need some advice

[crazygurl]

Hi all. I just logged onto this site and although I'm not an alcoholic I am feeling like I drink too much and it is starting to worry me. I am only 25 and now I drink a bottle of red or wine every other nite or so and then on the weekends I'll have one each night. This is starting to scare me becuase I know it's too much and although I can go for a few nights without it, and it's not like I get withdrawal symptoms from not having it, I still feel worried that I am heading down the path of addiction. I want to be able to just have a bottle of wine on the weekends or with friends once in awhile and cut back on the week nights but whenever I think "I won't have any tonight" at the end of a long day I just think "what the heck" and then I'll go get some. I have a pretty hectic lifestyle. I work fulltime and I have an 18 month old daughter as well to come home to (and wake up early in the morning with). So I guess I just really need some advice from you all. Where do I start? Should I just proclaim a detox and go without it for awhile? Anyone have any suggestions? Would love to hear from you. xoxoxox:thanks:

[Determinator]

need some advice

Hi Crazygurl and welcome to a fantastic community. I'd say try to go for 30 days home detox and then sort out your feelings with the AL totally out of your system. it certainly can't hurt! i wish I would have started taking my AL consumption seriously at your age....you are a wise 25 year old.
stay in touch ok?

[Cinders]

need some advice

Crazygurl,

:welcome:

I recommend you download RJ's book and read it. It has a story you should read and think about.

Alcohol sneaks up on you and if you are drinking daily it will tend to increase and then you are in a spiral down.

Good luck and good on you for caring enough about yourself now to see if you can halt it.

Cind
XXI

[Palatia]

need some advice

Hi crazy....

How thoughtful to be concerned about yourself at this point...

You should be... that's how I was in my twenties basically... or early thirties when my kids were not babies anymore.

I can only speak for my own experiences. Eventually.. I was drinking every night... Every night and would get up in the morning and say.. I don't want to drink tonight. Well.. it was inevitable that every night I did no matter what I said that morning.

If you can get control Now... god bless you... !! Be thankful you are mindful of what you're doing. If it continues and escalates... you could find yourself being one of the stories here.. They are almost all the same.

Now is a great time to monitor and do what you know is right...

:l

[livingfree]

need some advice

welcome

Awesome for you to get a grip on this at 25 years old! Like the others said .... if only I could have gotten a hold of this at 25 ...... You sound ready to take control! Good for you! :welcome:
Liv

[matthen]

need some advice

Hey Girl You're Not Crazy

you are just crazy like a fox. When I was 25 I probably drank like you, more or less. Unfortunately it took me years to ask the same questions you are asking today. By the time I took the issues you are raising seriously, I was totally hooked. And I have to admit that for me being totally hooked did not involve much more drinking than you are doing now. With all kindness, I would say that you may not be a physically addicted alcoholic (don't think I was) but it has its hooks in you and its a struggle to get them out.

So glad you are so aware. If you can, get away from it while you can. This site is great, so many of us care about you. And we will never accuse you or judge you -- no matter what the truth may be.

I am new here and appreciate hearing from you -- reminds me of me, years ago.:thanks:

[cke123]

need some advice

Hi CG!

I feel the same as you. I am 27 and don't "need" a drink every day, but when I do, I drink like a fish.

I have no real advice for you, as I cannot get a grip on my drinking, but I will say that taking a few days to detox and get your mind around things is crucial. Do you think you would be able to do 30 days? I never can, but I find that even a few days makes me feel better. Do you often regret things that you have done after drinking? Blackouts? Drunk dialing. LOL.
Kudzu helps me when I have cravings, you can find all the supps you need in the book. I always take them about 2 hours before Miller time, if not it will be too late and I will give in to the urge.

Sorry for rambling, hope to see you more!

E
I love this site...everyone is really supportive and always here for you no matter how often I post the same exact thing.

[crazygurl]

need some advice

Thank you everyone for your replies. You are all so honest and supportive, which is so great! Where I am at right now, I decided to do 30 days without drinking I went for two weeks fine, although I wanted wine on the weekends. But then the last week, I let myself have two glasses one night when my sister came over and then since then it's been off and on again. Now I am so annoyed with myself that I can't even go 30 days! Obviously there is a problem there. I woke up this morning upset that I drank Friday, Sat and Sunday. I'm going to try and pick up where I left off, and just start again this week. I am sure I can go it I just need to stay strong. I just want to prove to myself that I can do this and have a balance with this as well.

I have a question also, have any of you who went from drinking quite a bit to not drinking anything, when you started drinking again in moderation, did you find that you don't need as much or desire as much. Like I know when I first started drinking wine, after two glasses I would feel relaxed, but nowadays it seems to take me a whole bottle. I want to get back to that point where I can drink two glasses and feel relaxed. Has it happened to any of you, once you cut down?

Thank you all so much for your support! xoxoxox

Have a great week!!

[jupiter]

need some advice

hey cg
I wish i could say that after being af for 30 days when you do drink you don't need or desire as much. Based on only my experience a couple of little slippets turn into a full blown, ugly , drunk dialing , can't remember my name kind of night. So i suppose it depends on how much will power you have when you drink. For instance my husband can drink all evening but always knows he has things to do in the morning and will stop drinking. When i get to that wonderful horrible drunk i don't think the morning will ever get here and if it might well who cares as long as i can have another drink. Anyway that is only my experience.

