I don't think you should regret it. It happened. I'm sure no one else is even thinking about it. And from what you said, it wasn't that bad.

The only productive line of thinking is how you're going to handle things in the future.

I am interested in all the responses saying it's totally normal and common to get sloppy drunk at work functions. Are any of you over 30? I can see that if you're 25 and it's one of those workplace cultures where a lot of outside socializing is encouraged. But just one person's opinion is that it's not a good look for a grown adult.

Anonymous wrote:Anytime I drink, regardless of what I did, I get horrible anxiety the next day.

I stopped drinking.

+1

Re anxiety and alcohol, it is chemical. Caffeine can have the same effect on anxiety. With alcohol it happens after you metabolize the alcohol.

Re being embarrassed, if it is out of character and you didn't do anything crazy, no big deal. It happens to a lot of people. I won't say everyone because then I will get 5 posts from the teetotalers saying never me.

Anonymous wrote:OP try not to beat yourself up. Your perception of the night is that you were this drunken person everyone was noticing. The reality is that you were in their peripheral vision. They were all far more concerned with themselves.

And it happens all the time, in EVERY industry, except maybe only mormon preaching.

I worked in the TV and entertainment industry for many years and it was a weekly occurance - as in there was always someone (different each time) who may have gone a bit far with the drinking and regretted it the next day.

+1
Don't be too hard on yourself. Everyone else was probably drunk too.

It was probably way more noticeable to you and your DH than to anyone else, OP. And as others said, you probably had hangover-induced anxiety, which is awful and makes everything seem way worse.

Anonymous wrote:This is OP. Didn't do or say anything outrageous, thankfully.

Just got messy drunk, even needed help at the end of the night maneuvering up the steps.

Thanks to those who say it may not have been as bad as I think it was. My husband did say it was more funny than annoying.

That's it???
Stop worrying!
I've done this, more than once. I've even coined a term for it. I call it "Friday night".
Clever, huh?

You drank a little too much and had fun. Move on.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anytime I drink, regardless of what I did, I get horrible anxiety the next day.

I stopped drinking.

THIS. Anxiety and depression for me after a night of drinking is simply NOT WORTH IT. i really wish I could have a few drinks and let loose, but I can't. The next day is just so bad.

This. What's up with the anxiety and depression? It's awful!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So I know. I am much too old to make this kind of mistake anymore but yes, I did. Drank much too much at a very nice event and I am super embarrassed now, especially since there were people who were not close friends but acquaintances/work contacts who may now view me in a negative light.

This can't be an uncommon experience. I know I shouldn't dwell and limit drinking in the future but I can't stop wishing that I could turn back time and just redo the evening (without the drinks). Anyone else get through something like this?

Entirely normal. Has happened to most everyone who drinks even occasionally. No big deal, move on.

Not normal.

Probably depends on your industry. I've worked in construction and in software. Totally normal there.

Agreed. I'm in IT sales and the demographic is young. Lots of crazy drunken nights I've witnessed. Nothing, even as nuts as it has been, like bisexual hook ups, has been career limiting.

Anonymous wrote:Anytime I drink, regardless of what I did, I get horrible anxiety the next day.

I stopped drinking.

THIS. Anxiety and depression for me after a night of drinking is simply NOT WORTH IT. i really wish I could have a few drinks and let loose, but I can't. The next day is just so bad.

Not sure how old you are, or how much you typically drink, but use it as a lesson for next time in being more mindful of limiting and controlling your intake. Some drinks sneak up on you! Not much else you can do but learn from this.

I'm middle-aged, more than old enough to know better, but one night I was sitting around playing board games at home with family, and didn't realize how much wine I'd had. It was a really light white wine, cold and crisp as water.

When I stood up I literally fell down, a giggling mess. Somehow I'd gotten falling-down drunk without noticing, which has never happened to me. I staggered upstairs and threw up, and then stood in the shower crying/laughing/moaning, "OMG I'm so drunk." My husband found it funny, but I'm still embarrassed to think about it.

Anonymous wrote:This is OP. Didn't do or say anything outrageous, thankfully.

Just got messy drunk, even needed help at the end of the night maneuvering up the steps.

Thanks to those who say it may not have been as bad as I think it was. My husband did say it was more funny than annoying.

Based on that if it does come up just say something like "I'm such a jerk - I should never have more than one drink on an empty stomach." Most people have had one too many at least once and people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

I say this to kids: you are not that important so that people will remember and obsess about something that you did; look at celebrity scandals, they get forgotten fast. That's, unless, you did something criminal.
If someone remembers and brings it up (not like joke or a fun memory) then you know that, for some reason, they are interested in you and lots of other things you do.

I once got shitshow drunk at a friend's wedding, and told my then-boyfriend I had a coke problem. I've never even seen cocaine in person.

We were 24, in a long distance relationship, and I was working on the Hill (so not making much money). I always flew to see him, and had maxed out my credit cards doing it. I told him I had to cut back on trips to see him, in order to get my financial house in order.

He knew my grandparents had left me a little bit of money, and kept asking why I didn't use that to come visit him, so that we could build our future together. He was really angry and wouldn't stop picking at me.

So we are at my friend's wedding, and he has been picking st me all day, and the next thing I knew, I was yelling at him that I had put my entire inheritance up my nose. Not even close to the truth, but it shut him up.

We broke up shortly thereafter. My friend (the bride) doesn't even remember this happening, so it wasn't as big of a deal as I thought it was at the time.

Anonymous wrote:Pretty sure there is an emotional and a chemical component to this. Part of a hangover leads to a brain chemical composition that makes you more prone to worry and regret. Then there is just the fact that you lost control and you're worried about what you did.

*1. This is why I rarely drink anymore. I end with horrible anxiety.

Do you feel like you have a problem with alcohol, OP? Or was this just a matter if you not realizing that you were over your limit? If this is t a regular occurrence then I wouldn't worry about it.