Are You Convinced That You Can Never Drink Again Normally? - SoberRecovery : Alcoholism Drug Addiction Help and Information

aasharon90 · 08-14-2006, 03:57 PM

Hi Im Sharon and Im An Alcoholic.

"None of us like to think we are bodily and mentally different from others.
Our drinking carrers have been characterized by countless vain attempts to prove that we could drink like other people. This delusion that we are like other people has to be smashed. It has been definitely proved that no real alcoholic has ever recovered control. Over any considerable period we get worse, never better. There is no such thing as making a normal drinker out of an alcoholic."

Once I admitted i was an alcoholic 16 yrs ago the desire to drink was lifted from me. I heard countless times in meetings where once you get sober, recovery screws up your drinking career. I listened to others who went out to test the waters and see if they could do some control drinking.I would hear my "elders" say, give AA a try and if you dont find what u need here then we will gladly refund ur misery to go back out and drink. After returning back in a few days, months, yrs....they reported that nothing had changed. If anything it got worse.

For me, seeing these people do that was enought to say, "BUT FOR THE GRACE OF GOD THERE GOES I" They went out there for me. So i am greateful today I still have that willingness to stay sober one more day.

Thanks for letting me share.

paulmh · 08-14-2006, 05:11 PM

I can never drink normally again. I don't care to find out. I never felt as good as this when I was drinking.

Islandchild · 08-14-2006, 05:48 PM

I know that I can't drink normally again, and today I don't have the desire to test those waters. My drinking drove me to the hell of insanity. Since I have had a taste of being somewhat sane - I sure don't want to go back there!
Thank God!

daveagle · 08-14-2006, 08:21 PM

no i am fully convinced that i can never drink normally again

as i have children, i will quite happily take them out in my car for something to eat and i will never drink a drop whilst driving and i still have enough control to do that

if a friend calls me and says do i fancy a drink, i will normally say no and make excuses, however recently i said yes and went out at 4.00pm and went to bed 12 hours later-i cannot just go for a couple of drinks and call it a night-this has not been an option for over 20 years now

i have 2 options to take on board:

no alcohol

or

oblivion

great choice!

Sobriety1st · 08-14-2006, 09:06 PM

I use to never say never when i first started my recovery in March, since then i have slipped twice, my last time, something happened, call it what you will, but even though i know i have only to get through the next 24 hours, i know that i can never drink alcohol again, never take that first drink..the last couple of weeks i have felt like never before in my recovery..i have never said that i will never drink again, i was afraid if i did, i would drink..but today i can say it..i never want to go back to the insanity of what drinking caused me, mentally and physically...

hector · 08-14-2006, 09:43 PM

Looking back, I think I never could drink normally, never wanted to. My objective was to get drunk. I'm not sure what "normally" means, I guess. Most people my age will only have one or two drinks, and only if they feel like it. I always felt like it. I rarely stopped at two.

I still need this program, I think. It's still saving my life.

**CarolD** · 08-14-2006, 10:26 PM

I keep connected to God and AA daily.

I never consider drinking again.

My sobriety is too precious to risk.

Don S · 08-14-2006, 10:51 PM

My answer to your question is that I will never again choose to drink, since I rarely drank moderately, and that when I made that decision it gave me an enormous sense of relief.

jimhere · 08-14-2006, 11:10 PM

For those who aren't convinced, there is a powerful "convincer." They don't call alcohol the great persuader for nothing.

REZ · 08-15-2006, 10:50 AM

I'd rather keep it in today. Never is a long time. Today, I know that if I drink again, I will not be able to control it and my life will become unmanageable. I choose to not drink today. Tomorrow is another day. If they told me that I can never drink again when I came to AA I would have left immeadiately. But they said just don't drink today.

Shakur · 08-15-2006, 12:23 PM

Hi All,
I, too, try to keep it in the day, in the moment, even. I do not want to drink again, as I was never happy when I was drinking, save at the very early stages, but I do not like to speak in "always" and "forevers". I avoid all extremes, specifically the words: never, always, everybody, forever and nobody.. For today, I do not want to drink, at all. When tomorrow comes, I may want to, but even then, I will do everything in my power not to, as drinking makes me insane and miserable. There are times when I have wanted to drink in sobriety, but they get fewer and fewer as time rolls on, and as long as I work my First Step to the best of my abilities, I have a very good chance at a long, sober life.

