Alcohol is an issue

PaulieB

PaulieB

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
I'm sorry to toss this up as a post, but i feel like i have to, being a contributor to this site and a follower of most posts. It is sad to have to type this, but what do fellow pool players that are also heavy drinkers do to control their game while shooting pool?

I love shooting, but for whatever reason I feel that shooting goes hand in hand with drinking , and just like Fast Eddie, I eventually fall apart. In bar/league scenes I do very well ... but in heads up situations I usually suck because my opponent extends the set and I get too F'd up to continue with any skill.

FFS, I'm totally F'd right now and have about 6k on the line in my personal room... I just hope that others with issues can toss me some personational information. Will probably end up 4k ahead, but wish I could control my crap and end up 8k ahead.

If this is a thread that bothers people or is not appropriate for this site, please feel free to remove it. I almost feel bad for asking for such base advice while we as a whole are trying to improve the image of pool.
 
Don't take this personally but if you have to ask you might be drinking more than you should. Just a thought & Good Luck!
 
You're aware of the problem. The problem seems to be a strong association for you between pool and booze.

It's like a smoker that needs a cig while driving or after a meal.

You recognize the problem and that's a good thing. Unfortunately, you're the only person in your world that can take the steps needed to stop this pattern of booze and pool.

I know guys that do the exact same thing...they drink and shoot. I know guys that will not have a single drink while playing because they know once they have one, they can't stop.

You have to make a choice. Continue the pattern or break the pattern.

I know I may have trivialized it and made it sound simple. I know it's not and I can empathize with you. However, the fact is that only you can change your behavior.

If I were you, I'd start by trying to play a full night of pool, gambling or not, without have a single drink. See how that goes.

Mike
 
PaulieB said:
I'm sorry to toss this up as a post, but i feel like i have to, being a contributor to this site and a follower of most posts. It is sad to have to type this, but what do fellow pool players that are also heavy drinkers do to control their game while shooting pool?

I love shooting, but for whatever reason I feel that shooting goes hand in hand with drinking , and just like Fast Eddie, I eventually fall apart. In bar/league scenes I do very well ... but in heads up situations I usually suck because my opponent extends the set and I get too F'd up to continue with any skill.

FFS, I'm totally F'd right now and have about 6k on the line in my personal room... I just hope that others with issues can toss me some personational information. Will probably end up 4k ahead, but wish I could control my crap and end up 8k ahead.

If this is a thread that bothers people or is not appropriate for this site, please feel free to remove it. I almost feel bad for asking for such base advice while we as a whole are trying to improve the image of pool.
Click to expand...

i used to be a heavy drinker. that's probably why i can play about as well drunk or sober. it's just about how well you can handle your liquor. know your limit and if you want to you can build on it or just stay within it
 
Tro said:
It's like a smoker that needs a cig while driving or after a meal.

Mike
Click to expand...

nevermind after the meal, i used to know a guy that smoked while he ate!!! and to top it all off he always drank milk with his meals!!!

YUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:eek:

to the OP, i used to drink to calm my nerves while playing, which if i wasn't careful used to get me in the long run. that being said, i don't drink now, but that doesn't have anything to do with my performance at the table. i used to complain about potheads (sorry all you potheads, nothing personal) smoking up before matches, and i felt hypocritical about making those comments, so then i made up my own mind that if i was going to win at anything, it was going to be due to my ability, and not some DRUG!

now before i get blasted by the hippie community, i'm not preaching, this is my own philosophy for my own piece of mind. i could care less about how others run their personal lives, plenty of my friends are potheads, and i get along with them just fine, even though sometimes i feel a little "left out" of the group when they all decide to light up a pinner.
 
Ok, somehow I ended up 2500 ahead in a ridiculous comeback where I was 4k down.... regardless....

I feel like Fast Eddie all the time, yet every night I wake up with more money than I went to bed with. I almost feel bad... but I can't imagine living a life where I don't play pool, stay sober, make 2K+ a night, etc.

How the F do you drop a lifestyle that you know is bad, yet you realize that the alternative is 50 hours a week for one third of what you were making before? I'm guessing that posting may feel personal, so feel free to send me PM's ... I opened up some room.

I am honestly confused.
 
Tro said:
I know guys that will not have a single drink while playing because they know once they have one, they can't stop.
Click to expand...

