Summary

The article discusses the author's struggle with alcohol addiction, emphasizing the tendency to relapse on weekends, particularly Fridays, and how this can lead to a cycle of repeated drinking.

Abstract

The author reflects on the challenges of maintaining sobriety, noting that relapses often occur on Friday nights. Despite previous attempts at quitting, including a period of abstinence during the COVID-19 pandemic, the author highlights the insidious nature of alcohol addiction, likening it to quicksand that slowly pulls one back into old habits. The article provides a personal account of the author's experience with tracking sobriety using an app, which revealed a pattern of weekend slip-ups that quickly escalated into a cycle of daily drinking. The author stresses the importance of recognizing and avoiding the triggers that lead to relapse, acknowledging that for many, including themselves, the week's end represents a significant risk for succumbing to the allure of alcohol.

Opinions

The author believes that alcohol addiction is deceptive and can easily lead to a full relapse after a seemingly harmless single drink or night out.
The author suggests that tracking one's behavior can provide valuable insights into patterns of relapse, which can be crucial for maintaining sobriety.
The author asserts that certain days of the week, particularly Fridays, are more dangerous for those struggling with alcohol addiction due to common justifications like wanting to relax after a long week.
The author emphasizes that the only effective strategy for those with a similar drinking problem is to completely avoid the first drink, as it can quickly lead to a cycle of addiction.
The author expresses gratitude to readers for engaging with the article and encourages them to share it if they found it helpful.

How alcohol acts like quicksand in your life

I don’t know if there’s any research on what day of the week you’re most likely to lose your sobriety, but I have a pretty good guess.

For myself, anyway, any long sober streak I’ve managed to put together typically comes to an end on a Friday night.

You know all the tired tricks your brain will come up with to drink (that you will nonetheless fall for): You’re tired from the week, you just want to “relax”, what’s the big deal — it’s just one night, etc.

The problem with the “it’s just one drink” or “it’s just one night” slip-ups is that alcohol is a sneaky bugger that acts like quicksand in your life.

You dip a toe in on a Friday night and all of a sudden you’re being pulled under.

Trap night

I started the long process of trying to quit alcohol back in 2019 and had varying degrees of success.

My longest streak was a few months, which came to an abrupt end when the COVID-19 pandemic turned the world upside down and I was confined to my home.

I did have other decent patches of 2–3 weeks here and there, but they inevitably came to an end — usually on a Friday night.

During those quitting attempts, I was actually tracking my behaviour with an app called Today.

This gave me some great motivation and encouragement when I was having success, and it also gave me some valuable intel about where and when I was slipping up.

You can guess by this point where I was slipping up.

Here’s a screen cap from that app (I’ve since moved on to a different one). Green means I was successful that day, white means I was not.

After getting on a pretty good run, the alcohol quicksand made its move.

“You’re doing so great, you feel so much better. Don’t you deserve to relax on a Friday night? It’s the end of the week! What’s the big deal?!”

You can see it was just a couple Fridays to start.

Then it was a Saturday night (I assume I was busy Friday), and then … oopsie. It’s a Friday and a Saturday. The quicksand is pulling me in.

Well, you can guess what happened next:

Everything falls apart, and it all started with one Friday night the previous month.

You can see how I quickly returned to my cycle of not being able to go more than a couple days without drinking because the psychological withdrawals (Day 2 is always the worst for me when trying to quit).

“Just a couple drinks on Friday to relax at the end of a busy week. What’s the big deal?”

“Ah, it’s Saturday, the weekend is supposed to be fun! Just a few drinks won’t hurt!”

“I’ve already drank a couple days in a row, what’s a Sunday night without a few more? I’ll get back on the horse Monday. Monday is a fresh start.”

“What a tough Monday, work was crazy, I need a drink.”

Don’t mess with quicksand

If you’re the kind of drinker I am — and I imagine you are if you’re reading this piece — the only real solution is to not set foot near the quicksand.

Perhaps your night is Sunday night football, or mid-week stress reduction Wednesday, or Friday like me.

Whatever it is, know it’s a trap.

As good as you’re feeling now, alcohol is always waiting to drag you back into its clutches.

Thank you very much for reading this piece all the way to the end! If you enjoyed it, please give it a clap or two so others can find it!