Be Well,
Joe

fraankie · 08-15-2006, 12:33 PM

"Are You Convinced That You Can Never Drink Again Normally?"
yes

am i convinced that i will never drink normally again?
no
that's why i keep going to AA

best
fraankie

Music · 08-15-2006, 12:44 PM

Will someone define "drinking normally?"

fraankie · 08-15-2006, 03:25 PM

well, i'm sure there is some sort of clinical definition
something like
1 beer or 2 shots or 6 ounces of wine a day
or 2 beers or 3 shots or 9 ounces of wine an hour
or 17 beers, 1 shot and 3 bottles of gypsy rose
is ok as long as you don't get caught

it's sort of absurd

.08 alcohol in your blood will get you a dwi
so that is not drinking normally
then, again
if you have a beer
and
beat up your wife
that's not normal drinking
lots of definitions
probably as many as the amount of people you ask
so
the question is
do you feel you drink normally?
if not do you have a problem?
if you have a problem
go to AA

best
fraankie

aasharon90 · 08-15-2006, 04:16 PM

I thought I drank normally. Just like my grandfather who owned a bar and pool hall when i was young. Now that im thinking of this.....i don't ever recall ever having a "drink" there other than soda pop and chips. As much as i flew thru there as a child the thought of alcohol and drinking was a no no. Hmmmm go figure....and here i ended up as an alcoholic.

My drinking on an empty stomach allowed me to get the full affect of the alcohol in my system quickly. An emmediate feeling of warmth and satisfaction in my tummy.

A few drinks of bourbon and coke while joy riding didnt sit well with me. The driver had to pull off the side of the road to allow me to throw up. My head was spinning round and round. WEEEEEE......Then i looked up as i was sprawled out on the ground and saw a ring of people looking down on me.

Yeah right..! Ok, where do u live they would ask? I hadnt a clue....lol

I laugh now but at the time when i was about 19 yrs old....now 40ish.....it wasnt....lol.

I looked around thru my distorted vison and pointed to some apts. Yep that was me.....I was led to my apt by who....whom??? and then they wouldnt leave until i put my gown on......Oh NOOOOOO...... Im soooo ashamed. lol

At the time I wasnt. : ) I was soooo out of it.

Is that normal behavior after a few drinks? Pretty much for me.

After many more yrs of unsucessfully trying to drink NORMAL. Today I DEFINITELY DON'T MISS IT. : )

AND THAT'S HOW IT WORKS FOR ME.

scootinbabe · 08-15-2006, 04:26 PM

I can never drink without wanting more. I can not control what happens after I pick up the first. I never ever ever ever want to go there again. A drink isn't worth my life--or those of my family.

with God's grace, I can do it!

jlo34 · 08-15-2006, 11:54 PM

I never have drank normally. When I was trying to figure out whether I was an alcoholic or not, the old-timers suggested that I go out and try some controlled drinking. Did it work - well, I found out I couldn't control my drinking. I already knew that I drank to get drunk, to pass out. I didn't want to feel...ANYTHING. I always wanted to be numb. I was consumed with planning how to get the booze, when to drink the booze, how I wouldn't get caught, excuses I'd make up, lies to cover everything up, etc.

Even sober...I don't "drink" normal. I slam coffee and pop...I just don't drink it a fifth at a time!!!!

Great topic, great reflections.
Jen

felicity · 08-16-2006, 12:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fraankie

well, i'm sure there is some sort of clinical definition
something like
1 beer or 2 shots or 6 ounces of wine a day
or 2 beers or 3 shots or 9 ounces of wine an hour
or 17 beers, 1 shot and 3 bottles of gypsy rose
is ok as long as you don't get caught

it's sort of absurd

.08 alcohol in your blood will get you a dwi
so that is not drinking normally
then, again
if you have a beer
and
beat up your wife
that's not normal drinking
lots of definitions
probably as many as the amount of people you ask
so
the question is
do you feel you drink normally?
if not do you have a problem?
if you have a problem
go to AA

best
fraankie

More than 6 drinks in one sitting is considered "abnormal."

For women, more than 12 drinks a week is considered abnormal. For men, I think it's fifteen, but I could be wrong. I just looked at the woman part, because that pertains to me .....

