Let’s Talk About Functioning Alcoholism
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 18 มิ.ย. 2024
- Today I talk about being a high functioning alcoholic and my massive Gatorade consumption! Functioning alcoholism is a thing and it’s happened to some celebrities like Morgan Spurlock, Alice Cooper and Stephen King as well. It’s insidious and can happen to anyone!
For people who don't understand how alcoholism can "get you", let me share my take. I'm a recovering alcoholic myself and sometimes it's even easy for me to forget.
You start out drinking socially in your teens or 20s. Could be bars, parties, clubs, or just your buddy's house. But you really enjoy it and drink basically every Friday and Saturday night. You enjoy the lack of social anxiety, the calmness, the euphoria, the "fuck it" attitude that just feels so freeing. At first, you maybe need 2-3 beers over the course of the night but eventually you start putting back 3-4, then maybe 4-5, and eventually you're polishing off a whole 6-pack. But it's still just Friday and Saturday night social drinking, and you're young so there's nothing to worry about.
You have a Friday night where no one's around. You're bored and convince yourself to grab some beer to enjoy at home. You tell yourself it's no big deal, it's Friday night and you're just gonna have a couple beers. What's the big deal? So you have 2-3 beers by yourself and watch a good movie and have yourself a nice night.
A few weeks later, it's Tuesday night and you're bored again. You have another 2-3 beers by yourself. Eventually, you start drinking by yourself at least one night every week. Then two nights. And those 2-3 beers have crept up, just like the social drinking, to a 6-pack. Eventually that line that you can't cross becomes further and further. At one point, it was "no drinking alone" and now it's "I can only drink Tuesday and Wednesday alone" and eventually it's "eh, as long as I don't drink in the daytime, what's the big deal?". Everything becomes a rationalization.
Maybe you go through a rough patch in life and that line continues to get further. Eventually you kinda start to accept that you're an alcoholic, but it's not that big of a deal since you're young and you're pretty sure it'll all be okay. But that 6-pack isn't doing the trick anymore, so now you're drinking a 6-pack of IPAs every night. And the ABV goes from 6% to 7% to 8%. You're not picking beer for the taste anymore, you're picking it for the ABV. You start buying the 12-packs because last night you finished the 6-pack of 8%ers but wanted just one more to really complete the night. You have that 7th one, and eventually you sometimes even start dipping into the 8th one. You're now well aware that you have a problem, but it feels impossible to stop because anytime you try, the night just sucks. You feel intensely bored, anxious, depressed, etc.
At this point, you have your first attempt to quit. You've accepted that you're an alcoholic and you know that you need to change. You have one sleepless night and say fuck that, and you're back to drinking. But you try to moderate because quitting altogether seems insane. You're completely dependent on alcohol to have fun, to relax, to enjoy even something as simple as a TV show. All of your friends drink. All of your leisure time is spent drinking. You can hardly remember what a sober life looks like.
So you try to moderate, and it just doesn't work. Once that alcohol hits your system, you're not stopping. You stop trying to fight it, and you embrace the alcoholic lifestyle. You tell yourself that you'll quit one day, just not today. The hangovers are getting worse. A lot worse. You have such bad anxiety that going to work feels like you're going to the hospital to find out if you have cancer or not. You fight through it, but eventually you can't manage it. Remember that line that you said you wouldn't cross? Well it just got even further and now you're drinking in the morning because you can't handle the anxiety. It's searing, it's debilitating. But it's just a shot or two to manage the anxiety, no big deal right?
Now you're fully dependent on alcohol. You need it to eat, to sleep, to work, to socialize, to deal with anxiety, low mood, depression, hopelessness. Everything revovles around alcohol now. You don't go anywhere that you won't be able to drink at. You try to quit again, but you can't even get to noon without a drink. This is normal now, a couple of shots in the morning, more at lunchtime, and then you really get on it after work. Beer doesn't do it anymore, or it's too difficult to hide, so you're drinking vodka now. You start counting how many drinks you're having and it's scary. I had 20 drinks yesterday? I wasn't even that fucked up.
You go to your first AA meeting. Maybe you try rehab or detox. You don't know where to turn anymore. You've fully accepted that you're an alcoholic, and maybe you even get a week of sobriety under your belt. But it's brutal, you know you'll never feel right again without alcohol. It's now a part of you. Deep in your being, there's a gaping alcohol sized hole. It's like you lost a loved one. You try and try and try to stay sober but you just can't. Everything feels wrong. Nothing makes you happy, content, at peace, it's just plain agonizing to stay sober, so you go back. Bender after bender after bender. Rehabs, AA meetings, hospital stays. It's not working. Nothing works. You're so sick of drinking but there's no other way forward. You have health issues now, your dreams are slipping away, you don't even remember what you wanted out of life. Everything is a means to another drink.
You fight for years trying to stay sober but it's just not happening. You keep relapsing, and with every relapse things are getting worse. You're financially ruined, no one wants to be around you anymore, you lose your job. You sit in your apartment drinking with no money in your account, maxed out credit cards. You can't pay your rent, and now you're just drinking alone waiting to be evicted. You then become homeless, go to jail, die, or finally get sober. But life is miserable and will take years to rebuild, so you keep relapsing and falling deeper and deeper into the void. You're ready to die, you have no more energy left to fight. Alcohol took everything from you, including your life.
