Hi all,
Do you ever wonder what got us to this point in our lives where alcohol has become so all consuming? I drank in my twenties and thirties a couple of times a month...socially, out on the weekends with friends, at house parties, picnics, etc...But I never thought about drinking at home by myself just to get drunk. Now I am (although not tonight). These last few years, I am thinking about drinking all the time...Should I drink tonight or not? Is my husband going to get upset with me? Will I have to wake up with a raging hangover? How much of this is affecting my kids, and on and on.
I've been thinking about this a lot. Life's circumstance changed who I was--divorce, raising my kids alone, money struggles, the awful dating scene, fear of growing old alone, remarriage that needs remodeling, and that blasted job that you have to go to every day even though its not nearly as satisfying as it used to be.
I'm not saying all of this simply to whine, rather to make a point. Maybe there are other ways that we can approach getting a handle on our drinking problems (in addition to the MYO program--which I fully support). Maybe we need to address the other dysfunctional aspects of our lives, (if in fact there are any). I feel like I'm rambling, but I think what I mean is we could try to fix other problems in our lives to alleviate stress and worry that untimately give of an excuse to slip up and drink too much.
I've just started counseling because of depression and stress related to all of the things I mentioned above. I first decided to go because of my drinking, but the more we talked, the more I thought maybe I should be targeting my trigger points for drinking. So for now, I'm focusing my energy on figuring out how to be less stressed at work. My counselor has given me a few suggestions and some of them have helped a bit. I'll keep working on this until I reached a point that I feel happy and fulfilled at work again.
After that, I will shift my energy to me and my husband...and the cycle repeats itself...If I am able to patch up and repair the faulty parts of my life--maybe, just maybe the drinking will become less and less of a compulsion. Alot of what prompted the change in my drinking habits in my forties were problems, challenges...If I can get a handle on those, the battle with the booze might resolve itself in a gentler way.
Just thoughts on my mind. Sorry to have gotten so long-winded. Are any of you in this self-anaysis stage where not only do you desperately want to stop drinking ridiculous amounts of alcohol, but you also what the rest of your life to feel like the perfect fit.
Thanks for listening.
Julie
Do you ever wonder what got us to this point in our lives where alcohol has become so all consuming? I drank in my twenties and thirties a couple of times a month...socially, out on the weekends with friends, at house parties, picnics, etc...But I never thought about drinking at home by myself just to get drunk. Now I am (although not tonight). These last few years, I am thinking about drinking all the time...Should I drink tonight or not? Is my husband going to get upset with me? Will I have to wake up with a raging hangover? How much of this is affecting my kids, and on and on.
I've been thinking about this a lot. Life's circumstance changed who I was--divorce, raising my kids alone, money struggles, the awful dating scene, fear of growing old alone, remarriage that needs remodeling, and that blasted job that you have to go to every day even though its not nearly as satisfying as it used to be.
I'm not saying all of this simply to whine, rather to make a point. Maybe there are other ways that we can approach getting a handle on our drinking problems (in addition to the MYO program--which I fully support). Maybe we need to address the other dysfunctional aspects of our lives, (if in fact there are any). I feel like I'm rambling, but I think what I mean is we could try to fix other problems in our lives to alleviate stress and worry that untimately give of an excuse to slip up and drink too much.
I've just started counseling because of depression and stress related to all of the things I mentioned above. I first decided to go because of my drinking, but the more we talked, the more I thought maybe I should be targeting my trigger points for drinking. So for now, I'm focusing my energy on figuring out how to be less stressed at work. My counselor has given me a few suggestions and some of them have helped a bit. I'll keep working on this until I reached a point that I feel happy and fulfilled at work again.
After that, I will shift my energy to me and my husband...and the cycle repeats itself...If I am able to patch up and repair the faulty parts of my life--maybe, just maybe the drinking will become less and less of a compulsion. Alot of what prompted the change in my drinking habits in my forties were problems, challenges...If I can get a handle on those, the battle with the booze might resolve itself in a gentler way.
Just thoughts on my mind. Sorry to have gotten so long-winded. Are any of you in this self-anaysis stage where not only do you desperately want to stop drinking ridiculous amounts of alcohol, but you also what the rest of your life to feel like the perfect fit.
Thanks for listening.
Julie
keep up the good work and love the philosophical ramblings anytime you get the chance.
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