sailorjohn

Well, have heard alcoholism described on countless occasions as the inability to control ones drinking.

Would you have a problem with describing yourself as an alcoholic, or just describing yourself to others as an alcoholic?

Btw, I limit that description of myself to a very select group.

And that label doesn't define who I am.

justsomeguy

One of my favorite quotes from Earl H.

AmericanGirl

Hi OWW-- I agree with what LaFemme said -- to me, what it's called matters less than why it's important.

Alcohol was far and away my big problem, but to offer a flipside perspective, sometimes I abused drugs the way you describe abusing alcohol. By the time I quit drinking, I rarely used drugs, but I realized when I quit drinking that this would mean no pot either, and definitely nothing harder. These things are deeply tied together in my mind and I simply can't recover unless it's from all mind-altering substances. So, from my point of you, it sounds like quitting drinking entirely would be a good idea for you. Good luck and

Onewithwings

Thanks everyone, this is all semantics really, I was not going to drink either way, I was just curious about the label "real alcoholic". Well, I certainly could not control my drinking, so I guess I am a "real alcoholic".

I ask this not because I am looking for an excuse to drink (I am an addict and therefore powerless over ANY mood/mind altering chemical) but because there are times in AA that I feel judged for not having drunk as much as the people whose main deal was alcohol. There are plenty of things I can relate to (powerlessness, driving intoxicated, feelings of worthlessness, recovery) and things I can't relate to (blackouts, liver damage, etc). I guess though I am a "high bottom" alcoholic (SO FAR. If I choose to drink again, my bottom might not be so high!) but an alcoholic nonetheless.

Thanks for clearing that up for me.

Zencat

According to the Mayo Clinic: "When you have alcoholism, you lose control over your drinking. You may not be able to control when you drink, how much you drink, or how long you drink on each occasion. If you have alcoholism, you continue to drink even though you know it's causing problems with your relationships, health, work or finances."

Treatment for this type of alcoholism can include but is not limited too; learning skills and establishing a treatment plan, peer support and treatment for psychological problems.

I have this type of alcoholism and my program for recovery is secular in nature. I agree with those that have wrote forget the labels if they pose a hindrance to recovery. I feel the actual problem of alcohol abuse/dependence is vastly more important than any label assigned to it. Especially if the label becomes a point of contention.

justsomeguy

19 year old walks into an AA meeting and says hes been drinking for 5 years. 50 year old says he drank for 30 years and the kid is not much of an alcoholic.

Kid says you were able to live through 30 years of drinking? You must not of been drinking anything like me. You must not be that serious of an alcoholic.

LaFemme

:rotfxko

TwelveSteps

I'm not a drug addict so can't speak for myself but I attend a chemical dependency program with people who have all sorts of addictions. I have a number of friends there who are back for their second time because although they were abstinent from their drug of choice, they thought drinking was OK, but once they started drinking, it didn't give them what they were missing from their DOC, and so went back out in search of that drug. Now they choose not to drink alcohol, and it seems like the safer choice.

Personally, I'm an alcoholic, and marijuana never really had any effect on me, but I still don't smoke pot when it's offered -- you just never know. I'd rather keep myself away from any substances that might be problematic, my sobriety is too important.

GG

Onewithwings

HA! That is so me. I used drugs since I was 11 but not seriously until I was 19 (I am 24 now). Almost died several times, OD'ing was a regular occurrence for me. My sponsor used for 25 years, 9 of which were IV'ing every day. I am amazed by this, because I am sure I would never make it TO 25 if I'd kept on the way I was going!

ChikkaB

Well, for me the labels alcoholic or addict are not that far apart. I had a crappy childhood and found drugs first, then moved laterally across to alcohol when I joined the Air Force, went overseas, didn't have drugs easily available anymore and had a lot of peer pressure to drink.

After I came back from the service I joined corporate America, so that meant "acceptable" drugs, meaning ones that would not show up in a p*ss test, so again, alcohol was easiest. By the time my life fell apart, it was pretty much straight booze because that was easiest and cheapest and I was very used to it.

I never considered myself an 'addict', but when I quit drinking I quit drugging, too, because it just seemed pointless to do all the hard work of being sober and not be, well, sober. My problem, as I saw it, was not that a substance had taken over my life, but that I'd never had the courage to live clean.

When I made the commitment to actually live, I had to drop all the labels as irrelevant. To dwell on the labels was to look at the problem from the wrong end of the telescope - instead of seeing myself as a loser who couldn't control my drinking or drugging or fears or whatever, I had to see myself as strong enough to handle life on my own no matter what. Glass half-full as it were.

