Am I an alcoholic? Opinions and advice appreciated
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Seven days since I had a drink now 
There was a moment earlier when it was almost irresistible to go out and buy some more. If I hadn't made this 30 days commitment I would have done for sure. The 'urge' passed though. 23 days to go then...
There was a moment earlier when it was almost irresistible to go out and buy some more. If I hadn't made this 30 days commitment I would have done for sure. The 'urge' passed though. 23 days to go then...
~ 5 ~
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Colorado
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Way to go Dave !!!
The first 30 was hard for me to, I told myself everyday this.......
I didnt drink yesterday, I dont know about tomorrow, but i do know im not going to drink today!
Kee thinking positive cause after the first 30 for me it became alot easier, and now im into day 107 and i hardly even think about drinking. The person i used to be though about drinking all the time.
To the above questions i awnsered 16 with a yes.....only reason i didnt awnser all with a yes is cause im a stay at home mom so no job, unless you take being a stay at home mom as the JOB it is then yes it did interfer with my work.
Only definate 2 is i havent been treated by a physician or been in treatment.
Seven days does a week make.....WAY TO GO!!!
The first 30 was hard for me to, I told myself everyday this.......
I didnt drink yesterday, I dont know about tomorrow, but i do know im not going to drink today!
Kee thinking positive cause after the first 30 for me it became alot easier, and now im into day 107 and i hardly even think about drinking. The person i used to be though about drinking all the time.
To the above questions i awnsered 16 with a yes.....only reason i didnt awnser all with a yes is cause im a stay at home mom so no job, unless you take being a stay at home mom as the JOB it is then yes it did interfer with my work.
Only definate 2 is i havent been treated by a physician or been in treatment.
Seven days does a week make.....WAY TO GO!!!
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Originally Posted by Dave31
Seven days since I had a drink now There was a moment earlier when it was almost irresistible to go out and buy some more. If I hadn't made this 30 days commitment I would have done for sure. The 'urge' passed though. 23 days to go then...
There was a moment earlier when it was almost irresistible to go out and buy some more. If I hadn't made this 30 days commitment I would have done for sure. The 'urge' passed though. 23 days to go then...((( dave )))
I could not do the one day at a time thing either. I committed myself to a certain period of time , My brother talked me into one year, if you knew me you'ld undertand why. I figured WTF it was only one year out of my life and after that I could do what I wanted. After all the liquor stores weren't about to ever dry up and go away. It was the best decision of my life and I actually had a little bit of fun seeing for myself if I could really do it!!
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Originally Posted by michski
((( dave ))) I could not do the one day at a time thing either. I committed myself to a certain period of time , My brother talked me into one year, if you knew me you'ld undertand why. I figured WTF it was only one year out of my life and after that I could do what I wanted. After all the liquor stores weren't about to ever dry up and go away. It was the best decision of my life and I actually had a little bit of fun seeing for myself if I could really do it!!
I could not do the one day at a time thing either. I committed myself to a certain period of time , My brother talked me into one year, if you knew me you'ld undertand why. I figured WTF it was only one year out of my life and after that I could do what I wanted. After all the liquor stores weren't about to ever dry up and go away. It was the best decision of my life and I actually had a little bit of fun seeing for myself if I could really do it!!
So did you manage it? 
And what did you do after the year, start drinking again in moderation as I'm planning to do, or stay teetotal?
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Dear Dave,
Wow! I can really relate to your story. I am an alcoholic. A year ago, I did the same thing as you! I looked up the moderation management site, and I went for the 30 abstinence period. During those 30 days, I realized that my life would be easier if I just continued to abstain.....
Congrads on your progress! You are doing the right thing, even if you just take a 30 day "break". I hope you will find an answer which works for you. During my first 30 days, I found AA. AA changed my life, and I havn't had a drink since (by the grace of God). It's a miracle that I am sober, and I am so much better off without drinking.
Good luck! You are doing the right thing by posting on SR. This site really helped me out, and I hope you find the answers you need to find peace and happiness.
chip
Wow! I can really relate to your story. I am an alcoholic. A year ago, I did the same thing as you! I looked up the moderation management site, and I went for the 30 abstinence period. During those 30 days, I realized that my life would be easier if I just continued to abstain.....
Congrads on your progress! You are doing the right thing, even if you just take a 30 day "break". I hope you will find an answer which works for you. During my first 30 days, I found AA. AA changed my life, and I havn't had a drink since (by the grace of God). It's a miracle that I am sober, and I am so much better off without drinking.
Good luck! You are doing the right thing by posting on SR. This site really helped me out, and I hope you find the answers you need to find peace and happiness.
chip
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Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: UK
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Hi bud.
I liked reading this thread. I hope you find the balance with alcohol you're looking for. If you don't, can I just suggest that you don't spend years and years trying to "fix" your drinking? Just knock it on the head. If you have "irresistible" urges, chances are you've got a problem. And on this we all agree - it only gets worse.
