SimplyNothing

Yet recently have started to crave drinks. I hate the feeling of drunkenness, and so don't really get drunk (though I have before.) Yet even so I find that A) my tolerance has built very slightly; and B) I want alcohol daily, and abstain literally for the sake of my health.

So I guess what I'm asking is am I an alcoholic if I want to drink? I read a good quote that said 'those who can control their drinking don't have a voice in their head telling them they can.' I have that voice, but I only imbibe in the 10-16 drink a week range, spread out over the whole week.

I'm also wondering if alcoholism can develop slowly so that you don't notice until you're there.

Thanks in advance. and Merry Christmas.

diffingo911

Yes. it's very true-Alcoholism "creeps" up on us.

Slowly, but surely it sneaks up on us and gets us when we're least expecting...

Like a SNAKE !!!

diffingo911

Funny-I noticed, You're from Alberta too. I have read Alberta has the Highest rate of Alcoholism in the world-next only to SIBERIA-just FYI, fellow Albertan !!!

Raider

Only you know if you are an alcoholic.

Dee74

It certainly built slowly for me...it was very incremental.

All I can tell you is it's not normal to crave drinks, especially not everyday.

If you want support to quit, you've come to the right place SN

Gal220

I just had to read this when I saw the title "So I was drinking moderately. . ."! Alcoholism certainly is progressive. I'm one of those who shot out of the gate as a full blown, drink until I get drunk every night kind of people. But most people I know who are alcoholics, and most people I read about on here talk about the progression. They talk about a point when they could have taken note of the signs and could have stopped, but now they can't. So I guess the question isn't, "Can I stop, so therefore am I an alcoholic or not?" Instead, maybe think, "Should I stop?" Would my life be better without it? Is it adding anything positive to my life? If not, then I don't need to do it any more. I use that formula for a lot of things in my life. Good luck to you!

newme2day

Progressive for sure. I know there was a time when I didn't NEED to buy a bottle of wine every weekend, but I can't remember exactly when things changed for me. I probably drank less than you per week, Simply, but it is the obsessive thoughts that were killing me. I WANTED to drink everyday, but I knew that would make me an alcoholic, right? So, I tried like heck to moderate . . .only on the weekends . . .I kept it up, but it was hard. I constantly think about the next time I can drink. It was my "reward" for all I do during the week. But I could see where I was headed. I'm not sure how much longer I had before it progressed farther. I am trying hard to stay sober right now, but there's that voice that is telling me I'm ok . . .I'm not an alcoholic . . .and I want so badly to believe it.

SimplyNothing

Lol it's not hard to believe given our weather. :P But I'm fairly certain that's incorrect. I'm a student of science, and I've reviewed epidemiological surveys of global alcoholism trends. Canada and America's numbers are very similar, and Eastern Europe is a flippin mess.

It's true though that rates of alcoholism seem to be higher in areas with an unfavorable climate.

Glad someone here can empathize with me then about how garbagey our weather is.

SimplyNothing

That's unfortunate as I currently have no idea.

Perhaps I should refrain from drinking then.

I thought it might be possible. I was just floored when the same two glasses of wine that had me feeling pretty calm and self-satisfied the week before did essentially nil this week.
I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that I tried a single shot of everclear last week for the first time in my drinking career. I loved how it was like being punched in the face by tipsiness. I drank that, plus two beers over a five hour period. That morning was the first time I had ever woken up and felt a shudder almost within my nerves. It was unsettling. Yet I decided the following evening to try a shot of everclear again. Only the everclear. Woke up with the same feeling despite having only what would be considered two standard drinks, with pain in my abdomen to boot.

That ended the everclear experiment. I drank once since then, developed pain in my upper right abdomen the following day (from a 4 drink evening) and haven't drank since. This has all happened over the course of about a week in a half.

If it is progressive things seem to be picking up. Everything was pretty hunky dory in terms of drinking for about four years there.