I still drink coffee. One of these days I may be able to face a morning without it, but then again maybe not

Onewithwings

I quit drinking coffee, lol. Haven't had coffee in 5 months and 1 day.

Alcohol was not hard for me to quit, I don't usually crave it, but I have drank along with a couple of relapses because alcohol was like a booster for whatever drugs I was taking. It's that old addict/alcoholic thinking: If one is okay and two is better, then the more you can get the better!

Today is my first day without cigarettes (again) I quit when I quit coffee, and started again a few days before I relapsed, so it has only been maybe 2 weeks tops that I've been smoking again. Quitting that while I still have the chance! Plus a friend of mine in the program is just quit 2 days ago, so we can support each other a bit.

WatchTheSky

I've never understood the distinction between "addict" and "alcoholic." Drug addicts and alcoholics are both addicted to one or more drugs. I fit the criteria for alcohol dependence only, but I feel like an addict because I have an addiction to a substance that has great potential to destroy lives.

jerseytomato

For me there is no difference. I have an intense need to alter my mood with a substance any substance. I used to take pain pills in excess for a few years. This was when I was still way in denial. I managed to stop doing them for a few years and I managed to drink somewhat normally. After I gave birth to my second daughter, I was given IV pain medicine in the hospital. That triggered something in me that just sent me over the edge where I just needed to feel "high" so I picked up alcohol. Within a month I was hiding bottles, making almost daily trips to the liquor store and the past four years of my life where ruined. So in my opinion, anyone who abuses any substance cannot successfully use anything that alters your mood like a normal person can.

Danae

Great point. I was thinking the other day that my behavior around food (sneaking it, hiding how much I was eating from other people, eating in secret, obsessing about food---particularly sweets) far predated any drinking in my life. It makes me wonder about addictive personalities. I'm not known for moderation in anything.

So...when I exercise, it is all or nothing. Either I'm a total couch potato or I'm throwing myself into it. Clearly not a healthy pattern, but so longstanding and integral to who I am.

I am amazed by some people who have no problem with moderation in anything. My mom can eat one brownie, had no problem quitting smoking. Hard for me to believe we actually share any genetic material!

D

Boleo

IMNSHO those who choose not to drink ODAAT are not "real alcoholics". I only tried that about 19,000 times before I realized I had lost the power of choice when it came to drinking.

Not that I did not to use ODAAT to get my first 30 days. That was the equivalent of starting out in first gear for me. I had to shift gears shortly after that to keep from blowing my engine.

laurie6781

(((((Onewithwings)))))

I got to AA just 3 weeks shy of my 36th birthday. I drank like a man, not a woman. I had an Old Timer tell me he spilled more than I drank .................................. and in my arrogance in my early recovery my answer was:

"Man you sure were a sloppy drunk."

That same Old Timer made a bet of $20 with someone else in the program that I would not make a year. When I took my year cake, he came up to me after the meeting and said that was the best bet ever that he ever lost, roflmao. He also said, because by then he knew some of my story, that he would never do that again to a newcomer, not know how much they drank that I had taught him it was not the 'amount' but what the alcohol did to a person, and that for sure had I been around when he was still drinking I would have drunk him under the table.

So ............................................ it is not how much one drinks, it is what the alcohol does to us.

J M H O

Love and hugs,

TwelveSteps

WOW. How appalling that someone in the program would do this. It's a good reminder that our fellows in AA can be a great source of support and advice, but they're NOT therapists, just regular folks, and some are better at being supportive than others...

GG

Austinchica

Ok, I have big issues with people starting to define what alcoholism is and isn't, I don't think being able to stop at two drinks makes you not an alcoholic. This is potentially harmful for those of us who are severely affected by alcohol and can stop at two and sometimes four drinks , it is how you use alcohol as a coping mechanism that would indicate you are an alcoholic.
I'm starting a new thread on this because there is a huge misconception about what makes someone have a problem with alcohol.

Cog

I agree. I can at times have a couple of beers and that's it. Other times I will drink enough to drown a horse. I once stopped drinking for 15 months with the help of AA (and there was no way I could have done it on my own). Another time I stopped for 3 years, on my own.

I think (for me at any rate), it is best to just think in terms of drug addiction. I am addicted to / dependent on the drug called alcohol. I continue to drink even though it is affecting my health etc (negative consequences). I can moderate, but not for long, and I cannot maintain my drinking at a moderate level. That's good enough for me, a "real" alcoholic

TheTinMan

I like to refer to The Doctor's Opinion. It's mentions several times about being alergic to alcohol. That is me. That is what I tell people. I'm alergic. One leads to 8 or a dozen. Not always but way too often.