The source was the medical dictionary, I believe, under "alcohol dependence."

jlo34 · 08-16-2006, 12:17 AM

More than 6 drinks in one sitting is considered "abnormal." Felicity

So, does that mean if I get up and then sit back down after every 4 or 5 drinks I'd still be normal?!?!?! HA HA HA

Jen

collinsmi · 08-16-2006, 02:49 AM

I did not want to drink normally. I wanted to drink, and keep drinking once I started. I wanted it to go on, and on, and on, etc....... It's not that I WANTED to get falling down, commode hugging drunk, it's just hard to avoid when you drink like I did. So many times it was just so inconvenient to get like that, so I tried to manage, any way I could (a coke every other drink, big dinner before hand, getting up for a long walk during the party, ad infinitum) anything so I could keep on drinking! I was not interested in a glass of wine at Thanksgiving, or a beer and some conviviality with the boys after a hard day's work. I was after something COMPLETELY different.

I used to think I drank like that cause the brewers were putting salt in the beer to make people (me) thirstier!

aasharon90 · 08-17-2006, 07:20 PM

Hi Im Sharon and Im an alcoholic.

Thanks guys for posting your thoughts
on this topic.

They are much appreciated. : )

After that first drink, we had a single track
mind. It was like a railroad train. The first
drink started it off and it kept going on the
single track until it got to the end of the
line, drunkeness. We alcoholics knew this
was the inevitable result when we took the
first drink, but still we couldn't keep away
from liquor. Our willpower was gone. We
had become helpless and hopeless before
the power of alcohol. It's not the second
drink or the tenth drink that does the
damage. It's the first.

Will you ever take that first drink again?

Chy · 08-17-2006, 08:38 PM

So cliche I know, but for me to drink is to die... I'm kinda liking life now.

08-14-2006, 03:57 PM	#1 (permalink)
aasharon90 Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Baton Rouge, La. Posts: 2,749	Are You Convinced That You Can Never Drink Again Normally? Hi Im Sharon and Im An Alcoholic. "None of us like to think we are bodily and mentally different from others. Our drinking carrers have been characterized by countless vain attempts to prove that we could drink like other people. This delusion that we are like other people has to be smashed. It has been definitely proved that no real alcoholic has ever recovered control. Over any considerable period we get worse, never better. There is no such thing as making a normal drinker out of an alcoholic." Once I admitted i was an alcoholic 16 yrs ago the desire to drink was lifted from me. I heard countless times in meetings where once you get sober, recovery screws up your drinking career. I listened to others who went out to test the waters and see if they could do some control drinking.I would hear my "elders" say, give AA a try and if you dont find what u need here then we will gladly refund ur misery to go back out and drink. After returning back in a few days, months, yrs....they reported that nothing had changed. If anything it got worse. For me, seeing these people do that was enought to say, "BUT FOR THE GRACE OF GOD THERE GOES I" They went out there for me. So i am greateful today I still have that willingness to stay sober one more day. Thanks for letting me share. __________________ "A FRIEND IN NEED IS A FRIEND INDEED" SHARON M. Baton Rouge, La. 8-11-90 "Made A Decision To Turn My Will And Life Over To The Care Of God As I Understand Him."

08-14-2006, 05:11 PM	#2 (permalink)
paulmh Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: UK Posts: 1,077	I can never drink normally again. I don't care to find out. I never felt as good as this when I was drinking. __________________ It all works. It IS simple Miss C

08-14-2006, 05:48 PM	#3 (permalink)
Islandchild Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Hilton Head Island, SC Posts: 51	I know that I can't drink normally again, and today I don't have the desire to test those waters. My drinking drove me to the hell of insanity. Since I have had a taste of being somewhat sane - I sure don't want to go back there! Thank God! __________________ One day at a time....

08-14-2006, 08:21 PM	#4 (permalink)
daveagle Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: bristol Posts: 15	no i am fully convinced that i can never drink normally again as i have children, i will quite happily take them out in my car for something to eat and i will never drink a drop whilst driving and i still have enough control to do that if a friend calls me and says do i fancy a drink, i will normally say no and make excuses, however recently i said yes and went out at 4.00pm and went to bed 12 hours later-i cannot just go for a couple of drinks and call it a night-this has not been an option for over 20 years now i have 2 options to take on board: no alcohol or oblivion great choice! __________________ my precious, precious child, i love you and i would never leave you. During your time of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that i carried you.

