Alcoholism

[Drachenherz]

Well... anybody?

[R79]

I often like to wake up and have a can of cider with a scotch egg. Is that bad? I can stop at any time, but I don't want to.

[Drachenherz]

...I can stop at any time, but I don't want to.

I believe this lies at the core of any addiction, to be honest. Or not?

[Obiwanshinobi]

I've never noticed withdrawal symptoms and I've been perfectly sober for months now, but most serious injuries I did myself in recent years happened when I was drunk. Normally I'm not prone to accidents and those times were very unlike me. Connoisseurs (doctors) were impressed.

[jonny5]

Unless you get physically ill WITHOUT drinking, you are not an alcoholic.

I am not one prone to moderation, but I wouldn't consider myself an alcoholic. There is a big difference between drinking a lot all the time because you enjoy drinking(and getting drunk), and needing to drink to be able to function.

[trap15]

I believe this lies at the core of any addiction, to be honest. Or not?

Not really. If you say that and it's not true, then it's a problem. If you actually mean it, then it's not.

Alternatively, it's only really a problem if there's a reason for it to be a problem (self-injury, making an ass of yourself, domestic violence, etc.).

[KAI]

I hate alcoholics so fucking much, I've been through a lot of shit thanks to people with alcohol problems.
Thank god I'm abstemious.

[system11]

Lately we've been subjected to government nannying adverts telling us to give drinking a night off a few days every week.

1) Fuck off, you're not my mother - if I want to die from drink that's not the states problem, heaven knows it would bring the jobless total down and free up houses.

2) Who drinks every single night each week? People really do that? If they do, are they going to give a rats ass about a condescending TV advert made with taxpayers money?

[dex]

Unless you get physically ill WITHOUT drinking, you are not an alcoholic.

That is a rather bad measure, trust me. A much better measure is "when you don't get physically ill after heavy drinking, you are an alcoholic".

I say that because I used to be a high-functioning alcoholic. I easily could stop for a while without any physical effects. That's the problem, though; when you're high-functioning, you don't seem in any way impaired to people, including yourself. You obviously manage even with the drinking thrown in, alcoholics can't do that!

But in the end, it does come to bite you in the ass. Very shaky position to have. Probably would have hit bottom without a person dear to me becoming worried and helping out.

Who drinks every single night each week? People really do that? If they do, are they going to give a rats ass about a condescending TV advert made with taxpayers money?

I used to. People do. And they can still give a rats ass about the world around them and be alerted to their possible future trouble. I'd say none of them will stop because of a TV advert, but sometimes, it could put you on the right direction. Possibly.

[Marc]

The above is very accurate, in my personal situation at least. I drink every night, and while I don't reach for booze in a morning or have physical symptoms if I do leave off, I'd say there's enough of an issue for it to be called a problem.

[hail good sir]

sticking

[Marc]

I think it's worth noting that physical addiction and mental addiction are two different things and should be viewed and dealt with separately. Which I think is basically what a lot of you are saying just not in so many words.

Without doubt. It's a series of associations in my case that play havoc upstairs when they're interrupted.

[dex]

Indeed. Drinking on most nights also leads to you keeping friends who are heavy drinkers. It's rather self-perpetuating.

Marc: I don't know your situation, and it's not my place to tell you what to do in any case. I'll just say, don't let alcohol make you give up something (or someone) great.

Drachenherz: I'm curious. What prompted the thread?

[Super Laydock]

If not at work or having to drive I tend to drink whenever I want. Morning, afternoon, evening or night I may drink.
I really love my lager...

I am an alcoholic for sure. And I don't care as long as I don't hurt anyone or make an ass of myself.
Luckily my family and friends are ok with it and accept it being a fact.

Damn drinking makes me too honest.

[Marc]

Indeed. Drinking on most nights also leads to you keeping friends who are heavy drinkers. It's rather self-perpetuating.

Marc: I don't know your situation, and it's not my place to tell you what to do in any case. I'll just say, don't let alcohol make you give up something (or someone) great.

