365 days without booze... join me?
Discussion
oceanview said:
Nearly 2 months for me now!!
It might not sound much but its transformed myself, particularly my mental health.... a little background....
I've always been prone to anxiety over certain things which in the past I have always tried to self medicate by drinking-often heavily, usually for a couple weeks until under control again....
Well, last summer, I got really panicky/anxious over some things in life and so hit the bottle- only this time, I couldn't stop. After a week, my family were so concerned, they booked me into the Priory. I remember the long journey there, vomiting in a bucket in the back of the car and realising id hit rock bottom.
I vaguely remember being told id been booked in just for the 5 day detox - no actual therapy as I found out- just keeping you away from booze and giving you Librium to calm you and lessen the withdrawl symptoms from the drink. (still costs £3750!!)
what a shock that place was to me! Bags searched and checked on every 15 minutes! Had to give a breath sample soon after arrival. This was at about 2.30pm and hadn't had a drink since about 9.00 that morning but still blew 89 ( legal limit 35)
A chap I met the next day ,blew 178 on arrival!
I had blood taken the next day, as they test your liver function and a couple of other things. I was crapping myself that my liver function was going to show damage but thank god it was only very slightly raised, which the doctor said was to be expected after a week of heavy drinking and that if I stayed off the booze it should lower naturally after about 10 days or so.
When I am well, I am really into healthy living- good food, lots of fruit/veg, various "superfoods" such as maca powder, spirila etc and I enjoy doing weights at the gym and hiking and generally being fit and strong, so I knew I was at risk of wrecking my health with the booze but the severe anxiety and need for more alcohol to control those horrible feelings became more important than being in great shape.
Back to the Priory and as I wasn't having any therapy , the days were very long and I wanted to be home.
The therapy detox programme lasts a month and costs £12500!!
I decided that I wasn't benefiting from the place now, so discharged myself after 4 days instead of 5 as I thought id cracked the booze thing now and id just book some counselling locally when I got back home.
The first thing I did when home was have a glass of wine which was obviously a mistake. Although I didn't drink anymore, id put alcohol back in my system again.
I wasn't drinking heavy but I was drinking to control anxiety again which the alcohol makes WORSE!
Got back to work again a week later but still had bad anxiety , I am now sure, that was made much worse with the drink.
The next bad thing to happen a couple of weeks after this, was on a day off work, I bought a small bottle of whisky and decided on the walk back from the shop , to go into a quiet field near home and drink most of it quickly to wipe out the anxiety. I must of passed out as the next thing I know, a couple of paramedics are shaking me to wake up. Some people must have seen me and thought I was ill/dead I presume!
Had a good few weeks after this just drinking lightly as Priory/paramedic thing had shocked me but really I should have tried harder to stop drinking completely as when iam still a little anxious even a small amount of alcohol , as I know now, intensifies the feelings.... as I was about to find out big time.
I had something happen in my life that ordinarily wouldn't have been a big deal and I could of dealt with it fine but as I was still in an anxious state, I hit the bottle hard one evening and into the early hours.
The next day, I felt really terrifyingly anxious and as I didn't feel drunk and thought I was safe to drive I decided I would drive up to the local hills and go and clear my head with a walk.
All was going well with the drive until, down a very narrow country road, what I thought was a dog ( actually a fox) ran out from the hedgerow and I instinctively swerved. I hit a big tree, bounced off that and semi overturned , landing on the opposite bank (road only about 8ft wide) and unable to get out as door was jammed against the high bank . Anyway, the nearby occupants of a house must have heard the bang and called the emergency services , probably because I couldn't get out straight away.
I got checked over by the ambulance crew ( I was unhurt) and then came the police with the breathtest- I failed.
A day in cells then, and the enormity of what I did hit me hard- and so it should of. Thank god no one else was involved.
So , so very ashamed and angry at myself for driving but, In the mental state I was in, I just didn't think that I would still be over the limit.
My day in court, crapping myself. Lost licence obviously, big fine. I am going to do the course and so will get my licence back this time next year hopefully.
