Are you an alcoholic?

Dave!

Hey folks,

I've noticed that alot of the people who post here are alcoholics, or are dealing with alcohol problems in some way

While the original purpose for this forum was not to cater for alcoholics specifically (but rather to organise activities for those who do not drink for whatever purpose), I wonder if there is scope for changing it into such a forum

The 'activities' aspect of the forum seems to have died out recently (since Fee went away I guess), so perhaps it would make sense to turn this into a place where alcoholics can talk, etc.

Anyways I just wanna find out how many people would identify themselves as an alcoholic, or as dealing with alcohol related issues, so that I can establish whether it's viable to set up such a forum

The poll is private

CianRyan

Nope, was never an alcoholic, i was more of a binge drinker.
I'd go 2 weeks to a month between drinks. Seriously over did it when i drank though.

mazcon

I voted "other"...I am not an alcoholic, but I am the wife of a recovering alcoholic, which has certainly coloured how I view Ireland's drink culture.

spacetweek

mazcon wrote: »

I voted "other"...I am not an alcoholic, but I am the wife of a recovering alcoholic, which has certainly coloured how I view Ireland's drink culture.

Can you explain more? I would imagine this would colour your view of alcoholics only. Ireland's drink culture is not about alcoholism, it's about binge drinking. There's a huge difference between a heavy drinker and an alcoholic.

mazcon

True, but the culture of binge drinking encourages a very dysfunctional relationship with alcohol and to a certain extent means that a lot of drunken behaviour is viewed as socially acceptable when in fact it may be symptomatic of developing alcoholism.

K4t

I voted yes

I had a huge scare recently though so I'm trying to sort myself out.

Karen_*

I'm alcoholic, six months sober on the 30th.

I've got a few pm's from people who are worried about their drinking. I don't know everything but if anyones worried about their drinking and needs someone to talk to they can feel free to pm me. I go to AA but if you don't want to go there I can point you in some other directions where you can get help.

As I said, don't know everything but I get the feeling there's loads of people very lonely and frightened and no one needs to be. There is a way through all of this and a future and hope for everyone. Even if you think you're the worst there is.

Spiritoftheseventies

yes to understand our drink culture one must go abroad. Spent a week in Morocco where there is barely a pub to be seen. That said the Guinness is very strong there!

K4t

K4t wrote: »

I voted yes

I had a huge scare recently though so I'm trying to sort myself out.

So much for stopping. Went out a few days after this and am at home now on medication. GP thought it was liver damage. I am f**king my life up because of this ****e. Joke.

Dave!

hmmmm, 12 people consider themselves alcoholics. I'm not sure if that's enough support for a whole new forum to cater for alcoholics.

I'll put it to the powers that be, and maybe we'll end up with some sort of hybrid forum that caters for both groups (alcoholics, and mere non-drinkers!). Maybe just a name change, eh !

Thanks all

wishwashwoo

hi all i am looking for a lady who is a non drinker and a non smoker if there is any ladied outhere please feel free to contact me

My name is URL

wishwashwoo wrote: »

hi all i am looking for a lady who is a non drinker and a non smoker if there is any ladied outhere please feel free to contact me

Jesus christ!

Anyway, I drink way too much

I'm more a run of the mill binger though, weekends and nights off

I'd like to stop but don't think I need to yet

well... good day to you all!

dmullins3

im not dependent on alcohol but at da same time i cudnt go without it. im a moderate drinker usually but wen its been a long time since my last drink then i do tend to go just a little over board:eek:

luckylucky

spacetweek wrote: »

There's a huge difference between a heavy drinker and an alcoholic.

This in my opinion is a very unfortunate and damaging mistake in a lot of peoples thinking in relation to alcohol. People wrongly, very wrongly imo have the opinion that you either are an alcoholic or you are not.

imo it's just all a question of degrees of how much a grip alcohol has on you.

the following quote kinda illustrates what I'm getting at

dmullins3 wrote: »

im not dependent on alcohol but at da same time i cudnt go without it. im a moderate drinker usually but wen its been a long time since my last drink then i do tend to go just a little over board:eek:

I mean the irony of it all, alcohol clearly has some hold on dmullins3, as it does with a helluva lot of people, but good God, heaven forbid, no he's not an alcoholic!