I didn't think it was normal to want to drink everyday. That's the alarming part.

Thanks I think I do.

I like that line of reasoning. I'm beginning to think I should. In terms of it adding something positive to my life, I'm still at the point where it makes me feel warm and wonderful, with few if any residual effects the following day. Well... up until recently. Whether or not it's good to have something outside of yourself making you feel the way you'd like to is up for debate I suppose. Really it's the want to drink that's beginning to frighten me. I feel like I've begun a silent battle I had no intention of being involved in.

I definitely can empathize. My mind feels like a liar and an enemy. It's like two different aspects of me are at odds with one another.

Well done on trying to stay sober though. How are you doing now?

SimplyNothing

Whoa sorry! I missed your initial post there.

I guess if it's sneaking up on me I may already be an alcoholic. Or at least have the tendencies towards it. Simply because I'm very conscious of the want to drink, and have been drinking alone, though moderately, at my house, for over a year now.

I think that would be a more apt description of my condition at this point, would be alcoholic tendencies though. And the more I read, the more I think it's time to arrest the situation now while I can.

MIRecovery

Alcoholism is progressive. Nobody starts out at the bottom. Some are faster than others but the path is always down hill

Nevertheless

One thing for sure. Once you realize you are hooked,it's like quick sand. It is very hard to get out. I wanted out for a long long time. But I didn't want out bad enough to actually get out. That is alcoholism. You want out,but you don't want out. Finally the time came when I wanted to quit more than I wanted to drink. It took 30 years for that time to come. It wasn't really progressive for me,but that means nothing. Because predicting this stuff is like predicting a tornado. You just don't know. All it takes is for the wind to change.
Even though I wanted to quit more than anything in the world,it was still one of the hardest things I ever accomplished. What I am trying to say is I hope you quit before you start sinking in the quicksand. Don't get stuck in the first place,because it's a trap you'll wish you never got trapped in.
I wish you the best..
Fred

newme2day

Simply, I am currently closing out 26 days sober. For the most part, I am doing really well. Today was just one of those days where I struggled with the voice telling me . . . Perhaps just a few drinks during the holidays. I really want to stay sober, so I will devise a plan for the holidays. Good luck to you. You got a lot of good advice today. If you feel like talking more feel free to send me a private message.

DoPerdition

All I can say is that I was in the 10-16 drinks per week range and still consider myself an alcoholic. For me it is all about why I drink and what compels me to drink, not how much I drink. When I abstained, I craved the alcohol. I thought/think about it all the time. I didn't realize how bad it was until I quit for good though. Might be worth giving it a try. My original plan was to stop for 90 days to refresh my body and get control on my drinking. I realized quickly that I can't just start again and have one or two.

We must decide our own labels. In the end, they don't really matter. Do what is best for you.

Danae

As someone who hasn't had a drink in over 3 years now, I'll say that the best part of quitting alcohol has been that I don't obsess over it anymore. No more thinking about when I can have a drink, how to moderate, what will happen if I have one too many.

I wasn't drinking "that much" by some standards but I was clearly on a downhill slide and I needed to stop.

You seem quite self-aware, so you should benefit from posting, reading, and thinking about your situation. You may find that moderating may not be what you want to do long term.

Being sober is sooooo relaxing! It feels good.

karate

And its possible for alcoholism to reverse its self -imo

I just don't like the stuff to drink it all the time ,to excess anymore .

I have at least two friends ,that gradually cut back to almost nothing .

Someone that can go into their late 40"s and still get drunk every day ,well they have a higher pain threshold than I do .

oak

I did not drink a lot per week when I stopped either. But I obsessed and planned when I could drink next. I appreciated reading posts from so many people who said similar things.

Sobriety is so much easier and more enjoyable than drinking and craving.

sulzerpower

I started off on 1 can of lager per day,but after 15 years of daily drinking I was on 5 litres of cider per day which is a lot but it was just a slow progressive build up.