Drachenherz: I'm curious. What prompted the thread?

Funny thing is I don't tend to keep much company, and when I do I don't give a rats ass whether they drink or not as long as I'm not judged for doing so. And yeah, what Super Laycock just said.

[opt2not]

2) Who drinks every single night each week? People really do that? If they do, are they going to give a rats ass about a condescending TV advert made with taxpayers money?

I have a drink or two every night, not to get drunk but to take the edge off the day. Escapism? Yes, definitely.
But when I have weed on me, I tend not to drink at all (it's cheaper and slightly better for my health).

[Obiwanshinobi]

2) Who drinks every single night each week? People really do that? If they do, are they going to give a rats ass about a condescending TV advert made with taxpayers money?

If you drink only during weekends, but heavily and regulary at that, it's problem enough.
After a month's worth of exhausting grind at work (I barely had time to drink on Sundays and, as a rule, I didn't drink on work-days/nights), long weekend had arrived and after that, I woke up in a hospital.

[CIT]

Lately we've been subjected to government nannying adverts telling us to give drinking a night off a few days every week.

1) Fuck off, you're not my mother - if I want to die from drink that's not the states problem, heaven knows it would bring the jobless total down and free up houses.

2) Who drinks every single night each week? People really do that? If they do, are they going to give a rats ass about a condescending TV advert made with taxpayers money?

I used to live in the UK for a couple of years, and the only thing I really didn't like about it was the pervasive drinking culture and what a significant part of self-identity it actually is to many people (not just wasters, but professionals with decent jobs, etc.) who appear to be living only from weekend binge to weekend binge. Guys getting into fights after the pubs closed was also a really common sight.
Most Brits I know complain about this all the time too.

[blackoak]

I never thought I had a problem with drinking until I started to notice the way I was drinking for an "uplift" in mood--and how real it was. It was a brief 2-3 hour respite from constant depression, which preceded the drinking problem. I never felt physically addicted, but I was so bored and depressed all the time that I was drinking heavily every other day... of course that didn't help with the depression, but it certainly fed into the cycle of artificial mood regulation. Its definitely mentally/emotionally addicting, and I started to feel like doing anything without a buzz was a lesser experience. I still can't exactly say whether its a "drinking problem" or a "life problem... now with drinking!" ... I doubt AA would mind the distinction though.

I've been getting it under control in the last few months but its still a struggle with occasional relapses. Definitely feel for anyone in a similar place.

[CMoon]

Hello, my name is CMoon and I'm an Alcoholic. As a teacher I have to deal with all the bullshit your kids do because you are a terrible parent. Shit rolls down hill and I'm the gutter. I have a couple beers every night because it allows me to detach from your non-existent parenting skills and enjoy my life.

Also, when I consider how I have 2, sometimes maybe 3 beers, over the course of 6 hours, I really wonder if that even qualifies for AA?

[moh]

I really respect you guys for being honest with yourselves, whether you think you may have a problem or not. Its nice to see community support like this, althouogh I must say pcb addiction is much more destructive than alcoholism

[Vyxx]

I guess I feel I should be posting here.

I have my life under control now but in the past I didn't. I ended up making a few mistakes on this forum (and many in my personal life) because of it. I was a functioning alcoholic. I had the exact amount I could drink a night down to a science (to not be hungover) but being someone who would have between 12-14 beers a night a hangover is rare, it's more just always waking up with a "cloudy" feeling.

I never chose to be an alcoholic for almost 2 years, I actually had an alcoholic father and stayed away from alcohol at parties when my friends would indulge. One day I just found myself drinking away ten sudden anslaught of problems that had very quickly built up in my life. Then I couldn't stop. It's as shameful as embarrassing looking back on it now, but the addiction is real, both mentally and physically. Physically I used to get the shakes, cold sweats, and stuff at work every morning, mentally I used to actually have dreams of being afraid because I didn't have alcohol for that night and the beer store had closed.