I've said this before. When I was a drinker, if I posed the question Do you think I'm an alcoholic to people who observed my drinking habits. I would have got very different answers depending on who asked.

If I asked a teetotaller they would have been appalled at the amount I drunk and say For sure you are.

If I asked a 'regular' drinker - they most likely would have said something like 'Hmmm, nah, you just need to cut back (rarely if ever works btw!!)'. Or I might get some other non committal answer - basically coz if they started to pin me as an alcoholic they couldn't really do so without taking a look at themselves.

If I asked a total boozehound - they would have laughed their heads off and told me to get the fk off - yer not an alco.

So the question, are you an alcoholic is inherenly flawed imo.

Personally I have a problem with the very term alcoholic - because it's not either/or or black/white.

fio_

I agree with lucky lucky.. i dont think its about the quantity you drink or how often its about your relationship with alcohol or whether its a dysfunctional relationship...

And asking the guy in the high stool next to you what he thinks; of course you'll get a biased answer cos he's probably afraid to admit that he may have a problem themselves... (goes for women too)

Ireland sure has a culture of binge drinking and it seems to be of general opinion that this behaviour is acceptable.. how can we think that??....

tuliphead

im 23 years old and im an alcoholic. im sober 3 months now after spending 28 days in a treatment center. i never thought i was an alcoholic, i was actually convinced i was just a heavy drinker, but lookin back i was an alcoholic from about the time i was 18. I still cannot believe how much alcohol sucked me in and took complete control of my life without me ever realisin it. I always heard of the dangers of teen drinkin and completely dismissed them as ludicrous but my god they were true.... I wish i could just help people realise how dangerous drinkin to excess can be because it completely ruined my life

colrow

Hi Tuliphead, you're well on the road to a more fulfilling life, you're in control of your life again well done !!!

tuliphead

Thanks colrow thats nice of ya ta say! when i get more sober time under my belt im gonna go back to college to become an addiction counsellor because i would love to help people the way i was helped!

cyclotomic

I agree with luckylucky that there are degrees of alcoholism. I have a drinking problem. I enjoy drinking a lot and drink probably every second day. It affects my work and has prompted me to call in sick a lot. I moved from Dublin to Frankfurt two years ago on my own for work and found myself drinking more (I was a heavy drinker to start with) to cope with the loneliness of being in a foreign country without any friends or family.

Another problem for me is that alcohol is a lot easier to get in Germany at any time, bars and clubs often stay open until the next day, 24 hour shops always sell alcohol. I'm sure the AA meetings here have beer vending machines outside them!

I recently decided that I have a problem and need to do something about it. I spent most of this evening fighting the urge to go out to a bar, so decided to distract myself on the internet instead.

VinnyTGM

No, I don't like how drink tastes.
Therefore I don't drink it.

josh3

i went to my first meeting last night and felt it has done me the world of good.i was lucky in the fact my cousin is recovering with 3 years and he has helped me enormously,in fact he brought me to it last night.my problem is that once i finish work friday ill drink all friday night,all day saturday and all day sunday.i would also then take drugs but only after im well drunk.i have a wife and two kids,am 27 and while i still have a good job want to stop now because i cant ever just have 1,2 or 3 it has to be ten,12 or whatever.i feel really determined family and chidhood friends(who dont drink much at all)are giving me great support.its early days but with the support meetings and family think i will get over this.

Totalelf

I'm an alcoholic too, done the treatment centre last year, have binged now and then since. I am really trying to get out of the hole I'm in with alcohol, before it destroys my life totally. Rotten disease, I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. Good luck to all out there trying to stay sober.

redenemyjoe

Been sober since I attended alcohol/chemical dependancy treatment for two months on September 1st. I've never felt better. Youngest person on the ward too which was more than awkward.

gavkm27

spacetweek wrote: »

Can you explain more? I would imagine this would colour your view of alcoholics only. Ireland's drink culture is not about alcoholism, it's about binge drinking. There's a huge difference between a heavy drinker and an alcoholic.

What about binge drinking alcoholism?

