Been lots of tipping points for me, but only one that got me to get on this site or any other site IRT alcohol problem. 8/2/14 I was up at my ranch and have had an ongoing property dispute with another party. I have tried successively to buy his property for 5 months. Its a long story and not for here. Anyway, he flew out to the property and I knew he was going to stop buy to look at his property. I had been building fence, and drinking beer since 10:00 am. I was out in the back 40 building a gun range and my kid came to tell me he was at the ranch house. I had probably 8 to 10 beers in me and it was 1:00 p.m.(usually a time when most people may have one beer with lunch).
We met, it turned very confrontational and I came unhinged. Really unhinged, as I have already spent a lot of $$ on lawyers to rectify this problem and even though I have met his asking price three times, he kept raising it. So it did not get physical, although I was hoping it would even though he was an enormous 340 lber. At one point, and this was the tipping point, I thought, why in the hell don't I just shoot him and bury him on my property? Then the problem would go away. I had a gun right there, a tractor to dig and I thought damn, why did I not think of this earlier. I don't have a criminal record, don't even have a speeding ticket. I am one law abiding citizen.
I did not shoot him, and eventually I finished the 30 pack of beer after he left and woke up the next morning with a few questions I needed to answer. I get aggressive when I drink too much, never toward my family, but toward others. But obviously something had changed with the beer. I used to be fun and jovial, now I get mean and thought about shooting a guy to solve a problem which will in time rectify itself. SOOOO, I had to make a change. I got on here the next day and was comforted that other people are in the same boat, and I need to focus not on the 10-30 beers, but rather the first one.
Pretty educated guy, but never thought it was a battle to not have the first one, but a battle to stop at about 10-30. It was an epiphany to me to think it needs to stop before one.
I really can't risk getting drunk and wanting to shoot people. It is not a very socially acceptable solution to a problem. Sort of like getting drunk, then throwing your life away type of situation.
Anyway, that was my tipping point. Glad to get it off my chest.