Wondering if Im an alcoholic
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Amsterdam
Posts: 1
Wondering if Im an alcoholic
Hey,
I have been wondering about alcoholism the last few months, I have done a few tests that you can find online if i would be a alcoholic but all the test were negative, Still i cant keep from wondering to if i am one.
I don't drink every day, and if i do i can stop whenever i want but i do drink atleast a bottle of JW red label a week, This is at home. Friday night i usually go out and then i drink beer, I think around 10 pints average.
I am single and so when i drink at home i am by myself, i wonder is this weird?
I hope to hear what you guys think.
Thanks
I have been wondering about alcoholism the last few months, I have done a few tests that you can find online if i would be a alcoholic but all the test were negative, Still i cant keep from wondering to if i am one.
I don't drink every day, and if i do i can stop whenever i want but i do drink atleast a bottle of JW red label a week, This is at home. Friday night i usually go out and then i drink beer, I think around 10 pints average.
I am single and so when i drink at home i am by myself, i wonder is this weird?
I hope to hear what you guys think.
Thanks
Member
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Middle of MO
Posts: 666
You'll have to answer that one yourself. Know that folks who are not alcoholic never wonder whether or no they are. It sounds as though stopping the drinking would be a good thing for you....that desire is all that is needed!
Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Louisville, KY
Posts: 154
Only you can answer that question.
Perhaps you can try some controlled drinking. Go out and only have one- evaluate how you feel. Are you happy? Do you crave more? Do you have just as much fun without the alcohol?
You can also try not drinking- just quit. See how you feel. Are you happy? How long can you go? Do your problems get better without the alcohol or do they get worse?
Best of luck to you!
Perhaps you can try some controlled drinking. Go out and only have one- evaluate how you feel. Are you happy? Do you crave more? Do you have just as much fun without the alcohol?
You can also try not drinking- just quit. See how you feel. Are you happy? How long can you go? Do your problems get better without the alcohol or do they get worse?
Best of luck to you!
Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Posts: 889
Narayanna - Welcome. The one quote that has stuf with me throught the years was an advertisment on TV. It went like this. "If you think you have a problem with drugs or alcohol, (insert dramatic long pause) you probably do".... I attend AA and all they say is the only requirement is the desire to stop drinking. Not saying you have to go to AA, but the way I look at it is if you feel like you want to better control or stop your drinking that says quite a bit right there. Noboday can tell you if you are an alcoholic, but for me it was something I knew for many years before actally making a decsion to quit. Even after making that decision, I continued to drink for another 3 years. It's tough man, I wish you the best of luck!
SR Fan
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Mississippi
Posts: 7,910
Welcome Nurayana - It's hard to say when we cross the line between social drinking and alcoholic drinking. There's a lot of stages we go through. When I first started drinking, I overindulged a good bit of the time but could go for weeks without thinking about it. It progressed to where I really looked forward to the weekends/parties, and then I started drinking here and there on a weeknights, and so on......
Alcoholism is progressive, so if you see yourself drinking more or more often over a period of time, it's a real red flag. I would just be honest with yourself as to how much you desire it (or how easily you could stop for a month or two). We don't have to suffer consequences to have a problem.
I admire you for asking the questions now - hope you get your answer!
Alcoholism is progressive, so if you see yourself drinking more or more often over a period of time, it's a real red flag. I would just be honest with yourself as to how much you desire it (or how easily you could stop for a month or two). We don't have to suffer consequences to have a problem.
I admire you for asking the questions now - hope you get your answer!
Member
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Toronto, ON
Posts: 1,591
Judging from what you said, it's hard to say. It could be. I was similar to that in my early 20s, even a little later. Before I turned 28 though, it was like I crossed a boundary and was suddenly in a new life of drinking every day. I wasn't always alone, but this became a norm for me. (I had started drinking by myself at home years before, but it was very infrequent; I was usually with other people when I did.) For the last 8 or more years of my drinking, it was every night by myself at home, and it was rare that something would interfere with that. If I needed to be at somebody's house for a visit or a company event, I would have either nothing to drink or a maximum of one just to fit in, so that I could drive home and drink there.
You can take a look at some other online quizzes again and see what comes out. The question that still stands out in my mind is the one that goes "Do you need to drink to feel normal?" I was familiar with the meaning behind that.
In my case, I had an understanding of my problem for a long time (my description of how I would orchestrate matters so that my drinking at home was seldom interrupted had been a sign I recognized all along). I don't assume you are a great big liar, but it's possible to take online quizzes and just deny the truth. I had done that before. An alcoholic will drink on top of the knowledge of what is going on. When they begin to see a problem, it's more comforting to disregard it and to maintain what alcohol does for that person, because the line has long since been crossed.
So, I don't conclude anything about you, and I don't expect you to do that yet either. But it's good to interact with people about it and doing that here will help. You can take in the stories from others and observe your friends and yourself; piece together examples of behaviour and memories, emotions.... Maybe that will give you an indication. You can also pursue the topic with professionals OR try out an AA meeting and see if you recognize yourself in the range of different people that talk there.
You can take a look at some other online quizzes again and see what comes out. The question that still stands out in my mind is the one that goes "Do you need to drink to feel normal?" I was familiar with the meaning behind that.
In my case, I had an understanding of my problem for a long time (my description of how I would orchestrate matters so that my drinking at home was seldom interrupted had been a sign I recognized all along). I don't assume you are a great big liar, but it's possible to take online quizzes and just deny the truth. I had done that before. An alcoholic will drink on top of the knowledge of what is going on. When they begin to see a problem, it's more comforting to disregard it and to maintain what alcohol does for that person, because the line has long since been crossed.
