Binge drinking? Normal?

I've hit a rough patch yet again. And where I get there I reach from the booze. My doc has warned me to stay away and says it can have harmed effects, but I need something to take the edge off til I come out of this downer. Is this normal, or am I the only one doing shots in the dark?

I think you aren't the only one. I guess I would be curious how much drinking you are talking about when you so binge drinking? But I do think drinking isn't necessarily the best coping method. Alcohol is a depressant after all. Which isn't to say that I don't drink from time to time even though I'm on meds. I am more likely to drink during stressful times, but try to use different coping skills. I also try to limit the amount as I know it can impact my meds. I've talked to pdoc about it and he says a small amount is okay but too much can have an effect. I'm not perfect however, and just try to do my best...

So as to your question is it normal? Hard to define normal, but I don't think you are the only one who uses alcohol when times are tough. If your doc is concerned it's probably something to think about.

I don't drink, so I'm not a good judge of whether this is normal, but it's not healthy. Can you talk to your doc and see if other things can help you, like therapy or meds? Also, if you are on psychiatric meds (any kind), you should be really cautious with alcohol as the two can interact and cause you to suffer bad health risks.

Well that's normal for me, used to be the "better" stuff I would use to get me out of a downer though. I drink booze by myself (pretty much every night) to get me into a downer tbh.
But speaking from experience, you don't wanna have to go through the side-effects of drinking too much booze regularly.

I tend to drink a lot too...

Take it from a recovering alcoholic -- I used to drink to "take the edge off" and to help me thru the rough parts -- until the rough parts became every day and until I decided I liked the effects of the booze, so I drank every day. Then I crossed that invisible line into alcoholism. I was in trouble. When you get to that point, you figure "oh what the he!@, I'm already a drunk so why not just keep drinking!!!"

So you just keep drinking & drinking until you start losing things, like you friends, your job, your home, your family, etc. It happens -- and it WILL happen if you keep this up.

Be careful -- VERY careful. Alcohol also KILLS. I don't want you to die.

You should be concerned my friend, drinking is not a healthy temporary fix. I work at a bar and have the temptation to drink when i am very stressed or upset at a bad table. Our staff treats it as common practice, so I make sure I fast from alcohol every few months to take control of that habit. It is definitely another thing to be taking shots by yourself, before bed, before you go to work. Please be careful! Alcohol should be something you enjoy when you're happy or content, it should merely enhance your already "good" feelings. It seems you feel concerned already, I hope there is someone close to you you can share this information with in confidence, and that they will support you in this rough time...then again there is always us on PC!

If your doc has warned you about it and you can't stop, that's a good indication that there's a problem. Have you thought about just going to an AA meeting (or other recovery group) as an observer? You don't have to jump right in. You may find that you like it. A lot of people do. Then again, you might not. But it's worth checking out.

I too stepped cross that line into alcoholism,when i was in my early 30s,am in my late 30s now and no longer drink,but it's been a long hard journey to get back,the self respect for my self is still not complete,and i dont think it ever will be.Please talk to someone rather than medicate with alcohol,please

drinking occasionally or moderately is fine but binge drinking? It is not normal.. and it cannot be called a normal thing to do. Because you are in binge drinking, this means you consume alcohol above your tolerance. Your doc warned you about it because this may lead to alcohol dependence or alcohol abuse problems because of the alcohol that bring into our body If you relate it to psychology, you conditioned yourself to binge drink whenever you are in tough times. Now, you learned how to condition yourself about this.. then maybe, you can also condition yourself to stop binge drinking . it's your will though. if you really want to stop this thing.. or if you really find it alarming.. then you should do something about it.. why not try to divert your attention or the urge to drink into something good..