Does Alcohol Make You Do Stupid Things?

[davidsonj73]

It's good you recognized you have something to work on; it's the first step and very healthy of you. I'm going to note some advice below, but it's only worth what you paid for it: 0—it's a generalization and not specific to your situation.

Typically, if you are medically dependent on alcohol, you feel sick when off of it; this is because your body is dependent on it, and going off can put you in a very, very bad state. I've seen people go into commas doing this, so you must proceed very carefully. If you have an idea of your daily intake to keep you functional, you can try to drop 10% each week. e.g. if you know you need 50oz of vodka (or whatever your poison is) a day to stay steady state, then the table below:

Week	Ounces
1	50
2	45
3	40
4	36
5	32
6	29
7	25
8	22
9	19
10	17
11	15
12	13
13	11
14	0

It would take 3-1/2 months to drop to 0 ounces per day. If at any point you start getting sick, with nausea, vomiting, or general malaise, you need to bump it up a bit, back to the previous week's intake. Make sure you are drinking plenty of water as well. I'd suggest about 3.0 liters: 10-12 glasses of water daily to keep your kidneys suitably flushed. You might replace one of those liters with an electrolyte solution like Pedialyte.

Please be careful. Seek medical help at any point you feel sluggish, palpitations or short of breath, anxiety, etc.

Coming off is the best thing you can do for your health if you are dependent physically. You may need emotional support (AA is the best, although a bit on the religious side, too). Still, they have groups daily at reasonable times if you need community and can point you to community resources, almost anywhere in the western world.

Thanks for the advice! I will try reducing my intake by 10% a week like you suggested. As far as AA is concerned, if it is religious that is fine with me, I'm Jewish, so if it's about believing in God, I agree, but if it's about Christian beliefs (I mention them because they are so prevalent in American culture), I disagree.

 

[We_ArE_VeNOM]

Have you heard this, “Nobody tells the truth more than little kids and drunks?”

And old people (seniors) .

 

[AmsterdamAssassin]

Have you heard this, “Nobody tells the truth more than little kids and drunks?”

In Vino Veritas

Or, as we say here, "Als de wijn is in de man, is de wijsheid in de kan." When the wine is in the man, the wisdom is in the jug.

 

[Divorced w 3]

No. It turns the governor off in your body removing the restraints of your darker instincts that your medulla oblongata would have otherwise prevented. You’re being yourself. Alcohol is not a valid defense for criminal activity.

 

[AmsterdamAssassin]

You’re being yourself. Alcohol is not a valid defense for criminal activity.

Hey, a serial killer who doesn't kill anyone is not a criminal.

 

[BackInTheGame78]

Just ask Justin Timberlake...

 

[DarwinTaurus]

have you looked into nonalcoholic drinks like mocktails and nonalcoholic beer?

Yeah, I don't mind Heineken Zero. I went 63 days alcohol free earlier this year, I want to start that again. Actually going to begin today. I've nearly had total around 100 alcohol free days this year, which is really good for me. I noticed so many benefits of quitting alcohol, my sleep improved dramatically.

 

[Vending Machine Veteran]

I'm not a heavy drinker myself, I enjoy a few drinks on the weekend only and it's usually at home, not in the bars or clubs etc.

I tend to drink vodka.. However I am at a point now, where I think I really need to quit alcohol all together.

It's not because I drink too much or I am addicted to alcohol in any sense.

It's mostly because, I tend to be quite Stoic and rational when sober.. If someone annoys me or disrespects me, I internalise the situation and react in a rational/stoic manner.

However when I begin drinking and at the tipsy stage, I tend to get angrier much more and say things that I wouldn't usually say.

This is a problem. Some things are better left unsaid, especially around chicks.. I think from today onwards I will work hard at dropping the alcohol completely.

Any of you guys have any similar situations with alcohol, has it caused problems in your in relationships at all.

It's sh1t for gains

If you're dating a woman that likes the booze, you can never truly trust her

It literally changes you for a little while

People like the escape.

