ItsMe23

Hey all,
I just signed up here in hopes of finding other people to relate with. I will explain my background a bit. Started drinking casually when i was 16 but i didn't like it much. When i turned 21 i started drinking very heavily, to the point of where it was everyday. Then by 22 i was just getting out of control, drinking to blackout stages every time. Getting in fights with friends etc etc. Now i got ahold of the situation and got off it for 4 months. Then finally cracked under peer pressure on the 4th of july. i began drinking again only on weekends but still drinking to blackout points.

So as it sits right now i got a dwi due to the fact, and its like I"m fine all week but every Saturday i start craving for a drink if you will. I believe i just like the feeling it gives and i am also bored.

so the good news is i have it down to one day a week, the bad is i am having trouble getting rid of it completely? I'm 23 btw thanks for any opinions !

CarolD

Welcome to SR......

If you only drink once a week....and want to stop....
why not find something of interest to do on Sat. night?
Keep busy doing ??? and see how that goes.

Glad you are seeking a better healthier future.

ItsMe23

yeah if i can keep busy i can manage to control it. It just seems that i end up getting bored and decided to spice things up with a drink(which always turns out bad) cause i cannot just have one,ever. Alcoholism runs strong in my family and i don't want to be another one.

CarolD

Then I suggest you get commected to AA.
One thing I've never been in AA is bored...

We do all sorts of interesting things outside of meetings.
Find a group with a lot of young people.

ItsMe23

^^Yeah i have always been kind of reluctant to goto AA. Not because i don't want the help. But more or less people that have been psychical and mentally addicted to alcohol for years on end, i feel that they would almost look down on me.

CarolD

AA members are there to help each other find a better
sober future. Is that not what you want for yourself?

Why not check it out?
The door is open for those interested
in winning over alcohol....

You can always leave if AA is not for you.
No one will tie you to a chair
but give yourself the chance ...try several
different meetings.

ItsMe23

No that is what i want. Let me try and restate it. I basically feel like they will look at me and just be like "this kid thinks he has a problem, he doesn't know what a problem really is"

How do i go about finding a meeting anyway, if i dare ask

edit - i hate to drink, even if i don't do anything stupid i always wake up with feelings of regret.

CarolD

I'm pleased you asked......

Alcoholics Anonymous :

has a meeting finder

Like bars....each meeting is slightly different....
Here is a good link about what to expect

http://www.bma-wellness.com/papers/F...A_Meeting.html

All my best....

DayTrader

HEH... I know THAT feeling. I used to look at the guys who claimed they drank alcoholically for 20, 30 or more years and would think, "Man, there's now WAY you drank like I did for 30 years - NO human body could withstand what I was doing to myself for much longer than I did."

LOL...that was a case of the GOOD use of my ego - it kept me feeling "qualified" to be there even though my serious drinking only lasted about10 years.

Age, quantities, what brand you drank, what form it took (wine, beer, vodka), frequency (every day, weekends only, occasional binge drinker)........ none of that stuff matters in AA. If you feel compelled to go back to it when you know you shouldn't and IF that first one or two turns into a craving for more that you can't always control - and you want to do something......anything....to change that - WELCOME TO AA my friend!! You're just like me you just "caught the bug" earlier in life than I did but you've got the same thing I've got.

Harry01854

They will understand and know why you are there. They will know you have a drinking problem and that your looking for help. Not necessary to reach a bottom that many have had to reach. It is a good thing that you know you have a problem now and want to do something about it. Better than waiting until you die from this disease.

Good luck, you'll get a lot of help here also. Lot of good people here and they are more than willing to help.

A.A. has worked for me because I worked to live a better life. And it was the 12 Step program of A.A. that taught me that.

But you will find that there are other ways beside A.A. It is your decision to make.

God bless,

Harry

ItsMe23

See the messed up part to the whole situation is. If im with friends/family/girlfriend i have no desire what so ever to get into the stuff. But if i end up alone and bored (due to their work schedules etc, then i just trick myself hey why not have a few.

Yeah AA is in the cards for me

DayTrader

My own experience is that once I had crossed the line into alcoholism......it only got worse. I wasn't a bar drinker until I started drinking at bars. I only drank a couple nights a week until I started drinking more often. I only drank beer/booze that I "liked" until I got willing to drink almost anything available. I wasn't a morning drinker - until I started drinking in the mornings.

Again, the key questions are:
When you're not drinking, do you find yourself wishing you were or looking forward to when you can drink again?
When you start, are you always able to control how much you drink or do you tend to drink more than you intended to? <--that one's the biggie. No non-alcoholic drinker drinks more than they want or intend to - not with any regularity anyway.

ItsMe23

Sorry if I am coming off like I'm sugar coating the issue. I do not have a very strong desire to drink. But if I do have one drink, I will continue to drink until I black out. There is no control over it.

DayTrader

Well my friend, the AA literature which has stood the test of time is pretty clear about that reality - no non-alcoholic drinker EVER experiences that. People like me though, we experience it just about every time we start. Drinking for oblivion and doing it just about every time.

Well, you're qualified for our little club of a couple million......LOL. The next questions are a little tougher:

Do you want to do something about it?
Are you willing to try to do something about it?
How willing are you?

I had to think about those for a while. ...did the "I'll try on my own" dance for many months but deep down, I never really wanted to quit "forever." I hope you don't have to take it as far as I did. I hope you're able to answer "yes, yes, anything" to those questions a whole lot sooner than I was.

rws177

I'm 27 and have just started going to AA even though I have not had a drink in 10 months. What I am finding there is people who are as old as 70 and as young as 17. Sometimes the 17yr old has been through quite a lot and I know this from just going 6-7meetings thus far. No one is going to look at you and question why you are there. Everyone has a story, they maybe differant in some ways but are very similar at the same time.