This is what I do and I play better and have more fun. Then I put the cues in the case and have beer or two afterwards. I won't play at all if I have been drinking now. No exceptions.
 
Last edited:
Know your limits. Play within your limits. Be in control, don't let the booze control you. You know this. Just do it.
 
PaulieB said:
Ok, somehow I ended up 2500 ahead in a ridiculous comeback where I was 4k down.... regardless....

I feel like Fast Eddie all the time, yet every night I wake up with more money than I went to bed with. I almost feel bad... but I can't imagine living a life where I don't play pool, stay sober, make 2K+ a night, etc.

How the F do you drop a lifestyle that you know is bad, yet you realize that the alternative is 50 hours a week for one third of what you were making before? I'm guessing that posting may feel personal, so feel free to send me PM's ... I opened up some room.

I am honestly confused.
Click to expand...

Don't be confused.

As long as you stay ahead of your demons and enjoy your lifestyle as much as you claim, you'll probably continue doing exactly as you are doing. When you wake up one day with your entire world upside down, and no hope for the future, then you'll be ready to face and defeat your problem.

Good luck.

J
 
Problem Soved.

PaulieB said:
I'm sorry to toss this up as a post, but i feel like i have to, being a contributor to this site and a follower of most posts. It is sad to have to type this, but what do fellow pool players that are also heavy drinkers do to control their game while shooting pool?

I love shooting, but for whatever reason I feel that shooting goes hand in hand with drinking , and just like Fast Eddie, I eventually fall apart. In bar/league scenes I do very well ... but in heads up situations I usually suck because my opponent extends the set and I get too F'd up to continue with any skill.

FFS, I'm totally F'd right now and have about 6k on the line in my personal room... I just hope that others with issues can toss me some personational information. Will probably end up 4k ahead, but wish I could control my crap and end up 8k ahead.

If this is a thread that bothers people or is not appropriate for this site, please feel free to remove it. I almost feel bad for asking for such base advice while we as a whole are trying to improve the image of pool.
Click to expand...
]

OKAY!

I skimmed most of the replies on this thread and I don't think anyone has suggested this yet.

My solution for you is once you have had a few drinks and you get your buzz on but if you still have some playing to do switch to non-alcoholic beer. that way you can still drink but not get too drunk while playing. Then after you win your match you can go back to the good stuff.

just a thought.

good luck!
-AJ
 
If this is a thread that bothers people or is not appropriate for this site, please feel free to remove it. I almost feel bad for asking for such base advice while we as a whole are trying to improve the image of pool.[/QUOTE]

In my opinion, you shouldn't feel this way at all. Your post is a serious question about a serious subject that affects more pool players than most of us would think. You just had the guts to put it out there. Sadly, I don't know the answer, but I do know top players that have made it work without the alcohol, and I hope you do as well. Don't worry about the 'image' of pool, and good luck. The image will take care of itself.
 
PaulieB said:
Ok, somehow I ended up 2500 ahead in a ridiculous comeback where I was 4k down.... regardless....

I feel like Fast Eddie all the time, yet every night I wake up with more money than I went to bed with. I almost feel bad... but I can't imagine living a life where I don't play pool, stay sober, make 2K+ a night, etc.

How the F do you drop a lifestyle that you know is bad, yet you realize that the alternative is 50 hours a week for one third of what you were making before? I'm guessing that posting may feel personal, so feel free to send me PM's ... I opened up some room.

I am honestly confused.
Click to expand...

PaulieB, I really feel for you and your situation. I never did drink while I was playing pool, but I did have a major drinking problem at one time in my life...."did"being the key word. I didn't really realize my problem until I lost all that was important to me. I was 18 at this time and would drink until I passed out where ever I happened to be. I got through it and haven't been like that for almost ten years.

If you are still winning the kind of money that you are while you are sloshed, I would hate to see you sober and playing. A lot of people think they shoot much better while they are buzzed or drunk, but this just isn't physically possible. If you drive home when you get done gambling at the bar, and you are drunk, you take the chances of taking someones life from them or your own. This is one reason why I never drank while out somewhere. I couldn't live with myself if that happened and if I was to have died too what about my family.

I give you major props for putting your situation out in the open like this. I just want you to know there are people here that care about you and what happens to you. I know you can defeat your problem(s). God Bless You, sir.
 