If don't need or like the escape, more power to you

Avoiding it will make your life better

 

[Murk]

I cut back massively on alcohol. For years I would have a drink at home on a weekday after work, a couple of beers which turned into glasses of wine or vodka. It was a crutch to lean on in stressful times then became a habit. It's hard to get serious about health, diet and gym while drinking like that so I stopped a couple of years ago and look/feel much better.

I still get that thirst though, I could drink every day easily. I go out much less on weekends these days so I don't binge drink with friends anymore an rarely party. I mainly drink vodka soda for the minimal calories and I will only drink when watching football, entertaining a woman or going out with friends. I also don't get drunk, I haven't been drunk in years. I am a terrible drunk.

 

[DarwinTaurus]

I mainly drink vodka soda for the minimal calories

That's the same reason why I drink Scotch & Soda. Over a decade ago, I used to drink Scotch & Dry, but too many calories... plus, with the soda, you are getting more of the flavour of Scotch.

 

[CornbreadFed]

I drink like a beer or sip on a glass of nice scotch or bourbon every night. I cannot get in to CBD/Weed or any other substance, so I stick to alky. I can't stand being drunk or hungover either, so I rarely go out anymore. I used to go out or get drunk every weekend pre pandemic and one night I didn't and loved having the whole Sunday not being hungover. Skip forward to the pandemic and it made me realized that I hated going out every weekend and I started using Covid as an excuse not to go out lol. When I was dating around, I felt like bar first dates had the least turnover despite the popular narrative on this board lol.

 

[DarwinTaurus]

I used to go out or get drunk every weekend pre pandemic and one night I didn't and loved having the whole Sunday not being hungover.

I know what you mean. When I did the 63 days alcohol free earlier this year, I felt amazing. I so regret slipping up, and getting back into my old habits. I had a friend from interstate visit, and I broke for that. Then a few weeks later, it was the 21st birthday of my niece, so had a few beers at that party.

I work shift work... 2 days, 2 nights, 4 days off. When I'm drinking, my work days seem to drag, because I was hungover. And my days off went so quick, because I was drinking. When I embraced sobriety... the complete opposite occurred. My work days went quick, and my days off seemed to last longer, which was awesome.

 

[corrector]

I don't drink any alcohol. However, I have a fall-back policy for work, where if my sales score is below it's monthly target, and there is a number of days without making a sale, then I might bring a whiskly flask to work and drink it on the cafeteria or on my desk while making calls. The idea is to see if it gets me to loosen up and connect with customers better while making calls over the phone and take the job less seriously. However, that negative scenario has never actually happened and I have reached my sales targets to date.

 

[Murk]

I don't drink any alcohol. However, I have a fall-back policy for work, where if my sales score is below it's monthly target, and there is a number of days without making a sale, then I might bring a whiskly flask to work and drink it on the cafeteria or on my desk while making calls. The idea is to see if it gets me to loosen up and connect with customers better while making calls over the phone and take the job less seriously. However, that negative scenario has never actually happened and I have reached my sales targets to date.

I used to use it the same way. I would have a drink at lunch (many of us would when I worked in an office), loosen up and make sales calls in the afternoon. That for me turned into cocaine too, and I still maintain I do my best work while on something, especially a little pinch before pitching a new client or building on an existing relationship... but it's just not the way to go. I have ADHD so cocaine really helps me dial in, focus and sweet talk.

 

[BackInTheGame78]

It's sh1t for gains

If you're dating a woman that likes the booze, you can never truly trust her

It literally changes you for a little while

People like the escape.

If don't need or like the escape, more power to you

Avoiding it will make your life better

I haven't had a drink since I've been seriously back training which has been for about 18 months now.

 

[corrector]

I used to use it the same way. I would have a drink at lunch (many of us would when I worked in an office), loosen up and make sales calls in the afternoon. That for me turned into cocaine too, and I still maintain I do my best work while on something, especially a little pinch before pitching a new client or building on an existing relationship... but it's just not the way to go. I have ADHD so cocaine really helps me dial in, focus and sweet talk.

