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What's so bad about drinking in the day?

23K views 23 replies 17 participants last post by  shychick1 
#1 ·
Why does it make a difference what time of day? I've been on anti depressants and the first doctor I saw said they wouldn't work if you drink... I did anyway. It may be a replacement kind of thing but... it helps somewhat. I've seen another doctor in the meantime... He asked me if I drink... I said yes... he'd already told me he thinks I'm also depressed anyway he said when you drink you feel ok... afterwards you CAN get more depressed and anxious.

I remember when I joined this site I said this is it I want to sort this out I don't want to deal with this anymore... I'm here to get over this and move on... it's alot harder to do though... And a couple of years ago I started drinking... mostly to help me sleep... I don't WANT to sleep I don't WANT to have to eat... I don't WANT to feel sick... It's like I don't want anything that's human.

A friend asked me about drinking said is it still a no to drink on the tablets... I told her what I just said He never said anything about the tablets at all so figured he just meant in general if you're dealing with anxiety and depression. He said I know it can be a crutch for some people but it's not the best crutch. I have been drinking more lately because got alot of stresses at the moment. My friend asked me "just at night though?"... I lied and said yes... it's not just at night though... I don't see the difference though... what's so bad aout drinnking in the day?

When I was working sure... and with the drama's I was having I drank a few times before going into work which yes is bad. Now I'm not working though so I don't see why it's a problem. It's a little undignifying but it helps. Sometimes it's the only way I can eat if I've had enough to drink.
 
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#2 ·
The daytime is usually when people get stuff done, night time is used for winding down, thus drinking is usually best done then. Drinking at night also helps to keep things from getting TOO out of hand. Some people can really go way overboard if given the whole of the day to drink (like my father used to before he quit). For an alcoholic (which honestly you do sound like to me, or are becoming one), if can be worse. Already you're talking about things you can't do unless you drink, which is certainly not good. After a while you'll NEVER be able do do stuff unless you drink without even more work than it would have taken before then.

Drinking all day is certainly a red flag. Just my opinion, since I've been through stuff with people who have done it and it got bad.
 
#3 ·
I have no issue with drinking per se but when one:

*Drinks to avoid certain feelings/issues
*Drinks in great excess
*Drinks in excess every day
*Uses it as a coping mechanism

Then its a bad thing.

Sometimes settling back with a few drinks can be nice. A glass of wine with a meal can be nice. But drinking for the wrong reasons to get "drunk" isnt a healthy thing to do.

And yes, despite what some might say its possible to have A drink and not get hammered when you drink.
 
#4 ·
yeah, well I don't drink all day. Usually have just a few at a time. Unless there are circumstances I might get wasted on purpose a couple of friends have noticed if I'm drinking with them. With not being able to do things without it yeah I know that's not good because I don't want it to become a dependancy but it's like a replacement I have a hard time with food and I figured if I have a drink and can eat a little that's better than starving myself. I stopped drinking and eating at the same time so I didn't get dependent and make things complicated but started again not all the time though like it used to be.
 
#5 ·
I don't drink during the day but I wish I could. I don't see anything really wrong with it, if you can keep it under control. I drink at night and on the weekends and people say it's such a horrible thing but it's one of the only things that really makes me feel better and just makes me feel human again. Maybe drinking is a bad thing if you don't have any issues to deal with but I find it helps me and I can generally control it and not let it get too out of hand.
 
#6 ·
I don't drink in the day because I think it would make me feel like a bigger loser than I already feel like. I really don't get drinking in the daytime anyway. I mean if you have a few drinks, all you are going to do is want to go to sleep. If you go to sleep in the middle of the day, it's going to screw your routine up so you can't sleep at night. So I just wait until a couple hours before bedtime every night and have four or five drinks then slip of to sleep. It's nice to have a change of pace after a boring, frustrating, depressing day of doing absolutely nothing and talking to nobody. Alcohol gives that to me. If I get cirrhosis or cancer from it, so be it.
 
#7 ·
If I started in the day I wouldn't stop until I went to bed. I haven't had a drink in 4 months. i will drink again someday but not like I used to. drinking everyday is not good for your mental health, and it makes you fat. you don't care when you are blinded by love for alcohol and the **** that comes with relying on it to cope and feel happy, or feel anything. you are valuable person though and you could be hurting yourself really bad, but you only know what is best for yourself. i advise you to do what you know is right for yourself. don't think that other people accepting your behavior justifies it - it doesn't matter what we think. people come and go but you will always have to live with yourself.
 
#8 ·
Um... it has not made me fat. Maybe if you don't eat much it evens out. Like last night I drank way too much and today I couldn't hardly eat. Sometimes I think if I can't eat and I at least drink well I'm getting calories. The last couple of weeks I've not hardly eaten ate like once a day and drank a bit I lost like half a stone. This week I've still drank but ate a little more and put a few pounds back on but I don't mind because I've been underweight lately anyway and still am a little.
 
