alcoholism in banking

Switch from alcohol to beer, won’t black out as easily

also an alcoholic! would love to connect! thanks!

Psychologist / AA meetings / see your primary care doctor to see what they recommend? Probably not the best thread to ask this question - speak to a medical professional.

Good luck in your recovery :).

Hey! As someone who is currently sober for 8 days and trying to quit, try alcohol free beer (Stella). Taste the same as normal but it has the placebo effect so you might feel “tipsy”.

My background: been drinking everyday without a break since July 9th 2023.

I do go to the gym every single day and average about 600-700 calories, I’m lean but I still am addicted to alcohol.

There is really no magic cure, it all about willpower unfortunately.

Go to AA. There's a reason that the group has been around for so long.

The best idea is to go cold turkey and quit, but if you can't, start making limitations on yourself. I will not drink today.....no big plans....no quitting forever. Just get through today and then go back to your schedule.  Try it again next week. And next week. Then, try no drinking Monday and Tuesday....and then move to no drinking during the week, etc. etc. Note this approach will not make the problem go away but you will start getting some control of yourself. It will build your willpower as long as you're not binging on your drinking days.

I don't have any advice. But replace it with weed instead as a start. It's not going to make you feel bad, in fact you might feel better the next day. Good indicas should calm you down and you can still work/hop on a call if need be. Quitting reliance on pain relivievers or copes of all kinds is deeply personal and you should take your own approach to that with family and professional help, but as a short term solution this might help.

Switch to something else, how about hookers only

Good thread - takes a lot to admit something isn’t right when it comes to vices like that. Was in a somewhat similar boat once upon a time. Wouldn’t have called myself an alcoholic, but I partied very hard in college and didn’t turn that off for a few years after graduating, and it did get me in trouble a handful of times (nothing too serious, thank god).


I still drink, but just don’t go as hard anymore. Maybe it’s age, maybe it’s having more responsibility to the point where I (literally) cannot afford to fuck up. One trick that helped me was mixing in a water between each drink. Cliche advice, I know, but I do it so it still looks like I’m drinking. Tito’s and soda looks just like a soda with lime. Captain and coke looks just like a diet coke. You get the point. Oh, and edibles helped me wind down at night instead of drinking more, though that is just trading one vice for another so ymmv.

Good luck brother

It sounds like you should learn to handle your alcohol better, but in all seriousness, dude, this is a severe addiction for you that needs to be dealt with ASAP. Try AA or smtg, maybe that works

This thread contains some of the worst advice I’ve ever read. 

Please speak to a medical professional about this, don’t listen to these fucking morons.

May as well start ripping Espresso Martinis and Vespers. If your gonna be an alcohol might as well be a Mock doing it.

You've done the most important step, which is admitting you have a problem. I've dealt with addiction(not drugs, other stuff) and really there are a lot of things that help. First, a lot of addiction is rooted in biology and trauma. I had my addiction problems due to mental issues and a bad past. You should consider seeking a therapist solely to try and understand why you might be falling into addiction. It could also be that you're just rooted in it. Hell, there are plenty of people who have nothing wrong with them who just end up as victims of their situation. Second, I would really suggest removing yourself from situations and people who cause you to drink. The common saying that you are the collection of the 5 people you know best is generally true. Now, while you probably spend the most time around people you don't get much of a say in, you can still say no to going out for drinks after work or something similar. Third, replace the bad habits with good ones. Whenever you would normally drink, instead go to the gym, or go for a run, or do literally anything that would benefit you long term. You have to think with the conscious, long term brain and not the subconscious short term brain. Those urges are subconscious, and you often can't control having them, but you can control your actions following those. This leads into my last point, which is to get a group of people who support you. This can be friends, family, people online, sponsors. Doesn't really matter, as long as you can talk to someone to distract you. These people should generally just be people who want the best for you. 

I wish you luck in beating this addiction. It is never easy, but it can be done with discipline and a strong strategy. Just imagine who you want to be in 5 year, or 10 years, or hell, 20 years, and work towards that version of yourself. 

How can you control your life if you can't even control yourself?

