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Anyone ever successfully give up the hard shit but still drink beers?

I used a benzo to combat the shakes when I first quit drinking. It also helped with the anxiety of the life I created for myself.

As a disclaimer I have to say that only use benzos when you absolutely need to because it is extremely addictive/dependence forming.
 
nuttynutskin said:
I'm starting to think that I'll probably always be a drinker to some degree unfortunately, but I'm thinking of trying to give up the hard shit. I used to be more of a beer drinker quite a while ago but as my drinking progressed I started favoring wine, and then eventually the hard shit (mainly vodka) because I didn't have to drink as much of it to get drunk. So my question is that of the title. Has anyone ever had any success switching back from drinking the hard shit on a fairly regular basis to drinking cheap beer 2 or 3 times a week? That's what I'm going to try and see if it works. I never get in to trouble with beer and can control myself, but it seems that once I start drinking the hard shit all bets are off. I figure if nothing else I could do this for a while to get the cravings down. Whenever I've tried to go cold turkey I would just always end up relapsing hard usually I think from trying to suppress the urge to drink for however long. Thoughts?
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I used to work as a barman and had a big drink habit (vodka), got to the stage was causing all sorts of problems I'd drink half a bottle at a mates before going into pubs. This year I've basically stopped all spirits, they made me do and say some assholish things, many assholish things.

Now I only drink beers and rarely frequent pubs for more than an hour. Between 2-6 8 absolutely max per night, maybe 3 nights a week. To change what I was drinking I had to change my drinking habits places and lifestyle choices a bit. Good luck man! Spirits are bad shit to me it, along with cocaine and other hard drugs, are all a bad choice for the type of person I am.
 
I believe its possible to do this, but in my experience it will never provide the satisfaction that we desire.

I never drank while I was on the opiates. Then soon after I quit the opiates I also settled into a pint a night regiment. Our livers can not even handle this for long and I ended up feeling pretty rough in the mornings.

Finally I just decided to shelve the alcohol completely except for like four rare occasions a year. Its really a really hard drug that destroys health and causes us to do some really knuckle dragging and unimpressive behavior.

I feel so much better since its been gone.
 
neversickanymore said:
I believe its possible to do this, but in my experience it will never provide the satisfaction that we desire.

I never drank while I was on the opiates. Then soon after I quit the opiates I also settled into a pint a night regiment. Our livers can not even handle this for long and I ended up feeling pretty rough in the mornings.

Finally I just decided to shelve the alcohol completely except for like four rare occasions a year. Its really a really hard drug that destroys health and causes us to do some really knuckle dragging and unimpressive behavior.

I feel so much better since its been gone.
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Once I had a moment of clarity and realized that I really was an addict, using/drinking never felt the same. I'd use more and more to try to block the thought of "I shouldn't be doing this, this is why my life is fucked" but it never went away. Now, for a long time I was focused on "getting it under control" instead of the simple "don't do it anymore" so I stayed stuck in the problem and not the solution.
 
Isn't it amazing how a little bit of clarity about use can sour your drug using? After my first rehab/counseling I just always ended up feeling guilty when I used
 
I have given up drinking. I'm medication that doesn't agree with drinking alcohol. I used to drink a bottle of red wine every night 7 days a week. I was never a bit spirits drinker but had the odd bottle of vodka. I don't miss drinking. I used to drink myself to sleep every night. But things change I guess.
 
packet_sniffer said:
I have given up drinking. I'm medication that doesn't agree with drinking alcohol. I used to drink a bottle of red wine every night 7 days a week. I was never a bit spirits drinker but had the odd bottle of vodka. I don't miss drinking. I used to drink myself to sleep every night. But things change I guess.
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I think it is great that you where able to put your health as a higher priority than your drinking! Bravo for that! When you say drink yourself to sleep. Do you have insomnia or was it more of a depression thing?
 
If your beers turn to cheap vodka in the morning, when your "light beers" turn to delirium tremens, your "hard shit" will be a laughable addiction. That being said those with opiate addictions usually don't have the true drunkie in their blood. I'm the opposite. I can use opiates recreationally as a therapeutic. But I've certainly Been strung out & dope sick dabbling and alcohols destruction to the nerves & dt's horror and trauma is the worst fucking thing one can experience. It happens to only a small percentage and some can drink chronically without the severe withdrawl, just hope your not in my league.
 
Samhain said:
If your beers turn to cheap vodka in the morning, when your "light beers" turn to delirium tremens, your "hard shit" will be a laughable addiction. That being said those with opiate addictions usually don't have the true drunkie in their blood. I'm the opposite. I can use opiates recreationally as a therapeutic. But I've certainly Been strung out & dope sick dabbling and alcohols destruction to the nerves & dt's horror and trauma is the worst fucking thing one can experience. It happens to only a small percentage and some can drink chronically without the severe withdrawl, just hope your not in my league.
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That sounds horrible. I shiver literally went up my spine.
 
