It’s well-documented that it’s difficult for alcoholics to admit they have a problem, never mind start seeking out professional help.
Instead of meeting face-to-face with experts and joining tried-and-tested 12-step programmes, many decide to forge ahead on a solo sober odyssey.
While habitual drinkers can work to develop coping strategies and identify triggers, many find it difficult to stay sober without a structured support system or plan in place.
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One woman who knows how easy it is to dive back into old ways is popular TikToker Julie McFadden - known online as Hospice Nurse Julie.
According to the social media star and health practitioner, she managed 11 months of abstaining from alcohol before she was forced to seek out a community like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA).
McFadden - a self-confessed former ‘dry alcoholic’ - claimed that when she stopped drinking, she started exhibiting some seriously negative traits.
What is a 'dry alcoholic'?
Taking to TikTok, McFadden kicked off her video by explaining ‘not everyone’ she comes across believes in the term ‘dry alcoholics’.
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She said: “This term is thrown a round a lot in recovery… I believe in it because I was a ‘dry alcoholic’ so I’m going to speak from my experience.”
In her words, the hospice nurse categorised a ‘dry alcoholic’ as being someone who has previously had an issue with alcohol and had decided to quit drinking without getting any help to back them up.
Recovering alcoholics who have sought help through programmes such as AA would also use the expression ‘dry drunk syndrome’ to categorise these people, writes Web MD.
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How did the expert fare being a dry alcoholic?
McFadden - who is now sober - claims that the 11 months she was a dry alcoholic was a totally ‘dark’ period in her life.
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“The darkest I’d ever been was when I quit drinking for 11 months and I didn’t get help,” she explained. “That’s what dry alcoholism is.”
“This is just my own personal experience - not everyone believes this - but I do,” the medical expert continued before confessing she’d eventually sought help through a 12-step programme.
Moreover, McFadden claimed that after almost a year of abstinence, various dry alcoholic characteristics began to rear their head.
What are some characteristics of dry alcoholics?
According to the former ‘high-functioning alcoholic’, there are a handful of common personality traits that former alcohol abusers who don’t receive treatment exhibit.
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“They’re usually irritable, controlling, compulsive, possibly mean, negative, maybe even nasty,” McFadden told her followers.
“Really grumpy, really isolated, super anxious. Maybe all of your quirks are really heightened because your medicine - alcohol - has all been taken away.”
“I was more depressed, more anxious, more isolated,” she admitted. “Everything that I didn’t like about myself so that I couldn’t control or regulate just comes up.”
McFadden went on to say that people can become ‘wildly uncomfortable’ and may experience feelings such as not wanting to leave the house and overwhelming sadness.
How to stop being a dry alcoholic
McFadden claimed that since undergoing treatment, she no longer has feelings of ‘discontent’ and is instead ‘joyous, happy and free’.
12-step programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) allow people to change their relationship with alcohol, discuss concerns with others and confront the behaviours that drive addiction.
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According to a 2020 study conducted by Stanford University, the fellowship helps more people achieve sobriety on average than self-funded therapy does.
Please drink responsibly. If you want to discuss any issues relating to alcohol in confidence, contact Drinkline on 0300 123 1110, 9am–8pm weekdays and 11am–4pm weekends for advice and support.
Topics: Health, Alcohol, Food And Drink, TikTok, Social Media
Ella Scott