I am new here ( am I a wino?)
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: MA
Posts: 3
I am new here ( am I a wino?)
I gave up drinking my bottle of red wine 3 days ago. I drank a bottle 750ml (not the big one) every night (from 8pm- 12 am) after I put the kids to bed.
I never drink during the day or ever think about it... and never around my kids - never when we went out to eat- just in the evening- it was like a habit - put the kids to bed, open a bottle, talk to friends online, talk with husband, or watch a movie- no crazy partying...
Wine relaxed me and I always slept like a baby- I always woke up the next day and felt great and was ready for a new day.
I have been doing this off and on for 2 years and I've kind of felt guilty about it but always thought i was overrating, it's just a couple glasses of wine at night!
Well, something happened over the weekend that kind of freaked me out- I went to party at some friends house and we were up all night talking and having our drinks- just having a great time! I spent the night because there was noway i was driving anywhere- well, i woke up with the biggest panic attack and depression ever.
The feeling stayed with me the whole day and into the next day- since then i have quit drinking wine.
I was wondering am i an alcoholic or did i have an allergic reaction to alcohol or am i just crazy!
I have to admit i miss it- but if that was a warning sign from my body to give it up , i will!
can i get some advice??
I never drink during the day or ever think about it... and never around my kids - never when we went out to eat- just in the evening- it was like a habit - put the kids to bed, open a bottle, talk to friends online, talk with husband, or watch a movie- no crazy partying...
Wine relaxed me and I always slept like a baby- I always woke up the next day and felt great and was ready for a new day.
I have been doing this off and on for 2 years and I've kind of felt guilty about it but always thought i was overrating, it's just a couple glasses of wine at night!
Well, something happened over the weekend that kind of freaked me out- I went to party at some friends house and we were up all night talking and having our drinks- just having a great time! I spent the night because there was noway i was driving anywhere- well, i woke up with the biggest panic attack and depression ever.
The feeling stayed with me the whole day and into the next day- since then i have quit drinking wine.
I was wondering am i an alcoholic or did i have an allergic reaction to alcohol or am i just crazy!
I have to admit i miss it- but if that was a warning sign from my body to give it up , i will!
can i get some advice??
Life the gift of recovery!
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Home is where the heart is
Posts: 7,061
Welcome to SR.
Personally, I don't believe anyone else can decide for us whether we are an alcoholic or not. But what I have found is that very few people who question whether or not they are an alcoholic, do not drink alcoholically.
I questioned at the age of 21 whether I was an alcoholic or not. Decided I was not and 15 years later realized that I am an alcoholic and have always drank alcoholically even when the disease was not completely apparent.
Some things you can do that might help you decide either way are:
stop drinking for a year.
Try taking just one drink and stopping
Try taking two drinks and stopping
Does the thought of alcohol stay with you when you do these things? If so it might be the obsession that comes with alcoholism.
Go to an AA meeting and see if there is anything you can relate to there.
I am sure there are many other things you can do but these are just a few off the top of my head.
I do hope you find the answer you are looking for.
Personally, I don't believe anyone else can decide for us whether we are an alcoholic or not. But what I have found is that very few people who question whether or not they are an alcoholic, do not drink alcoholically.
I questioned at the age of 21 whether I was an alcoholic or not. Decided I was not and 15 years later realized that I am an alcoholic and have always drank alcoholically even when the disease was not completely apparent.
Some things you can do that might help you decide either way are:
stop drinking for a year.
Try taking just one drink and stopping
Try taking two drinks and stopping
Does the thought of alcohol stay with you when you do these things? If so it might be the obsession that comes with alcoholism.
Go to an AA meeting and see if there is anything you can relate to there.
I am sure there are many other things you can do but these are just a few off the top of my head.
I do hope you find the answer you are looking for.
Member
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: norwich, uk
Posts: 80
Hi
I did the same thing, except my wine ran out at about 9pm. I personally felt I had an issue with alcohol but I am not an alcoholic because I don't need it 24/7.
I am now using my local alcohol and drug centre, I see a counsellor once a week and my caseworker once a week. It gets me out of the house and busy so I don't have too much time to wallow in self pity.
Unfortunately I still have days that I have my wine on, but they are not very often.
In some ways it is nice to have some sort of label purely because you get the help you need. But why label yourself?
If you believe you have a problem with alcohol, you need to help you.
