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Origins of binge drinking?

Posted , 11 users are following.

em95586
em95586

Does anyone know if binge drinking can be "caused" by the way you first start drinking or is it inherently in your make up.  I have always binged and dont seem to have that "switch" that tells people they are getting near the point of no return.  I am always past that before I realise and then cant remember the end of the evening good or bad!  This site is amazing and has some wonderful people who are so helpful - Thank you all

 

0 likes, 37 replies

37 Replies

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  • lorraine82629
    lorraine82629 em95586

    Posted

    Hi. I am completely the same. Drinking morning, noon and night. My behaviour is out of control and my family are fed up with it. My actions are outrageous and the next day I don't feel normal. What is wrong with me? All I think about is drink. I know I need help but I am not doing it. I upset so many people last weekend,

    Making calls to them in my drunken state. I have no one left

    and feel so alone. I wish I could take a tablet to stop. Any advice as each post I have read I can identify with.

    • em95586
      em95586 lorraine82629

      Posted

      Hi, I am not quite in the same boat as you, because I dont think about it all the time, but then thats probably because I only drink at the weekends and I know its coming!  You should talk to your GP because if you want to quit completely I believe that there are drugs they can prescribe which make the achohol repellent to you.  Or look into TSM which involves taking a pill which reduces the "rewards" you feel from drink and therefore the need to drink so much, giving you back choices and control.
  • liz05654
    liz05654 em95586

    Posted

    So if it's a predisposition to alcohol then how can I have been ok with it until my early 40's? I was like my friends then. Have a few drinks at the weekend and then stop in the week. Never, ever thinking about the next drink. So why did it happen in my 40's? 

    I had a hell of a time with my divorce and abuse which led me to drink more then normal, and that's when I got addicted. But why now?

    • lorraine82629
      lorraine82629 liz05654

      Posted

      Hi Liz. I am glad you said that. I was not too bad in my

      twenties but once I divorced in my early thirties it was a downward spiral. I am 46 now and seem to be getting worse. I was

      abused mentally and I have thought why the delayed reaction with my drinking?

    • pmcg21
      pmcg21 liz05654

      Posted

      addiction is a progresive disease, you dont suddenly start drinking all day every day- your system would not take it- your tolerance gradually increase over time- it takes more and more alcohol to satisfy your cravings- your disease will demand to be fed, more and more- if left unchecked, you will eventually end up chronicaly addicted, as i was- you will have to drink every day to satisfy your cravings- i ended up drinking up to 2 bottles of whisky a day- i to only drank at weekends for years- then it became thurs night then wed then every night then every day- thats how it works- welcome to the disease of addiction- thankfully i stopped drinking in 2005-
    • odishon
      odishon pmcg21

      Posted

      Yep me too. In my 20s it was definitely just weekend bars and clubs. Never drank in the week at home. But, I did always carry on drinking when out without realising other people were slowing down or stopping later into the night.

      Then in my 30s the wine with meals began. The drinking out in bars started getting me into embarrassing situations such as falling asleep on night buses etc. So more and more I just brought the drinking home with me and started grabbing a bottle of wine on my way home from a night out. Now I still do that and on nights in I drink two bottles. It all happened very slowly.

  • liz05654
    liz05654 em95586

    Posted

    Exactly. Why can it suddenly happen? I was diagnosed with depression in 2009, after much mental, physical and sexual abuse. It was truly awful. the worst you could imagine. i was on anti depressants for 5 years.

    but last week I was diagnosed as bipolar 2. And apparently,the medication I am on is totally wrong for me. Maybe that's why I love wine??? Lol

     

    • em95586
      em95586 liz05654

      Posted

      Oh Liz I am so sorry to hear that do you not have a Dr or counsellor you can discuss the whole picture with.  They cant give you the right medical help if you cant tell them everything.  Maybe you could write it all down and get the one you trust the most to read it. 
  • PaulJTurner1964
    PaulJTurner1964 em95586

    Posted

    Some people are born with a pre-disposition for addictions. Their opioid receptors respond differently to those of other people when certain activities (including drinking) are performed. That means that they get additional reward from alcohol (and/or other things) which makes them more likely to do this to excess.

