I drink too much

Hello,

 

Not sure if I should post this here, or under "anxiety". I think i'm drinking too much, and for the wrong reasons. I drink to become loose. Ofcourse I realize that many people drink to get a bit loosened up, but I usually have to go to the point where I forget about things.

 

If I drink less I can't be myself. That is pathetic. I'd rather run a marathon instead of being social without alcohol. Since I have stopped using benzo's, I use more alcohol. I'm not physically addicted but it cannot be healthy anymore.

 

Is this familiar to any of you guys?

Hi,

 

First, could you elaborate on your situation? Are you on or off benzos? It would really help if you Create a Signature.

 

Hello,

 

Not sure if I should post this here, or under "anxiety". I think i'm drinking too much, and for the wrong reasons. I drink to become loose. Ofcourse I realize that many people drink to get a bit loosened up, but I usually have to go to the point where I forget about things.

 

If I drink less I can't be myself. That is pathetic. I'd rather run a marathon instead of being social without alcohol. Since I have stopped using benzo's, I use more alcohol. I'm not physically addicted but it cannot be healthy anymore.

 

Is this familiar to any of you guys?

 

Not to be disrespectful but shouldn't this be enough?

 

Hi,

 

First, could you elaborate on your situation? Are you on or off benzos? It would really help if you Create a Signature.

 

 

I'm sorry but what does "elaborate" mean? :+

 

And I will think of getting a signature. Or is that a requirement of this forum?

elaborate means explain a bit more.. Simply said.

Signatures help other buddies to see what benzo you are or were on and will allow for them to give you more specific advice and support.

Some benzo's can be really, really bad with alcohol.

You will simply get more responses and support in general if you would create a signature, so,people get to know you and your situation.

 

Hope you're doing okay,

Moo

 

( jeweetwel  )

 

How long you have been off benzodiazepines would be very helpful. Having a signature is not a "requirement"  but helps members better understand your journey of when your use started and ended.

I was somewhat the same - at least at social events.  I seemed to want to loosen up a bit, and alcohol was my way to do that.  I didn't drink very often - maybe only a few times a month, but I could really put it down.  I can't drink like that anymore - at least not yet.  More than two IPAs (three regular beers) messes me up, and two isn't enough to loosen me up.  On the good side, it's forced me to learn to be sociable while sober.  It was a crutch, but I'm learning that I don't really need it.  I now drink purely for the taste of the beer (or scotch or wine).  I imagine that it's healthier in the long run.

 

fwiw - drinking mass quantities of alcohol isn't recommended when you take (or stop taking) benzos. 

alcohol and benzos affect the same receptors.  It sounds like you are replacing benzos with alcohol. They call benzos "alcohol in a pill" It may be you are experiencing w/d but are trying to stop it with alcohol.

I think people dependent on benzodiazepines often run into trouble with alcohol, and vice versa. The two are definitely related in my story! I became dependent on alcohol and I used alcohol in much the ways you describe. It happened really quickly - from about 2007 to 2011 I went from being a "social" drinker to someone with a major problem (and a lot of attendant life problems!).

 

I don't know what your journey will be like but you asked, "Is this familiar to any of you guys?" and in my case - YES!

 

The best of luck to you!

Hello,

 

Not sure if I should post this here, or under "anxiety". I think i'm drinking too much, and for the wrong reasons. I drink to become loose. Ofcourse I realize that many people drink to get a bit loosened up, but I usually have to go to the point where I forget about things.

 

If I drink less I can't be myself. That is pathetic. I'd rather run a marathon instead of being social without alcohol. Since I have stopped using benzo's, I use more alcohol. I'm not physically addicted but it cannot be healthy anymore.

 

Is this familiar to any of you guys?

 

Paul,

 

I have a similar problem. The buddies here are more worried about alcohol combined with benzos or benzo withdrawal. I read your first post but probably not everyone did, that is why they are asking you about a " signature" with your benzo intake details.

Please keep posting. You are not alone.

Paul,

 

I am in the same boat as you. My drinking exploded about a year ago after a messy break-up with my ex. For a year solid, I drank every night to sleep, eventually found myself getting drunk often during the day (i'm unemployed).

 

It's a dark road, and being on benzos or in my case, withdrawing, makes it even worse. 

 

Last week I ended up drinking to oblivion to cope with my c/t and a dear friend I pushed away while drunk.

 

*sigh* everything is a mess.

I drank too much before I c/t. In the beginning I thought I could drink away the w/d but it only got worse and worse. Then I had to admit drinking was a problem and sober up. Now I get two beers a day and that's it, anymore and I am in a world of hurt. Yeah it sucks, I miss my beer and whiskey buzz. Try slowly tapering off booze, you can do it.