It does. I've never had alcohol withdrawals from drinking nightly even but I have had them only once from benzos but it was unbelievably brutal. So far i gave up the hard stuff a month ago but I've been drinking most nights 1-10 beers 10 being maybe only once every week or two on a Friday but I am thinking it would be better to cut down for sure. I've been threatening to do it now for weeks lol.
 
Yes, I know plenty of people who do this. However, my own experiences have been different. I have always *tried* to drink responsibly within a very short timespan of coming off my DOC - within weeks usually - and it's always been like playing roulette. Sometimes it's been fine and I've just drank and had a good time, sometimes, despite not being in a particularly bad place or having any particular cravings that day, its like as soon as the alcohol hits my brain it suddenly remembers on some visceral level that DRUGS can make you feel GOOD, and what makes me feel the best? Heroin. Then the rest of the night is dominated by really intense cravings that I'd usually end up giving into. So I think at least in the short-term when quitting an active addiction you should stay mostly substance free.
 
I agree Rio booze definitely does reignite old cravings. I've been drinking 5 nights out of 7 most of this year 1-10 beers a night and after quitting cocaine over a month ago I have thought about it but it got so bad towards the end I've not even felt any cravings when drunk for the last 2 weeks (first two weeks there were). I've not really put myself far out of my comfort zone which I guess helps, and I've not tested myself much but the thing is I've not gone near anywhere I associate with it either. Cos I want nothing to do with it anymore.
Rio do you smoke cannabis? I find that is the only thing that really helps fill the void of worse drugs yet has any positive impact on my life. At this point in my mind it's not even drugs like cocaine that would appeal to me. Things like ketamine to help with my depression or Valium to help my anxiety have crossed my mind. But that's just falling back into the cycle I feel and I've proven to myself already it doesn't work. I need a long break from all those powders and pills to cure the mental aspect of the whole thing.
 
Sid said:
I agree Rio booze definitely does reignite old cravings. I've been drinking 5 nights out of 7 most of this year 1-10 beers a night and after quitting cocaine over a month ago I have thought about it but it got so bad towards the end I've not even felt any cravings when drunk for the last 2 weeks (first two weeks there were). I've not really put myself far out of my comfort zone which I guess helps, and I've not tested myself much but the thing is I've not gone near anywhere I associate with it either. Cos I want nothing to do with it anymore.
Rio do you smoke cannabis? I find that is the only thing that really helps fill the void of worse drugs yet has any positive impact on my life. At this point in my mind it's not even drugs like cocaine that would appeal to me. Things like ketamine to help with my depression or Valium to help my anxiety have crossed my mind. But that's just falling back into the cycle I feel and I've proven to myself already it doesn't work. I need a long break from all those powders and pills to cure the mental aspect of the whole thing.
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Well getting drunk 5 out of 7 nights isn't particularly healthy dude, and you gotta be careful of them lowered inhibitions, only takes one "fuck it" moment and you've screwed up your progress, you know? And I used to love weed but its been really temperamental with me since I had a manic then depressive episode and got diagnosed bipolar. If I smoke it when I'm up I have a fantastic experience, but if I smoke it when I'm down or even sometimes when I'm okay it sends me straight to hell. Like the worst depression I've ever felt. Kind of scared me of it a little, at least for a while.
 
Not necessarily drunk dude average probably 3-6btls but occasionally 10. But yeah tonight's the second night I've stayed away from alcohol.

I find cannabis to be therapeutic and almost spiritual in the part it plays helping me recover. Did some meditation earlier for a few minutes after a straight bud spliff.
 
phactor said:
I was a beer drinker, did it everyday. Still got seizures and DTs at one point. Alcohol is alcohol.

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Here's my story I need at least one beer a day to be content but I have no trouble stopping at that one beer, it's no biggie as I like to drive late at night so I like to stay under .05, I haven't driven proper drunk for 10 plus years. I might skip that one beer every few weeks just to prove a point to myself. However I like to drink a six pack at home once or twice a week and I think my drinking is in control but i'm fully aware the extra weight beer puts on me. I have had regular liver function tests since 2007 because I once had hep c, I did intrafurion treatment for hep c in 2008 and I cleared it. The test results from my liver function test are all normal thankfully. I know I am very lucky considering how much I like my beer and I once was a i'v drug user. At the clinic I go to the doctors are always telling mw to have 2 days with out beer a week but I struggle saying no to that one beer at my local gaming venue as there is only so much coffee and soft drink you can drink.

Alcohol never leads me to your my drug of choice with is meth but I love to drink the day after meth if I can afford it.

