Austinchica

I just started realizing I might have a problem with alcohol... the probelm is ..everytime I go to meetings someone tries to push their definition of alcoholism on me. I have heard things like , " You are not a real alcohlic til you almost die" or "until you have gone to jail" or only if you "drink a whole bottle of vodka and can't put it down."

I wish people would stop saying these things to make themselves somehow feel more "real" or "authentic" than someone who can put the bottle down, or who doesn't have DUI's . I wanted to change my life and everytime I go to meetings I hear someone say something ridiculous like this, then I come on this board and read it here too.
An alcoholic is anyone who resorts to alcohol to deal with stress , anxiety, and to manipulate their emotions with a desire to avoid facing the truth about themselves and their lives.
I wish people would really stop saying an alcoholic can't stop at one beer, because they most often can. It is why they reach for the beer that matters.

I realized I was an alcoholic because everytime I had something that caused me stress , like studying or running an errand or going into a social situation, I had an intense desire to bury unwanted emotions, and to numb my anxiety. Yes, sometimes one drink would do that for me and I would be fine, sometimes more.
The problem is when it is your main coping mechanism and your only coping mechanism. Not the amount.
I am fed up with people boasting that they are real alcoholics and if you "think you might have a problem" then you aren't an alcoholic.
When someone is brave enough to walk into a meeting and face the fact they they have no coping skills, the last thing they need to hear is some braggard telling them that if they haven't drunk enough or ****** up their lives enough then they don't belong.