People assume just because your not on the park bench like a whino therefore your not an alcoholic,it does'nt matter what or how much of it you used,if it is affecting you life,work,family,head and any other part of you,you may have a problem and may be an alcoholic.1 is too many and a thousand is never enough,total abstinence is the answer,for me there is no middle ground,all or nothing.

I'm 28 and have been sober for 7 years through a treatment center and 12 step groups.

That sort of question are you an alcoholic is the hardest thing for someone to answer,it took me a long while to fully concede to my inner most self that i was alcoholic.The funny thing about Alcoholism is it is a disease of the mind,which involves a hefty dose of denial,imagine having a disease thats tells you you don't have a disease!
I realised this one time in hindsight when i was trying to stop drinking and my head was like ''fcuk it,go on just go have a pint'' and i did and then i had 10 and i woke up the next morning and my head was like ''look at ya,useless ****e,out on the lash again,blacked out,got in a fight etc etc''
The pure insanity of alcoholism,the very part of me telling me go on have a drink turns on me and batters myself.

To someone who is not alcoholic this may seem a bit mad and it is,but if you relate to something like that,you maybe alcoholic,you can be told by a million people you are alcoholic but until you admit it to yourself,good luck getting sober

acoc100

I have a binge drinking problem.
I can easily go 2 or 3 weeks without a drop.
And hit the pubs of a Saturday night and get demented.
Have a huge blackout, if i'm lucky wake in my own bed and if not in a cell,
possibly with injuries from falling around the place the night before.

I guess I would classify myself as a binge alcoholic.

bluefinger

voted no. have a condition which means i'm basically allergic to alcohol. have to say that this forum's a bit of a disapointment. the what to do other than drink thread has very little going for it. Also why would you lump alcoholics in with non-drinkers group? you could be an alcoholic and still be drinking no?

angel01

No I am not an alcoholic, my Mum is and has turned me off alcohol.

Anton.Mamyko

gavkm27 wrote: »

What about binge drinking alcoholism?

People assume just because your not on the park bench like a whino therefore your not an alcoholic,it does'nt matter what or how much of it you used,if it is affecting you life,work,family,head and any other part of you,you may have a problem and may be an alcoholic.1 is too many and a thousand is never enough,total abstinence is the answer,for me there is no middle ground,all or nothing.

I'm 28 and have been sober for 7 years through a treatment center and 12 step groups.

That sort of question are you an alcoholic is the hardest thing for someone to answer,it took me a long while to fully concede to my inner most self that i was alcoholic.The funny thing about Alcoholism is it is a disease of the mind,which involves a hefty dose of denial,imagine having a disease thats tells you you don't have a disease!
I realised this one time in hindsight when i was trying to stop drinking and my head was like ''fcuk it,go on just go have a pint'' and i did and then i had 10 and i woke up the next morning and my head was like ''look at ya,useless ****e,out on the lash again,blacked out,got in a fight etc etc''
The pure insanity of alcoholism,the very part of me telling me go on have a drink turns on me and batters myself.

To someone who is not alcoholic this may seem a bit mad and it is,but if you relate to something like that,you maybe alcoholic,you can be told by a million people you are alcoholic but until you admit it to yourself,good luck getting sober

im 21, started drinking quite heavily at a very young age. wanring signs have been flashing in my mind for the last 6 months thats this is not all just harmless fun. How did you overcome peer pressure and the social stupor that drink is the only way to socialise and get laid? ....weed worked in a way for me-but in huge excess, which meant that i didnt drink but i was up in the clouds for months at a time.....which proved to be more destructive

cue

Anton.Mamyko wrote: »

How did you overcome peer pressure and the social stupor that drink is the only way to socialise and get laid?

