wendytime

Thanks for all the thoughtful responses. I've been thinking about this a lot, and while I certainly don't want to shout it to the world with a megaphone, I think sometimes that how carefully I've hid this problem has also enabled me to prolong it. I actually dated a man for three years that never knew the extent of my drinking, and I look back on that with sadness, that there was always this dishonesty and shame hanging over me, keeping me from a deeper and more satisfying relationship with him.

I'm surprised to hear that some people have unsupportive friends and relatives--maybe this is me being naive, but outside of an abusive or enabling relationship, I would think most people would want their friends and family to make healthy choices.