Yea I’m getting towards the bottom and I have everything I can’t stop life is so boring sober idk how to quit
@@andrewphillips4826 It's difficult, but when people say that it gets better or it gets easier, it's really true. You just have to be prepared for the ups and downs at the beginning. One day you'll be feeling high on life and the next day you'll be miserable, it's just your brain repairing itself. But over time it gets so much easier and you start to really enjoy life without booze. One day, you'll be confused how booze was ever so attractive.
And give everything a shot. Go to some AA meetings. Talk to a doctor about medications, and do your own research as well. This could be stuff like naltrexone, anti-depressants, anti-anxiety, etc. Exercise as much as possible. Eat as much sugar as you want, especially at first. Talk to others who struggle with alcohol, it's really helpful to have a network. If you want it, you can do it. It does get so much easier after a couple of months.
A very powerful piece of writing. Thank you. This is the inevitable path. It's up to us to get off this path. Every exit is the best remaining exit. There are many ways to beat this thing, and ten times more ways to lose. I start with my number one rule, every day. DO NOT DRINK. There is so much more that is needed, but it starts there. One day at a time. I mess up all the time, but as long as I didn't drink it's fixable. Loss of temper, irrational spending, mistake at work; all can be fixed. If I drink, I am screwed. The demon comes back, and it's been working out and planning it's return. It's stronger, faster and smarter than the last time we fought. I am almost 8 months clear of it, and I can still smell it's breath on my neck. Evil, sadistic demon.
@@RinoSchiavoCampoI’ve been sober for 36 years and that demon is just around the corner, waiting to kick my ass. Not today.
@@SeekerGoOn2013 Amen.
My uncle did it for years! He’s now in a hospital with alcohol related dementia. Watch your drinking folks!
how much and how long did he drink ?
Hope your uncle pulls through!
Even drinking too much Diet Coke gives you dementia.
@@BRIANDER100 we lost touch with him for a long while but he started drinking after having a really negative experience of being in the navy when he was around 20. He would drink 4 cans on lager/beer before getting out of bed and going to work for the day then drink another 8-10 cans when he got home.
@@kingknowbody6775 thanks
Winston Churchill was the quintessential high functioning alcoholic.
My "friend" would have this routine. Three am wake up. Eat and shower etc . 4 am at the job. Lunch at 12:pm one burger and three beers. Work until 4 pm. Twelve pack after work from 5 to 7m. Asleep at 10. He did that for two years.
@@ericortega1745 Your 'friend' sounds a lot like a 'friend' I used to know lol
Some people tried to take on his daily routine of all the cigars and scotch (multiple a day) waking up and doing again. I felt sick watching it.
Is that why Churchill was voted out in the middle of a war and ended his career in disgrace?
@@jon6039it didn’t end in disgrace he was voted back in 5 years later and had a full state funeral
My wife and I were crazy drinkers on the weekend and after 20+ years of drinking we were on complete benders from Friday 5pm through to Sunday night. We wouldn't drink during the week at all. We always went to work. Went to the gym. Did really well financially and in our careers and in our fitness goals. And we did this for a long time, it was a big problem but everything sort of worked until the last year before we quit when the cracks began to appear. We would call in sick frequently, or basically pass out sleeping during working from home online meetings trying to recover from the weekend. We barely made it through a gym session and didn't start to feel normal until about Thursday when we'd have one good normal day and then start drinking again from Friday 5pm. We're currently 1 year, 9 months sober and absolutely loving it. Sobriety is doing life on god mode.
Congratulations on the sobriety!
That’s awesome you have someone to do this with so you’re not alone. Congrats man
i met my best friend, birthday day after mine but years older than me, bonding over saturn automobiles while working as his apprentice at a locksmith shop. he showed me all the basic guidelines to being a practical, capable and reasonable man. he was never late, i never saw him angry or get loud. to this day i still learn lessons from the things he told and showed me. we used to hang out at his garage, fix cars, drill safes, boom tunes, smoke weed and slam ice houses. you could solve any problem in that garage. he died summer 2019, about this time of year. one of the last things he told me, a sort of confession i guess, is that he was a high functioning alcoholic. i never would have guessed because i was naive, but soon after, he had a stroke and did not survive the night. i think he was 48. i never saw him shake on the job or anything like that. he wore it well, at least, externally. he was like a big brother to me and i named one of my sons after him.
two years ago, i was assigned my first ever apprentice. a 20 year old young man who gives a shit about “doing man stuff and right”. i guess i’m passing the torch. i’m 36 now.
i don’t know what im trying to say other than he was the best man i’ve ever met and i carry him with me everyday. i have some of his tools, his hammer, his screwdrivers, his lock picks in my tool bag. i just gave away an unused 1/4” endmill drill bit he gave me maybe ten years ago to a fellow locksmith i keep running into at a local bar.
rest in peace brian. my hero.
Yeeh🎉
What a beautiful story. I guess what you're trying to say is that alcoholics aren't the typical 'scumbags' that some ignorant people might think they are. It's important to know that 'little old me' has a real impact on the world, just like this man had on you. I think it's up to us to be our best versions of ourselves and to spread peace in the minutae of life, like a smile or a chat with the person at the supermarket, or to pass on knowledge like he did for you.
RIP Brian! You honor your friend with kind words and memories shared. He, like you, was/are a man of integrity, and that is not common.
