Bad boozing bouts

I don't drink alchol often, but when I do, I have too much. Then for days I feel guilty and ashamed. What should I do?

SHRINK RAP

IF YOUR drinking causes you distress, personal or workwise, you have to regard it as a problem.

You need to take it even more seriously if you have a family history of problem drinking.

A genetic predisposition to addiction compounds your risk of succumbing to alcoholism.

Addiction is a form of self-deception. In some cases it seems to be based on a false belief that alcohol gives you the self-esteem that you need to act in ways that make you more entertaining and lovable.

You know that drinking causes you grief, yet you keep going back to it. This is the self-deception inherent in any addiction.

In succumbing to the urge, you betray the knowledge that you have the potential to lead a fulfilled, rich and satisfying life.

The proof that you are betraying yourself is that you feel bad and worthless after one of your bouts.

This despair makes you even more vulnerable to a life of using alcohol to feel better.

Your approach has to be all or nothing.

There's no such thing as cutting down because what you're trying to do is break a whole dynamic.

The alcohol also acts to break your resolve.

As soon as you start drinking, however strong your resolve was to only have one, you're highly vulnerable and likely to drink more than planned because your inhibition centre is suppressed by the alcohol. - Leonard Carr

SUPERNANNY

You have a choice to be in control of your life and not let alcohol control it.

You do not need to be ashamed of taking control of your life by saying "no" to the first drink.

Inform your friends, if necessary, that you are no longer drinking alcohol. Choose friends who will support you and they will be your true friends for life. - Stephanie Dawson-Cosser