More WP Search Terms
‘i binge drink it makes me paranoid’
It’s not just drugs that make you paranoid. Having a hangover can have similar effects to a drug comedown. I found prolonged exposure to alcohol made my hangovers mental battles. I’d have a lot of negative thoughts & a general feeling of fear. The combination is paranoia.
I can still remember the last hangover of this type I had. I was sitting in the sun in my back garden on a beautiful summers day. The birds were singing & my family were making lunch. All was good in the world but in my head there was a battle going on. It was horrible.
I’ve had the occasional hangover since but none of the mental symptoms. This is because I am now only an occasional drinker. The effects of alcohol are cumulative. The toxicity builds up, the damage isn’t repaired fast enough and then you pour more fuel on the fire. That is when the paranoia kicks in.
And don’t forget alcohol affects your sleep which is crucial to mental health!
Rejoining The World
My brother said I was turning into a recluse the other day. He’s right but he doesn’t know why. It’s been easier to set things straight by removing myself from the world. Plus I was generally tired of life & a break from society really helped me re-find my enthusiasm.
Now I’ve reached a significant milestone (see last post) I think I’ll re-join the human race. This has potential pitfalls but with the worst of my alcohol habits behind me & my re-found ability to make positive choices I’m confident it will be ok.
Some things I am looking forward to:
- My own flat with NO housemates.
- Strumming my guitar on the suntrap of a balcony
- Making some new friends.
- Meeting women that make the pulse race.
- Driving my car to the country & lazing in a sunny meadow.
- The rest of my beautiful & interesting life.
Wow!
Have you ever practised something hard for a long time it eventually slips into place without you be aware of it? I’ve realised that my craving for alcohol has acquiesced. I’ve stopped thinking about it & the odd thing is I didn’t even notice. It donned slippers & crept off!
As I’ve cut down it has waned but I’d still get it on a Friday night or after I’d had a couple of pints. But the need has just left me. I haven’t even thought about alcohol since I last drank 10 days ago. And I stopped at 4.6 units not really enjoying the drinks.
Wow! To not even think about it is something else. I’m really really happy to have got to this stage 
Truffle Shuffle
Like a lardy Peacock I donned my state of the art running gear. Resplendent in my brilliant white running trainers and Mediterranean blue breathable top I ate up the miles. Binmen stared in awe as I sped <ahem> by.
Behold my mighty works ye fatties & despair!
Lard
I went to a specialist running shop yesterday & picked up some shoes & clothing. I stopped short of the lycra running bottoms you’ll be glad to know.
So tomorrow I have drag my lardy self running or I’ll have wasted £170. There is a set of stairs at the local high school I’m going to have a Rocky moment on. This being Glasgow I may then have to fight some delinquents which is good anerobic work.
Rocky Rocky Rocky!
More Search Terms (from WP stats)
‘is it normal to drink alcohol before 10′
The short answer is NO! Even heavy drinkers baulk at that. Drinking early in the day it is a classic sign that you have lost control.
There are a few exceptions to this. For example a champagne breakfast on your birthday or shift workers (like postmen) often drink in the morning. If you aren’t in these categories (and you can’t have a birthday every week!) you need to get help or help yourself.
Check out my rules. You need to get some & the first needs to be ‘Don’t drink in the morning ever’.
And have you considered the health effects of your consumption. How many units are you consuming? Try and diary this & you will likely find it is more than you think.
Good Luck Friend!
To The Commenters
A toast to the commenters for they are princes among men. All two of them
I’m toasting you with orange juice by the way
Rememberance of Things Past
This blog has been of the present. As the present has been brought under control I find myself looking at the past. I could recount a litany of drunken stupidity. For that is the most obvious consequence of my drinking.
Yet I’ve come to realise it was decision making that alcohol changed the most. Before I was a heavy drinker I made good choices about everything. When I was either drunk, drinking, hungover, sober (but tired & paranoid) there was an absence of choice. I just went with the flow & tried not to upset anyone. Perhaps it was the paranoia & constant fear. The current just took me wherever. It was only when I cut down that I started re-asserting myself.
I feel very much like the person I was in my early adulthood. And that person was a good person. Someone I liked & selected others thought was special. Not some drunken hump.
List 1. Abscence of choice leads to:
- Doing a job I hated for 7 years
- Living in a city I did not like for 7 years
- Not moving house for 5 years despite a growing discontentment with my living situation
- Failure to reconnect with the one I want to grow old with (partly her fault I might add!)
- Not choosing true friends & therefore becoming socially disconnected
- Becoming disinterested in everything
List 2: Making Choices /Re-asserting myself has lead to:
- Quiting the job & beginning a new career (Stock Trading)
- Quiting the city
- Quiting the house
- Trying (though failing) to recapture the girl’s heart. Close but no cigar.
- Buying a guitar
List 3: The choices I still need to actively make:
- Being successful at Stock Trading
- Buying a flat as a permanent base in a city I know & like
- Living abroad for a time
- Joining a club / get some hobbies (maybe adventure racing or surfing)
- Making some real friends by being sober & charming (yes I can if I try!)
- Fix my busted elbow & ear. I want to feel healthy.
- Finding an interesting intelligent & beautiful girl with a good heart
ps – life is good!
Work & Alcohol
I’m a Stock Trader these days. Yesterday was a bad day & today a good one. Yesterday I wanted to & did drink. Today I didn’t want to & didn’t drink.
I spent 7 years doing a job I hated which meant every day was bad. No wonder I wanted to drink every night.
Can We Brits Change?
ThingMeBob left this comment on a previous post about the excess of UK drinking culture.
‘Yet it’s such a part of the fabric of our culture now, I can’t see it changing much’
I’ve been thinking about this a lot. Should & can it be changed?
Well there are a legion of statistics which demonstrate the negative consequences of drunkenness. From social disorder to health there is a consensus that we are in trouble. We have always been in trouble if you ask me. Let me take one stat only. Doctors recommend 21 units a week as a safe limit for men. For 21-50 units they cannot be certain it will affect all people but know it will affect many. But for over 50 units doctors are unequivocal that all will be severely affected. That is about 16 pints of stella. I know so many people who drink in excess of this weekly. Normal people who aren’t alcoholics or problem drinkers like me. This is the normal abnormality of our culture. A culture which should be changed.
But can the ingrained habits & culture of an ancient nation be changed? If you know the UK then you’ll know it is a mammoth task because we do love to drink. Yet cultures can be changed within the lifetime of a person. Think of the attitudes prevalent even 40 years ago. The position of women in society, attitudes to religion, race & homosexuality. Or on a smaller scale attitudes to recycling, sunbathing & exercise.
Attitudes will swing when multiple sources of information first change and then iteratively confirm an idea.
The government has access to the minds of every young child in the country. Let’s teach them the true facts regarding the social & health affects of alcohol. Give them the information to make those choices rationally. For sure they will still get drunk but ingraining healthier attitudes in their formative years will curb their enthusiasm at some point.
Campaigners, the government & the drinks industry need to get the message across that responsible drinking is an activity which respects oneself & the society one lives in.
Though it seems far fetched I think that some positive attitudes already exist. Bear witness to the rise of coffee culture in cities as hardcore as Glasgow and you know a change is afoot. Plus the column inches & airtime that are devoted to this subject are considerable & increasing. The message is there for anyone tuned in.