My question is will my current drinking pattern lead to seizures or the DT"s. To be honest I've been drinking almost daily since the middle of 2002 which is a long time but as I said pretty much 4 or 5 days a week I only have the one and I never buy beer in bulk. Most I buy is a six pack at a time, i'm 35 and can't imagine not having my regular beers. And please guys i'm being serious and not taking the piss
 
I decided just to shelve the booze for a while. Not trying to never drink again but I was tired of it making me feel like shit. Don't think I'm a true alcky, but it was problematic for sure.

I'm down for a drink on a special occasion or something every once in a while but even once a week is too much for me.

Been sober 3 weeks today and feeling so much better. The weed bill has gone up a little but I'm ok with that. The thought of a drink still kinda makes me sick so gonna continue the break for a while longer. Don't need it or want it...for now.
 
Ayyee....just Cause its a liquid doesn't mean its not a drug...I use to liquefy all my drugs. Its an all or nothing game for addicts in substance use disorder, and to be honest, the people who can use occasionally for 6 months-year have it the worst. That's the illusion that got us all here, the more u believe it.. harder it is going to be to ever quit. Sometimes the Dragons tail is longer, but eventually u get to the teeth.
 
edit:just realised I'm answering a question you didn't ask but I'm going to leave what I wrote for posterity. However, consider my answer to be changed to be extremely careful of the choices you are making. Everyone is different and people do indeed move from being problem drinkers to non-problem drinkers, but they are probably pretty rare. I personally know the chances of me being able to fuck with my problem drugs again successfully are so miniscule as to be not worthing trying.

....anyway, what I was writing before I actually read your post correctly8:)

I'm about six months clean from crack/opiates/benzos/ketamine, I drink a few drinks now and then and smoke a joint now and then. It's been the most productive and comfortable six months of my life perhaps ever and the most comfortable I have ever felt in recovery. In all honesty something strange has happened with the booze, I drink a couple of drinks and then I really feel I've had enough. I stopped drinking totally for a while because I just didn't want to after getting off everything else, I had been drinking pretty heavily during my last round of using and then found it quite hard to stop drinking at a moderate level (a bottle of wine a night or so) after cutting down to there. It took a conceited effort to reduce my drinking from a fairly high level (3-4 litres 9% beer daily on top of my other substances) and I got stuck at various points where I found it very hard to break through to the next level of reduction, for a long time I had to have just one or two glasses of wine a night. After stopping completely I had no real desire to drink at all and still don't really, I wouldn't shed a tear if I couldn't drink at the moment and I actively don't drink if I think I am choosing to drink for the effects rather than the enjoyment of consuming the product. I actually don't like the way alcohol makes me feel much anymore, and certainly I do feel like it's poisoning me and making me unhealthy (which is exactly what it does).

I don't know what it is but for me something has changed this time round, both mentally and it would seem physiologically. Either way at the moment the use of alcohol and cannabis is part of a successful and happy recovery. Far far more successful and happy then I have ever been trying to be 100% abstinent, but at the same time I get the feeling that I would be saying the same if I was taking the path of 100% abstinence. I can't explain it and I know this wouldn't work for everyone, hell I can guaruntee that it probably wouldn't have worked for me in the past. I'm aware I may be in denial and that maybe I will eat my words at some point some time in the future, but the same is true of any model of recovery. You can only do what seems to work for you when you find it and this is working for me at the moment.

I guess what it boils down to is that in a funny way there are more important issues to tackle than can I use xyz drug and stay good in my recovery sometimes. I've done some stuff and for the moment it appears to be having the effect of healing me of whatever was within me causing me to fuck myself up so badly. There are definitely some sacred cows in my recovery that I know I can't fuck with and I can feel that thing within me that wants to step back in to that world sometimes still and it terrifies me a bit because I know I'm vulnerable. At the same time I am dealing with it well at the moment and that gives me strength.

I'm rambling a bit here now (sorry!), but I guess what I'm saying is that there are no right answers to the question you are asking, but at some point it's probably wise to take the answet that gives you the best chance of success in your life at the current time.
 
I've never had any success myself at this. As they say in AA one of the solutions many of us have tried is "drinking only wine or beer," and it works for a while, but sooner or later, I always end right back up at vodka for several reasons - it's cheaper that way (with the swill I drank) and it takes less of it to get f-ed up. When I went the wine/beer route, I'm sure I still consumed the same number of units of alcohol as I did when I drank vodka. I also had a pain med addiction, and another reason I steer clear of all alcohol is that I don't want alcohol to impair my judgment to the point that going out and finding some pain meds would seem like a good idea. Again, as they say in NA, "alcohol has caused many an addict to relapse."

I know 12 step isn't everyone's cup of tea and it's certainly not a panacea on it's own, but combined with psychiatry (medication) and psychotherapy to treat the underlying anxiety and panic that fueled my addiction, it has improved my life. My addictions wrecked my marriage and left me basically friendless, so I am very happy that I have my AA family.
 
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