im a 21 year old girl, i started drinking/smoking when i was 15, in october that year-i turned 16 in november. i started thinking i had a problem when i was 16, that december. that's 3 months after i started. and by the time i was 18, i had done almost every kind of substance you can think of and was drinking, among other things, basically every night until i blacked out or got too messed up to even be able to move or speak. but of course i thought why would i stop? i love it, im still young & everyone else does it. even though my "friends" saw how messed up i got on a regular basis NOONE was concerned or would support me if i decided to quit. someone was always there trying to talk me into drinking or whatever with them. as things got worse for me i tried quitting over and over, sometimes i made it only for a few days sometimes for months but i always got right back into it just as heavy as before. those couple years of my life are one long, awful testimonial to how alcoholism & addiction can mess with someone's life but-- i've been arrested 3 times all while being drunk, did some jail time and currently have 6 months more over my head. i caused myself & my family a lot of heartache. i lost a ton of self respect & confidence and i know that had i not spent those years doing nothing but getting messed up i would be much farther in my life than i am right now. not quitting for good when i knew i should have is definitely one of my biggest regrets.
im not saying that your experience IS going to be anything like mine, but then again it might. in my opinion, if you think you have a problem, you're probably right. please get some help if you think you need it. it couldnt hurt right?