RIP Brian. You were a good dude.
Rip, make sure you reach the younger generation about wearing PPE
I’m autistic and a severe alcoholic. It makes me feel like a real person who enjoys things and feels things the way other people do. The withdrawals are so bad it feels like I’m gonna stroke out or seize up, which might not be too far from the truth. I drink an entire fifth (750ml) of cheap whiskey every single day. At four shots, I can function at my job half the day. At another four, I can finish the day off. Later at night, I drink the second half of my fifth so I can actually enjoy whatever show or game I’m trying to engage with. I’ve quit for over a year before, and just have no joy whatsoever without it. It’s the only thing that makes me feel anything at all.
try Marijuana gives me the same feeling without the immense health risks still bad for you but a lot less worse
I belive you can feel things without it. You have to choose life and confidence despite your autism. I find socialising super overwhelming and that's why I drank. Made me feel happy too but it's all an illusion. Happiness and connectedness are inversely correlated with alcohol !!
You’re not alone. Alcohol is the only thing that makes me feel joy. Being on the spectrum must have this common thing with experiencing very little joy. It’s just how it is, muted emotions, except anxiety.
@@jamesbyrne9312 lmao I hate people like you you're telling someone that they're not trying hard enough to be confident when bro has a brain condition that makes it impossible to be confident 😂😂😂😂😂
Bro same here. At 20 I went from being constantly alone with no hope of engaging with other people in a meaningful way, constantly thinking about suicide to getting drunk every day, having several friendships I've maintained 5 years later, the ability to make people laugh, general optimism about life. Honestly if I dropped dead now it would have been worth it to have had a generally decent life for half a decade. I've been switching it out for weed a day or two a week which I highly recommend as giving your body time to recover once in a while definitely helps.
I feel like alcoholism is more widespread than people think. It's not as rapid of a life descent as other drugs but still equally damaging and addicting. That and angry drunks are an additional bonus problem unique to alcoholism. Really enjoying your channel by the way. Your videos feel authentic and relatable.
I appreciate the kind words! And I appreciate that you understand how damaging alcoholism really is!
There are 17 million just in usa
Alcohol causes more harm than just about almost anything else. It's definitely pure toxic non polar poison.
I agree for the most part, but anger issues caused by substance use are not unique to alcoholism. I'm really struggling to think of any drug of abuse that doesn't have a tendency to cause anger issues. Even stoners get mad when they have to go a day without using lol. Psychedelics maybe? Then again, the trade-off with that is the people who use them often may not develop anger issues but still get ridiculously massive egos while believing that their ego is entirely gone. I think the angry drunk is just a stereotype because alcohol is so accessible and anger can come out at every stage from inebriation to comedowns to hangovers to withdrawals. Most other psychotropic substances aren't gonna make you angry within their duration of action.
Alcohol is the worst drug.
I used to be able to get drunk 24/7 and hold down a full-time job with no worries...
And then, suddenly, I stopped being able to function. I lost control. I started to lose job after job...
Me too. That's why I'm in a long-term rehab now. Been sober 8 months. Ngl I miss those delicious ice cold ones after work tho😢
That was me too. I've been sober 10 years now. There were plenty of times I really didn't think I was gonna make it.
Same here until I started being late and couldn’t function physically or verbally
Stephen King was also a massive coke fiend in the 1980s, which explains Maximum Overdrive
Oh yeah. I forgot about that one!
Yeah he was on so many different things up to writing the Tommyknockers. Most people use one or perhaps two drugs, King used cocaine, Xanax, Valium, NyQuil, beer, tobacco, and marijuana to get him through the day. His family actually staged an intervention, dumping all the evidence of his addiction in front of him. I’m highly impressed with the guy, he’s one of my fav authors of all time. He doesn’t even remember writing Cujo, he doesn’t say that in a boastful way either. But rather a sorrowful way. He was even drinking mouthwash, his wife would ask where all the Listerine went. The guy is one of the most prolific authors alive.
people who take drugs to get shit done are on a whole other level than the majority who take drugs to escape
Hell yeah
This was the channel I didn't know I needed. Sober 4 years and almost 7 months. Keep doing what you're doing, man, I'm a huge fan.
Thank you and congratulations!
Today, I am 6 months sober at 27 years old. I never expected alcoholism to take control of my life, but it happened gradually at first, and then all of the sudden it was like my life revolved around alcohol. It really needs to be talked about more. I have friends that I worry about, because I know they are alcoholics, but I know they have to come to that conclusion themselves. It's a tough road but very worthwhile. I feel amazing 6 months alcohol free!
Congratulations on taking your life back. One day you're a teenager having a good time and before you know it you've been a drunk for 30 years. That's great that you realized what was happening and took control.
Congrats! You’re over the hump (6 months). In another 6 months you’ll think about it even less. Focus on the positives, including the cash you have on hand now that you didn’t have then. Been 8 years for me now, and I can be around my wife or other people having a drink and it hasnt phased me at all for years.
I think that one thing that often isn’t discussed is how expensive being an alcoholic is. Even if you buy the cheap stuff, if you drink daily you’re probably spending at least $100 a month on booze. That’s money that could be saved, invested, or put towards bills and groceries. But that money is instead spent on a poison that slowly destroys you physically and mentally, while widening the hole in your wallet
Spent around 600 a month back in my heavy drinking days... It was ridiculous
It’s cheap relative to other drugs, which is why it’s so insidious in society, but I see your point about money in general
My friends spend $500 a month on cheap beers.