I managed to keep my employment but have lost the position I was in and lost a large amount of salary.
In early February, with the support of my family and the determination to sort myself out, I ve stayed completely off drink.
I feel so, so much better and I am training hard at the gym as well as lots of cycling.
I actually have no desire to drink now, whatsoever and I am just enjoying feeling so alive and well and actually looking forward to things.
I know I could enjoy a couple drinks with mates and not have anymore now but, just don't want to do it at the moment.
I'll always be prone to anxiety but I a m determined not to use alcohol in the future, in the mistaken belief that it will help- it sure as hell doesn't and with me, puts me on a self-destruct mission!
I ve really waffled on here, so apologise for the long post but hope someone can take something from it.
This time last year, I did one of 6th gears supercar driving experiences- The Ferrari 458 Italia was my pick out of the six I drove. Just been watching the in-car vids taken that day- wish I could do it again this year!
Oceanview, great post and I can 100% associate with how you've been feeling. Not always a popular notion I realise, but have you considered any medication at all? I was prescribed a beta blocker, which pretty much killed the anxiety that led me to need to drink in the first place (most of the time). It has helped me hugely, could be worth exploring perhaps..?It might not sound much but its transformed myself, particularly my mental health.... a little background....
I've always been prone to anxiety over certain things which in the past I have always tried to self medicate by drinking-often heavily, usually for a couple weeks until under control again....
Well, last summer, I got really panicky/anxious over some things in life and so hit the bottle- only this time, I couldn't stop. After a week, my family were so concerned, they booked me into the Priory. I remember the long journey there, vomiting in a bucket in the back of the car and realising id hit rock bottom.
I vaguely remember being told id been booked in just for the 5 day detox - no actual therapy as I found out- just keeping you away from booze and giving you Librium to calm you and lessen the withdrawl symptoms from the drink. (still costs £3750!!)
what a shock that place was to me! Bags searched and checked on every 15 minutes! Had to give a breath sample soon after arrival. This was at about 2.30pm and hadn't had a drink since about 9.00 that morning but still blew 89 ( legal limit 35)
A chap I met the next day ,blew 178 on arrival!
I had blood taken the next day, as they test your liver function and a couple of other things. I was crapping myself that my liver function was going to show damage but thank god it was only very slightly raised, which the doctor said was to be expected after a week of heavy drinking and that if I stayed off the booze it should lower naturally after about 10 days or so.
When I am well, I am really into healthy living- good food, lots of fruit/veg, various "superfoods" such as maca powder, spirila etc and I enjoy doing weights at the gym and hiking and generally being fit and strong, so I knew I was at risk of wrecking my health with the booze but the severe anxiety and need for more alcohol to control those horrible feelings became more important than being in great shape.
Back to the Priory and as I wasn't having any therapy , the days were very long and I wanted to be home.
The therapy detox programme lasts a month and costs £12500!!
I decided that I wasn't benefiting from the place now, so discharged myself after 4 days instead of 5 as I thought id cracked the booze thing now and id just book some counselling locally when I got back home.
The first thing I did when home was have a glass of wine which was obviously a mistake. Although I didn't drink anymore, id put alcohol back in my system again.
I wasn't drinking heavy but I was drinking to control anxiety again which the alcohol makes WORSE!
Got back to work again a week later but still had bad anxiety , I am now sure, that was made much worse with the drink.
The next bad thing to happen a couple of weeks after this, was on a day off work, I bought a small bottle of whisky and decided on the walk back from the shop , to go into a quiet field near home and drink most of it quickly to wipe out the anxiety. I must of passed out as the next thing I know, a couple of paramedics are shaking me to wake up. Some people must have seen me and thought I was ill/dead I presume!
Had a good few weeks after this just drinking lightly as Priory/paramedic thing had shocked me but really I should have tried harder to stop drinking completely as when iam still a little anxious even a small amount of alcohol , as I know now, intensifies the feelings.... as I was about to find out big time.
