today I had a lightbulb moment regarding my excessive drinking and overeating

[mrsblanc]

It is so blindingly obvious.

I have battled depression all my adult life. Drugs, counseling, etc and have mostly got it under control.

However a big glass of wine(and to a lesser extent overeating) provided INSTANT escape from any lingering sadness.

Temporary of course.
Not sure what to do with this information

Anyone else thought this?

Gosh Mrs, I think the former ie Drugs, counseling, etc have got to be more long term than the wine and eating with less associated health ishoos. Escape is nowhere near as good as the 'getting it under control'.

I hope someone who knows their chips comes along soon but in the meantime,

x

oops I think the way I put that was misleading.

I am not saying - hey i have found a cure for sadness - WINE!
I am saying I have just realised what is behind my destructive overdrinking. It's about getting rid of the sadness that I thought had mostly gone. It hasn't gone.

Using alcohol to cure sadness is clearly a very bad thing. It is just that I really had not realised that was what I was doing

thanks for your kind words cuddlykelpie x

Hiya I don't have ANY expertise at all but wanted to offer a word of encouragement. You've made that link which is hugely helpful to you and now you can recognise your pattern you can start to see your behavious as a choice not an inevitability. I used, when I felt down, reach for chocolate.

I know this sounds trivial but we're not talking a bar of fruit and nut here, I mean a whole box plus a packet of biscuits. One day I was breaking into a pack and I thought 'I love these', and coldly and clearly a voice in my head said 'well they don't love you'. I was usuing food to make myself feel better but it was actually just to numb the pain for a short time. What I actually NEEDED was freindship, basic human contact. So I tried to whenever I got that urge, to pick up the phone and call a mate or my sis for a chat, which actually DID make me feel better.

I think it can be as simple as this reconditioning, so that you get out of the habit, and replace that habit with something that really is making you feel better.

Hope this was even the tiniest bit helpful x

mrsblanc, I don't really drink, can take it or leave it, but I do overeat (a lot) and only now after years and years am I actually trying to think about why I am doing it, so I understand where you are coming from. Its great that you have got some insight into your drinking etc. Hope you can start to move forward from it and understand yourself more and more.

trebuchet AND roland thank you for making me NOT feel like a blithering idiot.

It is really simple , but the simplicity has only just hit me.

Simple concept but not simple to address.
Thank you both so much xx

Anyone other alcohol abusers relate to this?

If you're interested there is a group (based on AA) called OA - Overeaters Anonymous. The group is for people who don't feel able to control their eating and find that going to the group can help. I'm a member and would really recommend it. I found myself eating (and drinking a bit too) after my son was born. I had PND, which has (and is) being treated, but the food issue felt like a separate and very difficult issue for me. I really believe that I was slipping into a serious binge eating disorder. The OA group has helped me look at the reasons why I eat (it rarely has anything to do with hunger). Now I'm much happier, calmer and more content with my life. Also, I've released over two stone and am back to a 'normal' weight. Good luck! www.oagb.org.uk/

thanks prozacpopsie for this.
I am off to look that up

I comfort eat and I know why I do it but can't get out of the cycle.

Actually I don't eat enough but I assume chocolate will make everything okay. It doesn't work.

I have a drink of wine to get rid of stress but that doesn't work either.