@@BulyssesBwachowski Yep if you are comfortable income and doing distilled stuff it can be pretty affordable.
Dude so true. I wish I had 1% of the money I blew over 30 years. Just 1%, and it would have been a game changer. I hope people that recover like me realize this to help keep on track. It’s amazing I can have a $20 in my wallet for literally weeks now. 8 years ago? Wouldn’t have made it through the night
I'm dysfunctional without the alcohol.
Many of us are. Isn't it great. . Lol
I had a benzo and weed problem. Benzos are legal. It's easier to justify in my case because benzos are more acceptable than alcohol.
@Thegingerbreadm4n How blessed you are to have never known that other side of life. I hope you never have the dishonor of finding out. .
@Thegingerbreadm4n Yea, I'm too undereducated to get that reference. But fair enough. I never knew those affected the same receptors. You've peaked my interest.
@@Skoopyghost Benzos are way worse than alcohol and the public doesn't call out this extreme garbage drug. I have not taken it but have friends that speak volumes of how worse it is than other drugs. A person I know said he prefer heroin withdrawal than benzo withdrawal and that speaks volumes! Long story short pharma industry is the most evil out here in the great USA.
A few of my co workers were functioning alcoholics. One would show up to work at 6 am, dead of winter, with sunglasses on, cold 2 am taco bell in one hand and a giant bottle of pedialyte in the other. Then another one of my co workers would show up to work hungover, still be the best at his job and sleep under his desk during lunch time. Guys were wild. Much more common than people know.
ah man, pretty much everything u said about morgan spurlock blew my mind. i had no idea he was an alcoholic, and furthermore, i had no idea he died. he made some really good documentaries after supersize me that me and my mum really enjoyed watching together.
Oh yeah! Look into him. You’d be surprised about some things about him.
@@kingknowbody6775what else?
I think i was also a functioning alcoholic. i drank pretty much everyday from 2012 to September 2023. my standard day was 3-5 cans of beer, a bottle of red wine and sometimes half a bottle of vodka. Some days i would drink before going to work, not every day though.
I stopped as i started diet and exercise for weight loss, i had like one relapse drink in November, after a single beer at noon, i felt relaxed for half an hour, then like a bad hangover for the rest of the day, the weight loss probably made me more susceptible to alcohol. Anyway I felt cheated, lied to, like alcohol promised so much but delivered so little, stole my entire day, made me binge eat and skip exercise. I knew I was done after that.
If i want to feel dopamine or whatever, i go outside, walk, run or bike, that gives me dopamine for hours and i feel awesome afterwards, not like shit. I haven't looked back since, i feel great, blood work indicates everything is fine, i have mental clarity, i no longer even think about it, let alone crave it.
this is great man I am proud of u
This is great best of luck to you
Brother, I'm so glad you beat it. I've actually been there twice in my life - first time in my late 20s for about 3 years and second time in my late 30s, also for a few years, also during COVID. Each time for different reasons, out of loneliness in my 20s and second time because of marriage breakdown. Neither place was a good place to be. No one who is really truly happy will ever want to be a functioning alcoholic. For sure it is something that is rooted in something thats no good somewhere deep down. I'm glad it's over for me and happy it is over for you too. Stay awesome, my 90's lesbian friend! hahaha I love you content and humour! So glad I found your channel. Your videos make my days sometimes. Keep at it bro!
Yeah…after my divorce, and due to being in the Army and moving every couple years lost my kids. I crawled into a bottle hard for 2 years, and still functioned, however I literally have no memories of those two years. I’ve seen pictures of me, and I’m like “when the hell was that taken”. It’s a tough road, and it completely wasn’t worth it. Didn’t change the outcome. Would have been better off just dealing with it.
A few researchers from universities actually questioned Morgan Spurlock and recreated the experiment. One person even tried asking Morgan to see his food journals. Morgan ignored him.....
I’ve tried my hand at being a functioning alcoholic and ended up detoxing in the hospital and quitting a job lol. I have zero clue how anyone does it. I’m loving your videos man keep at it
Trust me, it’s a GOOD thing that didn’t work out.
Ive detoxed at home cold turkey about 3 times. Its about time for me to do it again. Problem is my sobriety only last from 7 months to a year
i wish you unfaltering strength in your battle against alcohol, it sounds like youre getting really good at saying no to the craving, and for what its worth from a stranger on the internet im proud of you. that takes a lot
I’m life long straight edge, but all of my family are alcoholics and it’s awful. I know it’s a sickness that can affect anyone and they need lots of compassion. I’m always so happy to come across people who have beat it.
I can smell it on your beak! 😂
Thanks for more great content sir. You are an excellent narrator as well😎👍
Just wanted to say I always look forward to your "pretty F'd up huh?" intro. Please never stop doing it. lol
I've had a few people complain about the BANG flag gun but I will continue regardless!
@@kingknowbody6775it's your trademark
@@kingknowbody6775the flag gun is bad ass wtf is the issue with it
@@cantsneedgaming4591 Apparently a few people think I’m joking about suicide. Oddly enough I’ve had a few people tell me my videos saved them from suicide. Go figure!
