Worried about becoming an alcoholic.

kano476

Hey, been thinking about this a bit lately - just like to see what people think.

I turned 18 over christmas and ive been going to the pub almost every weekend since - mainly because of other 18th birthday do's. nothing too strange bout that really. I started drinking when I was 16 but over the last year I have done so alot more. a good few times I got completely wrecked to the point where I had no control of what I was doing and have racked up a good few hours that are missing from my memory!

I have now become known around my friends as being an alco whcih seemed funny at first but now the rep is a bit insulting. Even my family are worried that I may be ruining my health and because there is a history of alcoholism in my family that I too will become one. My mother has even gone to the doctor to discuss this behind my back.

Its true to say that I can't go out on the weekend without having a drink, and almost every time getting at least a bit drunk and on one occasion nearly ending up in hospital with alcohol poisoning. But I never drink alone and only on one occasion to forget about problems.

I know I seem stupid as in the end i'm the only one who can control this, and I hope that i can prevent myself from becoming an alcoholic. maybe im being paranoid but this has been playing on my mind recently.

Seed

Hmm..possible reasons could be that you're lacking something in your life that makes you feel good about yourself. All I can really say to *help* is; only bring €20 with you when you're going out. That way you'll know you wont end up face first on the street =P
Keep doing this or try other methods while you look for something/someone in your life that makes you feel better.

Davey Devil

Sounds to me like your a binge drinker, not an alcoholic. At least you're aware that you probably drink too much when you go out. Once you recognise that all you have to do is manage your drinking better. I wouldn't say it's anything to worry about, you're just taking advantage of the fact that you're old enough to do it legally now.

vibe666

i wouldn't call it a problem just yet, as long as you don't do it all week, and aren't drinking at home with no intentions of going out (thinking about people waking up with a bottle 'o somethin next to them as a pick me up/hair of the dog thing here).

as has been said, try and limit your drinking by only bringing X amount out with you, and get a bus ticket so you can't spend your going home readies.

also, try and make a point of pacing yourself, and awitching to water when you start to feel like you've had enough. it's all about self control, and its something we all have to learn as we enter these circles. some people are just better at it than others.

newgrange

Being an alcoholic is not about how much you drink, it's about your attitude to drink.

Its true to say that I can't go out on the weekend without having a drink

Yes you CAN go out without having a drink, try it.

Are you able to just have a couple of drinks, or do you find yourself wanting to carry on into oblivion?

The 'not drinking alone' thing does not apply to all alcoholics - if for some reason, you could not get to a pub for the next month, would you buy drink to drink at home?

ApeXaviour

Welcome to being young and Irish. When I was 18/19 I was drinking at least as much if not more than you. Then I went to college, where I've been a complete and utter drunkard for two and a half great years. I also have a history of alcoholism in my family. When people would call me an alco (my mother included) I'd scoff at them cos I'm completely of the opinion that I just like booze. Then came last december when I spent a whole of 2 days sober (count them.. 1, 2) and that was only because I was horribly ill for those 2 days (didn't stop me havin hot whiskeys tho). I figured I had some demons to "show who was boss" at. Since I have given up the booze for lent and it's been a piece of piss. Given me more time and money to start getting into home brewing. Now everybody sees me more as a hobbyist booze-lover rather than an alcoholic.

Newgrange put it best imo.. your attitude is what's important. The whole "I can't go the weekend without booze" malarky is just silly, just cos you don't want to doesn't mean you can't. Get some resolve will ya!

My advice? If you have your leaving cert or college exams or anything coming up, give up the booze for a short while and tell everybody it's because of this thing. When really it's just to prove them wrong (great motivation I've found). Be steadfast in your resolve and don't give it up until you are absolutely sure you won't take a dive off the wagon. That will just kill your confidence, there's very little worse than being a failure in your own eyes. Your friends who you go out at the weekends with you won't mind. If it's one thing we Irish understand it's abstinance

kano476

cheers for the advice everyone. Only going out saturday night this weekend and as seed said im only bringing 20quid with me so I can't drink more than 4pints!

I've realised as well that there doesen't seem to be anything else to do at the weekends in the area I live other than drink or gamble money the latter of which I'm not really in to. Nearest snooker hall or cinema are 10 miles away. must get meself a hobby.

stoopidkid

stop drinkin, use the money to buy a car/bike.. start playin snooker/pool, start going to the gym etc.. if you have a) drank soo much that you can't remember the previous night on more than one occasion and b) nearly being hospitialized with 'alco' poisoning then there is a problem, especially @ 18yrs old.. you don't need to drink, you don't need to go to the pub every week.. try and do somethin else with your life

i think it's completely pathetic that the only thing people can do on a weekend is to go drinking

Tar.Aldarion

drink vodka and orange but put like 2pints of orange in.this way youll be pissing too much to get pissed or just wont be able to drink enough to get drunk

Gone West

hey all my friends are like that and are 18/17 too. Dont worry about it, just cut back and start studying for the leaving!

neuro-praxis

If you "can't" go out without getting hammered, in my opinion that is a problem. If you aren't alcohol dependant you should be able to choose whether you drink or not.

Try the limited money thing if you like, but let's face it, you can always go to the banklink or get a friend to sub you.

