debating going to substance use support groups

[bijou]

i'm going to be living in residence next year for school and i'm debating going sober for the year to focus on my studies, or at least find some way to balance my alcohol use. there's the option of requesting to be on an alcohol-free floor, and the school i'm going to offers in-person support groups for substance use.

i'm just terrified i'm going to fall back into the habit of drinking every day, as i did at my last go of post-secondary. i'm pursuing something i find legitimately rewarding and i really don't want to screw it up. i also don't want to limit myself, it's just hard because i know a saturday at the bar can sometimes lead to drinking alone in my bedroom, every night, for weeks. alcohol can trigger my suicidal ideation when i'm alone as well, and i don't want to be miserable at school again. i'm going from fine art to vet sciences, so my courses are gonna be a lot more demanding too, you can't just pull some random thing out of ur ass and get a passing grade...

do you have any ways you guys manage alcohol, or do you have any experience with in-person peer support regarding it?
do you think i'm just being paranoid/uptight about it?

 

[jodes2]

It depends how much of an addictive personality you have. Some people can abstain more easily, some can't. It might be helpful to join a support group. If you can't limit yourself to just drinking at a bar once a week it might be better to abstain completely

 

[bijou]

It depends how much of an addictive personality you have. Some people can abstain more easily, some can't. It might be helpful to join a support group. If you can't limit yourself to just drinking at a bar once a week it might be better to abstain completely

i was able to stop smoking weed completely pretty easily (almost two years now!) but alcohol has been harder to kick…do you think making friends or grouping myself with people who have similar priorities will help?

thank u for ur input :)

 

[jodes2]

i was able to stop smoking weed completely pretty easily (almost two years now!) but alcohol has been harder to kick…do you think making friends or grouping myself with people who have similar priorities will help?

thank u for ur input :)

Some people definitely benefit from talking to other people with the same difficulties. Empathy from others can help, sharing your troubles with others, and getting tips for staying clean