Good luck in whatever you decide
I did the same thing, except my wine ran out at about 9pm. I personally felt I had an issue with alcohol but I am not an alcoholic because I don't need it 24/7.
I am now using my local alcohol and drug centre, I see a counsellor once a week and my caseworker once a week. It gets me out of the house and busy so I don't have too much time to wallow in self pity.
Unfortunately I still have days that I have my wine on, but they are not very often.
In some ways it is nice to have some sort of label purely because you get the help you need. But why label yourself?
If you believe you have a problem with alcohol, you need to help you.
Good luck in whatever you decide
Member
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: New Orleans, LA/Charlotte, NC
Posts: 78
Try thinking about your alcohol use in terms of consequences. Does your drinking result in negative consequences, yet you continue to drink? This is just one way to approach determining if you might have a problem.
No one can tell you or decide for you, but it's been my experience that people who drink normally don't question whether or not they drink normally. This, of course, is NOT the deciding factor and like I said, only you can make that decision for yourself. It's easy to get attached to a comforting feeling--and God knows, alcohol comforts many of us. But, when I stop drinking, I do more than miss it--I crave it, I fall apart, I feel a sense of desperation like no other (now, AA helps me deal with all of these things)...this is just MY experience with alcohol and many others have many different experiences. Try quitting for a month or so...see how it goes. That may reveal more about your response to alcohol and quitting. Good luck! Keep us posted!
No one can tell you or decide for you, but it's been my experience that people who drink normally don't question whether or not they drink normally. This, of course, is NOT the deciding factor and like I said, only you can make that decision for yourself. It's easy to get attached to a comforting feeling--and God knows, alcohol comforts many of us. But, when I stop drinking, I do more than miss it--I crave it, I fall apart, I feel a sense of desperation like no other (now, AA helps me deal with all of these things)...this is just MY experience with alcohol and many others have many different experiences. Try quitting for a month or so...see how it goes. That may reveal more about your response to alcohol and quitting. Good luck! Keep us posted!
Member
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Elmo, Montana
Posts: 90
hey
Two years of drinking, thats some good tolaration for the body. I would think the body is finally saying something. Its up to you now. My experience was "I only drink beer" how could I be an alcoholic. So the little messages that the body, mind and spirit gives us, to me is another chance at life. God, bless you. May you find that. Pray for some guidance and let happen. Be cool about it. Redroad
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: MA
Posts: 3
it's been 3 days
since had any wine... and i don't feel bad or weird. i didn't sleep great the last couple nights- no sweats or shaking, but i am definitely more noise sensitive!
my husband snores like crazy sometimes
i think reading this site made me more paranoid than anything- honestly i never thought a thing about what i was doing- maybe guilt because in this puritanical society , mommy shouldn't get her wine on after the kiddies are in bed
but i have made the decision not to drink for awhile and get a checkup by my doc to make sure i didn't do any damage.
my husband snores like crazy sometimes
i think reading this site made me more paranoid than anything- honestly i never thought a thing about what i was doing- maybe guilt because in this puritanical society , mommy shouldn't get her wine on after the kiddies are in bed
but i have made the decision not to drink for awhile and get a checkup by my doc to make sure i didn't do any damage.
Forward we go...side by side-Rest In Peace
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Serene In Dixie
Posts: 36,740
Welcome to SR.....
Anyway you cutt it...a bottle of wine per night
is not social drinking
hope you will continue to be sober
glad it's no problem for you...
Anyway you cutt it...a bottle of wine per night
is not social drinking
hope you will continue to be sober
glad it's no problem for you...
Member
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: KC MO
Posts: 980
Only you can answer the "do I have a problem" question.
What complicates the problem is alcohol plays tricks on the mind.
Making the decision to not drink for a while is one of the big tests.
Stopping for a while might be easy, but long term might be difficult.
One day out of the blue you might decide 1 little drink won't hurt anything, and before you know it the bottle is gone. And your wondering how it happened.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying you will. But IF it does happen that is a sure sign of a problem.
One thing for sure. Stopping when you aren't sure is a lot easier than when one gets addicted..
I wish you the best.
Fred
What complicates the problem is alcohol plays tricks on the mind.
Making the decision to not drink for a while is one of the big tests.
Stopping for a while might be easy, but long term might be difficult.