08-14-2006, 09:06 PM	#5 (permalink)
Sobriety1st Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Arkansas Posts: 225	I use to never say never when i first started my recovery in March, since then i have slipped twice, my last time, something happened, call it what you will, but even though i know i have only to get through the next 24 hours, i know that i can never drink alcohol again, never take that first drink..the last couple of weeks i have felt like never before in my recovery..i have never said that i will never drink again, i was afraid if i did, i would drink..but today i can say it..i never want to go back to the insanity of what drinking caused me, mentally and physically... __________________ This Too Shall Pass and Easy Does It!! Have a Blessed Day, Tonya

08-14-2006, 09:43 PM	#6 (permalink)
hector My Boss is a Jewish Carpenter Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Western Canada Posts: 246	Looking back, I think I never could drink normally, never wanted to. My objective was to get drunk. I'm not sure what "normally" means, I guess. Most people my age will only have one or two drinks, and only if they feel like it. I always felt like it. I rarely stopped at two. I still need this program, I think. It's still saving my life. __________________ How do you eat an elephant? .......... One bite at a time. :

08-14-2006, 10:26 PM	#7 (permalink)
CarolD Forum Leader Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Dallas, Ga. USA Posts: 16,037	I keep connected to God and AA daily. I never consider drinking again. My sobriety is too precious to risk. __________________ Each Day Sober Is A Victory!! Joy In AA Recovery!

08-14-2006, 10:51 PM	#8 (permalink)
Don S Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Northern CA Posts: 1,577	My answer to your question is that I will never again choose to drink, since I rarely drank moderately, and that when I made that decision it gave me an enormous sense of relief.

08-14-2006, 11:10 PM	#9 (permalink)
jimhere Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Everett, WA Posts: 1,314	For those who aren't convinced, there is a powerful "convincer." They don't call alcohol the great persuader for nothing.

08-15-2006, 10:50 AM	#10 (permalink)
REZ Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Chapel Hill, NC Posts: 1,056	I'd rather keep it in today. Never is a long time. Today, I know that if I drink again, I will not be able to control it and my life will become unmanageable. I choose to not drink today. Tomorrow is another day. If they told me that I can never drink again when I came to AA I would have left immeadiately. But they said just don't drink today.

08-15-2006, 12:23 PM	#11 (permalink)
Shakur Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Northern New Jersey Posts: 36	Hi All, I, too, try to keep it in the day, in the moment, even. I do not want to drink again, as I was never happy when I was drinking, save at the very early stages, but I do not like to speak in "always" and "forevers". I avoid all extremes, specifically the words: never, always, everybody, forever and nobody.. For today, I do not want to drink, at all. When tomorrow comes, I may want to, but even then, I will do everything in my power not to, as drinking makes me insane and miserable. There are times when I have wanted to drink in sobriety, but they get fewer and fewer as time rolls on, and as long as I work my First Step to the best of my abilities, I have a very good chance at a long, sober life. Be Well, Joe __________________ There is no fire like greed, No crime like hatred, No sorrow like separation, No sickness like hunger of heart, And no joy like the joy of freedom. -Dhammapada

08-15-2006, 12:33 PM	#12 (permalink)
fraankie Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: brooklyn, new york Posts: 1,402	"Are You Convinced That You Can Never Drink Again Normally?" yes am i convinced that i will never drink normally again? no that's why i keep going to AA best fraankie

08-15-2006, 12:44 PM	#13 (permalink)
Music Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Zion, Illinois Posts: 1,586	Will someone define "drinking normally?" __________________

08-15-2006, 03:25 PM	#14 (permalink)
fraankie Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: brooklyn, new york Posts: 1,402	well, i'm sure there is some sort of clinical definition something like 1 beer or 2 shots or 6 ounces of wine a day or 2 beers or 3 shots or 9 ounces of wine an hour or 17 beers, 1 shot and 3 bottles of gypsy rose is ok as long as you don't get caught it's sort of absurd .08 alcohol in your blood will get you a dwi so that is not drinking normally then, again if you have a beer and beat up your wife that's not normal drinking lots of definitions probably as many as the amount of people you ask so the question is do you feel you drink normally? if not do you have a problem? if you have a problem go to AA best fraankie

