Not really sure I should be here if I’m honest. I don’t think I’m an alcoholic but I feel as though I have an issue with alcohol but its more binge drinking than anything. I’ve managed to cut down and go weekdays without a drink but then on a Saturday I’ll have a full bottle (maybe more) of wine and a fair few whiskies. Once I start I don’t really stop until either I’ve ran out or I’m very drunk. I can’t just have one and stop, I drink to get drunk. I even find that I don’t really enjoy it anymore but still carry on. I sometimes catch myself on the sofa or at work thinking about drinking or using the excuse of being stressed at work to have a glass.
In the past I crept up to drinking most nights regularly.
Which is the reason for limiting it to the weekend, thinking that I could moderate. I’ve ended up just binging instead.
I’m a keen runner and training for another marathon. I want to improve my performance and stamina and drinking is gradually affecting this as well as my overall wellbeing. Waking up groggy is not what you need before a run!
I managed to stop for 3 weeks before but then convinced myself I can drink sensibly and went back to it. Its not easy when your partner likes a glass at the weekend!
Today I made the decision to go sober and downloaded the app which led me to this forum. I now know that moderation is not something I find easy with anything. I’m more of an "all or nothing " person.
Hi Ginge and welcome. I have found this forum very useful and supportive. You are definitely in the right place. You will find many us here who do not have an off switch when it comes to drinking. I think it is worth exploring this site and using the magnifying glass at the top to search topics. Stick around and best wishes for your recovery from binging and for your marathon training - impressive.
Hi and welcome! Another former binge drinker here, there are quite a few of us. I never called myself an alcoholic either but that isn’t really the important bit. We’re all here cos we want to be sober, regardless of where we are starting from
This is a good place to start for some helpful threads and to navigate the forum -
I have also added a ‘binge drinking’ tag to your post, click it and you will find other posts with the tag, some recent and some older, with lots of useful info.
Read around and I am sure you will find lots you can relate to!
Hi @Ginge
We’re glad your here. I wasn’t sure either if I was an alcoholic. I thought I was always pretty much a functional drinker. Every night. Then started in the afternoons. Then I was drinking at lunch, evening and night. And the hangovers and headaches I use to get. I just got tired of it. And ya know. I try to think of the last time I just had one drink . Never happened!!! I always had 2 or 3 or 5 or 10 or more. This is a great place for support.
These are my favorite 2 threads. I think the gratitude thread is my biggest tool and key to start out my day on a grateful footing.
And the check in thread is a nice place to keep accountable.
Hope to see you around.
Lots of wonderful people around here trying not to take that most important drink. The first one!! One day at a time.
Welcome to the Forum, glad you found your way here read as much as you can, it helped me so much in the early days!
I can really relate to not being sure if you should be here. I don’t really like to call myself an alcoholic and much like you, I was fine to go even weeks or months without. Fact is, I think about alcohol differently than a “normie” and my life is so much better without it, no question. For me, that’s enough of a reason to be sober and I don’t ask myself if I fit the “criteria” so much anymore … In my opinion it’s more of a spectrum anyway.
So know you are very welcome here and good job on reaching out!
Thanks Penguin and hi!
Its reassuring to know I’m not the only one with this kind of issue.
I think the test would be this weekend. I’m quite busy through the week so this helps to keep my mind focused. The weekend is often more relaxed so there’s more chance of falling off the wagon.
Welcome! Try mabe planning out your weekends with a full schedule or routine. I find if i keep myself busy and stick to the routine/plans ive made i dont even think about it.
Welcome aboard Ginge. I’m relatively new here myself but ST has been a massive help. This is my second month of sobriety and it was relatively straightforward until last weekend. I didn’t really have any plans for the weekend but I was feeling great. However, out of nowhere I found myself thinking about having a drink and that ‘one night would do no harm’ I thankfully didn’t and the lesson here is to keep busy and keep the mind active.
I can relate. It always helps me to make plans for the weekend, even if it’s just simple stuff like grocery shopping or stuff around the house … it doesn’t matter, just lay out a plan for those days and stick to it, I find that keeping busy like that leaves less room for getting bored and thinking about drinking you got this!
Makes you realise you’re not alone!
. Never happened!!! I always had 2 or 3 or 5 or 10 or more. This is a great place for support.
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you got this!