How do you stop binge drinking

[finallyfree]

Any tips or advice on how I can stop or deal with my binge drinking???

[Guest]

How do you stop binge drinking

I was a "binge drinker" and as such saw myself as different from other alcoholics or daily drinkers. In fact I was no different - still had the same feelings etc and AL does effect you on your sober days, in fact for days after your binge. Binge drinking is a big con - it convinces you you must be ok because you can manage 2,3,5 even 7-10 days AF so of course you can drink again. You can't. In the end my drinking simply centred around long binges with 2-3 days off and sometimes a couple of weeks with just small 1 nighters in between. I was still dependent on it for living (or not living).

The only advice I have is not to pick up the first drink. Avoid anyone or anything that puts you at risk and don't look forward - instead do it ODAT.

[finallyfree]

How do you stop binge drinking

You mentioned something that I never thought about - I do think of myself as different from other drinkers because I only drink twice a week. But I am just the same because I do just about the same damage to my life as if I were drinking everyday!!!!

One positive I can find from this is that if I could go cold turkey during the week, I can do that on weekends as well - I just have to pray for the strenght.

[prancy]

How do you stop binge drinking

I too have the binge drinker profile. And I too thought of myself as different because I could go long period of either not drinking or not drinking to excess. But the thing with binger drinking is that it sneaks up on you. You are not intending to have a "binge" night but in my case, I would just be drinking with everyone else and then they would stop or slow down and I wouldn't and then it would be the next morning and there I would be. humiliated and feeling awful. Also, I found that I could not tolerate alcohol as much as other drinkers. Even if they drank the same amount, most of the time they remembered what they said and did the night before and even though they had hangovers, they could get on with their days. Not me, I would drink to cure the hangover and the embarrassment and anxiety created the night before. Sneaking a beer in the kitchen while everyone else was recovering with coffee.
My only solution and I have tried many is to not take the first drink. prancy

[finallyfree]

How do you stop binge drinking

Prancy,

I am always sneaking drinks and I hate myself for it. My husband would think I had 2 and I actually had 4....so far I havent been caught but I know if I keep it up I will get busted soon. I used to look forward to the weekends but now I am afraid because I always wake up feeling awful on Monday and swearing to myself I wont binge drink anymore - which never works.
So here I go again wishing that I have one sober weekend, but at least this time I have l-glut on my side and I pray for a miracle. One of my problems is that I will feel awful until like Wednesday and then Thursday the feeling would go away and I would look forward to having a drink and believe I can have just a few and stop.....its a vicious cycle with me.

[Meech]

How do you stop binge drinking

One is too many and 100 is not enough. I binge or I don't have any.

If in situations where I have only had 2 (perhaps at someone elses house where it's obvious everyone would know the number I drink), I am aching for more and actually want to go home where I can continue to drink as much as I want without others knowing.

Like many have posted - you just can't have the first. If you have been a binge drinker for a long time I really don't know how you can moderate. I think there's something different about binge drinkers for sure. They CAN'T QUIT after a few. I don't know how you can "learn" to moderate.

But that's just my opinion and my personal experience. Once I get a little buzz going there's no turning back. After 20 years I have finally accepted it. I just hope I can't stick to the AF.

[Cinders]

How do you stop binge drinking

ff,

Binge drinking is every bit as difficult to deal with as the everyday drinker.

You are right, too, it is just as harmful to the body and the soul.

You are the one who can create the miracle by your actions.

I am curious, does your husband drink? Would he consider not drinking, at least around you, and not having alcohol at home if you asked him?

Does your husband know you have a drinking problem or are you still able to hide it?

Cindi

[finallyfree]

How do you stop binge drinking

My husband does not drink at all and he does think that I drink too much but we have been through so many arguments that he totally gave up and said he is not telling me anything about my drinking again.

He doesnt know I want to stop or that I am trying not to drink on weekends because he would just listen to me and think "Here we go again with trying to stop drinking and it never works."

[gyco]

How do you stop binge drinking

hi finally,support is what u need,you found it,never forget that your very special,as far as yur hubby,this is about you, i wish u well gyco

[Guest]

How do you stop binge drinking

Unfortunately those around us do give up because it's hard work for them, and of course we give them the 'Cry Wolf' too often. Only natural and it isn't their fault. Finally my close ones are trusting and believing in me now but it took around 6-8 weeks AF for that to happen. It's one more thing I remind myself of whenever I'm tempted by AL, one more thing that now keeps me dry.

[Meech]

How do you stop binge drinking

FF, Ukblonde is totally right. How many times have we said it to ourselves. "I'm never drinking again." Loved ones have heard the cry wolfe too many times.

Proove it to yourself first. You can do this. There are so many here that will support you and we have all been or still dealing with binge drinking. Many of us here are succeeding when we almost gave up all hope. IT CAN HAPPEN. And if you believe it and start getting some good AF days under your belt your husband will start to regain faith in you and your sobriety and will be very proud.

Do it for yourself. You have it in you. You say you can go a bunch of days AF. Good. Perhaps make a goal that this weekend will be an AF weekend. Put a plan together especially around the "craving hours" to keep distracted. Eat, don't get to hungry, keep busy/distracted.