One day out of the blue you might decide 1 little drink won't hurt anything, and before you know it the bottle is gone. And your wondering how it happened.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying you will. But IF it does happen that is a sure sign of a problem.
One thing for sure. Stopping when you aren't sure is a lot easier than when one gets addicted..
I wish you the best.
Fred
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 211,454
Hi Amin
Just to offer a different slant...
I can't count the number of posts I've read from people here glad they weren't drinking when their child had a late night medical emergency...so maybe there's more going on here than simple puritanism....
As Carol suggests 750 mls of wine a night is well in excess of US recommended standards
Just for comparision_ for most US adults, moderate alcohol use is defined as
In Australia, my country, the guidelines are slightly different, but still worth quoting. Keep in mind these guidelines are for the general public, not for those of us with drinking issues:
your 750ml bottle of wine is between 7 or eight standard drinks.
D
Just to offer a different slant...
I can't count the number of posts I've read from people here glad they weren't drinking when their child had a late night medical emergency...so maybe there's more going on here than simple puritanism....
As Carol suggests 750 mls of wine a night is well in excess of US recommended standards
Just for comparision_ for most US adults, moderate alcohol use is defined as
up to two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women and older people....one drink equals one 12-ounce bottle of beer or wine cooler, one 5-ounce glass of wine, or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits...
* For healthy men and women, drinking no more than two standard drinks on any day reduces your risk of harm from alcohol-related disease or injury over a lifetime.
* Drinking no more than four standard drinks on a single occasion reduces the risk of alcohol-related injury arising from that occasion.
* Drinking no more than four standard drinks on a single occasion reduces the risk of alcohol-related injury arising from that occasion.
D
Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 9
off and on 2 years with 750ml wine.
I would say that is a low-medium sized addiction.
U probably had an epiphany, since you want to 'not drink for a while' and get a checkup by doctor.
Whether u want to completely quit drinking or limit it to rare occasions is ur individual choice.
I would say that is a low-medium sized addiction.
U probably had an epiphany, since you want to 'not drink for a while' and get a checkup by doctor.
Whether u want to completely quit drinking or limit it to rare occasions is ur individual choice.
Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: NE
Posts: 69
everyone needs to drink to calm down. Alchoholics need to pass out to calm down, then wake up, to calm down from the night before, etc.. Big snowball.
It is so much better if you just quit one day at a time. It only causes problems, not one good thing does alchohol do. Let the sheep get drunk or buzzed, or chilled or whatever.
I'm done with the games.
It is so much better if you just quit one day at a time. It only causes problems, not one good thing does alchohol do. Let the sheep get drunk or buzzed, or chilled or whatever.
I'm done with the games.
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: MA
Posts: 3
Thanks everyone
for your advice... i greatly appreciate it.
i slept very well last night and i have to admit i feel so much more awake today. i feel clear- like a fog lifting off my eyes.
i was up at 6 am! i feel good and now i realize how freaking tired i was before.
i guess i was deluding myself and trying to convince myself it was ok and everything i was doing normal ( i know a few other mom's doing the same thing as i was)...
i having been trying to think as to why i was drinking every night - i believe i was de-stressing in the only way i thought i could. and like i said, i thought it was "normal" since other people i knew did it too...
after a long day with the kids and stressing out over money or whatever problems, my wine was my decompression medicine- i know i use alcohol definitely in the WRONG way.
i abuse it and didn't even realize it!
i slept very well last night and i have to admit i feel so much more awake today. i feel clear- like a fog lifting off my eyes.
i was up at 6 am! i feel good and now i realize how freaking tired i was before.
i guess i was deluding myself and trying to convince myself it was ok and everything i was doing normal ( i know a few other mom's doing the same thing as i was)...
i having been trying to think as to why i was drinking every night - i believe i was de-stressing in the only way i thought i could. and like i said, i thought it was "normal" since other people i knew did it too...
after a long day with the kids and stressing out over money or whatever problems, my wine was my decompression medicine- i know i use alcohol definitely in the WRONG way.
i abuse it and didn't even realize it!
Member
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: St. Louis, MO
Posts: 638
During an outpatiant treatment program I was in I met a lady who was in there for drinking wine at night as well. Seeing her stop drinking and the stories she would tell of her kids acknowledging the changes with in her was amazing. Good luck and glad to see are feeling a differance already.
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