I'm an Alcoholic

Wattle

flutterflye wrote: »

So can smoking, and that is not a disease.
Yes, it fcuks with your brain, but so do alot of things.
It is an addiction, a dependency, an illness even, but it is not a diease, and I don't care who says it is - it just isn't!!

Ok so maybe the disease thing is debatable. It doesn't really matter because it kills people and destroy's people's lives. I've seen instances of an alcoholism being passed on in families. Classic example being George Best and his mum who both died of alcoholism so maybe there is a genetic predisposition to addiction handed on.

flutterflye

Wattle wrote: »

Ok so maybe the disease thing is debatable. It doesn't really matter because it kills people and destroy's people's lives. I've seen instances of an alcoholism being passed on in families. Classic example being George Best and his mum who both died of alcoholism so maybe there is a genetic predisposition to addiction handed on.

And in my own, like I have already said.
I never once insinuated that it wasn't a horrible, horrible thing - I know all too well exactly what it does to people.
I just do not agree that it is a disease.
My mom died from cancer - that is a disease.

ifeelstupid

Guill wrote: »

Are you?


I DO NOT FEEL ANY SHAME IN THIS.

No one should.
To me it should be no more difficult to say this than to say you are addicted to ciggarettes, coffee, chocolate etc. But for some reason people begin to look at you differently for such an admition.

I am most definitely an alcoholic although I have been alcohol free for over 9 years now:) It's the best thing I ever discovered about myself - booze was slowly killing me and I was the lonliest person in a crowded room always having to "put on a show"
I hated what I was doing to myself and my family and really thought I was a bit crazy (and not in a good way). I was a functioning alcoholic, never missing work, didn't crash cars, lose my house or family or any of the other sensationalist things that "seem" to be associated with addiction.
When I finally accepted the fact that alcohol was controlling my life and decided to get help I was amazed to find out how supportive most people are and also to discover the support network that was made available to me. I can honestly say that it is the best decision I have ever made. I have made the most amazing friends and have had brilliant opportunities open up for me in sobriety. Of course there have been difficult times too but I have never had the need to have a drink to get through them.

Alcoholism is a self-diagnosing disease - noone else can tell you that you have it, today I'm glad I know whats wrong with me.....I hope I will always remember this!!

3ndahalfof6

I have drank 2 bottles of wine give or take 20 days for the last 3 years during the week and 3 at the weekend, I have drank most of my life in some form or other, I could never go out for 1 beer it was all or nothing, I would never eat before drinking and would never eat while drinking, once the drinking was finished I would have food of some sort,

I hold down a job and do well at it, I get on well with other humans and have no problem holding good conversation,

I have read through the whole thread and I would say a lot of the heavier drinkers who dont have to much of a problem with it are probably in their late 20s early 30s (just a guess based on how I thought about drink at that age)

the thing is untill lately I was in full control (in my head), some friends mentioned it to me how do I do it my answer was its not a problem, I then decided not to buy any wine that night, two hours into my not a problem for me I call a taxi and found myself buying 2 bottles of wine getting the taxi to wait for me, my to bottles ended up costing me £42,

things have now changed for me as I now need 2 bottles of wine, for the last 4 weeks I have tried several times telling myself at the start of the day, no matter what I am not drinking tonight, but will always find a reason why it is ok as the evening gets closer,

tonight is the first night I will be wine free, while it is still early I have put a few things in place to help me, the main 1 being some friends calling round who know what I am trying to achieve, some of what I have read in this thread has only strengthened my will to stop,

I dont want to cut down I now want to cut alcohol out completely, the reason I am posting this is, it is not a problem for me and it sure had me fooled, eventually it will take over and there is a very good chance you will know nothing about it,

but to those of you who think it wont happen I just hope to much damage is not done before it taps you on the shoulder to say hi there I win.

gizmo555

3ndahalfof6 wrote: »

but to those of you who think it wont happen I just hope to much damage is not done before it taps you on the shoulder to say hi there I win.

This.

Guill

3ndahalfof6 wrote: »

I have drank 2 bottles of wine give or take 20 days for the last 3 years during the week and 3 at the weekend, I have drank most of my life in some form or other, I could never go out for 1 beer it was all or nothing, I would never eat before drinking and would never eat while drinking, once the drinking was finished I would have food of some sort,

I hold down a job and do well at it, I get on well with other humans and have no problem holding good conversation,

