Alcohol and SI

flying_kiwifruit · 27-08-2008, 10:25 AM

Does anyone else use alcohol to calm yourself before you cut. If I'm in a realy bad stop I will have a shot or two to calm myself so I will cut less. Is this a bad idea, I never get drunk or even tipsy, just enough to calm myself. Am I alone in this, and is this such a bad thing.

l'il esky · 27-08-2008, 11:39 AM

i cant drink on the ADs im on, and not really a drinker anyway unless im out, so i cant say i understand particularly where your coming from but.

from an objective view, i dont really know, suppose it depends how often you cut. cos if you have a drinnk everytime you cut then you are putting yourself at risk of going over the weekly alcohol limit. if the alcohol calmsyou could you not have this instead of cutting completely.... howveer i think using alcohol instead is not a good idea either, perhaps need to find other ways of calming yourself.

sorry dont think i helped much xx

HandThatFeeds · 27-08-2008, 12:47 PM

It sounds to me like you are using alcohol for self medication which seems to be quite common. I am not sure if the fact that you don't get tipsy is relevant as any amount will still have some effect on you. Also, using alcohol in this way (i.e. none social) is never good idea as it can lead to dependence.

Are you sure that you cut less after having a drink? I only ask because with me it is the exact opposite.

Are you getting any help at the moment?

flying_kiwifruit · 27-08-2008, 08:36 PM

I've been using alcohol in a non social way for over a year now, and the reason i say I dont even get tipsy, is to emphasise that I drink a very small amount.

I am sure I cut less, because I am more calm when doing it I dont do it in a frenzy instead I'm in more control.

At the moment my councellor is away, but my mum is going to be getting me a councellor that is in town instead of the school one, which is who I used to go to.

HandThatFeeds · 27-08-2008, 10:29 PM

I'm glad to hear that you mum is arranging for counselling so hopefully that won't take too long to get sorted out.

I still think that when you see him/her it important that you bring this up for discussion as it is slightly worrying. Even if it isn't a problem now it may develop into one in the future.

flippinterp · 27-08-2008, 10:51 PM

I tend to be the opposite- if I've been drinking, I tend to cut more deeply. I'm not sure if I was more likely to cut while drinking, but I wouldn't feel it when I did. You're not alone in noticing a connection between alcohol and SI, but the specific relationship between the two probably varies from person to person.