FreeDance

My sister just said, "I'm an alcoholic" after a year of habitual drinking, and a month of drinking about a bottle of wine a night.

Me? I've been drinking for 35 years. All this time I've been in therapy, taking meds, etc... I'm habituated to it.

I'm used to it. I am not sure I can function without it. I'd really like to hear from somebody who's spent 35 years of their life drinking, and became accustomed to sobriety.

Thanks!

gaffo

I drank for thirty years. I drank well, I'm told, but I knew I was an alcoholic hiding my problem in plain sight. Drinking beer was a part of me. I've been sober for two years and I am now accustomed to it. It's amazing, really.

ippochick

i'm 40. i first got passed-out-throwing-up drunk at age 9.

quite the drinking career.

BarbieKen

Hi Freedance,
I started drinking at age 25. I've learned first hand this is a progressive disease (whoopie). I'm 55. My drinking in the last decade or more became an everyday ritual. One bottle of wine, ended up being 2 bottles or more. Plus assorted other nighttime sipping cocktails. Throw on Melatonin to make sure I passed out each night. Well, you lived the story too. I thought I'd go on drinking till I died. But, back in November a ta-da moment from somewhere. I'm not a Christian or in any organized religion....but a very strong something pushed me hard. So much so that on November 12th of last year I was in Kaiser De-tox for 3 days. I didn't know the word (surrender), all I knew was I was DONE with wine, with alcohol, just finished. I then, with the love & support, of my husband and son put myself into a women's Rehab. Fast forward, Friday, I'm 8 months sober. I use the AA Program. It's a very comfortable fit for me. I now totally understand the logic behind, until 'they' are ready, no amount of pleading, crying, begging will make someone quit drinking. I don't want to preach AA here, so I won't. I'll just say I'm active everyday in my recovery. I love being me again! :-D Bobbi

Kathleen41

Started at age 12 or 13, stopped at age 41. That's about 28 years. I was "accustomed" to it too! Had no major legal trouble or health condition that made me want quit. Just got sick and tired of being sick and tired!!

I'm sober 8 months now with the help of AA. The hard part about it is not putting down the bottle. The hard part about it is learning how to live soberly. I do all kinds of things now and respond to all types of life's calamities without drinking. It can be done, but it takes work.

What else did you want to know??

Kathleen41

BarbieKen, Is 11/5/12 your sober birthday?? I think we may share a birthday!!

john44

I first drank in high school but didn't really like it back then. I started drinking fairly often in my early 20s, moderately from 25 to 45 (really didn't think about it at all). At 45, after a major health scare, I started drinking and it progressed to full-blown alcoholism by 48-49. I'm 51 and sober now by the grace of God. It's so bad now that if I were to drink, I'd have to be in detox within days.

GroundhogDay

I'm not sure exactly when it became a problem for me. About 2-3 years ago. I had drank too much on occasion before then, but it wasn't interfering with my life.

Mountainmanbob

LDT

I drank for over 30 years. Drank like a normie for a long time, which somehow slid into not drinking like a normie. I started really spiraling after a devastating hurricane in 2005. Decided to quit drinking about 2 years ago. Stayed sober for over 18 months....went back out for a few.....was reminded of how horrible and flat out stupid drinking was....so I quit again, this time for good. I'm coming up on 7 months (again), and am happily sober.

Nevertheless

I drank for over 30 years. Started when I was 16. Knew I had a problem when I was 20. Quit right before turning 50.
For me,quitting was a complete change of life. Things normal people take for granted were reborn for me. Something as simple as life after sundown. Being sober when the sun went down was something I hadn't experienced since I could remember. I was in awe,that I could get in my car and drive after dark. I was always too drunk to go anywhere. The list goes on and on.
I am very accustomed to sobriety. I can't believe I wasted so much of my life with a monkey on my back. I am now free from all of that. it truely is freedom.
I wish you the best.

Fred

doggonecarl

I started drinking at 18. After 36 years of drinking I pretty much resigned myself to drinking for the rest of my life. But in a moment of HP-inspired clarity, I got sober at 54.

I don't know if the length of time drinking is a factor for recovery. I know it took longer than a year to get accustomed to not running to alcohol for any one of a hundred excuses. But I've embraced sobriety (almost three years, now) and am so glad I got sober when I did.

Johno1967

Given what I grew up around I was an alcoholic in waiting from birth. Fear of the belt stayed my hand as a Child but I had the taste for it by the time I was 14. I was free to drink once I moved out and into the Army at 18. Then 27 Years of swearing to myself and others "I'll never touch another drop as long as I live" until I asked my HP for help.
Sober now 9 months. Grace of God.

Lightning Bug

2 years.

jkb

Started drinking at 18. It was always a problem. Quit at 36. I've spent half my life drunk.

foodie1

I started drinking at 14, daily, hiding it and such and continued that way until 34. I'm very happily coming up on two years sober, becoming accustomed to being happy.

findingout

Drank for 25 years, each year more than the last until I could not function, as in leave the house, without it.

Been sober for 10 years, each year different from the last. I have not found that being sober has kept me from doing anything I wanted to do sober.

FBL

Starting drinking at age 14..finally quit at age 43. Out of those 29 years, the last 10 years or so I was drunk nearly EVERY day.

Been sober for over 4 years now and wouldn't go back for anything.

regeneration

Started at 12, kept going until 41. Now stopped for 16 months.

I used booze to relate to others/function (or more like damp down anxieties/relate to others).

Towards the end, it made my functioning worse.

FreeDance, it is possible to learn and enjoy life sober. It's taking me time to learn new sober skills, but I figure that if I was using alcohol to self-medicate for nearly 3 decades everything will not get solved overnight.

I wish I'd done it years ago.

Do you want to stop? If you do I think it's easier to get support from groups, if not in person perhaps online support. I also read a lot of recovery literature, it helped hammer it home to me that I was psychologically addicted to booze. It's likely if you're considering stopping if you go to groups or read more you will find some recognition too e.g. others saying they thought they needed it to function now they're glad they stopped.

Enough100

I started drinking at age 14 and got stupid drunk. I drank an entire six-pack of beer on my own in less than 1/2 hour. From that moment on, I now know, that I was a drunk. I'm 54 today and was drinking for 40 years. When I stopped, I was drinking almost an entire fifth of vodka after work, per day. I drank that amount of vodka in less than 3 hours, went to bed and got up the next morning and went to work. No one ever knew...but me.