36 years old last weekend, I cannot deal with the awful hangovers anymore!!

I’ve always enjoyed a binge drinking session, since I was 18 yo. Love the nights out, drinking with mates, hitting the dance floor with the friends. Running between bars and having fun drunk conversations.

I’ve noticed since entering my 30s my hangovers and hangxiety or “the fear” as I like to call it – has got progressively worse. In my early 30s I noticed it had become a living hell if I got smashed, and more recently it has become worse.

Last weekend I had dinner for my birthday and had 2 glasses of champagne, a half bottle of red wine, a half bottle of white wine, and a shot to finish the meal. By my standards that’s not loads, but still a good amount.

55 hours later… and I still feel quite bad. Nowhere near as bad as I did in the first 24 hours but I still feel bad. My muscles and body is lethargic, my mood still isn’t great, I feel sleep deprived. I am tired and down in the dumps – 55 sodding hours later! I need to go to work now and don’t feel up to it.

In the past month I’ve got very drunk twice at friends birthdays, both times I felt awful for a few days afterwards.

It’s way way worse than I did in my 20s or even early 30s.

At 36 yo I believe I need to stop ignoring what my body is telling me. I can no longer mitigate the consequences with water, vitamins and the eating tactics before and after the drinking. Bananas, bread, carbs, chugging pints of water – none of it makes a difference now. A binge drinking session = 72 hours of pain.

I believe at 36 yo my body cannot handle it anymore and it’s now time to stop binge drinking.

I already had a Monday to Friday (midday) rule of 1 drink. I think I’m now a 2 or 3 drink maximum person at all times. Gone are the big drinking days!! I cannot do it. It’s screwing up my relationships too – I’m a disaster to be around after drinking for 3 days. I cannot do anything for 72 hours after drinking it seems, apart from sit on a sofa and be sad and grumpy. I couldn’t even play video games last night as I was in such a mood and exhausted.

Time for me to stop.