Is drinking alone okay ?

[spellbound]

When problems pile up I just drink the sadness away and it helps a lot at least temporarily
But my friends are saying that it's alcoholic behaviour
But I don't feel like an alcoholic because I only crave alcohol when I'm real sad
Do you guys drink or get high on your own ? Is it an okay thing to do ?

 

[SASU-KE]

I have a rule to never drink alone. I just hate how I behave when I drink. It's just messed up. But that's all in my rear view Mirror Now.I haven't drunk in months and I'm pretty much done with it.

I enjoyed myself a lot when I drank. I would dance to the stupidest music. I would laugh at the silliest jokes. It was Just amazing. That being said, I also didn't treat people too well when I was drinking. So I stopped and haven't looked back since.

 

[Macedonian1987]

99% of the time i drink alone, because i dont have a single friend. I never consumed alcohol in my entire 39 years on this earth. I started drinking just recently because things became unbearable. The chronic pain and the depression are worsening and that forced me to drink, to ease the pain a bit.

 

[litany_of_thoughts]

I drink a LOT on my own, and it's definitely unhealthy/a form of self harm, but it helps me cope. I would highly recommend finding something else as a vice though.

Saying that, if you're just having a few drinks to yourself when you're feeling down, don't be too hard on yourself - you're not a bad person for doing it, but it might be worth searching for another coping mechanism for while you're feeling that way

 

[TheCavernousDeep.]

I try to make it a rule not to drink by myself. Idk, I used to do it but... I mean alcohol isn't gonna solve my problems. I don't know if my problems can really be solved, but whether they can or they can't, I won't find any true solace at the bottom of a bottle. Drink however you want, tomorrow always comes.

 

[mold]

When problems pile up I just drink the sadness away and it helps a lot at least temporarily
But my friends are saying that it's alcoholic behaviour
But I don't feel like an alcoholic because I only crave alcohol when I'm real sad
Do you guys drink or get high on your own ? Is it an okay thing to do ?

i drink when im alone or sad, not enough to call it alcoholism, but i definitely do drink a lot at once which makes people think that haha

 

[spellbound]

i drink when im alone or sad, not enough to call it alcoholism, but i definitely do drink a lot at once which makes people think that haha

At what point do you think it becomes alcoholism ? I really don't want to become alcoholic but I really need it

 

[mold]

At what point do you think it becomes alcoholism ? I really don't want to become alcoholic but I really need it

I mean, im not the judge of alcoholism but for me i get SUPER wasted once or twice every one or two weeks just to get the edge off. wouldn't recommend it though, i hit my head badly and got a concussion from it before lole

 

[Georg]

Same. I drink alc once a week, 6 bottles of beer. Its not healthy but I dont care.

"All you need is cigarettes and alcohol" - Oasis

 

[graveflower]

I mean, probably not really a good thing to be doing alone- that's often how the thought spiral starts and you end up just feeling terrible. But acknowledging my own hypocrisy, I drink alone about every single night. I wouldn't recommend it in general, haha, but just a few times every now and then shouldn't be too harmful? Just don't make it a habit.

 

[Cauliflour]

Personally I think drinking alone is very pathetic. Getting high is even more pathetic cause at least alcohol is like a drink with flavours and stuff. Also it's easier to get into addictions if there's nobody to tell you "hey mate, take it easy on the beer"

 

[hurts2b]

Drinking alone by itself is perfectly fine. If you have to drink to relax, it's the only thing you look forward to, and you feel stressed when you don't have access to alcohol that's a symptom of mental dependance. Drinking socially can even be more dangerous than drinking alone if you have a bad peer group.

 

[ConfusedClouds]

I mostly drink alone. Kinda the opposite of someone above - I trust myself to know my actions will be fine on my own - I always have somehow been good at 'getting myself home safe' from nights out e.g. at uni even if I woke up with no memory. I now don't trust myself to be around others and not draw attention/questions which is where I fail so bad and why I generally stay socially isolated. On paper it probably is 'a problem', but I float between going way OTT and then realising so and reigning it right back in, maybe even going sober a wee while. Especially if its getting a bit close for comfort with crossing with work shifts. Or if I know I have medical appts coming up so don't want anything to flag too obviously on bloods. At least not in recent months where I'm first engaging with physical healthcare so kinda wanna show a 'good' baseline and avoid questions about past lives or actions unrelated to the current investigations (mostly musculoskeletal)

 

[Forveleth]

Drinking alone is not necessarily an alcoholic behavior. Drinking to numb pain and sadness is absolutely an alcoholic behavior.

