TucTee

["we", ""everyone", and "us" refer to members of this forum and others who are abstaining from alcohol use or who realize they have a drinking problem]

Everyone here struggles with alcohol intake and has declared, I have a problem. To remedy--in part--this problem, we've chosen to come here or to other venues to converse with others who have similar issues with alcohol.

This is probably obvious so far. Here's my question: we aren't the only ones who drink too much, so why are we singled out as different by those who continue to drink? That is, why are we seen as exceptional or extraordinary as people who have some unique struggle with alcohol.

Alcohol has the same effect on everyone: it impairs judgment and motor skills; it makes one physically sick to some degree; and it affects functioning in the short and long term. However, not everyone submits to the idea that they need to stop drinking.

One theory is that we here are not "alcoholics," people who have a special susceptibility to alcohol. We are just average human beings who have the inflective capacity to recognize we need to stop drinking.

I know that a lot of people here and in recovery venues elsewhere had elevated usage that exceeded the mores of socially-acceptable drinking. But I believe that they are many people who drink just as much as anyone here who haven't realized they have a problem and just keep drinking. The difference between them and us: self-awareness of a burgeoning problem.

This is more to promote discussion, so feel free to disagree. I just feel like there's an aspect of recovery that is ignored: that we aren't damaged people, but rather more cognizant of how alcohol affects us and more willing to do something about it.

karate

I have a friend with a successful business ,He drinks as much as I did .

He drives around drunk .

I thought I had a problem .

One idea is some people don't get the negative effects like we did ?

ck2013

Depends on why others drink. I drank to forget or tried to use it to solve my problems. Some heavy drinkers just build up a tolerance (like I did). Eventually, the tolerance will get to them, or it won't.

I don't worry too much about comparing myself to others these days except to learn from them and their experiences. I like being sober and it's working for me. My life is a bit less complicated than it was when I was actively drinking and I feel like I have a shot at making some good choices when big decisions come up, or at solving problems in a non-destructive way that I can live with long term.

For me, that's good enough for today.

karate

We needed to do a self evaluation .

Or we would have died ,or killed others .

I think God daily for the eye opening .

AlexThedude

For me, its all of the missed opportunities, the alienating angry hangovers, and increased sensitivity to light and electricity that made me realize finally that the substances I had become dependant on were truly very harmful.

I think it's correct to say that the reason we're on this forum, is because we thoroughly questioned why our lives had become unimaginable. This lead us eventually to the realization that it was our "best friend" who had been sabotaging us and then blaming everything else.