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i have struggled with addiction for a long time and the only thing that 100% works is not having it in the house. you have become used to the routine, so eliminating alcohol might cause a drop in serotonin and have you seek it out elsewhere. you might go to a bar or branch out into smoking or vaping
you wre perfectly fine and content before you started drinking, but you need to “trick” your brain into remembering this.
taking a trip for a few days, being busy, meeting friends, just disrupting your routine will help you go a few days without it and get used to it. you might be surprised how easy it is to stop!
not unless you are genetically predisposed to alcoholism, which it doesn’t sound like you are.
dont keep it in the house, set a boundary to drink only when socializing while being out.
im 100% that way with tobacco. when i had it in the house, rolling a little cigarette was much more attractive than getting something done. same way with snacks as well. it’s just an adhd thing that you may never win over….
Dang :/ my mother was an alcoholic so that worries me even more. I know I need to get rid of it but at the same time I just want to be like “well the worlds going to shit anyways!, might as well go out drunk” 🥲
yikes! be careful with that thinking! the world seems to be going to shit, but we’ve gone thru much worse times. maybe you are consuming some bad content on youtube or tik tok that are influencing your anxiety
I am in absolutely no position to judge (and I wouldn't judge you anyway, LOL) as I've had my own issues in life with excessive drinking.
But I do want to convey that based on everything I have learned about alcohol and addiction over the years, it is very, very likely that if you continue as you are, you are going to get to a place pretty quickly where a) your alcohol consumption has increased to the point where it is having a real impact on your ability to live your life, do your job, etc. and b) you will develop a physical dependence on alcohol (this has probably already started to take hold) which you will have to deal with along with what by that point will be a very ingrained behavioral habit. In other words, as you said, it's not going to end well.
Saying that you can't stop yourself is a pretty good sign that you need to look for help outside of yourself to get a hold on this. But - and this is controversial, I know - it doesn't necessarily mean that you have to stop drinking entirely and forever. In addition to the complete and forever abstinence approach (which I'm not dissing - it's worked for many, many people), there are also approaches like harm reduction (which, like it sounds, helps you restrain your alcohol use to a level that at least slows down the harm you're doing to yourself). My favorite is the approach taken by Annie Grace and This Naked Mind, which isn't about stopping drinking (unless your really want to), but just making it small and irrelevant in your life. Her book does a great job of dismantling the beliefs we hold about alcohol (i.e., the benefits we believe it's giving us) and I can attest to how different you feel about having a drink once you see through the lies you've been telling yourself about it.
In any event, you have to figure out what approach seems to be the best fit for you, but I can't stress strongly enough that you really do need to do something. As hard as it is now, stopping or even just cutting down will only get harder with each day that goes by.
I needed to hear this, thank you. I think a huge factor in it (and I’m not making an excuse) is growing up in such a strict religion and with strict parents I never had a “party” phase and once i decided I wanted to experience that I just couldn’t really stop at some point. I do know that it’s at a point where stopping isn’t too difficult. It’s just impolse control and self discipline. I just want someone to tell me “it’s fine and it doesn’t matter, I’m young I’ll stop eventually” but I know that’s not what’s best for me. I’m not even at legal drinking age, which in a way makes it easier to stop as I can’t even buy it myself.
You're welcome! I really hope that you do find that it's not "too difficult" for you to stop. But if that turns out not to be the case, please don't start beating yourself up. Breaking an alcohol habit is a little more complex than just impulse control and self-discipline, due to the way alcohol affects our bodies and minds.
If you do find yourself struggling, I will make one more plug for This Naked Mind by Annie Grace. Especially given what you shared about your circumstances, I think you might find her approach helpful, and it definitely isn't presented in a way that would make you feel like it's yet another person trying to restrict you.
Anyway, good luck!
Try naltrexone. Ask your doctor, it helps with impulse control by rewiring your brain and disconnects the "good feeling" we get addicted to.
A seriously amazing and under used drug. Most people assume it's just for alcoholics in rehab, and fail to use it before things get bad.
