Nope, I am NOT drinking too much!

Sure, sometimes we ask ourselves that while nursing a coffee cup larger than our pounding  heads the day after  we DIDN’T drink too much. Hmm? Is that a coincidence? And then there are those texts messages we sent that did not receive such a loving response. If we are wondering if there is a problem with our drinking  our friends and family are usually happy to remind us. They tend to notice when our weekend stories have more plot twists than a soap opera.

While the sober version of us might not gravitate towards impromptu table dancing or spontaneous decisions, most heavy drinkers have a “let’s not talk about it” list of things they’d rather forget. For me, that list grew long enough to make me rethink my relationship with the bottle. Trading it for some clearer days seemed like the better choice in the end.  Here are some of the questions my therapist wanted me to answer; 🥂

Guilt and shame of drinking too much

Some of the things you remember you want to pretend never happened. Other things you have done you don’t even remember but somebody (perhaps a police officer or worse your cellmate) told you what you did under the influence. You swear to never do that again but the next time the opportunity presents itself. You start out to have a couple, but soon you’ve found yourself asking, “do I drink too much?” And it’s just a crapshoot as to whether or not what you promised yourself would never happen again, will.

Work suffers because you drink too much

How many times have you not felt well enough to go to work or if you did go it was everything you could do to get through. Maybe it hasn’t gotten to the point where people have noticed yet but then they may not have noticed you have two different colored shoes on either. That was my wake up call. I called a client when I was drunk one day and he told another counselor who threatened to report me and I could’ve lost my license. (sober now over 29 years since that happened!) Regardless if you believe you’re still drunk, or simply struggling with a hangover, your cognitive functioning is often playing hide and seek, and work is unfortunately stuck playing along.

Your family is annoyed with your drinking

We don’t want to think it affects our family but it always does. They notice.  Perhaps you are just ignoring the “haven’t you had enough” or “please take it easy tonight on the booze” comments but it matters and you need to look at. The long term affects of what alcohol does to families is pervasive and you cannot ignore it. Relationships will be scarred for life. The unwillingness to hear the families concerned or anyone else for that matter indicates that you’re drinking or using is a higher priority than they are. Is that what you want?

Legal issues when you drink too much

How many people who got picked up for drunk or drugged driving expected that taking a ride in the police limo to be escorted to the “big house” was part of the evenings agenda when they got behind that wheel? I know I never did and I got lucky. Laws have changed in many places in the world in the United States some states like Wisconsin you can lose your drivers license for life. https://wisconsindot.gov/Pages/dmv/license-drvs/susp-or-rvkd/lifetime-rev.aspx

Other things that happen when people are under the influence are violence, sexual encounters and other activities that are illegal or just plain embarrassing. I know several people who got ticketed for riding a bicycle under the influence and one man even got ticketed for walking while intoxicated and then there is the skinny dipping episodes that you would NEVER do when you were sober. Come on now… admit it…you have had some embarrassing moments that you and your loved ones would rather forget!

Then there’s us generous drunks or drug addicts who want everybody to be happy along with us or miserable which ever way it goes. We order a round for the house not realizing it’s gonna cost us hundreds. Or if you’re into drugs, a lot more than that. There’s buying things online or loaning people money that you’ll never see again. Even if you drink at home, take a few moments and quantify the cost of your use. A lot of people smoke when they drink so be sure to add that in. Where is all that money coming from? What bills aren’t getting paid either because you blew it on Friday night or because you forgot that a bill was due? What things aren’t your kids or other family members getting that they deserve? And don’t forget issues related to emergency room visits detox costs or hospitalizations. And if you do get into legal trouble there’s all that cost as well.

Drinking too much effects our health

Alcohol related deaths in women has increased by 85% in the last 10 years in the United States. Just during the pandemic it was estimated that people were drinking as much is 25 or more percent than they were before the pandemic. During the first lockdown alcohol sales went up to over 100% so people were obviously drinking more and using their hands for meaningful work less. Many people who were tea totelers before gave the wine o’ clock a try stress reliever a try.  For those of us who have come to terms with our alcohol problem the notion that it is a solution to our stress and other problems is just another conspiracy theory that needs to be researched and dispelled before it kills more people!

Alcohol is one of the deadliest addictions there is. It impacts many parts of the body and if you try and quit drinking cold turkey you could go into a seizure and die without the proper treatment. It effects all of your systems, especially the heart, kidneys and liver. What’s more is that it can effect your brain and you may end up with an alcohol related early dementia called Wernicke-Korsakoff.

So what do you think now?

If you’re feeling uncomfortable reading this article or if somebody gave it to you to read perhaps they are sending you a message. Maybe you work with people who are struggling, and are looking for additional resources for them. What I know from personal experience is that the longer you prolong it the worse it gets and the more damage is done on every level that we talked about in this article. Are you ready to check out sobriety and see how it feels? I’m not saying it’s easy but if you take one day at a time it’s possible.

Check out my 5 day sobriety challenge?

Reevaluate your relationship with alcohol, rediscover your inner strength, and cultivate a deeper sense of purpose and spiritual fulfillment by connecting with God through the Bible and spending quality time getting to know His will for you. You aren’t alone and I will be with you every step of the way.

Go to https://www.lindalarsonschlitz.com/sobriety-challenge/