Sad, I know, but I never chose or wanted to be there. Judge me if you want.

People need to understand though that alcohol is never the problem, it's the cover up of the problem. It was my escape from parents dying, to be honest.

I wish addiction on no man.

The thing people don't get is that for years I used to just be able to drink at parties only. Once I got sober for a few months I saw a psychiatrist and worked out why I was drinking and now I can have a drink once every rare occasion and its no problem. Alcohol wasn't the problem.

[moh]

it takes quite a bit of courage to overcome something like that, vyxx. I'm glad things are better for you now.

[Vyxx]

it takes quite a bit of courage to overcome something like that, vyxx. I'm glad things are better for you now.

Looking back its more embarrassing than anything. You see the show Intervention and just think "why don't they just stop?" But it's really not that easy, addiction has control of everything. I think about it everyday, those years I can never get back, the damage I'm sure I of to my body. I went for an MRI recently of my kidneys and I had scarification from alcohol abuse.

Scary at my young age I could be set up for many drastic things, all because I couldn't get my life together for a while.

[drauch]

I used to try and black out every night, or at least get pretty sauced. Escaping mediocrity, expediting time--that sort of thing. Then I realized I wasn't remember movies, books, games, etc. as well as I used to. Just sort of gradually quit, and now I hardly touch the stuff, only for special occasions. The love of alcohol is certainly still there. I love how it makes you feel; its place in film, literature, and the whole merry/somber subculture that goes along with it. It just sorta wore off, I suppose.

I'm not sure how much I buy alcoholism. I certainly acknowledge the problem and the circumstances, but I think most of it comes down to the person themselves. Same with anything else.

[mesh control]

I quit drinking because:

1. I'm self destructive. See: drunk thread
2. It's expensive.
3. I would come home from working 17 hours, get drunk, cook, pass out, and repeat that for a weeks at a time.
It killed any time for thought and lead to nothing constructive.
4. A psychologist verified that I'm "severely depressed", and that I should avoid alcohol/drugs. I would come home, disconcerted, from parties or shows, listen to the smiths, get drunk and pass out. Drinking alone is what fucked me up.

I do have a glass of wine with dinner every once in a while, but I never go into anything with the objective of getting drunk.


I want to read this:

[hail good sir]

all

[CMoon]

The I'm Drunk thread is mocking all of you.

[xbl0x180]

I'm too po' to afford good shit anyway. I can probably down 8 beers and still be able to do triple integration calculus. Cheap0 PBR by the barrel at my place

[Drachenherz]

Thank you all for your replies and your inputs. I hope that I can contribute more this evening, when I'm back at a keyboard - typing longish texts on a phone is quite a PITA...

Dex: I don't know, actually... Maybe I just wanted to "break the circle", to be able to... Talk in/with a (virtual) community that I grew to like and appreciate over the years. I realised for quite some time now that I am a functioning alcoholic and also got some other problems with other addictions (without substances) like surfing and gaming waaaaay too much.

Last year, just shortly before the birth of my daughter, I came to realize that I cannot and wont continue my life like that, so with the help of my employer I was able to start therapy. But more to that later in this thread, I guess.

On the one hand, I had many realisations and insights in the last few months. At least on a theoretical level. On the other hand, there is a part in me that actually welcomes the numbness alcohol (and mindlessly surfing etc.) induces in me. And this numbness made me retreat myself more and more, not speaking about what's going on in me besides in the therapy sessions. Even here, in a more or less anonymus internet community, I often chose to just posting silly and/or superficial stuff instead of really bringing me in... Being comfortably numb.

I want to change that.

Funny thing is: I started this thread BEFORE I started drinking last night...

Ah, so much to say - I hope this feeling lasts and I can bring those ugly parts of me to the surface that I even don't want to see myself. In order to really see them for what they are - and thus being finally able (and willing) to let em go.



Edit: Vyxx: I completely agree with you on alcohol not being the problem itself at the core. Of course, drinking can be/is a problem, but I also think it's not the root of the problem.