I just got fed up living my life according to everyone elses ideas and standards. Besides, drinking was not really helping me to socialise. My idea of social was " So, shall I get another drink?" and I had lost interest in getting girls who thought that blackout drinking was somewhat sexy.

rivermetimbers

As an answer to the question "are you an alcholic?" the answer is i really dont know.
I guess not the sterotypical drinking everyday type, but the problem i have is distuingushing where to draw the line.
I dont really drink during the week normally, but at certain times of year, i will not stop for anything. Xmas as normal has passed in a haze of drunken slagging and shifting for want of a better phrase. But this did not bother me till i heard an interview Miriam O Callaghan did with Aidan and Des Bishop on the radio. They speak about addiction and the negatives it has on your life; money, lovelife, self esteem, health and so on.
Well the point is, everything that crippeled their everyday lives that they blamed drink for, well, I could do the same... ie. never having money, losing my last girlfriend because i would not calm down, being terribely depressed after a big session, being unfit because of the drinking smoking lifestyle.
I have lived abroad for years and have just spent the last 12 months in Ireland, before that weekends in my last country consisted of finishing work on a Friday heading down the local...... and coming home Sunday night about 10ish after a cocktail of cigarettes, jack daniels and esctacy. This, now i can see is not some thing to be proud of, in fact quite the opposite, but since I arrived home, this type of CHARGE!! attitude has been the way since.
Maybe its not your token alcholic but at 28 i am starting to feel a little less indestructible than before.


Anyones advice/comments will be greatly appriciated.

Karen_*

If you're life is umanageable because of drink then its probably time to start thinking of quitting. You're only 28 which is a lovely young age to change your habits.

I didn't drink every day at 28, I did by 33. And you're right, you don't have to drink every day to be alcoholic.

Being a non-drinker is way more interesting and liberating than being a drinker. I find I've loads more freedom and there's lots more to do contrary to the belief that life is boring and there's nothing to do when you don't drink. Wish I'd given up years ago!

Karen_*

A popular experiment with an active alcoholic is to give it up for a week or month in a year. That proves to them that they are not alcoholic and so carry on boozing. They think they can take it or leave it but really are only fooling themselves.

Normal drinkers don't do experiments to ensure they can carry on drinking without guilt.

gavkm27

Anton.Mamyko wrote: »

im 21, started drinking quite heavily at a very young age. wanring signs have been flashing in my mind for the last 6 months thats this is not all just harmless fun. How did you overcome peer pressure and the social stupor that drink is the only way to socialise and get laid? ....weed worked in a way for me-but in huge excess, which meant that i didnt drink but i was up in the clouds for months at a time.....which proved to be more destructive

I know how you feel,that was the same stuff going through my head when i was 21 and got off drink,i could'nt imagine a life without it,it was all around me in every social situation,i could'nt chat people up or dance without it.

But i have discovered there is alot more to life than drinking and going out.I did do a treatment center and started 12 step groups,there i met others like me and just hung around them,i stopped hanging out with all the lads i used to drink with.Also i started surfing,go totally hooked on that.

Went travelling to Australia for a year,surfed all over there,did a course in commercial diving,got a job offshore,went and lived in Bali Indonesia for 3 years,surfed and worked all over South East Asia.Then moved to Canada and started snowboarding,did that all over north america,japan and lots of Europe.I've filled 2 passports with visas from all the countries i've been to
and i did it all without drinking.I've stuck to my guns,my life was shet drinking so i'm not going back and believe me i've had peer pressuer,imagine coming back ashore from spending 2 months offshore on an oil rigs with a group of meathead lads that wanted to get fcuked up.

Thats all been in the last 7 years since i was 21,so just to give you an example it's possible,but i did'nt do it alone,i went to 12 step groups and met up with other people all over the world doing it too

Anton.Mamyko

thanks, inspiring life story.
I have to stay in this paradigm for next few years ( education/immigration issues) this means that i would have to find a way of socialising with dozens of my (close)friends without getting ****ed up myself........but how.....
At this stage I'm envious of people that can have 4 pints a night or that can have an occasional light smoke and get on with it. For me it seems like it is a lost cause, I have been at it from such an early age (thinking that its cool or whatnot) that addiction came years ago.

Anton.Mamyko

Karen_* wrote: »

Being a non-drinker is way more interesting and liberating than being a drinker. I find I've loads more freedom and there's lots more to do contrary to the belief that life is boring and there's nothing to do when you don't drink. Wish I'd given up years ago!

lol, i dont know how i would pose my statement to my friends if i decide to stop (because all we have ever known is that socialise=drink).
The prospect of being liberated from it does seem appealing though. My course is intense and i would love to spend the "hangover day" actualy doing something rather than being braindead and fd-up(my hangovers got x3 times worse in the last year alone).

