going along with other people who are planning a night of drinking is a sure way to start drinking again
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I'm thinking that I'm going to quit drinking.
- Thread starter east85
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going along with other people who are planning a night of drinking is a sure way to start drinking again
I find this thread interesting because many people go through a coming of age phase regarding alcohol and it isn't NECESSARILY an indication of alcoholism or not. I didn't drink much in high school (literally less than 5 times). When I went to college I still didn't drink a LOT (frequently) but, pretty much every time I drank I drank to the point where I puked and was massively hung over. Probably like 90% of the times I drank in college my freshman and sophomore year I drank far too much.
By my Junior/Senior year I could drink a couple beers and be done. Now I overdo it maybe once year and have a minor hangover. A case where I had literally one too many (not 6 or 10 too many like college). I'm not an alcoholic and never was... but in college for a couple years I basically ONLY binge drank. So I think there's a danger in labeling based on a pattern over what is probably a short period of time.
OP, if you want to not be hung over and sick after drinking either drink a LOT less when you drink or stop drinking. If you don't think you can drink in lesser amounts that only leaves you one option.
I will say that binge drinking is NOT good but binge drinking in a college environment is not that uncommon. Doesn't make it good, or OK, but I think in THAT environment, the correlation to alcoholism isn't that strong. Most of my friends binge drank, maybe a few of them are alcoholics. The rest did it because of the environment. It didn't TURN them into alcoholics and I don't think it did in the cases of the individuals who are alcoholics. They were predisposed to being alcoholic and the college environment didn't make them that way. In most cases those people would have found alcohol and abused it through some other mechanism if they hadn't gone to college, hadn't lived in a dorm, hadn't been in a frat, etc. etc. etc.
By my Junior/Senior year I could drink a couple beers and be done. Now I overdo it maybe once year and have a minor hangover. A case where I had literally one too many (not 6 or 10 too many like college). I'm not an alcoholic and never was... but in college for a couple years I basically ONLY binge drank. So I think there's a danger in labeling based on a pattern over what is probably a short period of time.
OP, if you want to not be hung over and sick after drinking either drink a LOT less when you drink or stop drinking. If you don't think you can drink in lesser amounts that only leaves you one option.
I will say that binge drinking is NOT good but binge drinking in a college environment is not that uncommon. Doesn't make it good, or OK, but I think in THAT environment, the correlation to alcoholism isn't that strong. Most of my friends binge drank, maybe a few of them are alcoholics. The rest did it because of the environment. It didn't TURN them into alcoholics and I don't think it did in the cases of the individuals who are alcoholics. They were predisposed to being alcoholic and the college environment didn't make them that way. In most cases those people would have found alcohol and abused it through some other mechanism if they hadn't gone to college, hadn't lived in a dorm, hadn't been in a frat, etc. etc. etc.
Yes I room with 3 other people.
Some people can handle it better than others. I know there have been a few people who said they couldn't do it, a few people who could. So I think it's a risk, probably not really needed.
So what are you going to do when someone's story is different from how you think it should have been? Will you call them clueless and take the [s-word] on them for the terrible advice based on wrong experience? Quitting drinking by my own will (under similar circumstances), and without use of counsellors is exactly what I did 7-8 years ago. Like it or not. I cannot change my own story, nor do I have any reason to.
Oh, and to whoever down-voted aggie: thanks!
Just for the record, I attended Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. It consistently ranks as the Nation's top party school.
Party School Rankings
![athenshalloween.jpg]()
Halloween Riot at OU.
shinobi-81: Calm down. I was addressing -aggie-
Dale
Party School Rankings
Halloween Riot at OU.
shinobi-81: Calm down. I was addressing -aggie-
Dale
Excuse me, but since when does binge drinking equate alcoholism? AFAIK, alcoholism is when your body goes into long-lasting, life-threatening withdrawals so that you need medical supervision. And once you have recovered, you can never ever taste alcohol again, or you will be back at where you started.
So yes, alcoholism is absolutely a disesase. ANd although it's of course possible that OP is an alcoholic, there is very little information in this thread to back that up.
Then you should take it as a compliment that some people here don't believe you can quit from your own free will, because you did something they perceive as impossible. So what did you do then? Did you get help from God or what? You must have done something to quit drinking, and may I ask what happened with your social life?
More information regarding alcoholism: Mayo Clinic
This is a thread about excessive drinking. The term alcoholism will come up. I'm not calling anyone anything, only spreading info on the topic.
