No posts about alcohol consumption on here?

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Replies

  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
    Check out the book "Under The Influence".
    13 years sober here :smiley:
  • Protranser
    Protranser Posts: 517 Member
    Lets hope these suggestions serve lurkers who may be negotiating their weekly alcohol consumption! The OP already did say he's not interested in changing his drinking patterns
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 17,956 Member
    edited February 2016
    You say you're not ready to stop yet. But the thing is, lots and lots of people who drink like you do won't just wake up one day and decide they're ready to stop. Because right now, it is "fun" (I use fun subjectively because, objectively, what you do doesn't sound fun). Usually, a great deal of the time, they stop (if they stop at all) when drinking like that causes something to go horribly wrong. And sometimes that horribly wrong can be fixed and/or recovered from, but many many times it can't. Many times it can kill or permanently damage you, or someone around you, or cause ruinous effects that will stain the rest of your life.

    Deciding to stop drinking like that doesn't come from a "meh, I'm not ready" point of view, it comes from a "what I'm doing it damaging and potentially very dangerous and the mature, adult thing to do would be to stop before it causes something disastrous". Because hindsight is a beyotch.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,886 Member
    I'd been a heavy drinker for about 15 years when I started taking yoga classes. I gradually lost the urge to self-medicate with alcohol. I also went to one or two each Smart Recovery and Rational Recovery meetings, which was a better fit for me than AA. I think yoga helped me not want and need to drink regularly and SR/RR helped me identify sabotaging thoughts that would have led me to drink episodically.

    Fast forward many years and now I can drink moderately. I had a few drinks during the Superbowl, which was the first time since before Christmas. (I realize this does not work for everyone and I'm certainly not encouraging people who are successful with sobriety to experiment with this. I wanted to point out that for some people it doesn't have to be an all or nothing thing.)

    I am much happier now than I was 20 years ago when alcohol controlled me and my social life revolved around drunken stupidity.
  • Splitbygreg
    Splitbygreg Posts: 133 Member
    Protranser wrote: »
    Lets hope these suggestions serve lurkers who may be negotiating their weekly alcohol consumption! The OP already did say he's not interested in changing his drinking patterns

    I said I didn't want to stop as I see no need to other than the fitness thing, which is purely aesthetic. Just was asking if anyone found greater success with drinking+fitness is all. This was never meant to be an alcoholic/living standard/true happiness post... I have plenty of fun and don't do any of these "destructive" things others have talked about. I will stop at some point. It would be cool to know the number of drinks it took to black out tho. Perhaps an experiment is called for
  • Splitbygreg
    Splitbygreg Posts: 133 Member
    Protranser wrote: »
    Lets hope these suggestions serve lurkers who may be negotiating their weekly alcohol consumption! The OP already did say he's not interested in changing his drinking patterns

    But yes haha. I hope it helps someone. Gave me some ideas on how to drink a bit healthier ha.
  • Calliope610
    Calliope610 Posts: 3,771 Member
    edited February 2016
    n/t
  • Splitbygreg
    Splitbygreg Posts: 133 Member
    AnvilHead wrote: »
    I can't really say anything that someone else hasn't said. I will however, offer my support. I quit drinking January 4th and haven't touched anything since. I had a pretty serious drinking habit (couple of bottles of vodka a week not including what I drank when I went out). It hasn't been easy, but it hasn't been as hard as I anticipated. I'm not saying I'll never drink again, but I won't drink until I feel I can do it in moderation.

    I sincerely wish you luck, alcohol is a mean b!tch.

    Yes but as most mean *kitten* they are a fun time if not in constant interaction with them.

    From reading your responses in this thread, all I see are attempts to rationalize what you're doing. You've said yourself that you're not ready to quit and if that's the case, nothing anybody says here is going to do any good or make any sense to you. Some people learn the easy way, some people learn the hard way, some people never learn.

    I again have created a confusing post I think. I was more or less looking for ways to drink and not gain "as much" body fat or lose "as much" muscle. I have gotten some valid ideas here on how to do that...don't know if they will work or not but I'm down to try and see....I think some peeps assumed that I thought I had some sort of problem and wanted to rid myself completely of the Devils sauce which was not my intention, still cool of everyone to help out tho and offer opinions. Interesting stuff.
  • Splitbygreg
    Splitbygreg Posts: 133 Member
    Am I the only one who blacks out each Friday, Saturday, and Sunday? This of course ruining everything I've done in the gym and the kitchen for the last 6 days? Any pointers, tips, ideas, etc?

    AA?

    Haha thanks homie.
  • Splitbygreg
    Splitbygreg Posts: 133 Member
    elphie754 wrote: »
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    Look at what you wrote

    You think that's normal?

    Well normal is an awfully relative idea. If it's something one has done every weekend for as long as he/she can recall would u say that it's normal? As normal as taking a shower if it's part of your routine, right?

    By this logic-the heroin addict who is homeless due to his addiction is normal because it is normal for him to be chasing that high/spending money on drugs instead of a home.


    Binge drinking can be a symptom of alcoholism. The fact that you say you CANT stop is indicative of it being a huge problem. It took a family member of mine 2 DUIs, a failed marriage and the state taking his children to realize that his binge drinking was an issue. He only drank on days off and for the most part held down a full time job. But when he drank, he would black out and was irresponsible. It got to the point his job let him go because of his second DUI.

    Alcoholism is much more than just drinking everyday.

