Struggling to keep drinking down

[hedgehog444]

Recently in the last few months I've noticed almost every night I feel like I HAVE to have a drink.
And it tends to turn into a lot of drinks to the point where I do get a bit drunk.

This is causing all sorts of issues. First i'm worried sick on whether it means I'm an alcoholic or not. this is not a term i want to be labelled as.

Second, i think the drive to work in the morning may be done while still over the limit. This is of course very dangerous. i lot of people probably do this - you think you feel fine and each morning i don't feel drunk but id be surprised if im actually under the limit.

It costs me a lot to buy all this alcohol. and im doing it all behind my mums back as well because if she knew all the alcohol i was consuming she'd no doubt go absolutely mad.

i dunno what to do. im scared to go doctors.

[Rivière]

Have you thought about why you feel you have to have a drink? Perhaps explore a bit as to why you're constantly feeling the need for alcohol is a good start in determining if you have an alcohol addition, or if the reason you're consuming so much is due to a deeper rooted reason.

[Mallika]

Hi there,

Thank you for reaching out! I'm sorry that you're going through such a tough time with this.

Habits can be really hard to break, but definitely not impossible. You're not alone in what you're going through - I have known many people who drank or smoke on a daily basis and felt miserable about it. But I also know how they strived to overcome these habits. I'll share a little something that might brighten you: where I live in Ireland, there are more quitters than smokers. Though for you it isn't about smoking, a similar thing can be said about alcohol: it is possible to break the shackles of being drawn to alcohol on a daily basis.

There are lots of self-help guides out there which might give you a great head-start in overcoming this. I've attached some here:
https://www.helpguide.org/articles/a...-addiction.htm
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/alcohol-support/
https://www.rethinkingdrinking.niaaa...-Quitting.aspx

The third link is quite interactive and allows you to fill in your own goals.

Which brings me to my next point - goals. It might be difficult to go cold turkey and stop drinking all of a sudden. You might want to have weekly goals. For example, try drinking every other day rather than daily first. After a week of doing this, try drinking only 2-3 times a week, and eventually bring it down to once a week, and subsequently once a fortnight, etc. You might want to get a diary to help you note these goals and your progress with them.

Finally, you might want to consider the consequences of drinking alcohol. Make a list of them. For example, it makes you feel lethargic, it affects your sleep and mood, it affects your performance the next day, etc. Try thinking through these consequences and what they mean for you. If you get convinced about the detrimental effects of alcohol consumption (I think you're already doing well with this one, or else you wouldn't have come to us here with this post!), it will make it easier for you to overcome this drinking issue.

I wish you the very best of luck with this! Remember that it will not be easy, but you need to keep going. The benefits of living alcohol-free (or a life with occasional alcohol) are worth all the pain.

Take care and feel free to DM me if you have any questions!

[Proud90sKid]

I am an alcoholic. I have had the same concerns that you have, but in the end for me I actually was an alcoholic. It isn’t something that I tell other people, I just say I’m not drinking because it doesn’t agree with me.Being an alcoholic doesn’t necessarily mean a lifetime of AA either... I never joined AA and never went to rehab. I don’t “ work my sobriety” like some people in those programs seemed obsessed with. I’ve been able to just become a non-drinker, not “former alcoholic” .

How long have you drank like this and how successful have your attempts to moderate been?In my case, I was never able to drink moderately for more than a few weeks ( and even then I would always get cravings for more alcohol that I had to almost constantly fight). I didn’t want to become a non- drinker, I wanted to be able to moderate- so I have years of attempts. No matter how much I wanted to stay moderate- that resolve just never stood the test of time no matter how I attempted it. I would slowly slip back. I tried drinking only with friends, I tried only buying what I wanted to drink for that night(and would then often just return to the store later for more), I have tried therapy, Etc. But in the end I realized moderation is just not a reasonable goal for me with my addictive personality. Have you ever been having a drink of alcohol and then just decided halfway through you didn’t want it (because that is something that alcoholics rarely do, but normal drinkers will frequently do). Do you feel a strong compulsion to get drunk by yourself after social functions where only one or two is acceptable?