I had something happen in my life that ordinarily wouldn't have been a big deal and I could of dealt with it fine but as I was still in an anxious state, I hit the bottle hard one evening and into the early hours.
The next day, I felt really terrifyingly anxious and as I didn't feel drunk and thought I was safe to drive I decided I would drive up to the local hills and go and clear my head with a walk.
All was going well with the drive until, down a very narrow country road, what I thought was a dog ( actually a fox) ran out from the hedgerow and I instinctively swerved. I hit a big tree, bounced off that and semi overturned , landing on the opposite bank (road only about 8ft wide) and unable to get out as door was jammed against the high bank . Anyway, the nearby occupants of a house must have heard the bang and called the emergency services , probably because I couldn't get out straight away.
I got checked over by the ambulance crew ( I was unhurt) and then came the police with the breathtest- I failed.
A day in cells then, and the enormity of what I did hit me hard- and so it should of. Thank god no one else was involved.
So , so very ashamed and angry at myself for driving but, In the mental state I was in, I just didn't think that I would still be over the limit.
My day in court, crapping myself. Lost licence obviously, big fine. I am going to do the course and so will get my licence back this time next year hopefully.
I managed to keep my employment but have lost the position I was in and lost a large amount of salary.
In early February, with the support of my family and the determination to sort myself out, I ve stayed completely off drink.
I feel so, so much better and I am training hard at the gym as well as lots of cycling.
I actually have no desire to drink now, whatsoever and I am just enjoying feeling so alive and well and actually looking forward to things.
I know I could enjoy a couple drinks with mates and not have anymore now but, just don't want to do it at the moment.
I'll always be prone to anxiety but I a m determined not to use alcohol in the future, in the mistaken belief that it will help- it sure as hell doesn't and with me, puts me on a self-destruct mission!
I ve really waffled on here, so apologise for the long post but hope someone can take something from it.
This time last year, I did one of 6th gears supercar driving experiences- The Ferrari 458 Italia was my pick out of the six I drove. Just been watching the in-car vids taken that day- wish I could do it again this year!
Edited by oceanview on Wednesday 1st April 23:15
Super Slo Mo said:
Yes, I suppose so. It won't boil off instantly, so if your cooking time is short, or you add it towards the end, then it's probably likely that there'll still be some alcohol content left in it.
This. Also, there's a danger that it triggers a 'taste' for proper booze which can wear you down in a surprisingly effective manner!I think I've had one small glass of champagne in the last two years so I'd say everything was under control. Somebody said to me that it's a sign of getting old when the most exciting thing that's been in your shot glasses in years is a boiled egg, I maintain it's a sign that you're on the pathway to becoming awesome.
Smitters said:
All very quiet on here - how are folks doing? Resisting the temptations of BBQs and summer sun?
About two and a half years in (as a direct result of this thread) and am confident I will never have another drink. I have found that any social event is just as much fun with a glass of fizzy water or lime and soda.Now it's been a while I can see that stopping drinking has been the catalyst for all sorts of positive changes for example using the extra money and time for exercise, reading and evening classes
I am far happier and more content now I don't drink - this thread has done me the world of good, literally life changing!
Now over 3 months . Not missing the booze one bit. Just realise even more now that alcohol was really bad news for me, causing anxiety, even though I couldn't/wouldn't acknowledge that before.
I am still really enjoying working-out hard again and lots of cycling as well- fitness levels right up there now.
I've had things happen recently that would have sent me into severe anxiety before (with an increase in drinking as well) but handled things better than I ever thought I could.
I wish id knocked the booze on the head years ago!
Best wishes to all.
I am still really enjoying working-out hard again and lots of cycling as well- fitness levels right up there now.
I've had things happen recently that would have sent me into severe anxiety before (with an increase in drinking as well) but handled things better than I ever thought I could.
I wish id knocked the booze on the head years ago!
Best wishes to all.
My wife and I tried last year to give up and made to till June before falling, spectacularly, off the wagon. What was scary was quite how quickly we slipped back in to our old ways even after 6 months off. My tolerance hadn't changed.