Maybe have one soft, one alcoholic, one soft, one alcoholic as you go through the night. That's what I do if it's going to be a long session. Alternatively, limit how many nights you will spend in the pub. Decide that you will only go drinking one night a week or one night a fortnight. Then start doing other things - going out for meals, going to the cinema, having movie/junk food nights with your friends. The pub should be *part* of your social life - *not* your entire social life.

jezza

kano476 wrote:

I started drinking when I was 16. a good few times I got completely wrecked to the point where I had no control of what I was doing and have racked up a good few hours that are missing from my memory!

I have now become known around my friends as being an alco whcih seemed funny at first but now the rep is a bit insulting. Even my family are worried that I may be ruining my health
But I never drink alone and only on one occasion to forget about problems.

This sounds so familiar. I started drinking when i was nearly 14... ive passed out from my drinking a lot in that 2.5 years....once on a school trip to france. However, i started drinking on my own and getting plastered on school nights to forget about sh!t that was happening.
My friends started calling me an alcho, as did my mum on a few occasions.
If you arent drinking on your own and you say that you've only been heavly drinking since your 18, maybe its because its cos you can, cos your parents cant do anything about it or because your relying on it to have a good night out.

Victor

Try alternatives to drinking only sessions, share a bottle of wine over dinner, water every second drink etc.

Neuro

Maybe you should take this Alchoholism Health Risk Assessment:

http://www.drugdigest.org/DD/HRA/AlcoholismHRA/1,21882,,00.html

If the results indicate that you are at risk of alchoholism you should consider seeing your doctor for further advice.

ApeXaviour

kano476 wrote:

must get meself a hobby.

Home brewing!

I'm deadly serious

memphis

Have been called an alco by family and friends loads of time. I pay no attention to it. I know I tend to drink too much when I'm out, yes, to the extent that I have lack of memory, get into fights, pass out, whatever, but I'm not an alcoholic. I enjoy my drink.

And to be honest I don't think you are an alcoholic either, your a young irish male enjoying your youth. If you feel its a problem try cut down on your drinking, bring less cash out (works for me... I've been known to spend in excess of €120 in a night), take up a sport, give up the drink at lent... if i can do it so can you.... drink water when you feel your getting drunk/tipsy.

memphis

Tar.Aldarion

Neuro wrote:

Maybe you should take this Alchoholism Health Risk Assessment:

http://www.drugdigest.org/DD/HRA/AlcoholismHRA/1,21882,,00.html

If the results indicate that you are at risk of alchoholism you should consider seeing your doctor for further advice.

if i answer yes to any of those questions i may have a problem er ohoh:)
it only goes up to '5 or more' drinks a week which is really low....

Ham Slicer

All this stuff about being Irish and young is bull.

If you think you might be on the slippery slope and you seriously want to do something about it you should contact AA.

Whether you believe it or not the fact that alcoholism is in your family puts you more at risk of going down that road.

As I said contact AA and try go to one of there open meetings.

Best of luck

BuffyBot

your a young irish male enjoying your youth

I'd really be careful with making that assumption. There is no fixed cut-off point between drinking heavily and alcholism. It's an situation where each case is different.

tinkerbell

If you feel yourself that you are developing a problem, why not organise some different sort of activity that does not revolve around the pub. Get your mates around and think up of something non drink-related to do.

And alternate every drink or every two drinks with a soft drink if you do go out. Or, as someone suggested, join a gym or save up for something. If you're trying to keep fit, you won't want to get hammered, and if you're saving for something, you won't want to waste it on the waste of money that is alcohol.

Best of luck!

memphis

BuffyBot wrote:

I'd really be careful with making that assumption. There is no fixed cut-off point between drinking heavily and alcholism. It's an situation where each case is different.

I accept that. i was just stating that the guy is young, and like most people his age may drink too much, because, unfortunately thats what teenage blokes his age do. As he gets older he will not drink as much, he will find a girl, be involved in sport, be working, etc.

Besides, as I already said, if he feels its a problem (which I don't think it is... solely my own opinion) he ought to take up some form of sport, join a gym and work out, stay in and watch tv/a dvd at the weekend, bring out less cash to spend on a session, and so on.

Memphis

Neuro

memphis wrote:

I accept that. i was just stating that the guy is young, and like most people his age may drink too much, because, unfortunately thats what teenage blokes his age do. As he gets older he will not drink as much, he will find a girl, be involved in sport, be working, etc.

I think there is a serious flaw in your reasoning here. Just because most young men drink to excess and most will eventually grow out of it does NOT mean that this individual will grow out of it; you're effectively applying a characteristic about a group of people to all of the individuals within that group.

It's equivalent to a woman arriving into a doctor's surgery with a cancerous growth in her breast and the doctor concluding that she doesn't have breast cancer because most women don't get breast cancer.

The original poster:
- is concerned about his drinking habits,
- has drunk to a degree that has rendered him incapable/lead to memory loss,
- is considered a heavy drinker by his peers,
- has a history of alcoholism in his family,
- drinks to the degree that family members are concerned,
- admits that he must drink while socialising,
- has almost been admitted to hospital as a result of his drinking.

This individual displays enough positive indicators to conclude that there is, at least, a moderate risk of him developing alcoholism.

As a precaution I think the poster should consult a doctor or other professional about his concerns regarding his drinking.