I have read through the whole thread and I would say a lot of the heavier drinkers who dont have to much of a problem with it are probably in their late 20s early 30s (just a guess based on how I thought about drink at that age)

the thing is untill lately I was in full control (in my head), some friends mentioned it to me how do I do it my answer was its not a problem, I then decided not to buy any wine that night, two hours into my not a problem for me I call a taxi and found myself buying 2 bottles of wine getting the taxi to wait for me, my to bottles ended up costing me £42,

things have now changed for me as I now need 2 bottles of wine, for the last 4 weeks I have tried several times telling myself at the start of the day, no matter what I am not drinking tonight, but will always find a reason why it is ok as the evening gets closer,

tonight is the first night I will be wine free, while it is still early I have put a few things in place to help me, the main 1 being some friends calling round who know what I am trying to achieve, some of what I have read in this thread has only strengthened my will to stop,

I dont want to cut down I now want to cut alcohol out completely, the reason I am posting this is, it is not a problem for me and it sure had me fooled, eventually it will take over and there is a very good chance you will know nothing about it,

but to those of you who think it wont happen I just hope to much damage is not done before it taps you on the shoulder to say hi there I win.

Thanks, great post.

After posting the OP last night and reading some of the replies, I kinda got the comments that, I suppose, I had hoped my friends would give me.

What I have noted throughout the thread is that alot of people are in the same boat. Sharing stories like this gives me something to ponder when I leave work tonight and go to the fridge for that beer..

My plan going forward is to keep no beer in the house. Like some people in the thread I cannot leave beer in the house, If it's there I'll drink it.

I am buying a bike to travel in and out to work, this is a ten mile round trip, the incentive is to loose the belly. This may not seem relevant but I need to change my habits like someone else suggested and this will be a large change to me. Something to focus on!

Some people think I was proud of my drinking but as I said, I am not proud, I am unashamed, I grew up in a culture of drinking and never questioned our habits much. I started drinking when I was 14, few stolen cans here and there, for the craic. At 16-17 I was binge drinking when I could afford (which was not too often). In my early 20's I more or less stopped drinking and smoked my way through life for 5 years, then back drinking. What worries me is that when I was 18/19 I was probably drinking more in a session than now, but now I am 30 and I need at least one bottle a day 'to relax'.

I definetly take inspiration from some people here, thanks for sharing, I know it's hard, after I put up the OP I debated asking a mod to take it down and as I said already I hope some people have been inpsired to ask themselves the difficult question that I had to ask me.

Overflow

Madam wrote: »

You could say the same thing about the Scots, English and to a lesser extent the Welsh.

Yeah but we are talking about Ireland.

Ormus

There are some people who don't drink much and have no form of alcohol dependency, but when they do drink, it tends to make them black out or get into fights or get very sick the next day. I would say that those people have an alcohol problem.

Then there are the functioning alcoholics who are able to work hard and even keep fit and are cheerful, controlled drinkers. They have only one problem with alcohol and that is that they depend on it and can never quit it.

It follows that all alcoholics have an alcohol problem but not all people with an alcohol problem are alcoholics, would that be fair?

Also, while alcohol fits the medical definition of a disease, most people consider a disease to be something which you catch, usually (if not always) through no fault of your own, and which you need to be cured of by medicine. I realise this is medically inaccurate, but at the same time, I agree with the poster who said that promoting alcoholism as a disease is dangerous, in that it encourages people to absolve themselves of blame for it and to reduce their sense of responsibility for curing themselves of it.

Of course it is accepted that some people are genetically pre-disposed to becoming alcoholics, but I believe that all alcoholics are at least partly responsible for their condition.

Just my opinion, feel free to shoot me down.

Wattle

Well I can only speak from my own experience but having an alcohol problem meant that any type of control went out the window.

Wompa1

I usually go months without drinking. This time is the only time I've bothered to count the days. I'll be sober 100 days next Tuesday. In the 100 days I moved to a new country, the weather is always nice and I'm living in the biggest party area of the town. I don't miss drinking, in Ireland it was much tougher to not drink because socializing is based around drinking.

Mr Benevolent

ifeelstupid wrote: »

I am most definitely an alcoholic although I have been alcohol free for over 9 years now:) It's the best thing I ever discovered about myself - booze was slowly killing me and I was the lonliest person in a crowded room always having to "put on a show"
I hated what I was doing to myself and my family and really thought I was a bit crazy (and not in a good way). I was a functioning alcoholic, never missing work, didn't crash cars, lose my house or family or any of the other sensationalist things that "seem" to be associated with addiction.
When I finally accepted the fact that alcohol was controlling my life and decided to get help I was amazed to find out how supportive most people are and also to discover the support network that was made available to me. I can honestly say that it is the best decision I have ever made. I have made the most amazing friends and have had brilliant opportunities open up for me in sobriety. Of course there have been difficult times too but I have never had the need to have a drink to get through them.

Alcoholism is a self-diagnosing disease - noone else can tell you that you have it, today I'm glad I know whats wrong with me.....I hope I will always remember this!!

