HelterSkelter67

i joined a little while ago, asking if i had a drinking problem and trying to reign in my drinking. i will admit i drink a bit more than most people. i don't know if it's a problem, it doesn't really interfere with anything, but i am concerned about the possible side effects of drinking. i know it's not healthy, yet i still find my self drinking almost every night when there is alcohol available. when there isn't any available though i don't feel compelled to drink, i don't feel any or at least not much desire to drink. after a few weeks i feel like buying a bottle and just have a few drinks, but a few turns into a lot. i don't really keep track but it goes from one to having another to keep from having that premature hangover to feeling good to nursing that buzz to riding the edge between buzzed and drunk to maintaining the buzz-drunk border.

i just really don't know what to do. it's not affecting my life in any way, i wake up feeling fine and take care of school, work, and family, but i'm not stupid enough to be short-sighted enough to not see this becoming something more.

overit99

hey there
My advice is to get ontop of it now. I used to just binge drink and get wasted to pick up girls and have fun. But I hit it for a month straight and ever since then started drinking every night. I never really got hang overs and didnt think it was too much to worry about. For me lyingabout it and sneasking drinks in I knew thatI needed to do something and I am. Its been 1 month for me starting to become normal.

Keep it up just try to go for a month and see how you go.

HelterSkelter67

i made it a few weeks and then fell back into the same old routine. i really don't know why. i guess i am just weaker than i thought i was.


i just really, really like being drunk, it feels so good. :**

Johno1967

Your drinking may be affecting more in your life than you know, it can be hard to see when it's your own behavior. When I smoked I could not see a problem my passive smoke was having on others. When I got drunk I knew it was causing me some grief, but heck it was not that bad and I wasn't hurting anyone right? Wrong. My drinking probably caused more problems direct and indirect than I'll ever know. If you think it's absolutely harmless and you have kids ask yourself what kind of message they are getting about responsible use of alcohol from you. Ask yourself what sort of health problems you are lining yourself up for in the future and how that may affect your family. Ask yourself why getting drunk seems to be so "good" when obviously you are not happy that it does. You are here asking if you drink too much, the real question you should be asking is why and whether the tail is wagging the dog.

tjhook

I loved being high or drunk......felt good to me as well.

But it sure wasn't worth everything that I ended up losing.

doggonecarl

I didn't quit because I stopped liking being drunk. I stopped drinking because I realized I needed it. Need is different from like.

If you are unable to quit drinking, despite your sincere desire to do so, you are in problem territory.

sphalerite

Then you're not stupid enough to realise that you need to stop.

You were me almost 16 years ago.
No problem, not affecting my life--hell, I loved the buzz, and could handle anything the next day.
I even realised that I was not stupid enough to see that it "might" become a problem...

It did. And it has. "Almost every night" turned into every night....Then at last, every morning, every day.

You might not want to believe what I say now, but within years (for me, I went on like you for a long time) you *may* end up drinking every day. LOTS every day. And it will effect every part of your life. Please, please, heed my warning.

I wish I would have believed myself all those years ago. And been able to stop then.

HelterSkelter67

what i meant was i am not dumb enough to think it will never become a problem.

tomsteve

"it's not affecting my life in any way, ...." yet
not sayin it will, but You're Eligible, Too.

fantail

Haha OK well I just recommended this on another thread but I'll be a broken record: give it a try for 90 days! That's what I did. In my case it made me realize that I should stay quit. It might mean that for you, or it might not, but in any event 90 days without drinking will help you learn a lot about your relationship with alcohol. It was nice for me to be able to make the decision without the fear of quitting, because that part was behind me.

HelterSkelter67

i'll see how long i can go.

ams0602

You're here. And you're talking about it with concern... So maybe it is a problem.

I'm reminded of the book "Drinking: A Love Story" by Caroline Knapp where she says, "People who aren't alcoholics don't stay up at night wondering whether or not they are alcoholics". And another: "If you're an alcoholic you shouldn't drink, and if you're not then you don't need to."

I'm not saying you're a hardcore alcoholic by any means... But you are concerned about it which raises a red flag to me.

Give sobriety a go and see what you conclude (sorry to turn the thread into a broken record - everyone has said that same thing). And remember that a hallmark of alcoholism is lying to yourself and rationalizing behavior. Make sure you are brutally honest when you take self-inventory.

Good luck! Here's to some sober time! :-)

StevenT

Keep it simple and focus on not drinking today, don't let tomorrow into your mind yet, its not here. We all have one thing in common here. We all have quit. Some have stayed quit. There's alot of experience here about what it takes and what you can do. Don't be afraid to be honest with us, chances are someone here can relate and tell you what they did.

I wish you the best on your journey!

HelterSkelter67

thanks.

instant

Its not until I tried to stop that I realised how deep I was in. It was fun when I was young , but that was some time ago. It took me years yo get to the point I could break free.

The stuff is addictive. The more often you drink, the more often you will drink.

artsoul

I agree with what instant said..... When you start battling with yourself (to drink or not to drink) and find that drinking keeps winning, it's not a good sign. The problem is, there's no clear-cut line between normal drinking and problem drinking..... it's more of a subtle progression where alcohol takes on a bigger and bigger role in our lives.

It's a real positive that you're here and asking questions.....