Hiyas and New Here
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: NM USA
Posts: 1
Hiyas and New Here
Greetings,
I stumbled onto this site recently through the internet searching means of trying to determine where my alcohol usage stands and how much of a problem is it? After looking through quite a few posts, I've seen a few people post here who have a similar situation as mine and with similar questions, so I thought I would share my saga.
Short Version History:
I've been drinking alcohol for close to 30 years. I have never drank on a daily basis, nor have I done that several day binge thing. But, when I drink, I like to drink... typically 8 to 10 beers (sometimes more) on average in one nightly sitting (this amount is where I ended up compared to 5 plus years ago when it was at least 1/2 of that amount). My drinking has typically been a planned event based on whatever is going on during the week. So a Friday or Saturday night would be a given since there is no work on the next day, plus throw in work time-off days, holidays, vacation weeks here and there and all of that averages out to 2 nights maybe 3 a week of heavy drinking. I don't suffer from depression, anxiety or insomnia. My alcohol drinking has been used or personally justified for the "fun" aspect or what I perceived it as being. For me, I didn't use the "I've had a <fill in the blank> day and I need a drink" justification to drink. I haven't lost any jobs, relationships, encountered law violations (DUI, etc.) due to alcholo. I don't drink the next day when hung-over (the though of that is repulsive to me), but in the last couple of years, my GF who only drinks now and then has started telling me that she thinks I might have a drinking problem. Me? What? How? I don't drink everyday. I don't hide how much I drink or when I drink, etc. etc. How can that be? Well, finally push comes to shove, and in mid-August, I started my "fun" ritual of having beers that night and ran out. My inner alcohol friend said, "I'm not still not satisfied, we're still having fun and I want more!" It knew that I kept a bottle of whiskey around that is only used now and then. So off to the cabinet I went to get it. Mixing the beer and whiskey together is not a pretty sight. The next day in my massively hungover, dysfunctional state, I poured out the remaining whiskey and declared, enough is enough!! I realized and accepted that Yes, my GF is right: I do have a problem controlling alcohol and it has to stop! I found a link on this site that points to a site that has the Michigan alcohol assessment test. I took it and the result came back that I have a moderate alcohol problem that could lead to alcoholism which just re-affirms my situation --- a problem is a problem, no two ways around it.
It's now been close to 3 weeks since I've stopped drinking and overall I don't miss it. Sure, my little alcohol friend pops up here and there and asks me, "when are we going to have our next fun night together?" and I just respond back with "what kind of friend are you who makes me feel like I have the flu the next day and can't function whatsoever?" It's great not having hang-overs and it's wonderful sleeping well every night. I could never get a good, rested sleep when drinking. Also, my normal the glass is half-full, positive self would always turn into the the glass is half-empty, bummed out mood the next day after a night of drinking. Also, it dawned on me that I've been loosing at least 48 days a year of life (minimum of 4 hang-over days a month * 12) that I could have been enjoying without alcohol! Yes, I'm starting to realize that I can have fun without alcohol. These are just a few of the positives for the Not Drinking Team; and I honestly can't think of any for the alcohol drinking team.
I think this is a great site that's has a wealth of information and has a highly supportive group of people who've encountered probably about most situations including mine that are here to help.
Thank you for allowing me to share my personal story.
I stumbled onto this site recently through the internet searching means of trying to determine where my alcohol usage stands and how much of a problem is it? After looking through quite a few posts, I've seen a few people post here who have a similar situation as mine and with similar questions, so I thought I would share my saga.