Karen_*

I really do think you're on the road to sorting it out. At the end I realised that normal drinkers were not buying books on alcoholism to prove they weren't one, nor doing experiments with abstinence, nor reading non-drinking groups and asking advice. I did all that desperately seeking things that would say that I could go on drinking. I see others doing it all the time.

Just say to your friends you were feeling crap and had to give it up. Chances are there won't be too much explaination needed as they probably see you're in trouble. I found people very supportive and I got asked very few awkward questions.

You'll find new friends too and you'll be feeling well enough to take up new activities. In fact its really exciting sometimes just waking up and knowing that lots of doors are now open. Its a brilliant life and you'll never regret it. You've loads going for you and you're only young. It is a real gift to get the self awareness now and you're lucky. Better to do your best and life your life to the full now than to look back in 40 years time with bitter regrets wondering how things could have been different.

Well done by the way for even questioning your drinking because its not an easy thing to do. Last thing anyone wants to be is an addict or alcoholic. I was a drug addict too so I'm off both. And life on its own terms can give a better high than any chemical or drink.

Anton.Mamyko

c

rivermetimbers

Karen_* wrote: »

I really do think you're on the road to sorting it out. At the end I realised that normal drinkers were not buying books on alcoholism to prove they weren't one, nor doing experiments with abstinence, nor reading non-drinking groups and asking advice. I did all that desperately seeking things that would say that I could go on drinking. I see others doing it all the time.

Just say to your friends you were feeling crap and had to give it up. Chances are there won't be too much explaination needed as they probably see you're in trouble. I found people very supportive and I got asked very few awkward questions.

You'll find new friends too and you'll be feeling well enough to take up new activities. In fact its really exciting sometimes just waking up and knowing that lots of doors are now open. Its a brilliant life and you'll never regret it. You've loads going for you and you're only young. It is a real gift to get the self awareness now and you're lucky. Better to do your best and life your life to the full now than to look back in 40 years time with bitter regrets wondering how things could have been different.

Well done by the way for even questioning your drinking because its not an easy thing to do. Last thing anyone wants to be is an addict or alcoholic. I was a drug addict too so I'm off both. And life on its own terms can give a better high than any chemical or drink.

good luck to you Karen, great attitude

gavkm27

Anton.Mamyko wrote: »

thanks, inspiring life story.
I have to stay in this paradigm for next few years ( education/immigration issues) this means that i would have to find a way of socialising with dozens of my (close)friends without getting ****ed up myself........but how.....
At this stage I'm envious of people that can have 4 pints a night or that can have an occasional light smoke and get on with it. For me it seems like it is a lost cause, I have been at it from such an early age (thinking that its cool or whatnot) that addiction came years ago.

If your serious about stopping ie. you've hit a rock bottom in your drinking and drug use,then there will be action thats needs taking,going to 12 step groups.When i got clean and sober,i got a new phone and stopped hanging around my old friends.
The bottom line is excuses,you will make them if you really don't want to stop,there is nothing i can say that will convince you,you need to hit your rock bottom yourself and get into such a bad way physically,mentally and emotionally that you will do anything to stay off it,thats what happened to me and why i've stayed clean and sober for most of my 20's.
Having said that you could nip it all in the bud and save yourself alot of torture as you know full well it's not getting any better,but in my experience people are gonna do what their gonna do,peace

Exon

spacetweek wrote: »

There's a huge difference between a heavy drinker and an alcoholic.

No there is not!

rory a m

Karen_* wrote: »

If you're life is umanageable because of drink then its probably time to start thinking of quitting. You're only 28 which is a lovely young age to change your habits.

I didn't drink every day at 28, I did by 33. And you're right, you don't have to drink every day to be alcoholic.

Being a non-drinker is way more interesting and liberating than being a drinker. I find I've loads more freedom and there's lots more to do contrary to the belief that life is boring and there's nothing to do when you don't drink. Wish I'd given up years ago!