I liked reading this thread. I hope you find the balance with alcohol you're looking for. If you don't, can I just suggest that you don't spend years and years trying to "fix" your drinking? Just knock it on the head. If you have "irresistible" urges, chances are you've got a problem. And on this we all agree - it only gets worse.
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Originally Posted by JaySee
Hey Dave
How is the research going.??
JC
How is the research going.??
JC
I'd say apart from the one day where I had a bit of an 'urge' it has been easy, although I mustn't be complacent of course.After the 30 days is up, I'm undecided whether to continue drinking regularly but very moderately, as I had originally planned - or to give up entirely. Doing the latter was unthinkable when I started this 30 days of abstinence, but I'm thinking about it now :scratchch
By the way, your sig made me giggle
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Originally Posted by Dave31
I am working on the assumption here that a genuinely moderate alcohol intake is truly harmless to health.
Great thread, BTW. And I am glad you are here... Hang in there!
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Dave-
It sounds like you will find success in achieving the 30 day goal. You sound focused, and it sounds like you've got a good handle on the situation.
It's hard sometimes though.....
Keep working at it, you'll get there!
chip
It sounds like you will find success in achieving the 30 day goal. You sound focused, and it sounds like you've got a good handle on the situation.
It's hard sometimes though.....
Keep working at it, you'll get there!
chip
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Dave-
Since you did ask for some opinions, I just want to share a few thoughts. You've probably already thought about these things...
Non-alcoholics don't give much thought to their drinking. They don't worry that they might be alcoholic. They don't try to "control" their drinking. A non-alcoholic wouldn't decide to try abstinence for 30 days. A non-alcoholic wouldn't notice a 30 day dry period if it occured... A non-alcoholic wouldn't count the the days.
The good news is that you are not alone. Millions of people like me and you stuggle with drinking "issues". We can help each other overcome our problem. More good news is that the disease of alcoholism has a cure. The cure to alcoholism is abstinence.
If you have an addiction to alcohol, that addiction wants you to die. That addiction wants you to keep drinking and die. This disease tells us we are alright, and will give us any reason to keep drinking. If you are an alcoholic, Dave, your addiction will tell you that you are not an alcoholic. If you really suffer from the disease of alcoholism, you will feel great at the end of your 30 days....and you will want to try moderation. You will want to give the booze another chance. You will think it will be different for you after the 30 days.
If you are an alcoholic, your drinking will end up being the same misery it was before you discovered SR. You will go back to having blackouts, and all those nasty experiences you've had.
This is all my opinion, and I hope my tone hasn't discouraged you. You are doing great, and I have no doubt that you will reach your 30 day goal.
To tell you the truth, I worry that you will start drinking again after 30 days. I'm worried that you are an alcoholic, and things will get worse for you if you try drinking again. It doesn't get easier to quit.... "the idea that he can drink successfuly again is the great obsession of the alcoholic" [Alcoholics Anonymous].
chip
Since you did ask for some opinions, I just want to share a few thoughts. You've probably already thought about these things...
Non-alcoholics don't give much thought to their drinking. They don't worry that they might be alcoholic. They don't try to "control" their drinking. A non-alcoholic wouldn't decide to try abstinence for 30 days. A non-alcoholic wouldn't notice a 30 day dry period if it occured... A non-alcoholic wouldn't count the the days.
The good news is that you are not alone. Millions of people like me and you stuggle with drinking "issues". We can help each other overcome our problem. More good news is that the disease of alcoholism has a cure. The cure to alcoholism is abstinence.
If you have an addiction to alcohol, that addiction wants you to die. That addiction wants you to keep drinking and die. This disease tells us we are alright, and will give us any reason to keep drinking. If you are an alcoholic, Dave, your addiction will tell you that you are not an alcoholic. If you really suffer from the disease of alcoholism, you will feel great at the end of your 30 days....and you will want to try moderation. You will want to give the booze another chance. You will think it will be different for you after the 30 days.
If you are an alcoholic, your drinking will end up being the same misery it was before you discovered SR. You will go back to having blackouts, and all those nasty experiences you've had.
This is all my opinion, and I hope my tone hasn't discouraged you. You are doing great, and I have no doubt that you will reach your 30 day goal.
To tell you the truth, I worry that you will start drinking again after 30 days. I'm worried that you are an alcoholic, and things will get worse for you if you try drinking again. It doesn't get easier to quit.... "the idea that he can drink successfuly again is the great obsession of the alcoholic" [Alcoholics Anonymous].
chip
Last edited by chip; 10-07-2006 at 10:29 PM.