Cocaine may be a bit extreme...but what I have tried on occasion is a coffee with triple-shot expresso and that is if I'm really tired. Not sure if that has a similar effect to that. However, I do bring caffine candy to work and will pop it in my mouth if I feel I'm losing the energy to make the calls and my sales is low.

That being said...there was another side idea that I might be thinking of bringing to work. They are THC laced gummy bears and THC/CDB ratioed tincture drops that I could lace into my drinking water. Not sure if edibles (ie which you can 100% fly under the radar at work) will be effective...but it's legal, and can be camoglauged. Again, a negative scenario that where I might go there has never happened. I'd rather call in sick then take drugs to improve performance at work if I'm not feeling up to working a specific day.

The work culture I have in the office is mainly Indian / other country immigrants that basically are just social with each other, behave straight, don't do drugs or any of that stuff. It's not a high paying or high stakes type of sales job that would lend itself to going that far to make sales or keep the job. Therefore, these are more personalized experiments that would be contrary to how other people are behaving within the office and would be under radar. Plus, they also have a strict policy of no alcohol (ie and of course drugs) into that office so the office itself does not lend itself encouraging those behaviours.

I have yet to experience the type of work culture that people talk about on here (ie you hear stories of guys getting bjs from co-workers, or the office wh0re who will sleep with anyone who is employed at the office as long as they are breathing, taking illegal drugs at work, etc....). I must be working at the most straight office you can imagine. None of that stuff goes on there. They run a tight ship.

 

[Murk]

Cocaine may be a bit extreme...but what I have tried on occasion is a coffee with triple-shot expresso and that is if I'm really tired. Not sure if that has a similar effect to that. However, I do bring caffine candy to work and will pop it in my mouth if I feel I'm losing the energy to make the calls and my sales is low.

That being said...there was another side idea that I might be thinking of bringing to work. They are THC laced gummy bears and THC/CDB ratioed tincture drops that I could lace into my drinking water. Not sure if edibles (ie which you can 100% fly under the radar at work) will be effective...but it's legal, and can be camoglauged. Again, a negative scenario that where I might go there has never happened. I'd rather call in sick then take drugs to improve performance at work if I'm not feeling up to working a specific day.

The work culture I have in the office is mainly Indian / other country immigrants that basically are just social with each other, behave straight, don't do drugs or any of that stuff. It's not a high paying or high stakes type of sales job that would lend itself to going that far to make sales or keep the job. Therefore, these are more personalized experiments that would be contrary to how other people are behaving within the office and would be under radar. Plus, they also have a strict policy of no alcohol (ie and of course drugs) into that office so the office itself does not lend itself encouraging those behaviours.

I have yet to experience the type of work culture that people talk about on here (ie you hear stories of guys getting bjs from co-workers, or the office wh0re who will sleep with anyone who is employed at the office as long as they are breathing, taking illegal drugs at work, etc....). I must be working at the most straight office you can imagine. None of that stuff goes on there. They run a tight ship.

Depends on the sector, general age and office culture. I was in the 18-35 office leaning towards 18-28 really. Central London, jack the lad types. Average base but high commission potential, weekly/monthly nights out, incentives to Ibiza and other party destinations, doing coke with bosses and managers. It's cool when you're young, I even miss it now sometimes, but there are better ways to live. I think anything to loosen inhibitions works well for me in sales. Now I just go to the gym, slam coffee and do what needs to be done to pay the bills.

 

[Epicwinguy]

Is water wet?

 

[RangerMIke]

Yes, alcohol is bad for you. It is a toxin. The older you get the worst it is on your body and mind. If you can figure out a way not to drink ever, you will add years to your life.

 

[AmsterdamAssassin]

If you can figure out a way not to drink ever, you will add years to your life.

Most alcoholics don't really care about their last years, but they don't realise that alcohol abuse comes with severe negative side effects especially on the older body. Same with smokers: not only will you live shorter, but your last years your breathing will be severely disabled by emphysema et cetera.
So when you don't drink and smoke you don't just add years to your life, but you won't end as a total wreck.