veronica wrote:





I quit mostly because it doesn't mix with the meds. But also, I was heading toward the land of never-return; I was drinking far too much. Lastly, because alcohol doesn't mix well with the bipolar diagnosis; it's hard to tell the difference between some alcohol-induced and bipolar-induced mood swings. Or so my therapist says.

Getting the quit to take was hard. I still think about alcohol. I'm told that goes down after the second year, but never goes away.

v
Was one year sober on April 9th.

That's impressive, and I don't mean that ironically. I've tried to quit numerous times and failed every time. Nice work!

FoK

P.S. what counts as "far too much"? I still drink a lot, but a lot less than I used to.

Far too much is drinking at lunch, working tipsy, and then leaving work early to drink more...three or four times a week. Drinking into the wee hours on a work night, three or four times a week. And then showing up to work hungover. Hey, at least I showed up. I know some people will say they do this and they are fine, and I'm a wuss. Everyone's body is different, and if mine is not Irish, then so be it.

Blacking out and throwing up too much were also a part of it. Alcohol would put me into profound depressions and vicious rages. It really didn't match with me. I only got drunk with a certain crowd though, so it was limited to when those friends were available. Unfortunately, I work with them, so they were available a lot.

Quitting was one of the smarter things I've done. I couldn't have done it without my friends who were former alkys. You really need group support, which is why I guess AA is so successful. I never went there though. I don't like coffee.

v
veronica@blarg.net if you want to talk about it more