Dale
I just refrained from drinking, that's what I did. It was easier to stay away from the first glass than from the fourth one. I did go drinking beer with my friends to maintain my social life, but I stuck to beer with zero alcohol. My friends were a bit surprised at first, but I just told them I had an alcohol problem and that I had to stop drinking for a while. I had good friends who supported me on that. I realized that something was wrong when I became increasingly forgetful and even showed up intoxicated at my workplace.
Btw, I'm an atheist, so I had no gods to help me staying sober. But if someone else has, then it's good for them.
Socially binge drinking, I guess. Most of the people I drink with do the exact same thing (or I should say, used to), drink a lot. I can operate with memory loss a lot of times, so it's also possible that other drugs may have been involved that I don't remember (not that I make a habit out of these, it's just a possibility).
And as has been mentioned by Dale, OU is a pretty big party school. Either way I'm glad I don't have to deal with doing things I don't recall any longer.
Oh and if you're referring to the whole weekend thing, friends stopped over and drank the day through with me, only to go to another party or bar the next day in the evening, pass out, and do it again. My phone was blowing up with people wanting to hang out/drink so.. yeah. I don't care though, it's behind me.
Which is why I wrote what I wrote in the beginning of this thread. From the OP, the signs are all there that point to alcoholism.
Last post in this increasingly frustrating thread to clear up some things.
I stated the OP had signs of alcoholism. I can't know for sure, but I did say to get help. He's ignoring that and going it alone. From the original post that doesn't sound wise. I'm just going by what he wrote.
Did I ever say that you can't quit via willpower and control? No. However, if someone is coming in here asking for advice, the best advice is not to control it. Can someone control it? Sure. Do people just quit with no help? Sure. Is that the best advice? No. What I wrote has a proven track record. Those are just facts.
More facts: Alcoholism is a disease. You CAN be born with it. Saying otherwise is ridiculously wrong and "clueless." The fact is if you have an alcoholic parent, the odds are 1 in 4 (from last I remember) that you've had the gene passed on to you. It would be nice if when giving advice people just didn't post what they think, especially in such an important issue. This isn't about what's the next best MBP to buy. Anyway, alcoholism is hereditary. I never said environment and peer pressure don't cause it. I said that's not the only cause or probably the cause. Without knowing more of the history of the OP, no one can answer that for sure.
More facts: Alcoholism IS NOT "when your body goes into long-lasting, life-threatening withdrawals so that you need medical supervision." Someone has seen too many movies or watched too much TV. Alcoholism is being powerless over alcohol. It's not being able to stop when you want to over and over and over again. It's finding your life has become unmanageable. It's NOT drinking everyday. It's NOT drinking in the morning. It's NOT having withdrawals or any of the stuff people commonly think. Do some that are alcoholics have those kind of episodes. Sure. It's not what an alcoholic is though.
Back to those who have quit by sheer willpower. That's great. It'll be great if the OP can do the same. But the odds are not in his favor. AA just works and is the proven method with the least relapses. Just more facts. if the OP had no problems with control, then he never would've been posting this thread. However, maybe he's got the message and he'll be fine. Anyway, I never said someone couldn't just quit.
BTW, when I quit, my counselor told me I'd be back drinking within a year. That was 30 years ago. I was pretty irritated that he told me that, and was determined to prove him wrong. So in some way that probably helped me. So, if my posting my doubts about the OP continuing down the road he's chosen actually helps him to continue not drinking, that's a win IMO.
Finally, I really don't like sharing my personal life on here, but in this case I thought it warranted it. Like I said, this isn't about what's the best Mac to buy. Anyway, I'll probably delete all these posts after awhile goes by, so those who don't like what I wrote won't have to worry about it much longer.
I also went to one of the schools that is on the 2012 list and has been on most years around the time I was there and since. Obviously that informs my opinion on college drinking culture.
For the OP, when drinking consists of getting drunk on your ass, it is time to stop or adjust if you have the discipline. I drink beer, having 1-3 beers a month, one on each occasion. I enjoy the taste and because I drink infrequently actually get a slight buzz. 
Like shinobi-81, I just stopped picking up the glass or opening the bottle, although I didn't do zero-alcohol drinks. I also did it without help or significant struggle, but I recognize that that's very unusual. I don't puff myself up about it (and neither dies shinobi-81, as far as I can tell). It just worked out that way for me. For me, it was as though a switch had been flipped -- that sudden, and that absolute.
Still got a keg in my closet, doesn't mean I don't enjoy it when I have friends over!
No, that's delirium tremens. A lethal condition that you can obtain during your years as a college student if you drink enough and then go cold turkey. Yes, mainly alcoholics suffer from it, but apparently you don't have to be an alcoholic to binge drink regularly for years...