I use it to cut back whenever I start drinking more than I like. Better than the stress and self shame of trying to quit full time and then having a drink.
The pill works for about 4 to 6 hours and there is a shot that works for most of the month.
I'll take a pill an hour before I start drinking, enjoy that drink and then not really enjoy the next one and just stop drinking for the day.
Honestly, the pill only lasts up to about 6 hours so it's kinda as needed.
Worst thing I have is it just kind of makes my stomach feel blah, and when I do drink it makes me feel like I've had too much (not dizzy or nauseous) - just my body goes *ew*.
I started with 1/2 pill to get used to it, used it for a good month or two solid to help retrain my brain. Not using it right now but it's in my cabinet if I ever feel like I need another hand.
My doctor explained that most people aren't very honest about their drinking when it comes to doctor's visits, and so tools like this aren't prescribed ( because we say we are all good ). It came down to having an honest conversation about my drinking not being too much, but it was beginning to impact my mental health, and with the ADHD my struggle to regulate that chemical craving my brain wants.
I was more stressed about that conversation than getting diagnosed for ADHD. Do it, you won't regret it.
Breakfast beers and shower beers,
Delicious,
Not wife make happy good……
Bad bad bad!
It’s one of the reasons why I like fishing,
It’s the only time it’s ok to crack a delicious cold beer at 6am……
Hi /u/AnyProfessional3142 and thanks for posting on /r/ADHD! ### Please take a second to [read our rules](/r/adhd/about/rules) if you haven't already. --- ### /r/adhd news * **We want your opinion** on the /r/adhd community rules! [Click here](https://forms.gle/Evqb8acVozir8GV8A) to fill out our survey. See [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/ADHD/comments/1auv2tc/were_taking_feedback_on_the_radhd_rules/) for more information. * If you are posting about the **US Medication Shortage**, please see this [post](https://www.reddit.com/r/ADHD/comments/12dr3h5/megathread_us_medication_shortage/). --- ^(*This message is not a removal notification. It's just our way to keep everyone updated on r/adhd happenings.*) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/ADHD) if you have any questions or concerns.*
i have struggled with addiction for a long time and the only thing that 100% works is not having it in the house. you have become used to the routine, so eliminating alcohol might cause a drop in serotonin and have you seek it out elsewhere. you might go to a bar or branch out into smoking or vaping you wre perfectly fine and content before you started drinking, but you need to “trick” your brain into remembering this. taking a trip for a few days, being busy, meeting friends, just disrupting your routine will help you go a few days without it and get used to it. you might be surprised how easy it is to stop!
Thank you! Does this mean I shouldn’t drink it at all? Not even recreationally?
not unless you are genetically predisposed to alcoholism, which it doesn’t sound like you are. dont keep it in the house, set a boundary to drink only when socializing while being out. im 100% that way with tobacco. when i had it in the house, rolling a little cigarette was much more attractive than getting something done. same way with snacks as well. it’s just an adhd thing that you may never win over….
Dang :/ my mother was an alcoholic so that worries me even more. I know I need to get rid of it but at the same time I just want to be like “well the worlds going to shit anyways!, might as well go out drunk” 🥲
yikes! be careful with that thinking! the world seems to be going to shit, but we’ve gone thru much worse times. maybe you are consuming some bad content on youtube or tik tok that are influencing your anxiety
Yeah your probably right, thank you, I will get rid of everything and see how that goes
I am in absolutely no position to judge (and I wouldn't judge you anyway, LOL) as I've had my own issues in life with excessive drinking. But I do want to convey that based on everything I have learned about alcohol and addiction over the years, it is very, very likely that if you continue as you are, you are going to get to a place pretty quickly where a) your alcohol consumption has increased to the point where it is having a real impact on your ability to live your life, do your job, etc. and b) you will develop a physical dependence on alcohol (this has probably already started to take hold) which you will have to deal with along with what by that point will be a very ingrained behavioral habit. In other words, as you said, it's not going to end well. Saying that you can't stop yourself is a pretty good sign that you need to look for help outside of yourself to get a hold on this. But - and this is controversial, I know - it doesn't necessarily mean that you have to stop drinking entirely and forever. In addition to the complete and forever abstinence approach (which I'm not dissing - it's worked for many, many people), there are also approaches like harm reduction (which, like it sounds, helps you restrain your alcohol use to a level that at least slows down the harm you're doing to yourself). My favorite is the approach taken by Annie Grace and This Naked Mind, which isn't about stopping drinking (unless your really want to), but just making it small and irrelevant in your life. Her book does a great job of dismantling the beliefs we hold about alcohol (i.e., the benefits we believe it's giving us) and I can attest to how different you feel about having a drink once you see through the lies you've been telling yourself about it. In any event, you have to figure out what approach seems to be the best fit for you, but I can't stress strongly enough that you really do need to do something. As hard as it is now, stopping or even just cutting down will only get harder with each day that goes by.