Hi karen realy like what youre saying.We seem to be on the same road..i gave up the demon drink 5 months ago..i didnt drink everyday but a big binge drinker every wend.I couldnt even begin to start how much trouble its cost me,,Always in trouble and still not seein the signs.Ive never felt better as the last 5 months.I didnt go to AA and i feel i need to talk sometimes not just to help me but others aswell.Any way trust me if people are reading dis there is some much more to life than drink.I was only living my life 20% to the full.Dont get fooled in to thinking youre life stops when you stop drinking..it improves ten fold.

dego99

hi on the site normaly under another avatar but would perfare to keep my amannity (thats easy for you to say)
I'm not sure if I'm an alcoholic....i would say i definitely have an un health relationship with drink...i go through phases of only drinking at weekends and then most nights for a few weeks....not usually huge amounts ,maybe 5/6 cans.....i gave up this year for a month around lent (just a coincidence) and loved it...after the second Sunday i started heading up to glendalough hiking, got a real buzz out of it and in fairness it was something i have continued to a degree.....i just feel drink is holding be back...i feel change need to change and want to change lots of aspects in my life ,but when him drinking it kinda feels like ground hog day......i'm always a bit hungover ..subdued..
i can be fairly happy that i'm not going to drink during the day and then all of a sudden come 9 o'clock i get an unbelievable urge to go get some ...i never don't go once it in my head...anyway sorry for the rant.
i just need a spark...something to kick start the change ...thats the thing ,i don't drink to oblivion or get rowdy when I'm drunk,or miss work....it feel like death by a thousand cuts some times ....slowly breaking me down......
after reading that back i probably am or am on my way:(

AJ STYLES

i have never consumed alcool

rory a m

dego99 wrote: »

hi on the site normaly under another avatar but would perfare to keep my amannity (thats easy for you to say)
I'm not sure if I'm an alcoholic....i would say i definitely have an un health relationship with drink...i go through phases of only drinking at weekends and then most nights for a few weeks....not usually huge amounts ,maybe 5/6 cans.....i gave up this year for a month around lent (just a coincidence) and loved it...after the second Sunday i started heading up to glendalough hiking, got a real buzz out of it and in fairness it was something i have continued to a degree.....i just feel drink is holding be back...i feel change need to change and want to change lots of aspects in my life ,but when him drinking it kinda feels like ground hog day......i'm always a bit hungover ..subdued..
i can be fairly happy that i'm not going to drink during the day and then all of a sudden come 9 o'clock i get an unbelievable urge to go get some ...i never don't go once it in my head...anyway sorry for the rant.
i just need a spark...something to kick start the change ...thats the thing ,i don't drink to oblivion or get rowdy when I'm drunk,or miss work....it feel like death by a thousand cuts some times ....slowly breaking me down......
after reading that back i probably am or am on my way:(

dego sounds to me that you are more on the road to recovery.youve seen how good it is off the beer...i think a lot of people havent eve seen that side yet.

rory a m

gavkm27 wrote: »

I know how you feel,that was the same stuff going through my head when i was 21 and got off drink,i could'nt imagine a life without it,it was all around me in every social situation,i could'nt chat people up or dance without it.

But i have discovered there is alot more to life than drinking and going out.I did do a treatment center and started 12 step groups,there i met others like me and just hung around them,i stopped hanging out with all the lads i used to drink with.Also i started surfing,go totally hooked on that.

Went travelling to Australia for a year,surfed all over there,did a course in commercial diving,got a job offshore,went and lived in Bali Indonesia for 3 years,surfed and worked all over South East Asia.Then moved to Canada and started snowboarding,did that all over north america,japan and lots of Europe.I've filled 2 passports with visas from all the countries i've been to
and i did it all without drinking.I've stuck to my guns,my life was shet drinking so i'm not going back and believe me i've had peer pressuer,imagine coming back ashore from spending 2 months offshore on an oil rigs with a group of meathead lads that wanted to get fcuked up.

Thats all been in the last 7 years since i was 21,so just to give you an example it's possible,but i did'nt do it alone,i went to 12 step groups and met up with other people all over the world doing it too

Fair play to you gav great story and 100% true.I think its golf thats done the same for me...gone mad on it..didnt touch a drop all xmas and really enjoyed it.So as a treat i baught new golf clubs.My energy levels are increasing and thinking about adventure sports in the summer..even goin on a family holiday this year first since my dad died when i was 9...i wount have gone if i was still drinking as they would ave held me back from gettin **** faced..now i just thinking bout the golf courses near by and playing wit my sisters kids..I also lookin 4ward to seein my mam looking at me proud and not worried thinking what next.

rmkfda

same as mazcon, hubby's a recovering addict.
I used to binge drink as a student and younger. I still drink occasionally but generally like to do things with a cup of tea or pack of scampi fries, that seems to do the trick.

