Drinking at home alone

Hi all. Recently my drinking has escalated to the point where I’m drinking almost everyday after work i maybe don’t drink 1 day a week and sometimes I drink the full 7 days a week. It doesn’t seem to matter to me if I have home on my own i still do it anyway. I’m using it to relieve stress but now it’s escalated beyond all reason. I’ve gained loads of weight the past few years, I’m frequently in work hungover sometimes almost needing to go home it’s that bad. I dont want to do it but I have anxiety and it seems to be the only thing capable of temporarily dulling it. I’m spending all my spare and not spare cash on booze. All my friends drink and acquaintances too any social event is filled with alcohol. I feel like if I do quit completely I will have no social life and it’s allready very limited. But the main thing I would like to stop doing is getting drunk at home on my own. I need to stop. I feel so bad i cant even exercise anymore im almost constantly hungover. I cant believe it’s got this bad. It’s just so easy to go buy more alcohol sometimes im buying it twice a day. Is anyone else here drinking to relieve stress/anxiety? Im not drinking today but today I felt awful because of it I need to stop this.

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Hello,yes you described what a lot of people have gone through or are currently. You will have to go through some rough days to get to feeling better,but that’s how it is.Now is not the time to worry about the social life. You need to help yourself at this time. The sooner you start,the quicker you will feel better.

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Sounds very similar to me I appreciate your response. I think it has definately made me lose friends over the years and it’s time for me to wake up.

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Yes. I drank because of my anxiety and depression. I live alone and have no friends here. It has been tough but i am still holding strong. Day 15 today. You can do it too.

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I preferred to drink at home, away from people. Alcohol ran my life, I always made sure I had enough for my daily fix. I always drank after work to relieve stress; after all, I deserved it, right? I always had an excuse to drink. It took me years to admit to myself that I had a problem because I viewed alcoholics as people who drank all day and not just in the evening. I found out that I was a high functioning alcoholic. I often went to work hungover but no body knew. When drunk I would say hurtful things to my husband, turn into another person… The next day I was oblivious to it all because I couldn’t remember anything. I stopped once for about 3 weeks and felt cured. I quickly slipped back into my old habits drinking quite heavily. A 750ml bottle of rum would last about two days. I pleaded for help on a closed group Facebook page and out of all the ideas thrown at me by kind souls the Sobertime app seemed like the best fit for me. This forum has been my savior. I’m now 59 days alcohol free and so much happier. You can do this. The first week is grueling but if you stick with it, it gets easier. I don’t think the nagging little voice inside that says you want a drink ever truly goes away completely but with time it definitely gets less intense. Hugs! And hold tight!

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Oooooooooo. Big 60 days tomorrow eh??:grin:

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Omg this gave me the chills. I have very few friends in the state I currently live in. I have severe anxiety and even though I get medication for it, it doesn’t make me tired at all so I realized that after a few drinks, I’m more tired and sleep better. I’m a single mom of 1 child and work 6 days a week with no child support. I have been so embarrased by my past drunken nights with friends that for the past year or so, I won’t drink unless I’m alone. I don’t feel addicted to alcohol, I feel addicted to getting adequate sleep but can’t get good sleep without alcohol . If you find a solution let me know. In seeing my doc Friday and confessing to my drinking so he can help me with my sleep. Praying for you

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Hope the doctors goes well for you. I use it to help me sleep too so I know how that is. It’s like a vicious cycle though because I’m still super tired in the morning cause I’m hungover and then not eating properly. I’m trying not to drink for the next month it will be so hard but I really want to do it

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Thank you.Sounds super similar to me too i also kid myself im not an alcoholic because I don’t do it all day just after work. Congrats on your 59 days that’s super impressive. Day 2 for me today and allready feeling way better than normal. No hangover for work today!!!

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Well done @Mourning_sunshine, here you have a friendo,have a nice sober day

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You describe MANY people…you are not alone. I can promise you that in the long run people won’t care if you socialize alcohol free. Often I can go out and people just don’t notice. Go to the bar and get a coke and let people think it’s run and coke. They don’t need to know. And if you want REAL support, tell them. Tell them you are scared about your alcohol intake and would like to stop drinking to save your health. Tell them you would really like their support in this journey. If they don’t support you you know they are not real friends.

From what you describe you really do need to stop drinking. Your body cannot continue drinking this much. I know my body couldn’t.

:sparkling_heart::sparkling_heart::sparkling_heart::sparkling_heart:

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Theres a movie called "the truth about alcohol " which talks about how people use alcohol for sleep and they did a test and it showed that you actually dont sleep well from drinking you actually have very restless sleep. I had an issue with sleeping on top of drinking when I quit I took alcohol free zzquil or melatonin and also working out helped me sleep the best.

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It’s a crazy thing. The alcohol creates the anxiety you need to get rid of by drinking alcohol. Vicious cycle.The anxiety does subside after a few months. I used to have it so bad! It’s all but gone after 6 months. Stick with sobriety, promise you, it does get better!

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I have read a lot of articles that say alcohol induced sleep isn’t really sleep at all. To oversimplify it, your brain doesnt perform its “cleanup routine” while it is intoxicated.

One article said that a rule of thumb is that every hour of drunk sleep is worth about 30 minutes of sober sleep.

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I’ve found my worst sober sleep is better than my best drunk sleep, and I love me some sleep!

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I compare alcohol induced sleep to a coma. A black hole from which I had to crawl out in the morning without feeling rested at all. Just drugged. The same happened after smoking weed, or doing benzos or opiates.
I didn’t go to “sleep” sober and clean for close to 40 years. I’m still not totally used to the real sleep I experience now, consisting of alternating periods of deep sleep and lighter sleep, almost or totally waking up and falling asleep again, and lots of dreaming (especially dreaming!). All part of a healthy normal sleep that I messed up for decades by being under the influence going to sleep. I still don’t wake up totally rested every day. But it’s nothing compared to the feeling I woke up with in the past while I was still actively using.

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This sounds like me! I am a really nice person, but once I get drunk I can do all kinds of evil shit and not remember it.
Congrats on 60 days!!!

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Hello,
You have described… myself. I drank at home. Not a long time ago, just twenty seven days of sobriety.
You talk about anxiety, stress…, in my case any reason could be adequate. If I had stress I deserve the booze, If I was happy…I also serve the booze, If I was bored, just a bottle to make the time shorter.

As a result of this, no social life of course, hangovers at work, constant quarrels at home, two pairs of glasses broken and almost a Bon Scott episode (look for it in google).

I trying not to drink no matter the circumstances. There are no problems, just situations. Well, indeed, just there is a problem, and this is alcohol.

I am not the best one to give advice. But this experience accounted from my current sobriety I hope helps.

Good luck and trust in yourself!

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Hi, that post is from 4 years ago. I’m still sober too!!! YAY

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That is fantastic!! So happy for you!!!

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