    Gotcha. That is rough. And agreed that it involves more than consistency. I can't stop cause I can't gage when I'm drunk. I'm just sober and then the blackout. Meh idk momma try the set limit preload thing. This is more about diet than responsibility or growing up or whatever. Oh and no kids or family (blacking out around kids would not be cool mmmkay).
  • Splitbygreg
    Splitbygreg Posts: 133 Member
    By definition, you can't pre-log and out-exercise a blackout drinking binge- you're blacking out. Not only does that mean you're consuming far more calories than you can work off or "save" during the rest of the week to achieve that level of intoxication (especially if you've been doing this for a long time- it's likely you have a high tolerance and have to consume many more drinks than an alcohol-naive person to get the same symptoms of extreme intoxication). Who knows what else you're eating and drinking at the same time.

    That said? The weight loss aspect is only the tiniest drop in the bucket of why you should stop this. The damage you're doing to your body is real and may be permanent, and the sooner you stop the better, to say nothing of what you're likely doing to your relationships. I work in an ER and I treat both young people who are maimed or dying from their own drinking or the drunken idiocy of others, and people, often not much older, who are dying (in profoundly painful, ugly, pitiful ways- ever seen an alcoholic with the shakes and what looks like a six-month pregnant belly from ascites hanging off their skinny, stinky frame?) from the long-term consequences of alcohol abuse.

    Even if it feels normal to you, even if many people around you do it, binge drinking three days a week is absolutely alcohol abuse, and by persisting, you're on your way to cirrhosis, liver failure, malnutrition, gut bleeds, and brain damage sooner than you think, and hell, even the ever-present possibility of a fatal accident (fatal to you or someone else) during your next blackout. Are you cool with possibly dying every time you go on a binge? Because that happens. Every night, all over the world, people die of what you're doing. I'm one of the people who puts them in body bags and has to see their sobbing families.

    That the excess calories from this behavior will eventually make you fat is true, but that's so far down on the list of why this is a terrible idea.

    Heavy stuff. Yes I know alcohol can do more than just make one fat. My uncle actually had cirrhosis, liver failure and some sort of ulcers I think. He know doesn't drink or smoke. So yes I am aware it can be a gruesome thing. Thanks for sharing your stories tho. Sounds like you've seen some rough stuff
  • emaybe
    emaybe Posts: 187 Member
    Move out of the Midwest. All there is to do when it's this cold is drink.

    Or, just keep drinking. For as many anecdotal relatives that have died from drinking in this thread, I know ones that are still alive--and still drinking. Wisconsin blood, perhaps. Alcohol consumption, even out of hand alcohol consumption, isn't a death sentence--though it definitely has that potential. I barely even had hangovers at 26... now it's a two-day recovery minimum for that type of drinking--which is why I plan for the calorie intake and the hangover in advance. Took me years to figure that one out.

    Life is short. Yours may likely be shorter because you drink heavily. Figure out what's important to you and make your decisions from there.
  • Splitbygreg
    Splitbygreg Posts: 133 Member
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    Look at what you wrote

    You think that's normal?

    Well normal is an awfully relative idea. If it's something one has done every weekend for as long as he/she can recall would u say that it's normal? As normal as taking a shower if it's part of your routine, right?

    I'm guessing 'for as long as you can recall' is also a relative term in your case.

    Had to read this twice haha. Quite clever indeed.
  • Splitbygreg
    Splitbygreg Posts: 133 Member
    sanfromny wrote: »
    Yep...stay off the roads :/

    Always. You are safe.
  • Splitbygreg
    Splitbygreg Posts: 133 Member
    DYELB wrote: »
    lightweight


    Challenge accepted sire.
  • Splitbygreg
    Splitbygreg Posts: 133 Member
    emaybe wrote: »
    Move out of the Midwest. All there is to do when it's this cold is drink.

    Or, just keep drinking. For as many anecdotal relatives that have died from drinking in this thread, I know ones that are still alive--and still drinking. Wisconsin blood, perhaps. Alcohol consumption, even out of hand alcohol consumption, isn't a death sentence--though it definitely has that potential. I barely even had hangovers at 26... now it's a two-day recovery minimum for that type of drinking--which is why I plan for the calorie intake and the hangover in advance. Took me years to figure that one out.

    Life is short. Yours may likely be shorter because you drink heavily. Figure out what's important to you and make your decisions from there.

    That's the problem haha. Lived in Illinois and now Ohio. 4 months out of the year it's friggin Russia. Gah.
  • pie_eyes
    pie_eyes Posts: 12,965 Member
    I drink alot too, but I hardly black out
  • misskarne
    misskarne Posts: 1,767 Member
    You must have a pretty thick skull. Drinking to blackout? BAD. BAD, BAD, BAD, not good at all, not cool, not funny, not anything except BAD. Your liver? Probably already shot. Your brain cells? Dying.

    Come on, you're 26, you're supposed to have outgrown the idiot stage.
  • yourhiddengem
    yourhiddengem Posts: 171 Member
    edited February 2016
    "It would be cool to know the number of drinks it took to black out tho. Perhaps an experiment is called for"

    ^^^I find this concerning.

  • Splitbygreg
    Splitbygreg Posts: 133 Member
    misskarne wrote: »
    You must have a pretty thick skull. Drinking to blackout? BAD. BAD, BAD, BAD, not good at all, not cool, not funny, not anything except BAD. Your liver? Probably already shot. Your brain cells? Dying.

    Come on, you're 26, you're supposed to have outgrown the idiot stage.

    I still gots plenty off bran sells...No wet brain yet. I agree, blacking out, not the healthiest of things.