#10 ·
Alcohol has calories. 8 per gram, and it slows down your metabolism. a shot of liquor is about 70, wine is a little more and beer is in the hundreds per drink. You can't replace meals with the calories from alcohol because it doesn't have any nutrients in it. Beer has some, but not enough to replace food. You also lose water when you drink, so apparent weight could be water loss. just putting that out there.
 
#11 ·
Basically, using alcohol as a way of dealing with any type of situation leads to problems. It is not a long term solution, but when used all the time as a solution might begin to seem like one. The reason people worry about those who drink during the day is because it goes beyond the simple 'having a drink to unwind' situation to 'having a drink to deal with life's crap.' I've done it myself, so I know how tempting it is. One alternative is seeing a therapist, talking about your problems and deciding what route to take.

Also, it's true what your doctor said about alcohol making you more depressed- it's a depressant. So, while it might make you feel good right away (the buzz can be really uplifting, I know), it's bad in the long term. It can have a negative accumulative affect...plus, drinking to solve problems, doesn't really solve them, thus leading to further problems. Sorry- I could go on and on about this topic. Let us know how things go. I hope you feel better soon.
 
#12 ·
Ahhhh, drinking during the day. That brings back memories. At least it brings back memories of the early part of the day. The afternoons, evenings, and nights I can't seem to remember for some, probably completely unrelated reason.

I think others have already covered the "why drinking during the day isn't necessarily bad, but could be depending on why you're doing it" bit already.
 
#14 ·
Reading that first post, you sound like a raging alcoholic. If you are at the point where you can't possibly think about giving up alcohol, you need help.
I don't mean to insult you or anything, but really none of that sounds healthy at all, though I realize that all of us aren't healthy here in some way.
 
#17 ·
I'm a drinker too. I don't think there is some magical thing about the day that make it bad to drink, but there are practicalities. I work during the day 5 days a week. Can't drink at work, its not allowed. On the weekends I don't drink before 11am. Nothing special about about that time, its just about imposing some discipline on myself so things don't get out control. If you are at home every day, I would suggest getting out and doing something instead of drinking at home. I have found that too much alcohol can worsen my depression and although it makes me feel sleepy it acually reduces the quality of sleep.
 
#21 ·
Personally, drinking makes me sleepy. That's my main incentive not to drink during the day. Drinking during the day is okay if you are not overdoing it. The problem mostly has to do with social stigma. Yes, "partying at night and driving home drunk is fine but if you drink a beer alone at home before an interview to calm down you are a loser" I'm being sarcastic of course but that's how some people think. It's mostly a matter of social stigma.

The problem is drinking is counterproductive in the long run... it's hard on the body and depletes neurotransmitters. I think there are better alternatives. For example, benzos are safer in the long run and probably more effective (in my opinion, some may disagree)
 
#22 ·
Just was thinking I know people who drink in the day even by themselves and it's not a big deal so because I'm kind of depressed it sounds an alarm. I get that it's a problem to drink so much. I think it's more about quantity then timing. I've been cutting back though. I'm not in denial about anything I'm finally facing alot of issues I've been avoiding and dealing with myself for years so it's hard and I think I must have an addictive personality it's to do with replacement. If I drink loads I feel like **** and just pass out if I have a few I feel ok, that's some sort of progress. I'm not going to a support group I might be going to one for my eating disorder and anxiety and they all tie together. I'm getting help for my *issues* basically.
 
#23 ·
I've always believed in the right to have a glass of wine at 2pm if you feel you'd enjoy a glass of wine at 2pm.

However:

I was taking the wine to calm my anxiety, so I could function. The wine became whisky, and I needn't more and more to function.

Suddenly you find yourself opening a bottle of cheap, horrible, bottle of whisky that smells like petroleum at 7.30AM and you think where did it all go wrong?

And the anxiety from alcohol withdrawl is HORRRRRRIBLE. The started drinking to combat social anxiety that prevented me leaving the house or speak to anyone, but alcohol withdrawal anxiety is dancing about your room in terror, sweating, thinking of no oh no oh no.
 
#24 ·
I totally understand that .. I am a recovering raging alcoholic and I'm only 22. I started with using it to "loosen me up" at the bar or having a couple drinks in the eve. then basically progressed to at certain times..man.. I'd wake up with the shakes and the sweats...worse paranoia than usual.. and I'd grab whatever was nearby and started the process all over.. It started normally and progressed so fast in just a few years.. I hope to be able to drink like a normal person to relax someday.. but not anytime soon, maybe when my other issues are under control. (and my last one from my last binge was only a few days ago lol)
another thing to think about is that alcohol increases cortisol which is a stress hormone. by increasing it in your body over time you will end up making anxiety way worse. Also, it can cause you to gain weight not only because alcohol converts to sugar in the body but the cortisol is what causes belly fat. Sumo wrestlers are given huge quantities of alcohol to increase their belly size to make them more stable in the ring. So what they call "beer belly" is from the booze itself, doesn't matter what kind.
If you can control it, that's awesome, wish I could. But I started out that way too and now I could write a book on alcohol addiction
 
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