I'd like to do more socially with non-drinkers as I feel my hubby needs it too. We spend a good amount of time around fairly heavy drinking friends which is not a good environment for someone with just over a year clean. Can't avoid it though as his work demands it and it's all he wants to do.

I shall try and organise a meet up on here innit.

Elenxor

Hi Dave, I have not had a drink for over 20 years, I am an alcoholic, I make no distinction, non drinkers do however, is it possible to have a Recovering Alcoholic catagory in your poll.

Shayman

I'm an alcoholic. I remember a few years ago when I made that statement for the first time. God, it is probably the hardest sentence I've ever said. Hard to admit what I am. Even harder to admit to myself the damage I'd done to myself and to the ones I loved. Even now the tears flow as I type.

AA has been my Saviour. The day I came in I was trying to make a choice. Do I end it all or do I try AA. To be honest I hadn't the balls to do myself in and I couldn't do it to the people I loved..... even though we hadn't spoken for a long time. I had been a complete bastard but I couldn't do that one last act...

I am sober today and have been for a while now but it is always one day at a time.

I read many of the posts here with the people who 'binge drink but not an alcoholic' or 'am not an alcoholic but couldn't do without a drink'.... I was that soldier. I could drink loads, never fell over pissed, always looked sober. Could go without a drink for spells at a time. Wake up guys and gals! before you lose everything and everyone that mean anything to you.

Here's an interesting test set by experts in the disease:


Are You An Alcoholic?

Only You Can Decide

To answer this question ask yourself the following questions and answer them as honesty as you can.

Is drinking making your home life unhappy?
Does your drinking make you careless of your family’s welfare?
Do you drink because you are shy with other people?
Is drinking affecting your reputation?
Do you drink to escape from worries or trouble?
Do you drink alone?
Have you lost time from work due to drinking?
Has your ambition decreased since drinking?
Has your efficiency decreased since drinking?
Is drinking jeopardising your job or business?
Have you ever felt remorse after drinking?
Are you in financial difficulties as a result of drinking?
Do you turn to or seek an inferior environment when drinking?
Do you crave a drink at a definite time daily?
Does drinking cause you to have difficulty in sleeping?
Do you want a drink the next morning?
Do you drink to build up your self-confidence?
Have you ever had a complete loss of memory as a result of drinking?
Has your doctor ever treated you for drinking?
Have you ever been in hospital or prison because of drinking?

What’s your score?

If you have answered YES to any one of the questions, there is a definite warning
that you may be alcoholic.
If you have answered YES to any two, the chances are that you are an alcoholic.
If you have answered YES to three or more, you are definitely an alcoholic.
Why do we say this? Only because the experience of hundreds of thousands of
recovering alcoholics has taught us some basic truths about our symptoms – and
about ourselves.


If anyone here (or someone you know) needs help or just to chat PM me. I will try and help.

And, hey, if socialising / meeting people of the opposite sex is the reason you can't stop drinking, believe me there's loads of great and beautiful people of both sexes in AA.... Can be a bit distracting at he meetings sometimes.....;)
S x

Elenxor

Good on you Shayman, thanks for your honesty, stay well. E.

Hank_Jones

Think I answered yes to maybe 5 or 6 of those questions.

I'm more of the binge drinking type really, I went almost a year without a drink so I certainly wouldn't think that it has any sort of hold over me.

I very rarely drink, the whole problem with this country is that our whole culture is based around drink and it's hard to get away from it.
I was just drinking because it was the thing that people seem to do.
Should probably stop drinking altogether as I seem to get blackouts quite often from drinking, more often than not in fact.
Just don't seem to have the self control when it comes to drink, don't know what it is.

Shayman

Hank, The blackouts are what you need to worry about. The next step is convulsions which can kill. I know as I've been there. PLEASE see a Doctor and tell him. They can help. Do it before it's too late. If you need any help let me know.