Start of this year we gave up again, but this time for good. Its been quite easy. Don't miss it all really. We watched that Horizon programme the other day about the twin Drs who did binge vs normal drinking. The results of that confirmed to us that giving up was definitely the right thing to do. The damage caused by binging was a lot and I was drinking a lot more than he was.
Start of this year we gave up again, but this time for good. Its been quite easy. Don't miss it all really. We watched that Horizon programme the other day about the twin Drs who did binge vs normal drinking. The results of that confirmed to us that giving up was definitely the right thing to do. The damage caused by binging was a lot and I was drinking a lot more than he was.
944fan said:
...We watched that Horizon programme the other day about the twin Drs who did binge vs normal drinking. The results of that confirmed to us that giving up was definitely the right thing to do. The damage caused by binging was a lot and I was drinking a lot more than he was.
Could you give a quick summary of what the results showed?
FreeLitres said:
944fan said:
...We watched that Horizon programme the other day about the twin Drs who did binge vs normal drinking. The results of that confirmed to us that giving up was definitely the right thing to do. The damage caused by binging was a lot and I was drinking a lot more than he was.
Could you give a quick summary of what the results showed?The main result of the test showed that actually the so called "safe" amount of 21 units per week may not be safe at all regardless of how you drink it.
The bit that really frightened me was when he was drinking all 21 units in one night he wore a sensor which measured his blood alcohol level. At one point he was so pissed he was knocking on the range of simply just dying because he was so pissed. I used to drink more than 21 units a day and more than one day a week.
So glad I quit. If I could just shift the little belly I will be quite the healthy chap.
944fan said:
So 2 twins had one month off booze then 1 of them spent 4 weeks drinking the recommended daily amount of 3 units each day. The other drank all 21 units in one night. They did various tests. A test of liver thickening (not a good thing) showed equal changes for both chaps. They tested the presence of certain inflammatory indicators that body gives off when it is really ill and these were elevated in both of them.
The main result of the test showed that actually the so called "safe" amount of 21 units per week may not be safe at all regardless of how you drink it.
The bit that really frightened me was when he was drinking all 21 units in one night he wore a sensor which measured his blood alcohol level. At one point he was so pissed he was knocking on the range of simply just dying because he was so pissed. I used to drink more than 21 units a day and more than one day a week.
So glad I quit. If I could just shift the little belly I will be quite the healthy chap.
Good summary.The main result of the test showed that actually the so called "safe" amount of 21 units per week may not be safe at all regardless of how you drink it.
The bit that really frightened me was when he was drinking all 21 units in one night he wore a sensor which measured his blood alcohol level. At one point he was so pissed he was knocking on the range of simply just dying because he was so pissed. I used to drink more than 21 units a day and more than one day a week.
So glad I quit. If I could just shift the little belly I will be quite the healthy chap.
Although the results of the thickening were similar the Dr's were still confident that binging had worse long term effects than the regular and small amounts.
I watched this last night (on iplayer).
Yet to be proven, but some trials on mice showed a protective effect of ethanol on furring of blood vessels.
It's likely to suggest a lower 'safe allowance' of 1 unit per day may be beneficial in some circumstances.
Whilst I'm no longer on the wagon I like a glass of wine every now and again. Most pubs and bars offer wine in 175ml and 250ml glasses which is typically over 2.3 units and 3.3 units respectively.
Whatever happened to the 'old' 125ml (or 4fl.oz) glass which would be about 1.5 units?
Yet to be proven, but some trials on mice showed a protective effect of ethanol on furring of blood vessels.
It's likely to suggest a lower 'safe allowance' of 1 unit per day may be beneficial in some circumstances.
Whilst I'm no longer on the wagon I like a glass of wine every now and again. Most pubs and bars offer wine in 175ml and 250ml glasses which is typically over 2.3 units and 3.3 units respectively.
Whatever happened to the 'old' 125ml (or 4fl.oz) glass which would be about 1.5 units?
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