A guy in my building died last year. I don’t know if it was alcohol related, but he was having accidents in public spaces and the person who bought the unit said he had to take out 200+ beer bottles
watching your videos is a breath of fresh air compared to someone else we used to know.
The 90s lesbian look xD
You slay me , it's true style on point guys
Oh yeah, this is a huge one.. I know several people like this. And tbqh.. I was one myself for quite a damn while. It's very dangerous, insidious. Thanks for discussing the topic honestly, man. Cheers.
I don't drink every day because I know it's bad for me, but it's also one of the only times I feel fully relaxed and happy. Like you I have autism, though probably more severely, and it seems to help make my life seem less screwed.
how much and how long did you drink ? any health issues ?
Same but just smoke weed, it help me get off fully of the bottle
@@BRIANDER100 On average 3 nights a week. Mostly just beer or cider though. No official health issues. Otherwise I'm quite healthy, went to the doctor last year for a blood test they said I was fine.
@@arostheautistic1045 how much and how long did you drink ?
@@BRIANDER100 nearly 10 years, used to be less but nowadays around 6 drinks a night, but only 3 times a week.
You remind me so much of one of my good friends that it freaks me out, really appreciating your videos, thanks!
No, thank you!
Mark E Smith was one of the most relentless functioning alcoholics ever. He led his band, the Fall, for 40 years, through about 30 albums and 50 ex-members, and some very chaotic behaviour. Oh and lots of speed use too.
This was great video on the topic. I've struggled with addictions in several forms and substances myself. You have a great perspective. I also really liked the variety of examples for famous alcoholics. The bird is cool too. Really hope things keoo getting better for you and your family.
Thank you for the kind words!
Really funny I saw your videos for the first time this morning as I was drinking a beer before work and now you post this video haha!
I used to drink before work….. that’s when I knew it was time for a change 😢
@@colormecoco3779 Right now I can’t stand the thought of not having a drink before work. I know it’s just a habit. I need to just go a few days without it. It doesn’t even do that much for me it’s a nightmare
Major respect for ditching booze. Alcoholism is Hell on the body, especially over a long time. Also, cute bird! 🦜
I remember in class we did this experiment where we took a McDonalds french fry and put it in a bag for the whole school year, and since it never degraded, it meant that the french fry was basically poison or something. It was directly inspired by Super Size Me. To find out the whole thing was based on a lie was mind blowing, but kinda funny at the same time.
Everyone believed that documentary whole hog back in the day! It’s crazy in hindsight.
Lack of rotting doesn't mean it's poison. Honey never goes bad if you store it properly, and nobody calls that toxic.
@@blaisetelfer8499put a homemade fry next to a mcdonald’s one and see the difference
Alcohol and junk food effects are very similar. Children often are afflicted with diseases today only that alcoholics were once believed to get. Sugar and alcohol are both killers of the liver.
I was just looking this subject up and found you posted this today. I need at least 3, 6% beers a night to fall asleep. I don't think I've gone a day this year without drinking, and the thought of doing so scares me. I'm completely functional the next day unless I really black out, but it's not a habit I want to maintain.
Love the High Tech equipment you use a small blackboard a paper cutout and a bird and your great wit.
First few minutes was a description of me in my 20’s. Been sober 12 years now.
Congratulations on the sobriety!
Im 6 years sober now but i definitely have my moments of weaknesses but haven't given in yet but that doesn't mean u have to be ashamed that u relapsed look at it as a learning curve to help u in the future stay strong u got this
Congratulations on the sobriety!
Just watched a couple of your videos. Really good shit dude! You are funny and intelligent. Please keep filming more stuff like this!!
There’s more to come. Thank you!
Great video, really related to this one. I would drink every night, usually right before bed and would relax and sit alone. Never got hangovers (I never got plastered) so it didn't affect me physically, but I knew I was psychologically so dependent on alcohol & being without it would make me unable to sleep. I still drink once a week but as not much anymore, and I'm glad. A lot of people drink daily but it's only 1-2 drinks like I did so they don't consider themselves alcoholics, but the dependency is still there. I hated getting black out drunk but hated having to go to sleep sober.
I got drunk every night for 6 years in my late 20s. I got lucky and never injured myself or someone else (excluding the alcohol's effect on my mind / body and ignoring the concern I caused my family). In that period I tried to quit drinking, everyday for 6 years, which I failed to do at least 2000 times before I eventually succeeded. Being sober made it easier to quit smoking cigarettes a few years later, something I failed doing many times. If you want to quit drinking then keep trying. I succeeded because I wanted to stop and eventually I was able to find what worked for me. I wish I had advice for others who struggle but it seems everyone's personal issues will make the struggle different. I can say for sure that someone who has to make sure to never buy a lethal amount of alcohol (because they will drink whatever is on hand) but also has to buy enough so that they don't try to go get more after they are already drunk, can get sober.
how much and how long did you drink ? any health issues ?
@@BRIANDER100 It was a long time ago so I forget the exact dosage. After 6 years of daily drinking and trying to minimize hangovers, I think the final routine was a 6 pack of tall boys (6 x 16 oz cans) of regular beer and 2 x 22 oz bottles of higher alcohol content beer. I weighed around 170 lbs and would drink this over a period of 3 - 4 hours. I quit drinking in 2002, quit smoking 3 packs of cigarettes daily in 2008, then started running, was doing triathlons in 2012. I had terrible hangovers and assume all those headaches must have caused brain damage. Currently I'm a student at university making straight A's in engineering level mathematics so who knows what the long term consequences are or will be? I should eat better, school stress makes junk food seem rewarding.
