Hi all,
Been drinking practically every night for six years. Always used to manage within the range of two bottles of wine in the past, though have recently gone 'down' to five 500ml 5% cans of lager and 3 glasses of wine per night (people keep telling me that's a LOT but it doesn't seem that much to me???) I never feel addicted to it....it's just I REALLY LIKE it, and I like the comfort and avoidance of the routine.
Anyway, I know it's affecting everything, I have a 'routine' rather than cravings, I drink more to blot out the things i need to do, things that I aren't confident about, to block out anxiety, to block out prostatitis pain, to WEE normally(!) In a couple of hours, I'll be medicated, I'll have my daily, 2-hour blast of euphoria (then wake up to a hellsih day of pain n' stress tomorrow). Trouble is, it's starting to catch up with me, my once youthful looks are rapidly going ruddy and grey and my health is finally starting to suffer.
The prostatitis issue is complex because I aren't tolerating the meds. I started a batch of Cipro and it sent me psychotic, CRAZY akathisia, ever-increasing tremors, I was paralysed by madness, depression and insane anxiety, it's knocked me for six. The only thing that was saving me WAS the beer. Couldn't finish the 28-day course of tablets, did about 7 days and it was too much, still took a good fortnight for the mental effects to simmer down (a tad).
In amongst all this, I've managed to get myself into a 4-week patch of sick leave and haven't really resolved anything, in fact I've gone a bit insane. Initially went on the sick just with pain, stayed on the sick and have gone nuts and have also been dosed up on SSRIs and beta-blockers(!) My job is low-level and if I lose it through stress, then I'm sodded.
What I'm wondering is: I've switched to a new doctor and had an initial check-up this morning (BP was fine, urine test was all clear), where she asked me a question about my drinking, so I told her the honest truth that it was between 6/7 cans every night (didn't mention the wine) and she was taken aback.
So I'm kinda trapped now, I'm definitely gonna have to knock it on the head, at least for a fair amount of time. The doc will now know about my drinking and I'm sure the doc will insist I cut down/quit, otherwise they won't want to treat me. Then, I'll obviously have to go back on the antibiotics. And, if they work well, I can get back into 'work mode', it's just I feel I've floated so far from that person I was in the last 4 weeks, I'm getting worried that I'm not the man I was, I'm pretty nervous about re-entering that world yet it would the very best option available, in the long run.
The amount of alcohol I'm drinking, is it low enough to cold turkey off? I'm also being quite stupid, as I'm drinking the same amount post-SSRI and beta-blocker as before I first took them. Is it really that much? Five cans of Holsten Pils/Old Speckled Hen and three glasses of strong Hardys red per eve...?
Sorry if this was a bit long! :new:
Been drinking practically every night for six years. Always used to manage within the range of two bottles of wine in the past, though have recently gone 'down' to five 500ml 5% cans of lager and 3 glasses of wine per night (people keep telling me that's a LOT but it doesn't seem that much to me???) I never feel addicted to it....it's just I REALLY LIKE it, and I like the comfort and avoidance of the routine.
Anyway, I know it's affecting everything, I have a 'routine' rather than cravings, I drink more to blot out the things i need to do, things that I aren't confident about, to block out anxiety, to block out prostatitis pain, to WEE normally(!) In a couple of hours, I'll be medicated, I'll have my daily, 2-hour blast of euphoria (then wake up to a hellsih day of pain n' stress tomorrow). Trouble is, it's starting to catch up with me, my once youthful looks are rapidly going ruddy and grey and my health is finally starting to suffer.
The prostatitis issue is complex because I aren't tolerating the meds. I started a batch of Cipro and it sent me psychotic, CRAZY akathisia, ever-increasing tremors, I was paralysed by madness, depression and insane anxiety, it's knocked me for six. The only thing that was saving me WAS the beer. Couldn't finish the 28-day course of tablets, did about 7 days and it was too much, still took a good fortnight for the mental effects to simmer down (a tad).
In amongst all this, I've managed to get myself into a 4-week patch of sick leave and haven't really resolved anything, in fact I've gone a bit insane. Initially went on the sick just with pain, stayed on the sick and have gone nuts and have also been dosed up on SSRIs and beta-blockers(!) My job is low-level and if I lose it through stress, then I'm sodded.
What I'm wondering is: I've switched to a new doctor and had an initial check-up this morning (BP was fine, urine test was all clear), where she asked me a question about my drinking, so I told her the honest truth that it was between 6/7 cans every night (didn't mention the wine) and she was taken aback.
So I'm kinda trapped now, I'm definitely gonna have to knock it on the head, at least for a fair amount of time. The doc will now know about my drinking and I'm sure the doc will insist I cut down/quit, otherwise they won't want to treat me. Then, I'll obviously have to go back on the antibiotics. And, if they work well, I can get back into 'work mode', it's just I feel I've floated so far from that person I was in the last 4 weeks, I'm getting worried that I'm not the man I was, I'm pretty nervous about re-entering that world yet it would the very best option available, in the long run.
The amount of alcohol I'm drinking, is it low enough to cold turkey off? I'm also being quite stupid, as I'm drinking the same amount post-SSRI and beta-blocker as before I first took them. Is it really that much? Five cans of Holsten Pils/Old Speckled Hen and three glasses of strong Hardys red per eve...?
Sorry if this was a bit long! :new:
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