    Of course, that pre-disposition would not matter if they were never exposed to alcohol. If you never drink, you can't get addicted to alcohol. However, in a culture where the majority of people drink at some point, that risk is very high.

    People who get addicted to alcohol do not necessarily drink more than other people around them initially. But, due to the additional reward they get, they are less likely to be able to stop in the same way as other people can. This is when it escalates as they build a tolerance to alcohol and then need more to fulfill their needs and four pints of beer becomes ten and then they move onto stronger stuff so that they don't need to put away as much fluid to get the same hit etc etc etc.

    It IS a physical illness, not a life choice.

  • liz05654
    liz05654 em95586

    Posted

    Ooh. I know I've spoken to you a couple of times paul and that you've actually been to my house( sorry was so p*ssed I can't remember). 

    I honestly don't understand the alcohol addiction though. 

    Isnt it a cop out to call it a disease?

    believe me, I am not looking to put it down in any way. If it really is an illness and it's not my fault then bloody hell, I will embrace it.

    but to be truthful, no one forces alcohol down my throat. No one makes me drink it. Surely it's my fault and my problem? I can't blame it o something or someone else can I?

    • PaulJTurner1964
      PaulJTurner1964 liz05654

      Posted

      Yes, I know Liz smile Watch the video I gave you.

      How can it be a 'cop out' to call it a disease if it IS one? smile

      Nobody forces people with seriously painful illnesses to put painkillers down their throat, but they do, because that gives them relief. Consider alcohol the same for your condition. But there ARE solutions.

      It IS a medical condition with a medical solution.

  • liz05654
    liz05654 em95586

    Posted

    Really?

     Is it a physical illness?

    im not trying to oppose it all. But I really struggle with the diagnosis. 

    Imwent to AA for 2 years, and they talked about an allergy, an illness end. somerhing thtaa was beyond our control. And I really could t get it? No one forces alcohol down our throats. We do it to ourselves. So how can it be an illness?

     

    • PaulJTurner1964
      PaulJTurner1964 liz05654

      Posted

      People drink because their body craves it, Liz. That is the illness. The 'solution' in the short term is to drink alcohol but, as you know, that is a slippery slope and leads to all sorts of serious problems. (I explained it in more detail above smile )
  • michael1154
    michael1154 em95586

    Posted

    Hi Em,

    Binge drinking is a learned behaviour. You weren't always a heavy drinker, you just liked doing it and got better at it.

    I learned to drink in the Merchant Navy and when I left after 8 years, I was very good at it!! Now I am trying to to 'unlearn' with the help of Nalmefene.

    I have been unknowingly using the Sinclair Method for the past two months and it works!! I have dramatically reduced my alcohol intake without having to stop drinking. I still have cravings, but they aren't too bad. I take my tablet, drink my wine and I am happy after a few glasses. I expect to be able to take or leave a drink in the near future.

    Get a prescription for nalmefene, it will change your life.!!!

    • PaulJTurner1964
      PaulJTurner1964 michael1154

      Posted

      Another Sinclair Method success story! smile Dr David Sinclair died a few weeks ago. I hope that one day his amazing work, which has totally changed the face of alcohol treatment AND proven that it is a physical illness which can be treated with medication, gets the recognition it deserves.

       

    • em95586
      em95586 PaulJTurner1964

      Posted

      Hi Paul, you know I have been wondering why, as you get counselling there, the NHS dont consider offering TSM to people who are at DD courses.  If the concern is the cost of counselling wouldn't that be a helpful way of getting it out there!  It seems like a secret that should not be kept!

       

    • em95586
      em95586

      Posted

      In fact if I could have bought this at the chemist when I was 18 (it didnt exist then I know) I probably would have done!  That would have saved a lot of shame, embarassment and depression over the years.  I might also have a lot more happy memories.
    • PaulJTurner1964
      PaulJTurner1964 em95586

      Posted

      I misread then Em smile The NHS doesn't recognise TSM. Most doctors have never heard of it. Despite Nalmefene being licenced in England since last year and in Scotland since the year before, most doctors have never heard of it. It is also not approved by many local committees (the ones who decide what drugs can and cannot be prescribed) due to the £3 per pill cost. They don't look at the long term savings.
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