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Thanks for your comments chip, your opinions like everyone else's here are highly valued and they haven't discouraged me, quite the opposite. I am afraid of returning to how I was at the beginning of this thread - the thought of going back to drinking that way really scares me. Clearly if I did return to that (god forbid) then I will know for 100% certain that the only solution for me is abstinence. I realise trying to drink moderately will be playing with fire to some extent. I'm still undecided what to do, I'm 50-50 right now. There's two more weeks to go so let's see how I feel then
Incidentally I had a dream last night which involved me drinking neat vodka from the bottle... even though I haven't really thought about it much during waking hours over the last few weeks. I hope dreaming about it doesn't class as a lapse I felt guilty when I woke up!
Incidentally I had a dream last night which involved me drinking neat vodka from the bottle... even though I haven't really thought about it much during waking hours over the last few weeks. I hope dreaming about it doesn't class as a lapse
I felt guilty when I woke up!
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hi dave
good to see you are doing so well, i went down the same road as you asking if i was an alcoholic as i wasn't convinced, i stopped drinking for a month and had planned on have the odd drink once i'd got myself sorted but once i got got past a month i didn't feel like having one, i then past some some difficult times like my 40th and xmas all without a drink and was feeling great lasted about 10mths and suddenly out of the blue when there was no pressure to do and i've no idea why i thought i can have a little drink which i did and it didn't seem to be a problem but unfortunately i'm now right back to were i started, i'm not saying that this will happen to you i just thought i'd tell you how it's easy to slip back into old habits.
regards dave
good to see you are doing so well, i went down the same road as you asking if i was an alcoholic as i wasn't convinced, i stopped drinking for a month and had planned on have the odd drink once i'd got myself sorted but once i got got past a month i didn't feel like having one, i then past some some difficult times like my 40th and xmas all without a drink and was feeling great lasted about 10mths and suddenly out of the blue when there was no pressure to do and i've no idea why i thought i can have a little drink which i did and it didn't seem to be a problem but unfortunately i'm now right back to were i started, i'm not saying that this will happen to you i just thought i'd tell you how it's easy to slip back into old habits.
regards dave
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Incidentally I had a dream last night which involved me drinking neat vodka from the bottle... even though I haven't really thought about it much during waking hours over the last few weeks
I tried moderate drinking along time ago, didn't like it, it was no fun. I always drank to get a good buzz on, not a little one.
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I am great thanks - still sticking to the abstinence
I am giving increasingly serious thought to giving up drinking entirely because the idea of going back to how I was is so awful. I just need to win the battle against the little voice in my head which will tell me it is okay to drink again. I've silenced it for now but I am sure it will make a comeback at some point!
I am giving increasingly serious thought to giving up drinking entirely because the idea of going back to how I was is so awful. I just need to win the battle against the little voice in my head which will tell me it is okay to drink again. I've silenced it for now but I am sure it will make a comeback at some point!
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Let me know how the moderation thing works out. In the book "Alcoholics Anonymous" (the AA textbook) there is a passage about a guy who became concerned about his drinking when he was 30. He put it down and stayed bone dry until he retired at 55 (I wonder if he worked extra hard to shave off the extra 10 years, 65 is the usual age here). THen, he started to drink again. He was described as "robust and healthy" at retirement and then "dead" 4 years later. And yes, he had lots of problems with his drinking in the intervening 4 years.
Also "the big book" suggests to those unsure about whether they're alcoholics or not, to "step over to the nearest barroom and try some controlled drinking. Try to stop abruptly." Sounds like you tried that already.
Alcoholic or not, it's tricky. Not like you can dip a piece of paper in a liquid and watch for it to turn blue or red. When I was young, I drank with people that drank almost like me (what other people could I drink with). Some even had blacouts! They all tapered down and now drink "normally". Not so with me, and even among them I had the reputation as the alkie of the crowd. I got scared about my drinking early, and I went through a lot of self deception so I could justify drinking. THats tricky to spot too, how do you find out if (or how much) you're deceiving yourself if you're deceiving yourself?
I'm sure I'm an alcoholic, but I've been sure of things and wrong before. I don't want to drink like I did before, and I don't want to live like I did before. I don't care what I have to do to achieve those ends, and as it turns out, it was a lot less strenuous (and much more enjoyable) than I once imagined.
Also "the big book" suggests to those unsure about whether they're alcoholics or not, to "step over to the nearest barroom and try some controlled drinking. Try to stop abruptly." Sounds like you tried that already.
Alcoholic or not, it's tricky. Not like you can dip a piece of paper in a liquid and watch for it to turn blue or red. When I was young, I drank with people that drank almost like me (what other people could I drink with). Some even had blacouts! They all tapered down and now drink "normally". Not so with me, and even among them I had the reputation as the alkie of the crowd. I got scared about my drinking early, and I went through a lot of self deception so I could justify drinking. THats tricky to spot too, how do you find out if (or how much) you're deceiving yourself if you're deceiving yourself?
I'm sure I'm an alcoholic, but I've been sure of things and wrong before. I don't want to drink like I did before, and I don't want to live like I did before. I don't care what I have to do to achieve those ends, and as it turns out, it was a lot less strenuous (and much more enjoyable) than I once imagined.
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