[crazygurl]

need some advice

Yes it is true what you are talking about with that, Jupiter. It's like when I buy myself a bottle of wine and say I will just have two glasses and instead drink the whole thing. Whereas my bf can get himself a six pack of beers, have three one night and then the other three the next night and that's it for the week.

I think I want my alcohol tolerance level to go down again as now (from becoming used to drinking) it has gone up and I can handle so much more than before, which makes me want to drink more. But maybe that won't happen again.

Anyways, I am going to start on this 30 day thing again. I am so determined to do it. (Fingers crossed). I feel like an idiot that I haven't even been able to go for 30 days.

[FloridaBoy]

need some advice

crazygurl;313685 wrote: Thank you everyone for your replies. You are all so honest and supportive, which is so great! Where I am at right now, I decided to do 30 days without drinking I went for two weeks fine, although I wanted wine on the weekends. But then the last week, I let myself have two glasses one night when my sister came over and then since then it's been off and on again. Now I am so annoyed with myself that I can't even go 30 days! Obviously there is a problem there. I woke up this morning upset that I drank Friday, Sat and Sunday. I'm going to try and pick up where I left off, and just start again this week. I am sure I can go it I just need to stay strong. I just want to prove to myself that I can do this and have a balance with this as well.

I have a question also, have any of you who went from drinking quite a bit to not drinking anything, when you started drinking again in moderation, did you find that you don't need as much or desire as much. Like I know when I first started drinking wine, after two glasses I would feel relaxed, but nowadays it seems to take me a whole bottle. I want to get back to that point where I can drink two glasses and feel relaxed. Has it happened to any of you, once you cut down?
Thank you all so much for your support! xoxoxox

Have a great week!!

:welcome: I cannot do that maybe you can? You have to be honest with yourself and realize where you are at regarding AL.

[crazygurl]

need some advice

But that's just it. I don't know exactly where I am at or how far gone I am or if I'll be able to have it in moderation later down the line. I'm still confused about all of that. Sort of. It's like I don't know whether I can trust myself with having it in moderation. But then I don't know if I'm prepared to never drink again in my life. I'm still young and that's a big decision to make.

I probably need to sort through my own feelings regarding alcohol...right? Is it weird to not know what I want to do long-term in regards to it?

[panadol]

need some advice

Hi crazygurl and :welcome:
I can understand your confusion
and trepidation as I felt the same
when I started out too. Remember
that this is a journey for us all, it
will take some time to sort through
your feelings regarding alcohol and
there will be no quick, sure answers.
Read back on some old threads here
there is a wealth of information and you
are sure to find some truths that resonate
for you. Please dont feel shame - that is
so destructive, youve done so well to identify
that you may have a problem instead of
sticking your head in the sand. Maybe try
one day at a time, I find this helps. Forever
or even 30 days to start with can seem very
overwhelming. Try to think ok today I will
not drink and go from there. Theres heaps
of help here. Hang in there.:lPan

[Karl1981]

need some advice

hi there. well i didnt think i had a problem either. until (my ex left me) because she said i started drinking way too much, and became a completely different person. ( deep down inside i guess i knew it as well) and boy i hate myself for it.... i tried to cut down on our first break up and mod but it didnt work i just went back in to the same habit of drinking bottles of wine everynight. but. as you have probally read im going 30 days AF. and well i want to moderate.. im young like you. and well it would be hard to stop completely. im just like you i want to be able to have a few glass's every now and then. just not bottles every night..

My plan is not to drink Red wine to start with. if i go out im going to order something different. and well have a glass of tonic water between each drink. and well see how that goes..

I guess the only one who can answer both our questions(can i mod) is us.. im going to give it a go, and well see what happens.. you can only try.. im going to let my friends/family know and also the bar staff at my local know my planns. and if i get out of hand get them to remind me how bad the withdrawls were that i went through when i stopped completely..

I hope this kinda helps you out a little.. ill be updating, once my 30 days is up. and let you know how i go..

Just take one day at a time.. you don't seem to drink as much as i use to so it might be a little bit easyer on you regarding withdrawals ect.. i may be wrong though..

give it a go.. i have faith in you..
as others have said go one day at a time. if you slip up no big deal start again..
U cant fail if you never give up..

take care. and keep us updated on your progress/questions ect..

Good luck

Karl

[Guest]

need some advice

Hi there!
We all know what you are going through, more so when you have one thing planned and it completely bombs on you. You feel like you let yourself down and why not drink more? It's a vicious cycle. Having a toddler running around puts a lot of stress on you as well; I know that! It's hard running after a baby who never seems to tire. At all! At the end of the day when they are asleep all you want to do is kick back and enjoy that glass of red and just relax for a couple hours. Because before you know it you're up doing the same thing all over again.

You do need to find your comfort level with alcohol. If you feel that you are honestly drinking to much for your own comfort level; then you are. Right now I am trying to moderate, and somedays it much harder than others...

All we can do is try our best everyday and support eachother.

All the best,