What did alcohol take from your personality?

[retronoodle]

I used to make music all the time, guitar, piano, orchestra, rock, I didnt care.

Once drinking took over I lost that. I just seemed to lose interest in my hugest passion in life.

Sometimes now, when I hear great music, or even old music I wrote and recorded, It makes me extremely sad. I miss that part of me, that was so passionate about it.

It seems like alcohol takes alot of space in your life and it just pushes other things out.

Anyway, just a thought. Id be interested to hear your experiences with similar things.

[Tina73]

I used to do cross stitch all the time and decorate cakes. When my kids were little I would make Power Ranger cakes. It would take me about 2 days to finish 1. I used to make wedding, baby shower, graduation, birthday, anniversary cakes. All kinds. I haven't even baked a cake in probably 11 years. I stopped because I couldn't promice that I could have it ready in time. It was alot of fun. I think I'm going to dig out some of my old recipes and make my Flag cake for Memorial Day. I think my dad would like to see it again.

retronoodle, Thank you for that post. I had completly forgot about my cakes.;)

[Ella Fant]

reading. Not that I didn't TRY to read every now and then. But it was pretty stupid. Just looking at the words and not retaining any of them.

I think I'll go find a good book to start now that I NO LONGER DRINK. :):):)

[sunny2day]

I drank away my second degree and my dream job in a research lab.

My memories of my son's early years are faint.

Lots of money.

Writing ability.

Lots more but memory is one of the things I let alcohol have.

[Vietvet]

I used to make music all the time, guitar, piano, orchestra, rock, I didnt care.

Once drinking took over I lost that. I just seemed to lose interest in my hugest passion in life.

Sometimes now, when I hear great music, or even old music I wrote and recorded, It makes me extremely sad. I miss that part of me, that was so passionate about it.

It seems like alcohol takes alot of space in your life and it just pushes other things out.

Anyway, just a thought. Id be interested to hear your experiences with similar things.

Funny, I always associated music with drinking and partying. I was a guitar player in rock and blues/rock bands for many years, but drinking was always part of the "deal", it seems. Now that I don't drink, I'll still pick up the guitar occasionally, but I guess I've always been more of a "social, beer drinking musician', if that makes any sense. I'm amazed that I could even play as well as I did, given how wasted I usually was...

[staunchally]

I used to make music all the time, guitar, piano, orchestra, rock, I didnt care.

Once drinking took over I lost that. I just seemed to lose interest in my hugest passion in life.

Sometimes now, when I hear great music, or even old music I wrote and recorded, It makes me extremely sad. I miss that part of me, that was so passionate about it.

It seems like alcohol takes alot of space in your life and it just pushes other things out.

Anyway, just a thought. Id be interested to hear your experiences with similar things.

Same with me retronoodle. I was "going places" with music in high school. Played Rutgers Univ. as a high school student as part of a competition. Discovered booze a few years later, and my instrument(s) collected dust. I'm getting back into it. I don't play much because I'm still tired but the fingers hitting the strings feels good.

[mnstar]

Wow, some powerful responses here.

From me, it took away what little creativity I have. It took away almost all of the progress I had made spiritually (not talking religion here folks). It took time away from me.

This a good exercise. I'm just getting started, I think it could be a very long list. Thanks

[jaybo]

ditto, Ella - back to reading now and really enjoying it. Currently I'm into books that deal with the downfalls of addiction (at least somewhat). This is really helping me with continuing to abstain.

[Steve]

It gave me pain in my joints. I never used to feel those busted up bones I had. I was too drunk to care. It is getting better now because I know what hurts so I can take care of it now. It took away alot, but it was temp. It all is coming back to me. I am enjoying the things I use to. It gets better and better with time.

steve

[Lia~~]

POWERFUL Question-- thanks.

I am almost (NOT) 50.

In my 20's-- I was a binge drinker. I remember college as a blur of hard work-- and weird parties that I only half remember. My memories of really happy times-- trips to Europe, the Carribean, across the US are all marked with embarrassing episodes of being drunk. Holidays-- all have a tinge of "bad drinking" memories. I got drunk on my wedding day ( after the wedding-- but I still remember trying not to slur at my reception)

In my 30's-- still a binge drinker-- but a lot of hangover memories. A lot of going into work not quite right. By my late 30's I had lost 5 of my closest friends to alcohol-related incidents.

Early 40's-- heavy drinking increased. I lost my best friend (suicide) to alcohol and was too much of a drunk myself (but denied it) to intervene.

I lost memories of my son's young life and childhood.
I lost many friends as I isolated and arranged my life around drinking times.
I lost a lot of time.
I lost a lot of love
I lost my marriage.
I lost self-respect, dignity, and honesty.
I lost my ability to care for others before myself-- and didn't even know it.
I lost who I was -- and became who I never wanted to be.

And I was a "functional alcoholic". I never missed a day of work or had anyone suspect I had a "problem"

In short-- I lost myself. And when I lost myself-- I lost everyone else. Because I was a fake and a sham.

That's the short version.

[KSA]

I lost motivation to do things other than drinking. When I wasn't drinking, I lost focus because I was concentrating on the hangover. That's just two, there are many more.