So, I don't conclude anything about you, and I don't expect you to do that yet either. But it's good to interact with people about it and doing that here will help. You can take in the stories from others and observe your friends and yourself; piece together examples of behaviour and memories, emotions.... Maybe that will give you an indication. You can also pursue the topic with professionals OR try out an AA meeting and see if you recognize yourself in the range of different people that talk there.
Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 191
I don't have any data or expertise, but I feel like there's some truth to the idea that if you think you have a problem with alcohol, you probably do. I also think a good test for it would be to see if you could just not drink for a while (or significantly reduce your usage and be honest with yourself!). If you can do that without any real difficulty, then maybe you don't have a problem.
Personally I've found not drinking to be fairly hard, further confirming my notion that I have problems with alcohol.
Either way, regardless of what the quizzes tell you, you're probably drinking more than the drinking guidelines in your area. 10 pints plus a bottle of hard liquor a week is a lot. No matter what you conclude, you should probably reduce your drinking. Again, if that's super easy, then maybe those quizzes are right.
Personally I've found not drinking to be fairly hard, further confirming my notion that I have problems with alcohol.
Either way, regardless of what the quizzes tell you, you're probably drinking more than the drinking guidelines in your area. 10 pints plus a bottle of hard liquor a week is a lot. No matter what you conclude, you should probably reduce your drinking. Again, if that's super easy, then maybe those quizzes are right.
Dismember
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: The Mitten, USA
Posts: 1,641
Hello, Narayana.
There is no drinking range to alcoholism. For myself, I pounded the stuff, up to two fifths of liquor a day, but there are others here who have struggled with a bottle of wine per day. Amount is irrelevant; only how you handle it.
I say don't bother with "alcoholic/not an alcoholic." That's a hard call for anyone to make as it begs the question, what is an alcoholic? I'd stick with the more simple, do you want to or would your life be better if you cut back or quit drinking? You don't have to be an alcoholic in order to quit. If you think you could do better without alcohol in your life then try to eliminate it; don't worry about alcoholism.
There is no drinking range to alcoholism. For myself, I pounded the stuff, up to two fifths of liquor a day, but there are others here who have struggled with a bottle of wine per day. Amount is irrelevant; only how you handle it.
I say don't bother with "alcoholic/not an alcoholic." That's a hard call for anyone to make as it begs the question, what is an alcoholic? I'd stick with the more simple, do you want to or would your life be better if you cut back or quit drinking? You don't have to be an alcoholic in order to quit. If you think you could do better without alcohol in your life then try to eliminate it; don't worry about alcoholism.
2nd chance at a 1st cl*** life
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: San Jose, Ca
Posts: 492
Your the only one that can tell you that you're an alcoholic. People can say that you may or may not exhibit characteristics of an alcoholic, but like I and many before me said, you're the only one that can come to that conclusion. I didn't think I was an alcoholic, then I started attending AA meetings. I heard my story being told by others when they told their own. Being an alcoholic isn't a question of how much or how often you drink, but how you drink. I drank at home alone all the time. Unlike you I wasn't able to stop when I wanted to. Once I had that first drink it was on and I wasn't stopping until I passed out or until I was all out of booze and the liquor stores were closed, which ever came first. Alcoholics aren't the type of people that can stop drinking when they want to, once the first drink is consumed the allergy of cravings sets in and we want more and more. There is a saying in AA that goes "one is too many, and one-thousand is never enough". You mentioned that you took some online tests that came up negative, well I hope you're not like I was and not able to be honest with yourself. I've taken all those tests before and my results always came up negative because I would lie, I didn't want to be an alcoholic. I suggest you tread carefully because alcoholism is a progressive disease and before you know it you are an alcoholic. If you really truly want to know if your an alcoholic I would suggest you attend a few AA meetings. Listen to the stories and listen for the similarities. Listen to someone talk about where they started and where they ended up. You might hear someone else telling your story while telling their own.
bona fido dog-lover
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: SF Bay area, CA
Posts: 99,780
Welcome to SR!
I agree that 'normal' drinkers don't question their drinking at all, it's not an issue. And the fact that you're on a recovery site asking that question indicates that you likely do think it's a problem. I'd suggest just giving it up for a while, a few months perhaps. If you find yourself thinking about drinking a lot then maybe you do have a problem. On the other hand if it's no big deal to give it up then perhaps you don't.
I gave it up for good a year ago and don't miss it at all.
I agree that 'normal' drinkers don't question their drinking at all, it's not an issue. And the fact that you're on a recovery site asking that question indicates that you likely do think it's a problem. I'd suggest just giving it up for a while, a few months perhaps. If you find yourself thinking about drinking a lot then maybe you do have a problem. On the other hand if it's no big deal to give it up then perhaps you don't.I gave it up for good a year ago and don't miss it at all.
Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: the high desert
Posts: 887
You are the only one who can answer the question. You need to decide how alcohol is impacting your life, and if you would be better without it.
My typical response and thought when people ask this question, however, is that those who do not have a drinking problem typically do not ask themselves this or spend any time wondering about it.
My typical response and thought when people ask this question, however, is that those who do not have a drinking problem typically do not ask themselves this or spend any time wondering about it.
Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 76
I don't think drinking one bottle of wine a week is anything to worry about, but drinking TEN PINTS of beer on a single night is to me at least, extremely excessive. You could conceivably die of alcohol poisoning from drinking that much on a single day. I would try to avoid this kind binge drinking at all costs.
As others have said, if you have to ask yourself if you have a problem, then you may very well have one.
As others have said, if you have to ask yourself if you have a problem, then you may very well have one.
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