alcohol cravings, alcohol problem?

[Paigef98]

I am 22 years old and have been drinking for 10 years now. I first got drunk when I was 12, and began binge drinking with friends age 12/13, as we had no alcohol tolerance we would get drunk off anything really fast. I then stopped for a while and started again age 16, binge drinking on vodka and spirits, getting myself in risky situations and in trouble at home. I would do this really often at least twice a week and get black out drunk. I then stopped for a while again and since being 18 and able to go out I would binge drink every weekend and even in the week. I was definitely drinking a lot more than the recommended and would get myself into risky situations. (problem drinking) I never felt dependant on it (meaning thinking I could just stop when I want) until where we are now :

so I am now 22, almost 23. I moved out with my boyfriend May 2020, and obviously as it was the middle of lockdown we were both at home drinking loads every night for a good while and I believe this is where I built up my tolerance.
I think in the last year I haven't been sober for more than a week. and now when I go out and drink, I can drink loads and loads (like 6 double gins) and not really feel it i do feel it but not like I used to. I can still get drunk but it takes a lot and alcohol sort of just makes me tired now rather than feeling the buzz (probably cos I have to drink so much??)

anyway, my problem now is the cravings and the wanting to drink in the week. my boyfriend doesn't want to drink in the week and neither do I really but it's more of a compulsion. when I'm at home in the evening and not drinking I feel bored
I am currently 4 days sober, and had cravings last night for alcohol and I know I'll probably have cravings again tonight I am trying to make it to two weeks sober and then we can go to the pub for a few, because I want to cut down a lot but I don't want to quit completely. I do not think I'm an alcoholic as it doesn't really interfere with my life, I can still hold down my job and do normal things, but I think I deffo drink far too much.

has anyone got any general advice and tips for dealing with cravings?? Xx

[Paigef98]

should probably also add I spent about £200 - £300 a month on alcohol, going to the pub, going out etc

[Paigef98]

anybody??

[Auroramx]

I was doing similar to what you're doing and I drank a lot from a young age also. I'm 24. I'm only just starting to get into a good habit.

I've seriously cut down because my skin got bad, I started gaining weight and also now I get severe anxiety even if it's just one or two drinks. I think the anxiety and depression it caused me actually has helped me see past the cravings tbh.

Having something else to focus on helps a lot such as gym? Gym classes or some sort of class you can take up or a hobby. I'm guessing your a student as you mentioned getting bored in the week?

[Auroramx]

Oh yeah I just saw you mentioned a job!

[Stuckhere2021]

Alcoholic is a bit of an old fashioned term - the terms alcohol dependent and alcohol abuse are better terms. It sounds like you are abusing alcohol as opposed to being (physically) dependent. So it’s more of an emotional dependency. The good news is if you are not physically dependent (drinking every day, drinking in the morning because you are having withdrawal symptoms) you should be able to stop/reduce your drinking with the help of support groups.

I’ve had some terrible problems with my own alcohol abuse and done some research on how it affects the brain. When you drink, your brain releases dopamine - the pleasure chemical. Your brain wants to keep receiving this to you get cravings. But you keep the dopamine pathways going even if you just have one drink which is why a period of total abstinence helps break the pleasure cycle. If you stand any chance of moderating, you need a period of abstinence - a few months if not more.

Good luck!

[Stuckhere2021]

• so you get cravings

[Usernameucreate]

Read ' This Naked Mind ' about alcohol.

[EssexSue]

This Naked mind is a great book - puts things in perspective

[EssexSue]

all so true , alcohol causes depression , backly affects our brain - its a poison - i will be sober 6 years in April 2022 - joined tribe sober & never looked back - they have amazing podcasts

[TwistedOlivers]

You either fully stop or you carry on
There is no middle ground
You're already counting down the days until your next drink so not fully on board with your promise of abstaining for that period
Maybe look into AA meetings? Not for everyone but it might be a good starting point
As for being bored in the evenings, find something to do with your hands. Crochet/knitting... get some 'Quit Lit' books which will give you a very good insight on how alcohol addiction works, because you are addicted, however much you think you aren't, you very much are
I've been tee total for 18 months after about 30 odf years of heavy drinking
You can and you will do it, you might have a couple of stumbles along the way but if you're voicing your concerns on how much you are drinking then you've made the first steps, hopefully, to recovery and never drinking again
I wish you luck ❤

[EssexSue]

alcoholic is such a negative word , there is nothing wrong with us - we get addicted to a socially acceptable drug - a drug that is designed to be addictive , woman are marketed to relentlessly - mummy juice , mummies need wine etc etc etc
many people become physically & emotionally addicted to alcohol - i agree - moderation is not an answer - its takes way more energy to try to control alcohol than to just stop completely - check out tribe sober

[JustJustWhy]

You can try sugar. I've not eaten a lot of sugar for years but when I stopped drinking my body absolutely craved sugar. I didn't mind eating bags and bags of sweets because they weren't going to make my liver pack up and the sugar cravings did stop eventually. I also found if I made it to a certain point of the night, the cravings went away. For me the "danger zone" was between about 1pm and 6pm so this is when I needed to keep myself the most occupied. Also do read quit lit so you can understand that the cravings, once you've stopped actually drinking, are mental, not physical so you can learn to recognise and counteract them.