This is my first post - and first off i just want to say if this is the right place to be posting or not but . . . well .. . . feel like I need to post somewhere as I can't talk to anyone about it.
Ok - I guess i have a question - Is it possible to be an alcoholic if you don't drink everyday? I don't drink everyday but when I go out & alcohol is involved I have no will power over what I drink (don't know when to stop) so i'm getting off my face whenever i go out. This is affecting my life- I drink alot to make up for the fact that i'm shy, quiet and pretty boring to be honest - so i'm drinking heavily, I always seem to have blackouts about a night out, hangovers that last a whole day, always seem to get U.D.Is (Un-identifiable drinking injuries) that I have no idea how it happened . . . it's causing problems with my friends . . . Sorry for rambling (as I sit here and Type I'm really hungover from Sunday night still so my head's abit muddled). So basically is it just a case of me having no will power and needing to learn when to stop OR could it be something more serious?
If it's causing that much trouble, stop or moderate. 2 drinks. If it doesn't work out, be honest and humble enough to face the facts. You listed some pretty good reasons an average person would probably wanna cut it out. I wouldn't call a blackout normal drinking, or trouble with friends due to a drunk.
Welcome LucyLu! Don't be concerned about the rambling, that's what we're all here for; to talk it out and get some responses. If YOU think you have a problem, chances are good that you do. You're the only one who can make that decision for yourself though. Go0 back any number of pages and check for others who have posted with the same query. I can tell you that there are "weekend" alcoholics who are sober all week and then do their drinking on Sat. and Sun. There are those who won't drink during the day, say...only after 7:pm or such. But they're still alcoholic. I think what affected a lot of us sooner ar later, if it wasn't legal or health problems, is that we just have gotten tired of the people we are/become when we drink. It's not really us. And we find that after a good bit of sobriety...it really is a much better life. So please pardon MY rambling and welcome again to this site. Stay in touch and good fortune with your decision...Tim, alcoholic.
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"We posess the eyes through which the universe gazes with wonder upon its own majesty."
Only you can honestly decide if you have a problem with alcohol or not. I knew for a while that I did, so I would go for a while without drinking. But, I was always planning my next drinking session. At the end of my drinking I was drinking every day. But, for me, it wasn't always about how much I drank. It was about how I felt afterwards and how I had behaved when I was drinking. Different people drink in different ways and we all had our own, personal journey to AA.
Please stay for a little while and read and post as much as you want/need. There is always somebody who will try to offer advice and support.
Take care,
Carol
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Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind. ~Dr. Seuss
I don't drink everyday but when I go out & alcohol is involved I have no will power over what I drink (don't know when to stop) so i'm getting off my face whenever i go out. This is affecting my life- I drink alot to make up for the fact that i'm shy, quiet and pretty boring to be honest - so i'm drinking heavily, I always seem to have blackouts about a night out, hangovers that last a whole day, always seem to get U.D.Is (Un-identifiable drinking injuries) that I have no idea how it happened . . . it's causing problems with my friends . . . Sorry for rambling (as I sit here and Type I'm really hungover from Sunday night still so my head's abit muddled). So basically is it just a case of me having no will power and needing to learn when to stop OR could it be something more serious?
Thanks
LX
I don't know about you, but I have a lot of those things you wrote about. Well- I mean I would if I were drinking. I went to a therapist once and she gave me a test (pretty much this one: http://www.aa-uk.org.uk/publications/areyou.htm) and I passed with flying colors. Well... maybe not so much. I did have a LOT of the questions where I wanted to clarify some stuff but for the most part I got about 3/4 of them as saying yeah- I have an alcohol issue at the very least.
Pretty much, I think haveing several blackouts is kind of a red flag. Missing whole days of work- probably a red flag. Not stopping when I had enough? Yeah... So anyhow- I went and saw a couple people that dealt with this sort of stuff and they kind of hung around and talked with me for eons and eventually we came to the conclusion that maybe it wasn't such a good idea for me to drink. DOH!! Steep learning curve here.
Anyhow- I'd go ask a professional for their opinion. That's what I did and I'm better for it. Now I go to AA. It's only a couple bucks a visit, there's total comedy sometimes and coffee and tea. :)
and want to say your not alone, just wanted to let you know we're for you and noticed that Phil had put a pos t up in regards to AA 20 questions. My suggestion would be to take the questionnaire and that might help.
Please keep postin and let us know how your doing, we do care
Hi LucyLu, welcome to MIP, its only you who can tell if you belong here. I know myself i didnt drink every day and i didnt drink that much, but it effected me, it effected the way i was and the way i treated others especially my family. I tried the rooms a few times but felt it wasn't for me, i thought i didnt have a problem, i was in denial, i got worse and out of control. Ive now been in the rooms and sober for 8 months and ive never felt better. I hope you will stay with us for a bit, its only you that can decide if you do belong within this programme. I will be thinking of you and will say a prayer for you. All the best.
Welcome Lucilu. I think everyone has reiterated that you are the only person that can make that determination. What I can tell you is that in the beginning, I only drank on the nights I went out dancing. Didn't even have any in my home, because I didn't think about it. Not even beer. Then I noticed that I added "Tuesday night out with the girls", so that added another night of justifiable drinking. I tried limiting myself to two drinks over a two hour period (back when harveywallbangers were so popular). Somehow, I ended up making this deal with myself that if I didn't throw up, then I didnt have a problem. No idea how I came up with that one. But, this disease being progressive, there was a turning point that went from controlled or situational drinking to drink, passout, wakeup and drink, pass out, etc. in the course of just a few years. Boom. I hope you keep coming back here and sharing how things are going, and that whatever your decision is, you will be at peace with it. Chris
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"Never argue with an idiot... They'll drag you down to their level and beat you with experience..."
HI I'm a newbie too. I still ask myself if I'm an alcoholic? Or if I'm here because I like tihe structure of the group, being given the rules on how to live, you know? I've failed the screening test given by prof and myself. Even then, what does that test know? It doesn't know me. I'm not everyone else. I'm different. Well I like what others have to say here. Like if you think there is a problem, then there probably is. And how most people started to seriously dislike themselves when drinking and decided to stop. That's me I think. I use to love to get buzzed, I was funny and sociable (or so I thought). I had great control. Someone once said to me How many beers did you drink last noc? I proudly stated at least 8 to 9 (mind you at 106 lbs). He said wow I would never have guessed, you seemed so straight. I was so proud of that comment, you have no idea. I laugh in embarrasment now. My point is I'm no longer funny, I get waaaaaaaaaaay drunk slur, forget what I was talking about, fight with others for no reason, stumble. In essence make a regrettable ass out of myself. Waking up the next day thinking why did I say that? What do they think of me now? Thats a start for me to stop. To hear others say the same thing validates my decision for me.