Ken33xx

Why not call it a self-destructive habit? Whatever works for you.

I met a guy this summer who had a hard time admitting he was powerless over alcohol.

However, he was fine with saying he was powerless over what happened once he started to drink.

It's all good.

Soberwolf

.

yeahgr8

I started to describe myself as an alcoholic just over 5 years ago when I got sober.

Before that I described my addiction to alcohol as a bad habit, an acceptable vice, just who I was, self destructive, uncaring, unique, etc etc etc...anything to avoid facing the reality of my situation. And I had plenty of enablers to confirm that I wasn't an alcoholic which was perfect for me as I wanted to drink but without the consequences. Ah happy days!

Draumwave

I do still use the word alcoholic when I tell people why I don't drink and see no problem in doing this. Often it's just easier to say "I'm an alcoholic, so I don't drink" instead of going into some big argument of why drinking alcohol as we do in modern society, in reality is just rediculous, and is causing the world alot of harm. I know I am what people call an alcoholic, and that I can never use it again. I think eventually as the human species matures, the subject of psychoactive substances and the use and abuse of them will be reevaluated and the way we talk about these phenomenon will change. Until then we must use whatever means necessary to stay away from it.

zjw

I was watching a tv show. All the actors where attractive fit had plenty of money and loved to binge drink upon occaision with each other then get back up the next day and go for a run and this and that. I thought this couldnt be further from reality! People cant binge drink and maintain that standard of living something will start to give somewhere it always does. I thought a show like this tells me I can have my cake and eat it too and there is no harm in it.

I heard another one financial guy explaining how people see stuff on tv and just assume they should be able to afford that too and they get in over there heads they dont realize that at there income level they cannot have those things its just the way that it is. But they get this false sense of reality.

So yeah drinking like we do in this society and how we think it is "OK" is not ok. I'd go to happy hour years ago with co-workers. OH it was all fun and games and godo times it was a blast etc.. but the reality is there sitting aroudn the bar where some alcoholics and some that where not. Some of us felt we could keep that game up indefinatly and life was a big barrel of laughs as long as we had the drinks flowing. But then a couple others around the bar where always the one that left after a couple drinks early in the night stateing things like it might take them a couple days to recover from just those 2 drinks etc... I dont think those few where the alcoholics.

But we did a good job at glorifying a rather bad thing.

Bailey3

My father, two Uncles and a cousin all died as a direct or indirect result of their abuse of alcohol. My brother can no longer drink because if he does it will kill him.

I'm an alcoholic. It's a label I self apply because it helps keep me honest about my abuse of alcohol. If I don't remain sober I know it will eventually kill me. I eventually want to call my self a recovered alcoholic (meaning I lead a meaningful and happy life).

As others have said though if your uncomfortable with the word then don't apply it to yourself. The ultimate goal is to lead a good life free from alcohol.

freshstart57

Lots of alcoholics use the term as applied to themselves as a reason for drinking, not a reason for quitting. Or they use the term to explain and justify why they started drinking again if they managed to quit for a while. And certainly non-alcoholics use it that way too in both of these contexts. 'Ah, yes. *tsk* He is an alcoholic, you know.'

It is for these reasons that I don't apply the term to me. I used to be dependent on and addicted to alcohol, but not now, and not ever again. I simply do not drink. Like over three and a half billion others, I don't drink and never will.

Boleo

The way that I look at it;

Being a drunk is a destination

Being an alcoholic is a journey

Mountainmanbob

in the old days they called alcoholics dipso maniacs

anattaboy

That would be a cool username.

Boleo

I knew a guy who used DipsoDan as his user name. He insisted that all anyone needed for recovery was to not-drink. He relapsed after a couple of years and died of Cirrhosis.

Mountainmanbob

seems to be what most of us are trying to stay away from

freshstart57

I guess he refused to take his own advice and drank instead.

Xtreem

Great thread - love this kind of thread - thanks

Xtreem

Arbor

Nicotine-ism? Just doesn't sound right...

I personally have no problem with the word. I'll say it to myself internally. But I would be very reluctant to say it to anyone else. I think it's viewed in a negative way. I'd rather put a more positive spin on it for the other person to perhaps enlighten the conversation.

dox

I'm happy to be an alcoholic.
Being an alcoholic opened the doors of Alcoholics Anonymous to me.
Alcoholics Anonymous opened the door to my Higher Power (God).

Problem solved.

Many years of psychotherapy could not do what one year as a recovering alcoholic in AA did for me.
I now share a meeting room with others who routinely introduce themselves as alcoholic.
We share more than the word.
The word does not define us.
It unites us.

Alcoholic.

Good word, that.

tomsteve

pretty good golfer,too.
pretty good stage show in concert,too.
I wonder iffen hed be any good at either if still drinkin.

lebroncavs

I definitely have an addictive personality because I've always been full tilt into things my whole life. My main addiction is alcohol though. I know I'm an alcoholic because once I start drinking it's over. I know how it's going to go and how it's going to end and the only thing that can stop it is death or being locked up somewhere. That's why I'm never drinking again.

MattM316

I've got an addictive and somewhat obsessive personality so I think I get what you're saying.

Firstly, nobody really likes the taste of alcohol do they?
Nobody really enjoys beer, cider or vodka, they only drink it to get the effect it gives their mind and body.
Wine is arguably the only alcohol that I think can be savoured, and even that all tastes the same to a heathen like me!

I could never go out and just have a few drinks. I would have to drink as much as I could before I went out, as much when I was out and generally when I got home too.

The addictive/obsessive thing applies with me on food too. I can go 2 or 3 days without eating a thing (when I was drinking anyway) and then other times I will eat like a pig. Like if I go in McDonalds I want two breakfasts rather than one.

Same with the way I organize my blu-ray movies and cds. They're all in alphabetical order and it annoys me if they're not.
Also I refuse to watch movies on tv or borrow them from people. Because I know that if I like the movie, I'll be really annoyed that I don't actually own it!

One thing I am grateful for is that I never got into drugs. Because I wouldn't be here now if I did.
I risked death a couple of times with alcohol but with my addictive/obsessive nature, if I had gotten into hard drugs I can't imagine I'd be around.

Hawks

I loved everything about drinking.

The taste, the smell, the bottles, the labels.

There were a few spirits I didn't like raw (Gin for example) but I liked most raw & if I didn't, there wasn't a spirit I couldn't mix. (Gin, lime, tonic ... beautiful)

I wore t-shirts with beer brands on them, hats with beer brands.

I even loved the smell of a pub the next morning at 7am when the owner used to let us in at for an illegal "Lock In" drinking session on a Sunday.

The smell of a pub the next morning was like the smell of roasting coffee or flowers ... for me. Sniff sniff ..... aaaaahhhhh ..... I'm home.

I was "addicted" after my first "unsupervised" drink ... I drank as much as I could get my hands on from the age of 12.