Is my RAH really an A?
My husband and I were watching a movie last night (Black or White) and the guys friend said to him something like, "you are not an alcoholic, just a little misguided".
I looked at my husband and that is what I see. Not an alcoholic, but a man who once past his sadness and feeling worthless, is perfectly fine. The reason I say this is, he was in the Air Force for 3 years and drank while there. (me 20yrs so I know what goes on) That's what a lot of us did while in the service. He was married for 10 years and might have had 5 beers the whole time. After she left him he didn't think highly of himself and had his dad in his ear telling him he "has the bug, be careful". Which I don't think was good!! So he took the attitude of, "F-it, I have the bug so here I go". He started drinking when he would feel down and worthless to drown it out. I have other threads so I am not going into every detail.
To me, and I am probably wrong, this doesn't seem like the actions of an alcoholic. After all of the reading I have done, it seems he can shut it off anytime he wants as long as he is happy. A lot of people have something they turn to when they feel down or worthless and it's not always alcohol. I wish I had a dollar for every time I heard someone at work say, "Man, I've had a rough day, I am going home and having a beer/drink". There sure would be a lot of alcoholics in this world if that was the case.
Is my husbands situation more along the lines of him actually needing therapy to feel better about himself and he is taking the alcoholic route for whatever reason or is he actually an alcoholic? Right now he says he is the happiest he has ever been and has no desire to have a beer. That is why I say what I say about him not really being an alcoholic, but just a person who needs help getting past bad feelings about themself.
I have had this thought in my head for a month or so now and hearing that line in the movie made me say, "Hmmmmm". I didn't say anything to him about it. I am not trying to sabotage him and his program whatsoever, just want to throw that question out there.