Fair play to you. But you're not an alcoholic any more. It's not grammatical to call yourself an alcoholic if you haven't drank alcohol for 9 years. I haven't hiked in the mountains for 10 years - am I still a hiker? No. It's like calling yourself fat when you lost all the excess weight ten years ago. It's a ridiculous idea designed to shame people into not drinking. Most people become alcoholics because of certain circumstances in their lives. 9 years later, your circumstances have almost certainly moved on from where they were. Start calling yourself something nicer.

x43r0

I was an alchoholic in my younger days but I managed to schnapp out of it and turn my life around

General Relativity

Guill wrote: »

Are you?
One day It just dawned on me that by definition I am an alcoholic. Not completely dependant but an alcoholic all the same.

Please don't self-diagnose and see a healthcare professional ASAP.

Crasp

A fair few pages and so far nobody (that I can see) has mentioned the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual used to diagnose alcohol dependence and alcohol abuse. This is the medically accepted definition of alcohol dependence and alcohol abuse.

There are a lot of myths and misconceptions in this thread...


The diagnoses are pretty black and white...

Alcohol dependence is defined as:

Alcohol Dependence - Diagnostic Code 303.90 A maladaptive pattern of alcohol use, leading to clinically significant impairment or distress, as manifested by three (or more) of the following, occurring at any time in the same 12-month period:
(1) tolerance, as defined by either of the following:
(a) a need for markedly increased amounts of alcohol to achieve Intoxication or desired effect
(b) markedly diminished effect with continued use of the same amount of alcohol
(2) Withdrawal, as manifested by either of the following:
(a) the characteristic withdrawal syndrome for alcohol (refer to Criteria A and B of the criteria sets for Withdrawal from alcohol)
(b) alcohol (or a closely related drug such as valium) is used to relieve or avoid withdrawal symptoms
(3) alcohol is often used in larger amounts or over a longer period than was intended
(4) there is a persistent desire or unsuccessful efforts to cut down or control alcohol use
(5) a great deal of time is spent in activities necessary to obtain alcohol, use alcohol, or recover from its effects
(6) important social, occupational, or recreational activities are given up or reduced because of alcohol use
(7) alcohol use is continued despite knowledge of having a persistent or recurrent physical or psychological problem that is likely to have been caused or exacerbated by alcohol (e.g. continued drinking despite recognition that an ulcer was made worse by alcohol consumption)
Specifiers:

• With Physiological Dependence: evidence of tolerance or withdrawal (i.e., either Item 1 or 2 is present)
• Without Physiological Dependence: no evidence of tolerance or withdrawal (i.e., neither Item 1 nor 2 is present)

Course specifiers

• Early Full Remission
• Early Partial Remission
• Sustained Full Remission
• Sustained Partial Remission
• On Agonist Therapy
• In a Controlled Environment

(Note--a diagnosis of Alcohol Dependence can never be changed to a diagnosis of Alcohol Abuse. A diagnosis of Alcohol Dependence is for life--it can never be removed from your medical chart not matter how much you improve.)
from DSM-IV-TR

---

Alcohol Abuse:


Alcohol Abuse - Diagnostic Code 305.00 A. A maladaptive pattern of alcohol use leading to clinically significant impairment or distress, as manifested by one (or more) of the following, occurring within a 12-month period:
(1) recurrent alcohol use resulting in a failure to fulfill major role obligations at work, school, or home (e.g., repeated absences or poor work performance related to alcohol use; alcohol-related absences, suspensions, or expulsions from school; neglect of children or household)
(2) recurrent alcohol use in situations in which it is physically hazardous (e.g., driving an automobile or operating a machine when impaired by alcohol use)
(3) recurrent alcohol-related legal problems (e.g., arrests for alcohol-related disorderly conduct)
(4) continued alcohol use despite having persistent or recurrent social or interpersonal problems caused or exacerbated by the effects of the alcohol (e.g., arguments with spouse about consequences of Intoxication, physical fights)
B. The symptoms have never met the criteria for Alcohol Dependence.
(Note that there are no course specifiers for Alcohol Abuse. A diagnosis of Alcohol Abuse is for life--it can never be removed from your medical chart no matter how much you improve.)
from DSM-IV-TR

Show Time

If you want to stay off the sauce it is all down to the will power of the individual and for nearly six years now my self control has been stronger than any urge to grab a bottle and glug it down and i hope i will stay as strong for the rest of my life.

No way should drink addiction be classed as a disease in my book..

flutterflye

Crasp wrote: »

DSM-IV Guide

I can say 'yes' to the first 3 from the alcohol dependency one, but I barely drink, and do not, nor have I ever had a problem with alcohol.

