Examples of Drinking Diaries
Louise's Drinking Diary
| Day | Time | Situation i.e. where were you? | Who were you with | What was going through your mind to make you drink | What did you drink | How many units | What happened as a result of you drinking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 8pm | At home | Alone | I felt bored and down, I need a drink to feel better | 1 bottle wine | 6 | Felt sadder at end of night - cried a lot - slept in for work next day. |
| Tuesday | 6pm | At home | Friend Judy came up for dinner | We need to have a laugh together we haven't seen each other in ages. | 1 1/2 bottles wine | 9 | Ended up having words with Judy and falling out, felt jittery at work next day - went home sick. |
| Friday | 9pm | Out for meal and drink with boyfriend Joe | Boyfriend Joe | I'll feel more relaxed and enjoy his company more | 3 glasses wine | 3 | Had nice night went home and watched a video then bed. Felt better next day. |
| Saturday | 7pm | At Home (Joe cancelled coming round and decided to go out with his mates instead). | Alone | Joe is wanting to chuck me. I need a drink to make me cope. | 1 bottle wine | 6 | Fell a sleep on floor. Was supposed to meet mum for lunch next day, but told her I was ill. |
Paul's Drinking Diary
| Day | Time | Situation i.e. where were you? | Who were you with | What was going through your mind to make you drink | What did you drink | How many units | What happened as a result of you drinking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 6pm | Pub (The Swan) | Paul & Ian (Mates) | I won't enjoy their company as much if I don't drink. | 4 pints | 8 units | Fell out with Ian at end of night. |
| Wednesday | 2pm | Pub Lunch (The Swan) | Friends from work | I was feeling stressed so a few drinks would help me relax. | 4 whiskies | 4 units | Had problems focusing on my work afterwards. |
| Thursday | 8pm | Out with Girlfriend Amy to pub | Amy | We'll have a nice romantic night and a few drinks. | 8 | 8 units | Had argument with Amy she stormed off in a bad mood. |
| Saturday | 9pm | Out to the Pub with my Mates then on to a Club | Paul & Jim (Mates) | Got to drink it's the weekend after all! | 5 pints (in Pub) a lot more in the Club can't remember. | 10+ units | Ended up in a fight in the night club and got tossed out. |
Paul and Louise's Diaries
By having a good look at Paul and Louise's drinking diaries, you might be able to pick out times or situations when they were more likely to drink eg Paul was likely to drink more when he was with his mates at the pub, whereas Louise was more likely to drink when she was alone at home. We can see from both their diaries the effects that alcohol can have on their lives by looking at the final column in the diary. They slept in for work, had fights because of the drink or felt ill the next day.
You can now become your own therapist by filling in your own Diary Sheet and then pinpointing times where you drink too much. After that then you should make a 'Weekly Goal Sheet', where you should write down your plan.
