Calling all Binge Drinkers

[Sunbeam]

I read a post last night from someone like me, but now I can't remember where so I'm starting this thread. I'm interested in connecting with those who often drink moderately (1-2 drinks), but periodically end up binging. Before coming here I was into a pretty regular habit of weekly binges. I have not gone off on a binge since January, but I am still looking to connect and find more strategies. I still feel like I could go off sometime. I have learned so much here and changed many bad patterns, but I still don't trust myself. Hello, anyone out there?

[CS04]

I could binge in 15 minutes. I was doing well AF. Hope you're still out there Sunbeam.

[vlad]

Hi, I'm one - I drink moderately, 1-2 drinks on a week day (I buy in only what I intend to drink that evening) - but have a tendency to binge especially if someone buys me a crate of beer or a bottle of vodka. Just drink it until its gone. I try to have no more than 4 drinks in one session on a weekend day.

[boozehag]

Me too - I would binge on wine and cigs ever 3/4 days - and I would keep going for 12 hours then crash. Recover (after 3 days or so) and repeat.... The days in between would be hungover, depressed, then hyper, then drinking etc. I have it under control now for almost 3 months but looking back I notice a few things. If I ate I would not binge drink and could just have a couple and stop - this would usually be by accident. If I got the drink into me first I wouldnt eat. If I drank and smoked on an empty stomach that would kick it off - rocket fuel to the brain. If I didnt smoke I wouldnt binge but I would always smoke so that only happened rarely. If I ran out of cigs I would stop drinking straight away and go to bed. Dont know what it all means yet but in my case getting rid of the cigs has really helped as there is very little desire for drink by itself.
BH (no more)

[vlad]

Sorry I never have just 1 drink on a weekday, it's always at least 2. I lied.

[Sunbeam]

CS04, I'm sorry I couldn't help you last night. I posted just before going to bed. I hope you're doing OK.

Yeah, lying (lieing?) is easier than the cold truth, even here where we share this problem. I went AF on the first try in Feb and March, had a couple of glasses of wine in April. Now I'm up to a rate of probably 4 glasses per week. I don't drink most days. My binges were mostly on Sunday afternoons. There is usually wine in the house, but my husband keeps it locked up (we both want it that way). He left town on a Sunday am, and I asked him to leave out a bottle because a friend of mine was maybe stopping by. I opened the bottle when I got home from church, and had consumed 3/4 of it by the time by the time she arrived. I just wish I could figure out why I am compelled this way. I also have had thoughts with increasing frequency of going to the store to buy a bottle of whatever. Many days I have no cravings, but some days they are really strong. So thank you for listening and all of your posts. I keep coming here and trying to figure this out. I don't feel I'm a heavy drinker, I just want this to be under control.

[Waves 2]

I can go months moderating and then suddenly for no apparent reason all goes to pot! And it's back to starting again

[endgame]

How do you define a binge? Is it 10+ drinks? Or 8+ drinks? What about 5 or 6?
For me, I hardly ever found myself with any big regrets when I stopped at 6. The problem, of course, is once you get there it usually leads to more. But, on the other hand, 1 or 2 drinks just seems like hardly drinking at all. For me that level of drinking is just a tease. I guess the question is, where do you draw the line and what can you realistically stick to?

[Sunbeam]

I guess it is all relative. I want to always control my drinking, every time (Who doesn't?). Relative to my new habits, 3/4 of a bottle of wine is a binge. I can't drink daily - I know that will lead to trouble for me. I would like to stick with 3-4 glasses per week. I know that is more moderate than most, but I am a small woman, and I don't think that any alcohol at all is healthy for me. So that is where I want to draw the line, but I am looking for more ideas to help me stick to that. I am just as worried about the increased thoughts about buying more alcohol as I am about the occasion when I drank more than I wanted. Maybe I will always be like Waves 2 describes, and will go off on a periodic binge, but I hope not. Just coming here and "talking" with others certainly helps.

[dove]

i have a problem with binge drinking and really want to get it under control too
those who have controled it for a while, what have been your strategies

thought of this stuff reading the above posts
in the u.s. binge drinking is defined as (no...i don't know who came up with this definition) 5 or more drinks in a sitting for a man and 4 or more in a sitting for a woman (a 'sitting' is, like, one evening - not one bar and go on to the next bar for another 'sitting')

according to recent health publications i have read, over one drink a night increases your health risks.....however, those who have ONLY ONE drink a night reap more health benefit than those who don't have any

for me, binging means when i wake up feeling shitty the next morning with or without blacking out the night before

dove