Thank you for your replies, it sure means a lot to me. Really does! (!!!)

 

(Where I said to someone of this forum earlier this week that I was fixed, I now tell you that I feel socially handicapped again. I notice that the time between those 2 extremes are getting longer. So I indeed am getting better. I also feel that when I feel down, I feel less down then when I was on medication. It doesn't feel like an endless road like it did before.)

 

About the drinking...

This evening I was social when only have had 1 beer. I cherrish this só much!

But there is also another reason why I keep drinking. I tried to ignore it for so long that I eventually forgot. But when I get sober again, I feel sad again. Like now. So I guess I should stop drinking for a long time.

 

Monday I used some other kind of drug, which is legal in the Netherlands but which I probably cannot talk about right here. It made me feel nothing, which was good.

 

Typing this makes me realize that I'm not over this shit yet. **sighs**.... I just wish I could live in a monistary for a few months.

You can talk about legal drugs, so if 'that drug' is legal where you live, feel free to talk about it (I do).

OP it sounds like you have substance abuse issues.

Alcohol is my demon, too I take antabuse sometimes to make SURE that I don't drink. It doesn't solve any underlying issues of course, but at least it keeps me sober for long enough that my head clears and I can begin to think about what those underlying issues are.

Thank you for your replies, it sure means a lot to me. Really does! (!!!)

 

(Where I said to someone of this forum earlier this week that I was fixed, I now tell you that I feel socially handicapped again. I notice that the time between those 2 extremes are getting longer. So I indeed am getting better. I also feel that when I feel down, I feel less down then when I was on medication. It doesn't feel like an endless road like it did before.)

 

About the drinking...

This evening I was social when only have had 1 beer. I cherrish this só much!

But there is also another reason why I keep drinking. I tried to ignore it for so long that I eventually forgot. But when I get sober again, I feel sad again. Like now. So I guess I should stop drinking for a long time.

 

Monday I used some other kind of drug, which is legal in the Netherlands but which I probably cannot talk about right here. It made me feel nothing, which was good.

 

Typing this makes me realize that I'm not over this shit yet. **sighs**.... I just wish I could live in a monistary for a few months.

 

That "other" drug keeps me sober. Maybe others don't agree with it, but whatever. It's much easier on your brain than alcohol or benzos! I use it at night as a distraction to keep me from drinking. It was what helped me the most to stop drinking when I was a heavy drinker.

Can I have your autograph?

Thank you for all your replies.

 

My psychologist forbid me to use any alcohol, because I am working on my social anxiety issues and other fears. I now haven't had alcohol for 3 weeks. I know I should be doing it all for myself, not for somebody else, but it helps me to have promised to somebody (psychologist) that I will no longer drink alcohol.

Thank you for all your replies.

 

My psychologist forbid me to use any alcohol, because I am working on my social anxiety issues and other fears. I now haven't had alcohol for 3 weeks. I know I should be doing it all for myself, not for somebody else, but it helps me to have promised to somebody (psychologist) that I will no longer drink alcohol.

 

Good for you, Paul !

 

How are you feeling otherwise?

Take care ( of Gewoon DOEI  )

Moo

Thank you for all your replies.

 

My psychologist forbid me to use any alcohol, because I am working on my social anxiety issues and other fears. I now haven't had alcohol for 3 weeks. I know I should be doing it all for myself, not for somebody else, but it helps me to have promised to somebody (psychologist) that I will no longer drink alcohol.

 

Good for you, Paul !

 

How are you feeling otherwise?

Take care ( of Gewoon DOEI  )

Moo

 

To be honest, pretty crappy most of the time. But it's not as intense as when I was on benzo's.

 

Other things aren't as intense either. Like for example, I really loved some things which I still love, but the intensity of that feeling is less now. I also see that I behave differently than I did before. People haven't noticed it yet, but I think they will. This is because of stopping with both benzo's and alcohol.

 

I do take a little marihuana sometimes, which is legal in my country. (I heard someone say I could talk about this here, as long as it's legal in my own country?). It can take the sharp edges of some feelings, which is nice and I don't feel the need to take more and more.

 

Every once in a while I have to remember myself of the fact that benzo's don't make things better. I have even told my doctor that I don't want to take them anymore, because I feel so much better now. I wanted her to know that.

 

doei

Yeah drinking messes me up personally. I feel way better being completely sober and healthy. I've only dranken twice since I quit benzos about a year and a half or so ago, but both times I felt like crap afterwards. I've also tried to force myself to stay sober at like concerts and stuff or at places where a lot of other people are drinking, which made me kind of relearn how to function without any kind of crutch or anything, which feels nice. I know I used to drink a lot and be pretty dependent on it, so it just feels really good to be completely unreliant on it now honestly.