Congrats. I agree, if you want to quit, i guess your mind will try and fail, until it finds a way. I got drunk almost everyday from 2012 to September 2023.
I managed to "quit" for 1 week in 2015 and 3 weeks in 2016.
In september I started an agressive diet: 1000 calories / day + exercise. Alcohol contains way too many calories, and it's impossible for me to exercise drunk, so i put it aside.
After 2-3 weeks, i had fantastic results with my weight loss, and the cravings were pretty much gone. In the end I realized i enjoyed the dopamine rush of running and seeing my body transform MUCH more than alcohol. And this time it feels final
@@josephmbimbi I'm glad you stopped drinking. If running becomes too much for your back or knees, try mixing it up with swimming and cycling. The breast stroke has cured my wrist and shoulder aches from a desk job.
@@josephmbimbi any health issues ? how often and how long do you run ?
This video found me at a good time. Alcohol takes over your life slowly. If you find yourself wanting "just a beer after work, no big deal," that is a warning sign.
I have been working from home for 4 years now. In the beginning, I struggled delineating work time from home time, so I would "officially end the work day" with a couple of beers around 5pm. Now its 4 years later, and every single day around 4pm I have a craving for booze. Just like that, it has taken over a part of my life.
I have started trying to replace this need for alcohol that i feel in the late afternoon by going for a walk or a bike ride. Going somewhere physically removed from the alcohol, like the library or something.
I cant believe this has happened to me. We all know alcohol is a destructive drug, but nobody thinks alcoholism will happen to them. It has been hard to admit that I have developed a problem, but I cant break the habit if i dont acknowledge the habit to begin with.
Love the channel dawg. I've came close to being like this a few times before..
As a functioning alcoholic this video was great, love your humor too. Currently 26 days sober, been going to meetings for the first time and found a group I enjoy on the weekends. Not the first 26 day streak I've had but I'm gonna keep it going for now. I will not drink with you today ❤
Good luck man. Keep going.
@@johnfennell9271 thanks! 34 days today. still going good
great videos. keep going, keep growing, keep learning. you have already passed the hardest youtube filter
Thanks, will do!
I enjoy tf out of this guy’s vids.
Natural entertainer
I was a functioning alcoholic from ages 22-late 24, I drank literally everyday and did not exercise and ate like crap, at almost 25 years old I got chest pains and I went to get a physical, nothing heart related but it was GERD, also my blood pressure was 158/93, did blood work and I had elevated liver enzymes, high cholesterol and high triglycerides and pre-diabetic, I also weighed 230 lbs. I started exercising everyday and I cut my alcohol usage by almost 75% , went from drinking everyday to only the weekend, December 2023 I went for a follow up physical after my original physical 7 months earlier, blood pressure was down to 138/84, I lost 30lbs, I did bloodwork and my liver enzymes where in the normal range now, reversed pre-diabetes and cholesterol was better and triglycerides in the normal range now, also no more chest pains since drinking less alcohol gave me less GERD symptoms, I’m still on small dose blood pressure since my blood pressure still elevated for being 25 but significantly better then before, exercise helped me avoid drinking the work week since exercise would get me tired after a long hard day of work instead of drinking, the doctor scaring me is what stopped me from continuing to be a functioning alcoholic
As a son of a high functioning alcoholic and being around him all the time it took me till I was 17 to ever even notice he was like that it’s crazy how much you don’t notice when you are a kid and a lot of thing add up now that I know he is a alcoholic
this video hits close to home and you look a lot like me. really good channel i like hearing you speak!
I love this! The brutal honesty!
Good video idea, huge fan of the channel bro
Thank you!
I was worried Dusty wouldn't show up in this video 😂
I use to be a Functioning Drunk Cokehead it all started back in 2016. I met a coworkers at my new job at the time and became quick friends we use to party hard Drink all day non stop do Coke and take Molly's and we use to work 6 days 12 hour shifts and not sleep for like 3 days its 2024 and recently i told him we can still be friends but im done with the lifestyle of partying he attacked me in my own house just because i set my boundaries now hes in jail and im on the road to get clean
Keep up making these videos man you're very entertaining
Will do!
I was a functioning alcoholic for years and just slowed down and have almost completely quit this year. Still struggle with craving a pint or two after work. A big part of my motivation was to be a better and more present father for my son who lives with me and he has never liked the fact that I drank so often and consistently. I no longer buy beer to keep 6 packs or 12 packs in my fridge and that helps because it forces me to have to actually leave the house if I feel the compulsion to drink. My sleep is much better now and I save quite a bit of $. Probably at least $5 a day since I would buy at least two IPA pints or two 20 ounces cans a day. That’s at least $1800 a year that I’m saving! Ends up being enough for a nice vacation every year. So I basically drank about a 40 oz. of beer a day and many people would think that hardly sounds like a problem, but I can tell now how much my health has improved, my mind is clearer and my anxiety is lower. My self esteem improved too because now I feel more in control of my impulses and by not drinking and getting buzzed, I actually have the motivation to exercise and go to the gym in the afternoons instead of catching a buzz. If I drank more than 2 beers, which I would on occasion I would definitely feel more hangover effects and sluggish the next day too. So many people might not see it as an issue to drink only two beers a day, but it definitely made a significant difference when I quit. I also recently quit pot and that was another $1800 a year in weed. So in total, I save like $3600 a year by kicking those vices! You don’t even realize how it affects you until you quit and how much better life is without it because you just become so accustomed to the deleterious effects. I highly recommend people quit it or at least cut back significantly and take control back of your life and your money!
