Using alcohol to relax

[Chocolateislovely]

I think I may have a bit of a problem with alcohol. I am very anxious and stressed generally and I am drinking because it relaxes me and my attitude to alcohol is unhealthy. I mainly only drink because of the way it makes me feel, not because I particularly like the taste of it.

I know plenty of people have a glass of wine every night with dinner etc but I am not comfortable with it.

I usually drink about two bottles of wine over the weekend (3 or 4 nights) and try not to drink Monday to Thursday but tbh I sometimes have one glass now and then. But I am having that glass just to relax me. I find I am looking forward to Friday nights just so I have "permission" to crack open a bottle. I just like the way it makes me feel like my problems aren't so bad after all.

I never drink to the point that I am blind drunk. I know when to stop and never drink more than say one half to two thirds of a bottle on a "heavy" night. If I go out with the girls, quite rarely tbh, I never have more than 4 drinks over the course of the night and I alternate with soft drink.

If I have a drink during the week, I sometimes pour it into a little plastic cup so the kids and dh don't know. Not that dh would be bothered, but that to me is definitely an indication that things are bad .

I feel guilty about it as I know its not right but cannot admit to anyone that I have, or could develop, a problem.

I would appreciate any advice on what to do.

[toomanychins]

To make you feel better I drink a lot more than you and I've just started to think about to do something about it - you've reached the point of thinking it might not be good long before me, I wish I'd done something at your point X

Do you want to completely stop ?

[SarfEast1cated]

I was going to post something like this too - one bottle of Peroni each night - I look forward to it all day and love glugging it back when I get in from work, and love the muzzy feeling. I usually only ever have one though maybe have max two once a month. Is it too much?

[VulcanWoman]

I hope more people come along to help. I just wanted to say, my son can smell the fact I am drinking wine from the other side of the room, it will be noticeable on your breath too with regards to the plastic cup.

[counttotenandbreathe]

I came on to post almost exactly your post chocolate although I may have a bottle midweek too. I almost always regret drinking when I get in to bed and think that's it but by the next weekend I'm ready for my drink. I don't want to stop fully but really want to do something but have been here before and it's the same story always revert. I fid do dry January in 2015 and found my tolerance dropped massively so half bottle is really my limit whereas previously I could drink a bottle and be 'ok'. Maybe I'm just an all or nothing person. I have 3 dc and a stressful job so I like to wind down but genuinely feel I use wine as an excuse as actually it winds me up in the aftermath worrying about drinking!