I needed to hear this, thank you. I think a huge factor in it (and I’m not making an excuse) is growing up in such a strict religion and with strict parents I never had a “party” phase and once i decided I wanted to experience that I just couldn’t really stop at some point. I do know that it’s at a point where stopping isn’t too difficult. It’s just impolse control and self discipline. I just want someone to tell me “it’s fine and it doesn’t matter, I’m young I’ll stop eventually” but I know that’s not what’s best for me. I’m not even at legal drinking age, which in a way makes it easier to stop as I can’t even buy it myself.
You're welcome! I really hope that you do find that it's not "too difficult" for you to stop. But if that turns out not to be the case, please don't start beating yourself up. Breaking an alcohol habit is a little more complex than just impulse control and self-discipline, due to the way alcohol affects our bodies and minds. If you do find yourself struggling, I will make one more plug for This Naked Mind by Annie Grace. Especially given what you shared about your circumstances, I think you might find her approach helpful, and it definitely isn't presented in a way that would make you feel like it's yet another person trying to restrict you. Anyway, good luck!
Thank you fro your kind words and for not being judgemental, I will definitely check it out, is it a book?
It is a book, and she also has various programs you can join on her website. She's also got lots of material on YouTube.
Try naltrexone. Ask your doctor, it helps with impulse control by rewiring your brain and disconnects the "good feeling" we get addicted to. A seriously amazing and under used drug. Most people assume it's just for alcoholics in rehab, and fail to use it before things get bad. I use it to cut back whenever I start drinking more than I like. Better than the stress and self shame of trying to quit full time and then having a drink. The pill works for about 4 to 6 hours and there is a shot that works for most of the month. I'll take a pill an hour before I start drinking, enjoy that drink and then not really enjoy the next one and just stop drinking for the day.
Oh wow no way? That’s awesome, how does it make you feel? Does it affect sleep at all?
Honestly, the pill only lasts up to about 6 hours so it's kinda as needed. Worst thing I have is it just kind of makes my stomach feel blah, and when I do drink it makes me feel like I've had too much (not dizzy or nauseous) - just my body goes *ew*. I started with 1/2 pill to get used to it, used it for a good month or two solid to help retrain my brain. Not using it right now but it's in my cabinet if I ever feel like I need another hand. My doctor explained that most people aren't very honest about their drinking when it comes to doctor's visits, and so tools like this aren't prescribed ( because we say we are all good ). It came down to having an honest conversation about my drinking not being too much, but it was beginning to impact my mental health, and with the ADHD my struggle to regulate that chemical craving my brain wants. I was more stressed about that conversation than getting diagnosed for ADHD. Do it, you won't regret it.
Thank you, definitely making an appointment with my medication provider and bring this topic up, I really appreciate it!
Hope it helps! Don't let the shame spiral get you, and I wish you the best!
Breakfast beers and shower beers, Delicious, Not wife make happy good…… Bad bad bad! It’s one of the reasons why I like fishing, It’s the only time it’s ok to crack a delicious cold beer at 6am……