I'd say most people could say 'yes' to those 3 too.

Alot of the time those DSM guides are a bit too vague tbh.
They are an effect tool of course, but an experienced and qualified professional really needs to do a full assessment.

mravaya

I have not touched alcohol for 5 years and I still have to progress day by day because I do want a drink but have managed to do without for 1,185 days since my last drink, but I know I am still an alcoholic thats why I must abstain or the demons will come back

Logical Fallacy

BraziliaNZ wrote: »

You've never been around heroin addicts then? Not everyone has a nice life, heroin and alcohol are sometimes the only escape. Have you never heard the phrase, there but for the grace of God go I?

Eeeek, I ****ing hate that saying I have to say.

I know plenty of chaps who had tough lives, saw a lot of bad **** at a young age. Some went down the root of heavy substance abuse, some didn't.

The grace of god has little to do with anyone I reckon.

PK2008

I dont consume alcohol, alcohol consumes me

Opticom

Logical Fallacy wrote: »

Eeeek, I ****ing hate that saying I have to say.

I know plenty of chaps who had tough lives, saw a lot of bad **** at a young age. Some went down the root of heavy substance abuse, some didn't.

The grace of god has little to do with anyone I reckon.

Actually it does, and we have to seek out those graces for ourselves, but that's for another thread.

Deus Ex Machina

I've been an alcoholic for years. I had a bottle of whiskey and 6 cans of Druids over the course of last night. Eventually I was running around screaming and crying. I was starting arguments with people and stealing from them. I eventually woke up in a friend's house. I had stolen whiskey from their cabinet and had pissed all over the bathroom, as well as throwing up all over their couch. I have lost so many friendships this way.

I felt awful all day, throwing up blood and bile and dying with a headache. As always, I had decided that I am going to stop drinking, but now having had some food and a lot of water I am feeling better, and my decision to stop drinking is gone. I will go out tonight and probably cause more damage to myself and others, as well as their property.

Mr Benevolent

Deus Ex Machina wrote: »

I've been an alcoholic for years. I had a bottle of whiskey and 6 cans of Druids over the course of last night. Eventually I was running around screaming and crying. I was starting arguments with people and stealing from them. I eventually woke up in a friend's house. I had stolen whiskey from their cabinet and had pissed all over the bathroom, as well as throwing up all over their couch. I have lost so many friendships this way.

I felt awful all day, throwing up blood and bile and dying with a headache. As always, I had decided that I am going to stop drinking, but now having had some food and a lot of water I am feeling better, and my decision to stop drinking is gone. I will go out tonight and probably cause more damage to myself and others, as well as their property.

You're either joking or in serious need of support.

Deus Ex Machina

Confab wrote: »

You're either joking or in serious need of support.

It's no joke. Alcoholism is a terrible disease, ask anybody who knows somebody who has been afflicted with it.

grindle

Opticom wrote: »

Actually it does, and we have to seek out those graces for ourselves, but that's for another thread.

Actually, no, it doesn't, and insisting it does, does a great disservice to all those who beat the addiction themselves, or the friends, family and professionals who help them through it.
Terrible idea for another thread.

Mr Benevolent

Deus Ex Machina wrote: »

It's no joke. Alcoholism is a terrible disease, ask anybody who knows somebody who has been afflicted with it.

I understand that, and I suggest you get some support. Good luck in your endeavours.

Azure_sky

Eh? What seems to be the officer, problem?

djPSB

Drinking on my own never interests me.

It's all about the craic you have with the people your with!

Opticom

grindle wrote: »

Actually, no, it doesn't, and insisting it does, does a great disservice to all those who beat the addiction themselves, or the friends, family and professionals who help them through it.

I fear you've missed the point or perhaps are making a strawman argument as no one is taking anything away from the effort put in by the addicted, or those who support them, I was referring to the poster who misunderstood the meaning of the phrase "by the grace of God", other than that I've no interest in one belief over another here.

Deus Ex Machina

Ended up going out drinking like I predicted. Woke up with two broken fingers and blood all over my shirt. No memory of what happened and I am uninjured apart from my hands. I have been under a cloud of anxiety (bordering on terror) ever since, and deeper depression. I haven't left my bed since and I feel like there's a conspiracy of some sort against me.

grindle

Deus Ex Machina wrote: »

I haven't left my bed since and I feel like there's a conspiracy of some sort against me.

Do you really, though?
If you do, you should seek help...
Even if it hurts, your friends care.

Drinking to the point of destruction brings no joy.
Every drink, no matter how tasty, is a danger.
Ulcers, heart-disease, kidney and liver problems...
Start a new life for yourself.

Drink less.
Inebriation needn't be your only outlet.
Enlighten yourself, choose sobriety!