You shouldn't drink too much while playing, but having a drink or two can actually make you less nervous and frightened, helping you fight your opponent better psychologically, and also making it easier for you to go for some risky shots. Sometimes it can end bad, but in many cases making a few risky moves can pay off a lot more than playing safe all the time.
 
On good days, I drink non-alcoholic for three hours, then alcoholic for an hour, during my four-hour daily practice. On league night, I drink NA until my match is over. Alcohol is an issue.

I find that after one beer, I may still play good, but I am no longer in total control of what's happening on the table, and become subject to rolls & goofball shots. And that's just one beer.

If I don't drink, my game and especially speed control improves as the hours go by. If I drink, even one or two, it deteriorates, becomes stagnant, or worse, fluctuates wildly from shot to shot.
 
PaulieB said:
I'm sorry to toss this up as a post, but i feel like i have to, being a contributor to this site and a follower of most posts. It is sad to have to type this, but what do fellow pool players that are also heavy drinkers do to control their game while shooting pool?

I love shooting, but for whatever reason I feel that shooting goes hand in hand with drinking , and just like Fast Eddie, I eventually fall apart. In bar/league scenes I do very well ... but in heads up situations I usually suck because my opponent extends the set and I get too F'd up to continue with any skill.

FFS, I'm totally F'd right now and have about 6k on the line in my personal room... I just hope that others with issues can toss me some personational information. Will probably end up 4k ahead, but wish I could control my crap and end up 8k ahead.

If this is a thread that bothers people or is not appropriate for this site, please feel free to remove it. I almost feel bad for asking for such base advice while we as a whole are trying to improve the image of pool.
Click to expand...

Strange post. What do you hope to achieve? Do you want to quit drinking for good or do you want to drink a little less in order to win a little more?
 
TheThaiger said:
Strange post. What do you hope to achieve? Do you want to quit drinking for good or do you want to drink a little less in order to win a little more?
Click to expand...

Seriously.

"Gee, I love working, but for whatever reason I feel that working goes hand in hand with drinking. Once I start I just can't control it and I eventually fall apart, make a scene, get caught drinking on the job and get fired.

What can I do to control my drinking on the job so that I can still enjoy it without getting fired"?:rolleyes:

Don't mean to offend, but take it from an ex heavy drinker: If you can't learn to control it, you must avoid it.

I'm lucky and have learned to control my drinking, but it took some serious work. I'd hate to have to give it up entirely, but for me the choices were give it up, control it, or end up either in jail or in the ground.
 
Well, you have a serious lack of self-control but you already know this. You know if you drink, you lose even more control. I quit drinking all together because I know if I do drink, I can't just have a few. If you cannot handle being in a situation that may lead to drinking, you will have to take yourself out of the situation for awhile. The best thing to do is start working on self-discipline. Master the Self, and everything else is a lot easier. If you can't do it on your own, get some help. You already know you have a problem. That's the first step. There is often some other underlying reason as to why people drink heavily.
 
OK here is a way to address the problem from your local (retired) psych.

First decide that you really are going to do something about the problem (smoking, drinking, drugs makes no difference).

Determine how much you use and when you use. These should be real numbers. For instance, I drink six bottles of beer over two hours playing pool.
120 minutes / 6 beers = 1 beer every 20 minutes.

Try cutting your consumption in half: One beer every 40 minutes.

If you find that you cannot do this then cut your drinking to one beer every 30 minutes or whatever you can live with.

The idea is to go slowly, reduce your consumption to a level you can live with. This reduction is often accompanied by some substitution such as chewing gum, a tooth pick, or perhaps drinking a non-alcoholic beer.

Continue with the reduced consumption until you are truly comfortable with it. This often takes a week or more.

Start over and cut your consumption in half again.

Continue in this way until you have reached the level of consumption that is acceptable to you.

It is best if you have a loved one, close friend or a therapist who helps with your goals. If you have someone to talk with it will keep you on track and helps to keep you honest with yourself.

Reducing consumption that is affecting your life is not a difficult project for most therapists if you are committed. If all else fails see a clinical psychologist as referenced in the telephone book.

BTW, one of the more difficult things to accomplish with peope who were trying to cut down is getting them to only reduce their consumption by half. Usually people want to quit now. It just doesn't work that way and you need to go slow for a real change.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top