Short Version History:
I've been drinking alcohol for close to 30 years. I have never drank on a daily basis, nor have I done that several day binge thing. But, when I drink, I like to drink... typically 8 to 10 beers (sometimes more) on average in one nightly sitting (this amount is where I ended up compared to 5 plus years ago when it was at least 1/2 of that amount). My drinking has typically been a planned event based on whatever is going on during the week. So a Friday or Saturday night would be a given since there is no work on the next day, plus throw in work time-off days, holidays, vacation weeks here and there and all of that averages out to 2 nights maybe 3 a week of heavy drinking. I don't suffer from depression, anxiety or insomnia. My alcohol drinking has been used or personally justified for the "fun" aspect or what I perceived it as being. For me, I didn't use the "I've had a <fill in the blank> day and I need a drink" justification to drink. I haven't lost any jobs, relationships, encountered law violations (DUI, etc.) due to alcholo. I don't drink the next day when hung-over (the though of that is repulsive to me), but in the last couple of years, my GF who only drinks now and then has started telling me that she thinks I might have a drinking problem. Me? What? How? I don't drink everyday. I don't hide how much I drink or when I drink, etc. etc. How can that be? Well, finally push comes to shove, and in mid-August, I started my "fun" ritual of having beers that night and ran out. My inner alcohol friend said, "I'm not still not satisfied, we're still having fun and I want more!" It knew that I kept a bottle of whiskey around that is only used now and then. So off to the cabinet I went to get it. Mixing the beer and whiskey together is not a pretty sight. The next day in my massively hungover, dysfunctional state, I poured out the remaining whiskey and declared, enough is enough!! I realized and accepted that Yes, my GF is right: I do have a problem controlling alcohol and it has to stop! I found a link on this site that points to a site that has the Michigan alcohol assessment test. I took it and the result came back that I have a moderate alcohol problem that could lead to alcoholism which just re-affirms my situation --- a problem is a problem, no two ways around it.
It's now been close to 3 weeks since I've stopped drinking and overall I don't miss it. Sure, my little alcohol friend pops up here and there and asks me, "when are we going to have our next fun night together?" and I just respond back with "what kind of friend are you who makes me feel like I have the flu the next day and can't function whatsoever?" It's great not having hang-overs and it's wonderful sleeping well every night. I could never get a good, rested sleep when drinking. Also, my normal the glass is half-full, positive self would always turn into the the glass is half-empty, bummed out mood the next day after a night of drinking. Also, it dawned on me that I've been loosing at least 48 days a year of life (minimum of 4 hang-over days a month * 12) that I could have been enjoying without alcohol! Yes, I'm starting to realize that I can have fun without alcohol. These are just a few of the positives for the Not Drinking Team; and I honestly can't think of any for the alcohol drinking team.
I think this is a great site that's has a wealth of information and has a highly supportive group of people who've encountered probably about most situations including mine that are here to help.
Thank you for allowing me to share my personal story.
aka Nesty
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Northern Vt.
Posts: 1,554
Good for you Slowpoke to take control of alcohol before it chewed you up & spit you out ! I didn't learn till it almost killed me - I hate that Beast !!
Welcome SR's a great place
I learned a lot here even after having 2 years sober . Feel more whole , you'll really like it too .
Welcome SR's a great place
I learned a lot here even after having 2 years sober . Feel more whole , you'll really like it too .
Forum Leader
Join Date: May 2012
Location: Wisconsin, USA
Posts: 16,945
Welcome and thanks for sharing your story Slowpoke. You've made a great decision and congratulations on your 3 weeks sober. Hope you can stick around, there is a lot of support and understanding here, as well as lots of information on all the different methods/plans/tools you can use to maintain your sobriety.
Canine Welfare Advocate
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Norfolk, VA
Posts: 10,962
Welcome to SR.
Were you searching for this information after you quit? If so, I was just curious, are you starting to think maybe you don't have a problem and can drink occasionally?
Starting to second guess our commitment to quitting is one of the hallmarks of early recovery.
Originally Posted by Slowpoke777 
I stumbled onto this site recently through the internet searching means of trying to determine where my alcohol usage stands and how much of a problem is it?
Starting to second guess our commitment to quitting is one of the hallmarks of early recovery.
Member
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 464
Welcome to the forum,
I was about the same way as you, no anxiety, no depression or insomnia etc. I never felt like I needed to medicate any mental illnesses or whatever. I never ever binged a whole day or drank in the morning to take the edge off. It was a night "enhancer" as I so thought.
I'm glad you figured out your problem when the AV tells you that you need more. I never really thought I had a problem when I got that "I need more to keep the fun going" thought in my head. However after quitting alcohol a whole mess of problems came up showing that I indeed had a dependency issue.
congrats on the 3 weeks
I was about the same way as you, no anxiety, no depression or insomnia etc. I never felt like I needed to medicate any mental illnesses or whatever. I never ever binged a whole day or drank in the morning to take the edge off. It was a night "enhancer" as I so thought.
I'm glad you figured out your problem when the AV tells you that you need more. I never really thought I had a problem when I got that "I need more to keep the fun going" thought in my head. However after quitting alcohol a whole mess of problems came up showing that I indeed had a dependency issue.
congrats on the 3 weeks
Currently Active Users Viewing this Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
