Dh drank a whole bottle of whiskey

[howyoufeeling]

Seriously a whole bottle of Jameson.
Now dh is a good bloke, works his ass off in his own company, hands on dad, looks after us the best he can. He's got SADS, does every winter. He's upped his sertraline as recommended so waiting for that to take effect.
I took the little ones to bed last night and slept all night with them, he drank a whole bottle of whiskey. He didn't cause any trouble or anything you might expect from someone drinking that amount, wasn't sick or anything but couldn't get into bed as his head was spinning so slept downstairs. I've come down this morning and the whole bottle is gone.
Aibu or will this not fuck his liver ?! He's currently in bed dying, has work in a bit. Can't help but feel a little smug and so fucking grateful I don't feel how he does !!

Alcoholism is a long term chronic disease in which the person is addicted to the alcohol. If he was an alcoholic he wouldn’t just be drinking at the weekend because he wouldn’t be able to wait that long to get his ‘fix’. He would be drinking every day and in secret too. He would also be drinking increasing amounts of alcohol in order to get the same buzz and his life and health would be increasingly affected.

I think it’s more likely that his MH problems are at play here and the alcohol eases it. He’s on his way to becoming alcohol dependent though - this is where people can drink without becoming addicted to alcohol in the same way as an alcoholic and can more or less take it or leave it in normal circumstances. They tend to drink in times of high stress, so I’d say this is a red flag to get the underlying MH condition checked out and stop things from getting out of hand.

Many people are doing just that, and without the slightest clue as to what an alcoholic actually is. Just to be clear, I’m saying they shouldn’t. Alcoholism is a chronic and complex disease and to concentrate on his alcohol consumption alone would be risking missing the triggers of his MH condition worsening.

I've just googled Sertraline and alcohol:

• Avoid or limit alcohol use while taking sertraline
• If you plan to drink, discuss your plans with your healthcare provider
• If you have just started taking sertraline, avoid alcohol until your body has adjusted to the medication

A bottle of whisky is a large amount to consume in one session even with mixers. He'll probably be OK physically but it's probably safest if he doesn't drive today.

Where do you get that the OP is co-dependent ?

Most anti anxiety/anti depressant drugs have similar patient information leaflets giving similar information as you’ve posted here. But it depends on the dose. GP led anxiety and depression meds tend to be lower doses - 100mg or less. Not saying drinking on them is a good thing, but once the drug is in your system drinking in moderation (which, admittedly this is not) isn’t harmful in the main.

I would say the fact that he managed to do this indicates he has a serious drink problem and is consuming more than you know and likely this isn’t the first time.

nit sure why there is so much sympathy for him OP

Same as tobacco. Revenue. Government of whatever colour doesn’t give a monkeys about individual health. The more people smoke and drink, the higher they push up the taxes on tobacco and alcohol. I don’t believe for a second that this puts people off. And I don’t believe the government do either. It’s about the taxes.

Drinking on sertraline can have a really bad side effect of making you more down. I should know. Only did it once

Because she’s watching her DH struggling maybe ?

I don't think it starts off with this volume. People build up to such huge amounts, binge drinking. Even so, I doubt she could function.

sertraline and aloch

Alcoholism is a ramp up, it never starts at the depths, it just slowly creeps that way. So he might not be like them now, but a month, a year, years down the line?

it sounds like he’s an alcoholic, he needs to acknowledge this and take steps towards getting help with this.

sertraline and alcohol are not to be mixed. and tbh - (and I've been on sertraline for a long long time), having it for SAD seems odd to me - does he stop/start every 6 months?

4 bottles a month - over 100 units. i think you are in denial OP.

SSRIs and alcohol are a really bad mix. When I took them years ago they made me want to drink more! I know they help some people but they were bad for me and others I know. They also can increase the toxicity of the alcohol in your body so it takes even longer to leave. He might not be safe to drive for at least a couple of days.

It sounds like a lot but it's equivalent to 3 bottles of wine. For a guy his size it's not too bad if it's a very occasional thing.

My father would sink a bottle of whisky before lunch and another at night. It did eventually kill him. Took 12 years though

@howyoufeeling do you seriously need to ask this? Alcohol is highly taxed as well as being highly addictive. Just like cigarettes, alcohol is purposefully designed to get people addicted. It makes companies and governments shed loads of money.

It is marketed as being the solution to a million problems, a social lubricant to ensure the best of times, an antidote to the troubled world we live in.

So many posters always jump on threads like this with zero understanding of alcohol use disorder - the same posters wouldn’t be advising on a health issue like cancer or kidney failure - but when it comes to alcohol, everyone is an expert.

I’ve had/have alcohol use disorder and have spent many months educating myself on the topic. There is no safe level of alcohol consumption (excluding the 5mls of Baileys once a year at Christmas crowd). Your DH is self-medicating with a poisonous neuro-toxin and has alcohol use disorder. You are minimising this and potentially in denial. Saying you “admit he is binge drinking” but not really seeing the problem with this is denial. Nobody sets out to destroy their life with alcohol or become an “alcoholic” overnight. It creeps up on people. He’s already pushed his “only a bottle at the weekend” boundary once and I bet all the tea in china it will happen again.

I cant help but wonder if you starting this thread is a subconscious realisation of a bigger problem.

Good luck - I have a feeling you’re gonna need it.

For reference, don't keep any alcohol especially hard liquor in the house. Especially while on anti depressants

He could have died from alcohol poisoning - let’s hope he doesn’t do it again. His liver could be in a mess too.

I was also thinking that there may already be some tolerance established otherwise he would have been unconscious or needing hospital treatment. I know a recovered (hopefully past tense - he's been 24 years sober) alcoholic and that's exactly what he said...

A 700 ml bottle of whisky contains 28 units. That’s quite a lot to be drinking every weekend.

I feel that with alcohol knowledge is the most important yjong, how many units a week, how many units is damaging etc etc. have the knowledge then you can make informed choices and most people are unaware/don’t realise how much they drink. When it’s in black and white they cut down as they know it’s not good. The book ‘this naked mind’ is so good for knowing exactly what it’s doing to you and it makes you think twice about large amounts of alcohol.

OP, just FYI but if your husband knows his mood deteriorates in the winter, he is better planning around this (with GP) and increasing his Sertraline before winter hits. Increasing it as winter is almost over is wee bit too late. GP should be supportive of this

So it is Friday today. I wonder if OP’s dh is planning on drinking a similar amount this weekend (I’d like to think she has removed all alcohol to test his reaction to there not being any). I think this weekend’s consumption (or not) should be a good gauge as to where this is going. I hope he has an alcohol free weekend 🤞