Alcohol issues

[bananatigger]

Hi , I'm concerned about a friend of mine. When she drinks, mostly she is fine. However, sometimes very suddenly she goes from tipsy to hammered and for no reason kicks off at her boyfriend. She says things like she's having an affair and she tries to kick him out of her house. She even gets violent. He told me this as she doesn't remember any of it. Their relationship is on the brink because of this. He gave her the ultimatum that she stops drining altogether or they finish. I know the obvious answer is for to stop drinking but does anyone know why this happens so suddenly or has anyone else experienced this? Please don't reply with any sarcasm etc, I am really concerned. Many thanks. X.

[meglet]

If her relationship is on the brink because of this she really needs to look at her drinking habits. Perhaps losing her boyfriend may be the trigger. She seems to react badly to alcohol at some times and not others - could it be related to her monthly cycle? Hormones may be a factor. Is she taking any medication? She obviously hits a point where it overtakes her system so she needs to 1) stop or 2) drink weaker drinks, less of them and slower and be able to recognise when she is about to hit that point. As a friend you are best placed to talk to her about this without there being a row. Point out to her that you are only talking to her about this as it is in her best interests.

Good luck

[banana]

Your friend seems to have a big problem.
I would not be looking at how much she drinks but would be looking at what she takes as well. Going from tipsy to hammered is not normal.
My guess she is taking drugs of some kind which is leading to the psychotic sounding behaviour. Ive seen it before and its not pleasant.

She needs help.

[JockSporran]

She certainly sounds like an alcoholic, or at least one in the making. She may not yet be addicted to alcohol, but she clearly can't hold her drink, and the alcohol takes over her thinking. This is very common in the psychology of the alcoholic.

Unfortunately, she has to see herself that she has a problem. For as long as she stays in denial, it could only get worse.

She should seek help from her doctor, who may refer her to her local Alcohol Advisory Service. If she is already an actual alcoholic (i.e. addicted to alcohol), then maybe she should contact Alcoholics Anonymous.

[Omyword]

I am not medically trained, but I had a friend like this and it turned out that she has a bi-polar disorder. Try to encourage her to seek medical assistance and advise about her drinking as clearly this would seem to be a trigger. She may not be suffering from any disorder, it may just be that she cannot handle alchhol., but for her sake she needs to find out. Seeking help is the first and hardest step, I wish her well.

[tiggertan]

Hi all, thank you very much for taking the time to help. I know that there is no way she would touch drugs, so that is out the window. Bi-polar is possible (i've just been reading up on it) but it won't be easy to tell her that!
She has stopped drinking for now so hopefully she will realise she can have fun without getting drunk.

Thank you all again.
X.