Your right about it being a cultural thing, alchohol is everywhere and is a “requirement” for every social occasion. It’s amazing how easy it is to creep from just going out for a beer to enjoying 8, to destroying over 20 pints of Guinness plus shots, staggering through the door at 6 in the morning covered in spilled drinks, kebabs but minus keys, contents of wallet and self pride. Alternatively for home drinking, how simple it is to move from a glass of red with lunch, to guzzling a couple of bottles and thinking to head out to the offie to go buy more then falling asleep on the sofa. If I’m being honest my biggest problem is I’ve always done everything to excess, I’m very full on, I’m ultra competitive at everything I do and bizarrely that includes drinking, I drink like a fish, one beer is rarely one beer once you get a taste you can forget about going home until you are last man standing. I’ve been lucky that although I really enjoy whisky and spirits I’ve never felt the need to abuse them, I think from there it is a very slippery and fast slope into self destruction. I’m lucky that my wife doesn’t drink, which I believe makes cutting back/ out much easier. It must be much harder if you and your partner are habitually drinking together. The covid lockdowns will have caused so much turmoil and destruction within families, created many alchohol dependent individuals due among other reasons fear, isolation and boredom. That said for whatever the reason, the battle is there to be won, change is easier than you believe, you are stronger than you expect. I don’t want to seem self important or that I’m bragging but I’ve woke up today in a really good mood and thankful as to how much better I am feeling due to my lifestyle changes. Stupid and immaturely of me I used to look at friends who don’t drink as weird, but now I understand their struggles and admire them for their journey/ choices. Sorry to go on but I just wanted to say my piece and wish everyone well in their personal battles.