Lightweight! As an opiate addict, i got high first thing in the morning and throughout the day throughout college and many years of work. Guess the advantage is, it doesnt have a smell. I'm sure lots of people work with alcoholics and junkies. No one would have ever known with me.
Enjoy your content very much. You remind of my really smart friend from highschool who was a weirdo but also got nearly perfect sat scores
Unfortunately, my SAT’s weren’t exactly perfect!
Your videos remind me of what The Amazing Athiest was like around 2011, and I like that.
I actually live fairly close to Cody Weber. I should make him my editor/sidekick!
I struggle with alcohol, im glad you talked about this
The 90s lesbian bit had me rolling! Love the vids man! 😂
Whoa, whatsup dude. I remember your old channel. Totally forgot about those days. Good times, good to see your still around.
what was the old channel?
Welcome back!
I went through a rough breakup a couple years back, and I've been drinking 3 beers a day on weekdays and drinking until fail on weekends, since the breakup. It's become compulsory and I have to drink to sleep or even relax from my job.
I've moved in with a new girlfriend, and she's now my fiance, and I'm still self medicating from that breakup almost a lifetime ago.
I needed to see this. Thank you.
I’m glad this vid could help!
You're an angel, sir.
Thanks to you, I no longer drink on Sundays.
Before noon.
But seriously who in their right mind sold you a living thing to take care of?
How sad can you be to complain about his happy bird 😂
I applaud you functioning alcoholics, i used to consume every drug possible and could work and do things just fine but when i drink alcohol all that goes out the window i cant ro a damn thing i either become an unhinged human embodiment of an intrusive thought or become wildly depressed and suicidal. And the hangover makes me so sick and so dehydrated and sometimes is so disorienting and stress inducing that it causes me psychosis
your story telling and enthusiasm made this a very enjoyabke video
My Dad used to drink quite a few beers each night while watching TV and I never really took much notice of it because it was just normal but now that I'm in my 20s and trying to build a career I really don't want to fall down the alcoholism pit trap.
I feel like the financial aspect of alcohol doesn’t get talked about enough, too. I would only booze on the weekends, but even that alone destroyed my bank account. Even with a decent paying job and discipline.
Thanks for the video King, I enjoy your content.
My pleasure
this dude seems hilarious😂
love his energy
good day. just turned 28 and in a phase of medium-heavy drinking. stumbling to bed every night BUT not blackout level type of drunk. thanks for your words
love your presentation style.
About 6 months ago, I had my shower replaced/rebuilt and we hired this independent contractor who had his own TH-cam channel about building showers (can’t remember his name but he lives in the state of Georgia and had maybe ~150k subs?).
The shower he built for us was great, but this guy was such a weirdo. We told him that he could show up at anytime of the day but that we wanted him to wrap up by around 6pm each day so that we could have our evening time without noise. He’d show up at around noon-ish and always be very moody and sarcastic, and also be really sloppy with making a mess around the two bedrooms connected to the shower. Completely coated my own bedroom with sawdust (yes, he sawed the tiles inside our bathrooms…), including a then brand-new computer and 4K TV that I had bought a few months back. He didn’t seem concerned or sorry in the slightest.
I mentioned this to my uncle and he told me that this guy was probably a functioning alcoholic. I was pretty shocked at first, because he didn’t really seem “drunk”, but then I thought about his mood and the weird times he’d come in, and I guess it made a bit more sense, although I was still surprised.
Great channel! Alot to relate to.
Good timing, with dry July just starting to kick off. If you really want to see the hold alcohol has on people, watch them start sweating or go quiet and the idea of being off the booze for a month (myself included)! My dad is for sure an alcoholic, although it ebbs and flows depending on what's going on in his life. I'm told it's pretty bad atm as he's not liking his job (and I think he's generally sad about other things in his life), although he's only two or three years from a retirement pension. I had a sober month last month and spent a night at at his sober for the first time in a very long time, was quite an eye opener seeing how blitzed he was as the night progressed, definitely felt like looking into a mirror on my most extremely drunk nights. He must have put away nearly two bottles of gin over the night, which by any measure is a huge amount of alcohol.
It's a worry as he's been a heavy drinker most of his life and if he keeps it up the alcohol will finish him off without a doubt.
I love alcohol but it doesn't love us!
Best of luck to you and your dad!
Oh god, the vodka/Gatorade mix. You know you're in a dark place when you're chasing mini bottles with Gatorade on the way to work. I'm so glad I found my way out of that hole.
Stay the hell away from alcohol
Life is so much happier and brighter without alcohol. It’s insane how different my life has become since I stopped
I decided to quit smoking weed for many of the same reasons this week. Hope my will power is just as strong as yours man 😂. Shout out to the Goat Dusty
I wish I could stop, can't face the sleepless nights and anger when trying to stop at the moment.
Good stuff. I like your style!
