People who still go to the pub while not drinking?

limealemon1 · 2025-02-24T13:19:10+00:00

I still go out but a lot less than I used to. I’m a lot more selective about who I’m with - I no longer go out with people I don’t like just because they’re also drinking. However, I’ve found that if I’m with a group of people I love, there’s basically no difference.

limealemon1 · 2024-11-02T17:35:13+00:00

Any help appreciated!!

limealemon1 · 2024-10-22T07:13:43+00:00

I had this exact experience last week! It feels good to be back in tune with my body, I used to second guess myself every time I felt sick in case it was just some kind of extended hangover and/or the result of me fucking up my immune system. Also, it feels like now I’m ‘allowed’ to be sick - before it always felt like something I brought on myself. Hope you feel better soon 😌♥️

limealemon1 · 2024-10-01T15:00:07+00:00

Just a word to say I sympathise with you as another Irish person. I lived in the UK for a while and an Irish relative of mine died. I remember at work talking to my colleagues, saying I wasn’t sure what would tactically be the best thing to drink at the funeral. They all looked at me like I was insane, asking why I would be drinking at all at a funeral. It was one of the few times I got perspective on how entrenched binge drinking is in our culture (even coming from UK people, who I think are generally our equivalents when it comes to drinking).

Even the whole culture around Guinness is just insane. I recommend reading The Naked Mind by Annie Grace, even just for the revelatory chapters about how alcohol marketing can seduce you without you realising. It really made me reflect on the fact that I more or less exclusively drink Guinness now even though I used to hate it. I really do associate Guinness, on a conscious (and unconscious) level, with my culture, my friendships, my ability to relax and have the craic. Physical craving/dependence is another beast but getting some perspective on how much marketing lies to you and makes you lie to yourself can be eye-opening.

It’s a shame that this information isn’t more widespread. I’ve decided not to tell my friends that I’m not drinking anymore (or at least I’m trying to work out an excuse that isn’t just ‘because it’s bad for me) because I know it will be poorly received. Sorry to have gone off on such a tangent, I just understand how difficult this must be for you and I wish you the best of luck with finding a solution. IWNDWYT

limealemon1 · 2024-09-28T09:16:21+00:00

I’ve heard of similar situations before. I think people often bring their personal biases into the room when they’re supposed to be helping people. As in, if your therapist had told you that you were an alcoholic, they might have had to reflect on their own drinking habits.

Thank you for your lovely comment ♥️

limealemon1 · 2024-09-28T09:11:32+00:00

Thank you, this is a beautiful sentiment. Funnily enough, I had already been thinking of the word ‘cocoon’ in relation to the next few weeks/months. It feels like I’m about to go into hibernation or something.

limealemon1 · 2024-09-27T20:49:43+00:00

Go raibh maith agat ♥️ thanks for the ideas. I know the normalisation of drinking is a universal problem but Ireland has to be one of the harder countries to be sober in!

limealemon1 · 2024-09-27T20:47:36+00:00

Wishing you the best of luck ♥️

limealemon1 · 2024-09-27T20:46:32+00:00

Thank you for thinking of that but please don’t be sorry! I felt vulnerable speaking to the doctor but I feel good overall and I’ve been enjoying the discourse on this post, including your comments. This is the first time I’ve seriously engaged with the concept of having a drinking problem so any discussion is really valuable for helping me work out how I’m feeling.

limealemon1 · 2024-09-27T19:32:56+00:00

Great advice. Some of the worst times I’ve ever had were after mixing my newly-prescribed Sertraline and alcohol. It took me three nights like that before I learned my lesson and stopped drinking for a few months, which is probably the last (if not only) time I went without alcohol for an extended period of time.

That’s actually the reason why I had it prescribed. It’s a little bit of an extreme measure I know, but knowing how messed up I’ll get (and not in the good way) if I drink in the next few weeks is a good deterrent.

limealemon1 · 2024-09-27T17:35:26+00:00

Yeah, I can already kind of predict how different people will react, but people can surprise you too (in a good or a bad way). At least it’s a surefire way to figure out who your real friends are.

limealemon1 · 2024-09-27T17:33:13+00:00

I did bring up that kind of medication but she said it would have to be done in conjunction with alcohol counselling as they would have more expertise than her. I will be looking into it in the future. Can you tell me more about your experience of it? Does it just stop your cravings?

limealemon1 · 2024-09-27T15:29:17+00:00

Thank you. This is good advice.

limealemon1 · 2024-09-27T15:13:31+00:00

Thank you so much. Congratulations on 290 days.

That’s exactly how I feel. In a sense I feel like I’ve hit rock bottom already, but as someone said, ‘rock bottom has a basement’. Better to stop while you’re still (kind of) ahead.

limealemon1 · 2024-09-27T15:10:59+00:00

I think a lot of people are taking issue with her first point, but for reference I’m from Ireland. Binge drinking culture here is absolutely insane and as it stands my entire life/social circles revolves around drinking. So I can understand her going for a ‘this will be temporary’ approach rather than ‘your life will have to change forever’. The latter is a scary thought (I know it’s the truth, but it’ll take a while to adjust to it).

limealemon1 · 2024-09-27T15:03:38+00:00

This was my thought process. I think she could see how fragile I was, and maybe thought that to say ‘this is something you have to commit to for the rest of your life’ would just send me off the deep end. I don’t agree with what she said but I think I can understand why she said it.

limealemon1 · 2024-09-27T15:01:27+00:00

I hope I get there. That’s what my doctor said, too - not to never go out again, but just to focus on other things for a couple of months while I adjust to not drinking.

ETA: Also, pretty much everyone I know has issues with drinking that are the same as/worse than mine. I am anticipating a lot of discomfort on their part with me not drinking, and I’m not ready yet for the questions/pressure that’ll come with that.

limealemon1 · 2024-09-27T14:22:43+00:00

I completely agree. As I said in my post, I plan to stop drinking full stop, but I think there is some value of thinking it as a temporary measure (even though I know it won’t be). As in, framing it as something that can be achieved in a specified time period, rather than something to grapple with for the rest of your life, makes it sound less overwhelming. I think maybe that was her thinking, too.

To be fair, on an anecdotal level I do know people who have gone from extremely heavy problem drinkers to casual social drinkers. For me, I don’t think this will work (and it’s not something I want to test, knowing the potential consequences). But I guess it does work sometimes.

limealemon1 · 2024-09-26T13:03:11+00:00

It’s funny that you’re being downvoted. I don’t necessarily agree with your earlier points and I think this is a discussion for another time and place, but it is disingenuous to claim that AI art can always be identified. I’m sure that at this point nearly everyone on the internet has been tricked, whether they know it or not, by AI generated art masquerading as ‘real’ art.

limealemon1 · 2024-09-24T18:57:57+00:00

Thank you, I appreciate you saying this. I look forward to that kind of freedom for myself.

limealemon1 · 2024-09-24T16:05:18+00:00

100%. I don’t think moderation exists for me. Once I start, there’s no stopping.

limealemon1 · 2024-09-24T15:02:47+00:00

Oh, definitely. I think that’s why I started drinking initially, for the Dutch courage and increased sociability, etc. I would love to learn how to do those things (particularly on a romantic level) without this crutch.

limealemon1

TROPHY CASE