nwaa330

I have drank about 12 drinks per night for the last 7 years. I moved in with my boyfriend and the deal was that there would be no drinking on the weeknights. We both thought this would be a very difficult thing for me to do considering I had drank so much in the past.
Oddly it has been much easier then I thought it would be. I like being able to remember what I watched on TV late the night before and engage in meaningful conversation too. I get very few cravings and they aren't very strong. When I do I just drink a glass of water and that usually does the trick.
Although this seems to be a positive outcome I thought I was an Alcoholic and that it was going to be very hard to kick my habit. I hope I don't seem like I am gloating but I feel like I am cheating the system and maybe I am by drinking on the weekends. I don't know what's wrong with me.

Firehazard

I don't know what is wrong eighter I'm not a doctor but our culture has a lot of

alcohol available for use. Somebody has to drink it and some drink to much.

You might not be a alcoholic at all only you can make that diagnosis.

"It is not a problem unless it causes problems" Ryan C.

By the way my hat goes off to you for your sucess in stopping during the week

nwaa330

It has caused problems and that is why I had to cut back. I guess I just need to monitor my behavior with the help of my boyfriend to see if I need to permanently quit. One of the reasons I started drinking was because I had trouble sleeping and alcohol certainly helped cure that for me.
I am wondering if that caused a compulsion to drink a certain amount to attain sleep. Now that I know I don't need it to sleep the compulsion or whatever it was has diminished.
However it is not gone and I imagine it will take me along time to learn to unlearn the behavior.

jamdls

If you can successfully moderate your drinking good for you! I successfully moderated my drinking for many years but then in my 40s for some reason moderation went out the window. I never had cravings before nor after I quit, and I didn't drink every day, but when I drank (3-5 times a week) I drank excessively until I passed out, my drinking and/or my 2-3 day hangovers were causing me lots of problems. I finally came to the conclusion that I can not drink moderately and so I quit. In general more than probably 2 drinks a day is not healthy.

TTOSBT

Welcome! It is good to have you here.
So, what happens on the weekends? Do you get wasted or just have some drinks?
What about your boyfriend?
If moderation works for you, great!
Not for me, but works for many

nwaa330

I usually have about 10-12 drinks on the weekends at night. He usually has 3-4 during the same period. I would say I get pretty tipsy if we are spending the night at home. If we go out with friends or family I have less. I do like to get tipsy though if I can.

TTOSBT

So are you ok with this if it stays this way and you only drink on the weekends?

KenL

Trying to control drinking is a sign that alcoholism may be afoot. The NIAAA clearly states that 1 drink per day for a woman is not detrimental to her health. You are drinking 10 to 12 drinks. It takes the human liver one hour to metabolize 1 ounce of liquor. Do the math. If you stop drinking at 10PM and had 12 - 1 ounce drinks then 10 hours later you still have 2 ounces of alcohol circulating throughout your blood stream. Granted you're not drinking during the week anymore, but what if you weren't living with your boy friend? Would you still be drinking every night? If you need your boy friend to monitor your behavior then it doesn't sound like what's inside of you has changed in any way.

I don't mean to be critical. I just want to help you find an answer to the questions you seem to be asking.

Finally, alcoholism is not a behavior. It is a disease, plain and simple. It is a progressive disease where early and middle stage alkies can function just as nearly well as non-alkies. It's the final stages that really take their toll. The weird thing is, no one knows when the final stage is manifesting itself until it's nearly too late. But as my friend trucker says "It's never too late". I agree with him. I recommend that you get the book Beyond the Influence: Understanding and Defeating Alcoholism by Katherine Ketcham and William Asbury. Get it soon and read it. You'll see what I'm talking about.

KenL

Sorry. I need to make a correction. The liver metabolizes approximately 1/2 an ounce of pure alcohol per hour and not 1 ounce as I previously stated. Had to get my facts straight. That 1/2 ounce is equivalent to one 12 ounce beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of 80 proof distilled spirits.

Info is from the book Beyond the Influence as I referenced above. Sorry for the error.

CarolD

Welcome ..

Here are some facts you might find interesting... Plese note this is true for every drinker..not only alcoholics.
Obviously....you are way past moderate wekend drinking

Hope you find a way to enjoy a healthy happy life.

littlebluedog

I used to drink on just weekends too towards the end of my drinking career. Not 1-2 drinks however. More like 4 bottles of wine and a liter of vodka.

Ah, the insanity.

Nevertheless

There isn't anyone who can really answer the (am I an alcoholic) question ,but yourself.
But one thing is for sure.
It's easier to quit now when you are wondering, than it is to wait until you know for certain.
I know you are thinking about all the "fun"you might miss out on if you quit now, and what if I quit for nothing.
Being an alcoholic and quitting drinking could be one of the hardest things you do in your entire life. And some of us just can't stop.
Fred

OneForTheRoad

The rate at which individuals metabolise alcohol varies - in some cases by quite a bit. It is better to err on the safe side though and assume you are at the lower end of the scale.

Good luck in your quitting/moderation - it isn't easy for many people. I would suggest you try keeping an accurate drinking diary for a month - and then revisit it periodically to make sure your consumption isn't sneaking up.

If you're still concerned about the levels (and 12 US units in one sitting for a female is an unhealthy amount - more or less 4 times what constitutes a 'binge' in medical terms) you may need to consider formal moderation (e.g. the sinclair method) or quitting (e.g. 12 step) processes

tommyk

I was a weekend drinker, I never drank during the week (unless there was a holiday the next day).

I don't consider that drinking in moderation though.

I think a person has to start drinking before they can drink in moderation, and that's where my problem was, once I had a drink or two all moderation went out the window and I proceeded to have 10 more drinks.

I always felt that I was not an alcoholic because I could 'control' my drinking.

But I could only 'control' my drinking by not taking the first drink.

I was a binge drinking alcoholic.

nwaa330

Thanks for all the responses. I like the idea of a drinking diary. I have also thought of quitting entirely for say 60 days to see how that feels. Also just to clarify for some of the responses not that it makes much of a difference but I am a male, sorry if I wasn't clear.
I do understand that I am drinking way too much on the weekends according to guidelines established by many reputable groups. I think down deep inside I wanted to have a problem with the whole quitting on the weekday thing to prove to myself I was out of control and needed to stop drinking entirely. Hence my current state of confusion.

KenL

Sorry to have assumed you were female. Please accept my apologies.

nwaa330

No Problem at all . I am really impressed by how many of you have overcome so many huge obstacles it is really inspirational.

Please post any advice for me if you think it will help I am hear to listen and learn.