I Drink -- Alot

Posted in: The Spouse, At Home
I lost my job in the economic upheaval. Over the many months that I have been out of work, I have gone from rarely drinking to drinking every night. A LOT.   Sometimes I drink until I get a buzz.  Other times I drink until I pass out. I started by drinking things I liked but I started gaining weight and so I changed over to things that had less calories.  Now I drink vodka with water or vodka on ice or sometimes vodka straight up.  I justified this to myself by saying it was a sipping drink but sometimes I sipped so much I had 3 or 4 of these in one night.

Nowadays I spend a lot of time alone by choice. After I lost my job I didn't want to burden anyone with my situation so I stayed away.  Stopped returning phone calls, stopped accepting invitations to dinner, stopped dating.  I really started drinking as a way to entertain myself and to help myself get to sleep at night.  I wasn't getting interviews so I had plenty of time. I had parties by myself where I danced and sang and did karaoke, laughed, and toasted myself. I drank until I passed out. I drank out of boredom and because I was afraid I would have think about my situation after I turned out the lights and before I fell asleep.  Then it became kind of a habit.  I did it because it was what I did -- and because it was fun.  Now... I am recognizing that it is not so cool for me anymore.  I want to start dating and socializing again... but I do not want to reintroduce myself as a lush.  But secretly... I don't want to stop.  I know that this is who I am now, it is what I've become.  I've got to dust myself off and get back out there in the classy way I've always presented myself.  But I'm kinda scared.  I don't want what I've done in the darkness of my home to be seen by anyone.

I don't want to be out of control.  I wake up feeling terrible every morning and I can't remember things that I have done more often than I like to admit.  I don't want anyone to know.