Alcohol and Intelligence
I am an ex alcoholic, I mostly drank beer and only occasionally hard liquor. 10 years ago I had an epiphany of sorts and figured I'd better stop drinking because of the following:
a- I used to go on 4-5 day binges and then my liver would get kind of hard and start to hurt
b- My nightmares and my hangovers were getting unbelievable.
So I figured I was heading towards a bad end, and on the 31 of December 2005 I had a beer and a glass of wine and then decided I wouldn't drink any more until the next day, and I kept putting that drink off all this time and expect to reach 11 years in December. Do I miss the alcohol? Of course I do, but I also know one beer is enough to get me back on the hook so I don't drink it.
Now I have a high IQ, not genius level but certainly high, when I was drunk I would bet with people on multiplying let's say 234 x 567 and they could use a calculator and I would do it faster in my head. I always won, but now I can't do that, could it be I miss the alcohol or does one just get dumber the older you get, I'm 55 right now.
But the thing that makes me wonder the most is that when I was drunk I would find solutions to many problems, I mean real problems I would see them clearly unfortunately the next day try as I might I couldn't remember what it was. I don't know, maybe I could have solved some really difficult problems but that alcohol sure kept me from doing it, and let's face it, who in the world carries a pen and paper to write down his ideas while he is drinking?
This is an official rant and I know if this has to have happened to other drunks out there, can someone identify with me?
First of all, kudos to you for approaching 11 years dry! I'm 43 and 4 years dry, never looked back.
I can relate to your experiences with alcohol, especially around solving problems. For me once I'd stopped drinking I had to deal with one of the reasons I'd started - depression - I've always been a quiet, reserved person and generally kept myself to myself, feeling like I didn't quite fit in.
Alcohol helped me in social situations and gave me the confidence to communicate with others. Alcohol (I felt at the time) also helped me with my interests and made me a better at writing, coding etc
I could be wrong but I think the key here is confidence. You've still got the ability to multiply 234x567 but if you lack confidence you'll reach for the calculator to check or even get the answer wrong!
I didn't do anything formal to combat my depression and get my confidence back but I knew what I had to do. Eating well (most of the time, lol), exercising regularly (super important, endorphins are good), getting plenty of sleep and making time to keep doing the things you love.
Reading your comments has helped me today, as I hope mine have helped you :) I don't do this as often as I should as I'm still a quiet, reserved person but I'm comfortable with who I am now, I know myself and I'm generally happy.
It's always a battle, but that's what life is about :) It's knowing there are others out there fighting the fight that makes it easier!
Best Wishes
Marc
Yep, you're absolutely right.
Good Job man. Can''t be easy I imagine.
Thanks for sharing such intime and brave story. Keep going man.