 

[Pluto]

 

[thelostautistic]

I don't think drinking alone is an issue. I guess it depends why you're drinking?

I've been drinking alone almost daily since last summer to deal with my emotions and I don't think it's ok or normal. I don't judge anybody else. I just recognise that it's not healthy for me so I'm trying to stop. I think I'm 4 days sober now.

 

[Shadows From Hell]

I drink alone everyday, at least 8 to 10 beers. Once I start getting buzzed, I'll usually head to bed. Maybe once a month I drink until I'm crawling to bed. Alcoholism? Maybe, maybe not, but I enjoy it. It puts me in my own little world.

 

[Bishop]

Your life is your own. Do as you wish. Drink smoke fart.

 

[spellbound]

Personally I think drinking alone is very pathetic. Getting high is even more pathetic cause at least alcohol is like a drink with flavours and stuff. Also it's easier to get into addictions if there's nobody to tell you "hey mate, take it easy on the beer"

That's what I feared tbh
I do feel the pathetic morning after but it helps me so much through tough times
I just don't know what to do yk ?

Drinking alone is not necessarily an alcoholic behavior. Drinking to numb pain and sadness is absolutely an alcoholic behavior.

Thanks for the honesty, I'd hate to be an alcoholic but I feel trapped, like there's no other way to deal with the really bad stuff
But I really don't want to end up as an alcoholic

 

[Yurak Hunt]

When problems pile up I just drink the sadness away and it helps a lot at least temporarily
But my friends are saying that it's alcoholic behaviour
But I don't feel like an alcoholic because I only crave alcohol when I'm real sad
Do you guys drink or get high on your own ? Is it an okay thing to do ?

I did this for way too many years, now I have realized it is not the way.

 

[mistysmile966]

99% of the time i drink alone, because i dont have a single friend. I never consumed alcohol in my entire 39 years on this earth. I started drinking just recently because things became unbearable. The chronic pain and the depression are worsening and that forced me to drink, to ease the pain a bit.

Went years without a drop of liquor but life has pushed me to it, just like how life keeps pushing me to this site.

Drinking alone is not necessarily an alcoholic behavior. Drinking to numb pain and sadness is absolutely an alcoholic behavior.

Numbing pain and sadness is the purpose of liquor.

Alcohol has treated me better than most people and been the best support system I've had in years. Not saying it's the best support system, but it's the best one I have access to with most people being shitty and the less than subpar mental health system here.

 

[Phyreen]

A while ago I drank to cope when the pain got really bad, and it would help somewhat, temporarily, but I would end up worse off. For me, it didn't really stop the thoughts, and instead I simply felt like shit, with my mind torturing me at the same time. I hate the taste of alcohol too, so I don't drink anymore. I do smoke, but that's a little different. If it helps, then I suppose it's fine.

 

[Forever Sleep]

I wasn't really sure of the definition so, Googled it:

'An alcoholic is generally defined as someone with Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD)—a chronic medical condition characterized by an inability to stop or control alcohol use despite negative consequences to health, relationships, or work. Key indicators include craving alcohol, developing tolerance (needing more to get the same effect), experiencing withdrawal symptoms, and prioritizing drinking over daily obligations.'

Do you feel like it's becoming obsessive? Are you drinking during the day- when you need to be doing other things? Are you getting cravings for alcohol? Have you gone from one or two drinks to several in a sitting- to get the same effect?

I'm not sure the whole being alone while you drink has much to do with it. If we are alone- how else would we do it? That said- if it's becoming secretive, I think that could be a red flag.

What's strange is- I imagine my parents, friends and even myself at some points in life- have consumed enough units per week to be bordering alchoholism. However, I don't think many of us I would describe as having a problem with alcohol. We'd maybe miss it if we tried to give up but- not to the extent of obsessively craving it.

I have been that way about food though. I'd say I've had borderline eating disorders in the past. The difference there was- I didn't feel entirely in control. The cravings were so strong and I had so much anxiety around food. I suppose- when it becomes something that it becomes very difficult to take or leave- I'd say maybe then, it's slightly troubling.

Do you know how many units you have on average a week? Do you know how much you're going over the recommendations? If you told yourself you weren't going to drink alcohol this week- would that make you panic?

 

[Lost Magic]

Do as you please. Whenever I have drunk alone I just put my headphones on and listen to lots of different types of music. I barely drink alcohol anymore. The hangovers are the worst.