See where it leads you. Imagine waking up Saturday and Sunday fresh and ready to have a FULL energetic weekend. :l

[Guest]

How do you stop binge drinking

Meech;886921 wrote: FF, Ukblonde is totally right. How many times have we said it to ourselves. "I'm never drinking again." Loved ones have heard the cry wolfe too many times.

Proove it to yourself first. You can do this. There are so many here that will support you and we have all been or still dealing with binge drinking. Many of us here are succeeding when we almost gave up all hope. IT CAN HAPPEN. And if you believe it and start getting some good AF days under your belt your husband will start to regain faith in you and your sobriety and will be very proud.

Do it for yourself. You have it in you. You say you can go a bunch of days AF. Good. Perhaps make a goal that this weekend will be an AF weekend. Put a plan together especially around the "craving hours" to keep distracted. Eat, don't get to hungry, keep busy/distracted.

See where it leads you. Imagine waking up Saturday and Sunday fresh and ready to have a FULL energetic weekend. :l

I'm now amazed how much time I have and look back at all those weekends I wasted - all down the proverbial swanny with nothing to show for it.

[Boss.man]

How do you stop binge drinking

Back when I drank, I could say "I'm not drinking again" at least 10 times a day, until about 5pm, and then I'd have a drink from all the stress.

finallyfree I'm seeing three distinct questions here: 1) binge drinking, 2) drinking two days a week, and 3) husband response.

No 3 is easy. It's your journey. He's opted out. IMO that's good for you. It gives you space, which you will need. But the journey is yours and not his. He says he doesn't want the sidecar while you drive. I don't blame him.

No 1 is medium. IMO binge drinking is an emotional response to when you stop drinking. Drinks affect your emotional center. So when you stop, you gain an emotional attachment to drinks that tends to go overboard. Personally, I never had a problem drinking until I tried to stop drinking. Seriously and you can quote me on it. It's the process of stopping that brings around the emotional turmoil in response.

No 2 is, I think your real question. Is it ok to drink 2 days a week. Here's the answer. It doesn't matter how much you drink, or when, if it is a casual thing. If you get distracted, go to a movie, and forget to drink one night, then two, or maybe five, then you probably don't have a problem. If you break a sweat over going for one night overnight for a small trip, take special care to pack some extra booze "in case there's no store where we are going", or put a traveler (bottle) in your overnight bag, you probably have an emotional attachment to alcohol. That is what this site is for.

It can be done, to release your attachment. It's a two prong attack. For one, you need to get your body free enough to get a clear head. Alcohol is insidious because it mimics emotional affirmation chemicals. It doesn't just make you feel good. It shuts of your body's ability to maintain the brain chemicals that you need to feel good. That's why you feel empty between drinking sessions. While it boosts you for a time, the real impact of alcohol is to deprive your brain of good feeling for a longer time. Every drink causes an emotional hole that is bigger than the drink.

Your body is resilient. But it takes a couple weeks to bounce back. When you shut off the natural production of "feel good" chems for two days a week, it takes a good detox for your body to recover. That's why people recommend 30 days.

If you are a casual drinker, you can easily do it. Just plan a movie or other activity on your normal drinking night. Skip drinking. That's it. If you can do it four weeks in a row, then you don't have a problem. My spouse can do it. It drives me nuts to live with someone who can drink or not on any given night, and not show a bit of connection or depression. That's not me at all.

If your body has developed a lifetime urge to drink, there's no real reason to mourn. There are a lot worse problems in life. You could be missing an arm or a eye, lose a child, or care take a mentally unstable family member. Those are tough things. Drinking is easy in comparison.

First detox for a time. Second, address the long term issue that your emotional center got hooked. Once hooked, every time you stop it will leave a long-term hole in your emotions. Learn to fix the hole.

You can fix it with activities, interests, new habits, or new addictions. Some "healthy" replacement addictions include meditation, religion, exercise, mountain climbing. A new passion is a good replacement for that hole that gets left. Take your pick. All you need to do is get yourself distracted, so you don't drink, and then the same pieces fit in a brand new way, and you get the "Post drinking" you.

The Post-Drink me is still a pudgy nearly 50 year old male. But my days are 4 hours a day longer, I wake up clear eyed and ready. I exercise now and I'm way below blood pressure med zone which is great for my age. I like that. I'm sorry for all the time I missed over past time to contribute and participate with my family and friends. I'm really sorry for every family event I did where I wasn't fully present, because I can't get them back. Even after a year, my emotional pothole hole kills me at 5pm every day. It's like a pothole on a local street. But I know it's there and know how to drive around it. I dread and loath it. But when I get past it, every night, I realize the end result is a lot better than my old path.

This is all my opinion and I hope it helps. Good luck. I suspect your husband cares very deeply. It affects his life too.

[individualnz]

How do you stop binge drinking

Wow Boss.man, that was awesome and so right. You put it so well.

I'm a binge drinker, one is to many and 100 is not enough as what was said earlier. The thing with binging is that even though you may do it twice a week, as time goes by those AF gaps decrease as the beast takes hold, and your learned behavior amplifies, then before you know it you develop the habit of drinking daily! Bingeing is every bit as harm ful. I think Boss man sums it up very well.

You can do this, its the mind set we need to focus on

Regards Indy

[hazeleyes]

How do you stop binge drinking

Wow Bossman. Thank you, good job describing that...I thought you might be a scientist or have done a doctorite on the subject.

Thanks heaps
Keep sharing
Hazeleyes