08-15-2006, 04:16 PM	#15 (permalink)
aasharon90 Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Baton Rouge, La. Posts: 2,749	I thought I drank normally. Just like my grandfather who owned a bar and pool hall when i was young. Now that im thinking of this.....i don't ever recall ever having a "drink" there other than soda pop and chips. As much as i flew thru there as a child the thought of alcohol and drinking was a no no. Hmmmm go figure....and here i ended up as an alcoholic. My drinking on an empty stomach allowed me to get the full affect of the alcohol in my system quickly. An emmediate feeling of warmth and satisfaction in my tummy. A few drinks of bourbon and coke while joy riding didnt sit well with me. The driver had to pull off the side of the road to allow me to throw up. My head was spinning round and round. WEEEEEE......Then i looked up as i was sprawled out on the ground and saw a ring of people looking down on me. Yeah right..! Ok, where do u live they would ask? I hadnt a clue....lol I laugh now but at the time when i was about 19 yrs old....now 40ish.....it wasnt....lol. I looked around thru my distorted vison and pointed to some apts. Yep that was me.....I was led to my apt by who....whom??? and then they wouldnt leave until i put my gown on......Oh NOOOOOO...... Im soooo ashamed. lol At the time I wasnt. : ) I was soooo out of it. Is that normal behavior after a few drinks? Pretty much for me. After many more yrs of unsucessfully trying to drink NORMAL. Today I DEFINITELY DON'T MISS IT. : ) AND THAT'S HOW IT WORKS FOR ME. __________________ "A FRIEND IN NEED IS A FRIEND INDEED" SHARON M. Baton Rouge, La. 8-11-90 "Made A Decision To Turn My Will And Life Over To The Care Of God As I Understand Him."

08-15-2006, 04:26 PM	#16 (permalink)
scootinbabe Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: road to recovery Posts: 1,680	I can never drink without wanting more. I can not control what happens after I pick up the first. I never ever ever ever want to go there again. A drink isn't worth my life--or those of my family. with God's grace, I can do it!

08-15-2006, 11:54 PM	#17 (permalink)
jlo34 Grateful recovering alcoholic Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Blissfield, MI Posts: 816	I never have drank normally. When I was trying to figure out whether I was an alcoholic or not, the old-timers suggested that I go out and try some controlled drinking. Did it work - well, I found out I couldn't control my drinking. I already knew that I drank to get drunk, to pass out. I didn't want to feel...ANYTHING. I always wanted to be numb. I was consumed with planning how to get the booze, when to drink the booze, how I wouldn't get caught, excuses I'd make up, lies to cover everything up, etc. Even sober...I don't "drink" normal. I slam coffee and pop...I just don't drink it a fifth at a time!!!! Great topic, great reflections. Jen

08-16-2006, 12:17 AM	#19 (permalink)
jlo34 Grateful recovering alcoholic Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Blissfield, MI Posts: 816	More than 6 drinks in one sitting is considered "abnormal." Felicity So, does that mean if I get up and then sit back down after every 4 or 5 drinks I'd still be normal?!?!?! HA HA HA Jen

08-16-2006, 02:49 AM	#20 (permalink)
collinsmi Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Colorado Springs CO Posts: 771	I did not want to drink normally. I wanted to drink, and keep drinking once I started. I wanted it to go on, and on, and on, etc....... It's not that I WANTED to get falling down, commode hugging drunk, it's just hard to avoid when you drink like I did. So many times it was just so inconvenient to get like that, so I tried to manage, any way I could (a coke every other drink, big dinner before hand, getting up for a long walk during the party, ad infinitum) anything so I could keep on drinking! I was not interested in a glass of wine at Thanksgiving, or a beer and some conviviality with the boys after a hard day's work. I was after something COMPLETELY different. I used to think I drank like that cause the brewers were putting salt in the beer to make people (me) thirstier! __________________ "I was violating my standards faster than I could lower them!"

08-17-2006, 07:20 PM	#21 (permalink)
aasharon90 Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Baton Rouge, La. Posts: 2,749	Hi Im Sharon and Im an alcoholic. Thanks guys for posting your thoughts on this topic. They are much appreciated. : ) After that first drink, we had a single track mind. It was like a railroad train. The first drink started it off and it kept going on the single track until it got to the end of the line, drunkeness. We alcoholics knew this was the inevitable result when we took the first drink, but still we couldn't keep away from liquor. Our willpower was gone. We had become helpless and hopeless before the power of alcohol. It's not the second drink or the tenth drink that does the damage. It's the first. Will you ever take that first drink again? __________________ "A FRIEND IN NEED IS A FRIEND INDEED" SHARON M. Baton Rouge, La. 8-11-90 "Made A Decision To Turn My Will And Life Over To The Care Of God As I Understand Him."

08-17-2006, 08:38 PM	#22 (permalink)
Chy Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: El Paso, Tx Posts: 5,886	So cliche I know, but for me to drink is to die... I'm kinda liking life now.