Negatives to drinking

[mollyka]

Negatives to drinking

Reasons to quit? All the above but big No. 1 I was going to loose my husband and maybe even my family. I KNEW that and still drank. 32 years of marriage and 4 wonderful kids, I KNEW what I was willing to loose for this monsterous addiction, I KNEW.

[Doggygirl]

Negatives to drinking

My top 10 things I hated about drinking:

10. Driving to a morning function knowing I would probably blow over the legal alcohol limit with yesterdays booze.
9. Pretending I remembered things that other people said I said, when I hadn't a clue.
8. Spending time each day making sure I had enough stock of booze to satisfy me (plus some extra) until the next shopping trip.
7. Lying about the stupidest stuff to enable my drinking and futile attempts to hide how much I was drinking, etc.
6. Hating myself.
5. Hating myself some more.
4. Blaming the entire universe for my problems and my miseries that I was actually responsible for.
3. Giving up on myself.
2. Treating my loved ones like crap.

Probably the biggest negative to drinking for me is that ultimately, it made me so depressed I literally so no reason to live and was seriously considering suicide. I even amassed a big enough collection of prescription pain killers and such to get the job done. I suppose that was my "bottom."

Boss man, that's interesting about the histamine thing. The last year of my drinking, I started having terrible alergy symptoms in the spring, and they never subsided until I went AF. I always sort of wondered "what happened to those alergies?" I think you just gave me the answer!

Boy I NEVER want to go back there again...EVER.

Shopping is infinitely more fun than drinking ever was.

DG

[KatieB]

Negatives to drinking

Hi DG,

I can definately relate to all the things you mention.. basically AL causes so much harm - psychologically, physically, financially, and socially.. especially to those of us with underlying issues/trauma's that have gone on in our lives..
I never want to go back to the way I was either.. jeez I have been such a mess! I never ever want to end up in hospital again due to AL/depression related issues.. I want to live and have a great life with my son!!

K xx

[KatieB]

Negatives to drinking

Hi all,
I noticed on another thread, someone posted about 'alcoholic dementia'.. I am a nurse, and when I was in training, I worked on a ward for people with gastro/abdominal organ medical problems.
Half the patients on this ward were alcoholic/ex-alcoholics.. these poor people sometimes had 'alcoholic encephalitis' - basically brain damage caused by alcohol.. one of the patients would not stay in bed, and we had to put mattresses on the floor around her bed as she kept jumping out and injuring herself.. these patients were often jaundiced (and had bright yellow skin, and yellow around the whites of the eyes) - caused by the liver cirrhosis or hepatitis.. Another health problem with liver damage is what is called 'ascities' - basically water/fluids emptying into the abdomen causing a huge belly (though the rest of the person's body was often skinny), and this had to be drained into a bag.. sometimes as much as 3L of fluid!
..but just seeing the damage the AL had done to these people's brains/mental functioning was awful.. I still remember this ward and those patient's to this day.. even though it was now around 9 years ago.. just another huge negative to drinking, and food for thought for those of us again who are tempted..
Temporary relief of anxiety/depression or just temporary fun is soooo not worth it! we need to find more fulfilling ways of enjoying our lives, that does not damage our health..
K xx

[sisley]

Negatives to drinking

Okay my biggest reason is to loose weight..I have gained 20lbs in the past 5years..and sometimes it even goes up to 25 after a wkend of heavy drinking and eating..I dont eat junk..not even candy (just started that since I gave up the AL)...I had a serious spine operation 4yrs ago and sort of blamed the weight gain on that, but know I shoulda taken it off by now.

Guilt...dont have that.
Remorse...dont have that.
Kids...dont have those.
Hangovers are far and few between..dont ususlly get them. just get tired.
I think weight loss..my health..and for my husband are my biggest reasons.

[sisley]

Negatives to drinking

Oh, I forgot also cuz I'd save money.

[Anotherday]

Negatives to drinking

I think, for me, if the loneliness and isolation I live are because of the AL, then this is my #1 negative.