Chapter Text
This story explores what would happen if Troy's use of alcohol were more harmful in the books. There's probably a fanfic out there exploring Ilya.
Alcohol use disorder doesn't always look the way we expect it to. It isn't necessarily someone drinking heavily every day, drinking from morning until night, or constantly appearing drunk.
It's estimated 29% of adults met the criteria for an alcohol use disorder at some point in their life.
Sometimes it can look much quieter.
-Drinking excessively on a night out.
-Drinking alone because you need it to help you sleep.
-Drinking because you want to quieten your thoughts or take the edge off difficult emotions.
-Finding that you can't have just one drink once you've started.
-Keeping alcohol in the house "just in case" you need it.
-Gradually finding yourself reaching for alcohol more often, because it has become your way of coping.
Troy's drinking doesn't begin with him suddenly becoming someone who drinks all day. It starts as something he can justify. A bad day. A sleepless night. A way to take the edge off. Something to quiet his thoughts.
Then, slowly, the bad day becomes every day.
Cutting back or stopping isn't always easy either. Sometimes it's waking up one day and realising enough is enough; that what once felt like a way of coping is no longer helping.
It's easy to dismiss alcohol use as harmless simply because someone isn't dependent on it. But alcohol can still cause harm long before it becomes an addiction.
And stopping doesn't have to mean suddenly having everything figured out.
Sometimes it's just one good day.
Stacked upon another.
It's just one good day, and then another...
Practical tips for cutting back harmful drinking (let me know if you have more to add):
- This will fully depend on when and why you drink. Is it when you're at a party? Is it when you feel overwhelmed? Is it to help you sleep at night?
- If you're someone who drinks to escape, finding an alternative coping method (like running, exercise, walking, or listening to loud music) can be helpful in breaking that cycle.
- If you're someone who drinks every day or regularly, try calculating your intake and setting that for the week, and then making it last, no matter what. If you drink more at the start of the week, you have to ration at the end of the week. This can help prevent usage from escalating, but it can also be helpful when starting to cut back or control your drinking. When you're steady on that amount, try cutting back by one drink. Not by trying through willpower. Pour away one drink, then ration that remaining bottle. It may seem wasteful, but if you save that drink, you'll end up having it on a bad day. Each week, cut back a little less than you did the week before.
Resources:
https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/recreational-drugs-alcohol-and-addiction/drug-and-alcohol-addiction-useful-contacts/
https://www.aa.org/
Playlist
- Wish I Were Sober - Frightened Rabit
- Vices -Sara Beth
- Anything - Youthyear#
- Icarus - Bastile
- Wolves - Rory
- Help Your Friend Get Sober - Rory
- Good Die Young - Rory
- One Drink Away - Rory
- Options - Cameron Whitcomb (and others)
- Quitter - Cameron Whitcomb
- Orange Juice - Noah Kahan
- I'd Rather Overdose - HonestAv
- Reasons I Drink - Alanis Morrisette
- Sober - Lucy Spragan
- Sober - Demi Lovato
- If I Died Last Night - Jess Murph
- Peace With Pain - Jonas Conner
- Drunk Driving - We Three
- The Party Song - Emery
- Tomorrows - peech
- Another Drug - Henny Hermes
- Say Why - Zach Bryan