Binge drinker checking in. I can go weeks or months without drinking, he'll I can even have a few drinks with dinner. But if I'm going out to let loose, I'm forgetting the evening. I can't seem to find an inbetween. I'm not sure if it's because the first time I ever got drunk I blacked out or its genetic (my dad was the same way).
I just kind of woke up one day about a year ago and realized my partying was stunting my development as an adult. And worse than that, I met a guy who I was absolutely head over heels for but I knew he wasn't looking to hold my hair in a relationship. So I went to AA and tried to go dry. But the problem was then when we would go out for birthdays etc. I was "making up for lost time" i.e. I was getting even worse blackout because I wasn't drinking nightly anymore. I think the mental breaking point for me was a few weeks after the guy and I made things official I went out of state to meet his family and they had an open bar at the function. I got embarrassingly black out drunk in front of his brother and SIL (for reference, I kicked our cab drivers elbow because he wouldn't let me climb up front and sit in my boyfriend's lap....). I was not only humiliated but so disappointed in myself. In the months since there has only been one other incident (on my birthday but I'll blame my brother for that one).
What motivates me is my boyfriend and my future. My life has been 1000x better since I stopped drinking all the time, I've lost weight, gotten two great jobs, my relationship is fantastic, etc. And I absolutely love my boyfriend. I know if I want a future with him I can't do that stuff and, more importantly, I respect him enough to not want to be that person.
Do I think I'm an alcoholic? No. Maybe at one time but I think now my issue is regulation when we go out to celebrate with drinks. Not drinking is not a problem for me. i don't think I need AA or a sponsor or any other that. But I love the life I have and only want to see it get better.
The most important thing though: no one told me I needed to make a change; I came to that conclusion myself. OP, have a heart to heart with your girlfriend. Tell her this isn't a "slow down next time" but a "learn how to pace yourself every time." You're at the age where you start looking towards your future - do you want to start a future with that kind of girl?