Reframe it. It’s not true you “can’t stop”. It’s instead true you haven’t bothered to try hard enough.

If you can’t control your behaviour, you are living a helpless life which isn’t yours. 

Switch to ketamine instead

You got this 

Limit yourself to 3-4 drinks and Switch to wine and beer. You’ll end up saving money too, drinks won’t go down as fast as hard stuff when you’re out. If you’re only blacking out once a week wouldn’t say you’re an alcoholic. You just can’t control your alcohol when you’re out. Also easy to mix in a club soda with lime or Diet Coke with lime in a social setting if you feel compelled to have a drink in your hand. Not hard to fix if you set your mind to it. Also remember to eat before drinking, that can be a culprit for getting drunk to fast

I quit drinking almost two years ago, and never considered myself an alcoholic, even before I stopped, as I was just able to stop. There are so many non-alcoholic beers and mocktails out there now that you can get away with looking like you're drinking without telling anyone, if that's your prerogative. Personally, it took me a few months of going out and being social without alcohol to realize that I don't need alcohol to be social, and that I'm typically better at conversations if I'm not drinking. I remember more things about people, ask better questions, and ultimately build a better relationship faster than if I were shitfaced trying to do the same. Everyone has a different opinion and everyone's body responds differently to alcohol. For me, I realized how a few beers would really mess me up for a day or two, and my mood was volatile more than I cared for. Upon removing alcohol from the equation, I noticed I genuinely felt a lot better after waking up. 

Also, there's more of us out here than you think. Athletic Brewing owns 20% of the non-alcoholic space with their NA draft beers alone. I've heard from several alcoholics who claim that beer was the first one good enough to trick their brain into thinking it was actually an IPA, and thus they were able to stop. Even in states where THC isn't legal yet, CBD/THC cocktails are popping up all over. You can look into other 'treats' that are stimulating but without alcohol such that you can still enjoy yourself. Anyway, there's not a one-stop answer here and it will take work, especially depending on your situation. It won't be easy, but it will be gratifying to look back in 3, 6, 9 months, 1-yr, etc. and realize how much you've learned and grown without even realizing it. 

Good luck, sir! 

have you tried to stop drinking?

Man the fuck up ***hit the gym hard and get into a routine such as running Spartan races.

Usually the way that this ends is that your work suffers and they can you for it.  Or you get a DUI or into a fight and it gets back to your manager...

I recall seeing an analyst in a drugstore near our office, and she said 'you know the day is going to suck when you throw up at 6am in the office b/c you are still drunk from the night before'.  My thought was 'no!', and she was gone a few weeks later.

I've seen this many times -- people get tired, they drink caffeine and sugar and smoke to get through the day and booze at night to pass out.  Works for a few days, but the lack of sleep kills your work.

My suggestion would be to leave banking and find a job where you can get more sleep -- helps with impulse control.   AA also helps, but nobody has time for that in IB.

From personal observations of and discussions with alcoholics:  some people can have a few drinks and then stop.  I'm in that group -- I can go a month without a drink without caring very much.  Some people can't -- once they start drinking, they go harder and harder until they black out, and their only solution is to stop drinking entirely and join a group.

"Blacking out constantly"

"roughly once a week"

"alcoholic"

what

Are you ever able to just go out to dinner and have 2-3 glasses of wine and call it a night? do you ever drink moderately or is it always to excess?

If you can't just have a few beers then you're probably an alcoholic and you need to get yourself to AA.

I used to black out often from drinking too, especially during my early career when social events and stress just made it all feel normal. I started noticing that even on 'good' nights, I’d hurt relationships or embarrass myself, and it took a real scare to finally admit I needed outside help. I tried cutting back on my own, but it never stuck. What helped was stepping away from everything and getting into a place where I could actually focus on recovery without distractions. The structure, support, and honestly just being away from my usual environment made a huge difference.

I’m in Abbeycare right now for a 28-day residential program, and it’s actually the first time I’ve felt like I’m seriously turning a corner. The therapy, the people, the distance from my usual routines—it all adds up.