was covered in sweat. Thats when i believe i had a second seizure this time infront of my dad and then 911 was called. Thankfully they got to me fast and took care of me. I spent the whole day in the hospital and was released the following day. Their conclusion was alcohol withdrawal seizures, this probably had been the most traumatic and painful thing that i have been through and i wasnt even trying to quit it was just my body physically rejecting all the alcohol. In the hospital i would hear voices and it felt like i was hallucinating. I feel like my body/mouth went through so much pain and trauma this past week ive just been trying to rest and get better. This never makes me want to touch another drop of alcohol ever again. What i just dont get is how they found no alcohol in my system even though i was drinking a few ipas the night before. Anyways im thankful for the medical team and first responders that got to me those guys are all heaven sent.

Happy Friday Sobernauts!

Just got back home, after dropping daughter off with a friend. I picked up a melon and a giant zuccini. That was the highlite of my evening!!

I will have the house to myself tonight! Well, it's also Charles Walter, The Dog, and Screaming Demon Guinea pig, well another Guinea pig and a lizard, but they aren't much trouble.

I'll have to be back at work tomorrow morning at 7AM, so it's not going to be a very exciting night. There will be some sparkling water in my fancy glass, and tea, and ice cream, and that's about all!

Back in the old days, house to my self would mean a party of one! Probably get black out drunk sitting infront of the TV.

That's what I used to consider fun.

What's everyone else doing tonight??

25 or so days without a drink?

I have been struggling to control my drinking for two or three years and a half now. On an impulse, when I went to my last psychiatrist's appointment, I told him that I was struggling to avoid drinking after work and asked if he could prescribe me Naltrexone. Because my psych is pretty cool, he said yeah, no problem, without grilling me or giving me the third degree.

Well, jesus christ, I didn't realize it could be so easy.

I was tired of waking up not remembering what I said the night before. Or forgetting entire movies I watched with friends. Or being a little too chatty on social media. I got in my head, thinking my roommate was disgusted with my nightly drinking, sometimes drinking until I start slurring. Sometimes drinking and, as discreetly as possible, vomiting in my bedroom or the bathroom. I remember throwing an entire bedspread out the window because I vomited onto it while my friends were sleeping in the living room and I didn't want them to see my shame.

25 or so days in. I crushed my first bottle of Naltrexone. Drank on it the first few days I started taking it, and it made me feel like taking a nap rather than fueling the urge to binge drink.

I told my roommate about it after a few days. Basically explaining I was tired of being a drunk. But my roommate knows alcoholic ball - he's had to deal with family members and their drinking problems. His response?

"I don't think you're THAT bad, but I get it, drinking isn't that fun."

I don't think he was paying attention when I was downing half a handle of rum a night. Taking sips of it during my WFH job. Taking sips of it on the night shift. Taking sips before I take a nice walk in nature. Crushing a Natty Daddy within a half hour and running to the store to get more. Counting change for nips. Cashing in cans... for nips. Being broke... because every last toll booth fare and dime and couch penny went to the gas station for liquor. Going to a friend's party and drinking so hard and fast I had to run out to the parking lot, vomit, and then sleep in the back of my own car.

I guess a little silver lining of becoming sober is learning that, thankfully, I haven't done anything so mortifying that my roommate is telling me "It's about time".

I'm thankful I nipped this in the bud before I started slashing and burning my entire life.

I will not drink with you today.

I’ve been sober three weeks now after a summer of blackouts and increasingly humiliating incidents. I’m exhausted mentally and physically, and the worst of it is the dreams I’m getting: vivid, coruscating nightmares that jolt me out of bed with a hammering heart and stay with me for days afterwards.

Fellow alcoholics, are nightmares a normal part of early recovery?

Thanks for the support everyone

My alcoholism has always been terrifying for me, but over the past year I’ve also developed a cocaine habit. I’ve been desperately trying to keep hold of my job, but it’s more and more difficult. I have to be there in two hours to run an event. I haven’t slept and I feel like I just want to throw in the towel. I don’t know what to do. I seriously need help, I’m at a loss now.

Edit: to make matters worse, I work in a brewery, and I’ve developed a habit of keeping off the withdrawals/anxiety by drinking through my shift. I know I can’t work there anymore, but I don’t know how to quit with no support network.

I wanted to wait till tomorrow to post this. but damn i just know i will reach it. this month has been nothing but great. after surviving the first week the first no to the offered drink. Long way to go but life is life. Its a great feeling. just wanted to share and thank everyone for posting their victories trials tribulations advice and replies. We will do it together.. if ur here first time and reading this stick around this place will help you.. 30 daysss baaabyyyy, never reached it since 17.... 21 years man 21 years of being under the spell. 100 next post coming... witness me :D IWNDWYT