Am I an alcoholic?
I'm 49, happily married with 3 kids, good health, good job, but I'm increasingly concerned about how much I drink. About 6 nights a week I drink one and a half bottles of red wine (My wife drinks the remaining half) between 5:30pm and 9:30pm. This is about 80 units a week!
I've been doing this for the last 15 years and I'm worried about possible long-term damage, though a recent comprehensive medical showed none so far.
I don't have blackouts, or DUI, I never get aggressive or miss work - in fact wife and kids think I'm happier on the wine! I guess I do kind of organise my evenings around drinking - we rarely go out - instead we cook at home.
I'm currently on day 7 of a self-imposed 28 day alcohol break. Surprisingly, I've had no withdrawals except weird dreams and early waking for the first 4 days and I even seem to be enjoying feeling clear-headed. But the thought of giving up drinking forever is a daunting one.
I'm confident I'll finish my 28 day abstinence OK, but what then? I'm kind of an all-or-nothing peson, so I guess it would be back to the almost everyday drinking or total cessation.
I've been skulking around the forum for a week or so and registered today. What do you guys think? :wtf2