Same here, honestly surprised none of my employers called me out on it more
It’s incredibly common In the food service industry. Most of the time they don’t even hide it either
I love the honesty! Just started my own channel and wish I could be this honest!
Just go for it! It’s not so bad.
You don’t have to lie, Dusty, this is a safe space!
I didn't know that Morgan Spurlock was dealing with alcoholism when he filmed Super-size Me! That would definitely explain the infamous vomiting scene that you mentioned. And, Cujo is one of my favourite SK books, along with Carrie and Misery. Because drinking is so socially acceptable, I think it makes it much easier for people to indulge much more often than something illegal like street drugs. And unfortunately, the Premier of my province has deemed it necessary to have alcohol accessible in as many convenience stores as possible in addition to our designated liquor stores. He thinks that it's not the government's right to be inside of people's lives (which is true), so let them drink!!! Needless to say, that there are many functioning alcoholics in my large city with no lack of alcohol access. ✌🏾
Started heavily drinking when I got to college to fit in and cope from the stress, ended up graduating as a double major, magna cum laude, with an alcohol monitor in my pocket from 2 DUIs. You can absolutely be "successful" or "functional" without most people realizing how bad it really is.
I ordered one of those Dallas BBQ slushies one night, couldn’t finish it so I had a stroke of genius and brought it to work the next day in a concealed tumblr.
I was social, upbeat, a bit more talkative and got along with my coworkers a bit better. I did my job well as well. I’m not a curmudgeon day-to-day but it was definitely a difference. I can see how that could easily become a daily thing.
I was running kitchens for most of my 20s and 30s. I was also drinking pretty much the whole time. Been sober since 2015 and it seems strange to think thats almost 10 years now.
Loved the video!
My grandfather held the same job for 35 years. He woke up with a beer and coffee, put beer in his truck and headed off to work. Came home, had dinner with more beers and then went out to the bar for the rest of the night. I'll never know how he did it. I wish there was a different term than "functional" because sure, he functioned at work, but he wasn't "functional" with his family and the people who loved him. When he was dying in the hospital he escaped somehow, and my uncle found him across the street at the 7-11 buying beer, hospital gown and all. The emotional agony that he caused my family was unreal. So "functional" is perhaps a word we should use very carefully.
I drank heavily every day from age 19 to 27. I recently got scared becasuse i could feel an organ in my lower left abdomen. I mean i could just feel it. It felt enlarged.
I thought to myself "you're not supposed to be able to feel you organs, dude".
It was especially noticable after nights of particularly heavy drinking.
That scare got me to finally stop. This was last week. The timing of seeing this video pop up in my recommended is pretty funny.
Ive been sleeping like a baby and feeling *really* good. I just hope the damage that ive done to myself isnt irreparable.
During my heavy drinking days, I would mix Gatorade and vodka. Should have looked at the sodium levels…that with alcohol is rough.
I used to drink one of those big jb handles in a week and worked a full time job and did over time as a system config engineer. Sometimes I'd do a mix drink thing with a raw egg and drink that on the way. Never ever was a bad driver or a terribly bad worker. only had the buzz for the first 2 hours of the day when there were work meetings. Did that for a year straight. Ngl I miss those days.
Cute birdie!
There are other things besides gatorade or sports or energy drinks to get electrolytes, like broth for example, which would settle your stomach better than those kinds of drinks, you can also just have orange juice and have something salty
I’m only 26 I’ve been intoxicated one way or another for the past 10 years. It started with being a pot head but during Covid I switched to alcohol. I decided to slow down the drinking but after going 5 days without a drink then going to the club I ended up having 5 seizures in 1 night. As far as we can tell there is no permanent damage and I’m lucky for that. Now its been 2 weeks since that happened and 2 weeks since my last drink, and considering my record for sobriety in the last 10 years is only 2 months I’d say I’m doing good so far. After that initial 2 months I thought I could control it but clearly not. Now when people ask why not just drink in moderation I’ll just hit them with this joke I read on a AA forum. “If I can drink in moderation I’d do it everyday 🥴”
Great intro, subbed
love the vid man
Great video! I worked with a functioning alcoholic when I worked overnight stocking groceries. He did an okay job hiding it most of the time, but every once in awhile he would be sloshed! I felt kind of bad for the guy, except when he was a total D-Bag lol!
Finally a video topic I'm informed upon.
i did this for like, 15 years.... i wasn't drinking every day (for the most part) sometimes nightly, and i was hungover at work at least 75% of the time. and boy, did i also hit the Gatorade during that time, along with energy drinks. now i'm just sober, depressed and painfully aware all of the time. good thing my toaster chord is too short to reach my tub, and i'm too lazy to get the extension chord out. but anyways, i miss drinking, but i don't miss the hangovers and the stomach aches and all that. (i should probably go to the doctor and see what shape my liver is in, because i really don't know.)
I have been drinking 7-9 shots of hard liquor every night for 3.5 years and when my liver was checked I already had minorly fatty liver. Minor or not it only took 3.5 years. At 15 years you very well may have moderate or severe fatty liver by now! Seriously get it checked! Many times fatty liver sadly leaves you no hints of it being there and can be a silent killer.
how much did you drink ?
Daaaamn I think I remember the super size me guy during this year. Rip man
The thing about functioning alcoholics is that eventually, they hit a point where they don't function anymore.