ScottFromWI

So you don't think that these fears are a negative impact on your life? Or the possibility of early death? Or the fact that you needed to openly come on a sobriety website and ask the question in the first place?

One of the key traits and signs of addiction is denial. Yes - you are drinking enough that you could die from it, but you also think you don't have a problem. Both things cannot exist at once...think about that for a minute.

Sober'sBest

You sound like me years ago.. Now I wish I wouldn't have an addictive

personality, and found solace in drink.

Now my life is best without false euphoria, then devastating consequences.

Now I seek natural highs. . . There are so many to choose from.

Nice start . . . best wishes

tomsteve

you say nothing bad has happened yet.
I think you need a new pair of glasses as im reading some bad stuff.
and it WILL get worse.

you say pretty much you want to compare your situation with others.
that gets a lot of people in trouble.
try relating- remove the drinkin and look at the thinkin.

4givn

A drug/medication has to travel through bloodstream to site of action to produce a change in organ or tissue
the drug is then metabolized by enzymes eliminated and filtered by liver

alcohol has same reaction as a medication with target organ as the brain
but alcohol alters availability of other drugs by competing with enzymes and metabolites needed for prescribed drug to be effective

alcohol sometimes decreases drug/med availability hence need for higher doses of medication some drugs needs weeks to be eliminated because of alcohol

toxic chemicals can be formed by interaction of meds and alcohol and damage organs as well.
liver damage occurs from many things but it becomes overwhelmed with the work of eliminating toxins

Oguin23

I'm not sure I understand your point and I find your post quite condescending. If you don't have anything helpful to say don't say it.

Sudz No More

You'll find lots of tough love here. Many people have been through the relapse cycle quite a few times while still posting here so after a while you start saying ultimatums. It's a grueling process, rinse, wash, repeat.

When you are ready, you'll know.

Gottalife

Many are the problem drinkers who, having drunk as much as you do each night, get up in the morning and drive to work and get booked for dui. It takes a few days for alcohol to leave your system. I hope you don't drive to work.

Oguin23

Sorry but your wrong about that. If I've drank heavily the night before I'll even check my bac in the morning. Bac decreases by the hour. It would be difficult to drink enough to have over the legal limit the next day. And yes, I drive to work everyday. And no, I have never drove to work with anything over a .00 bac. Please be a little more informed about what your saying before you try to give advice to others.

Lautca

What you have to say is pretty much the same as what a lot of newby alcoholics say, including me forty years ago at age 26, when I was just getting started at being a professional drunk. For me, alcohol was the magic key that made living bearable once again! I knew booze was hurting me, and that added to my reasons to drink because alcohol is also the magic cure for all the problems it causes. That is, until tomorrow. But then there is next evening to take the cure! Again, and again, and - - -

I think alcohol can be compared to an artificial fruit flavor, where once you taste the intense artificial stuff, the real fruit no longer tastes and smells good, and all desire to ever go back to what nature provides is just plain gone. So, with that in mind, alcohol is in some part a more powerful version of what your brain was doing for your feelings long before drinking, and your new job is to figure out how to get the wicked genie Alcohol back in its bottle and out of your life so your feelings of well-being will once again come from within YOU. I know a lot of alcoholics have very valid psychological problems that they self-medicate with alcohol, but those issues are best addressed while sober for awhile when thinking and memory are closer to normal. I had to go through that, and once I did, a good many of my reasons for drinking were taken care of and gone, no medication of any sort required.

I was just like all the other alcoholics who like the way alcohol removes discomforts caused by tiredness, being out of sorts, from frustration and being under pressure, dealing with nasty people, and all the other bitter things life throws at us. I won't give a big lecture about having to learn about "coping with adversity" - there are parts of being alive that just plain suck and there isn't thing one you can do about it except take it. Now, that's not to say there is nothing that can be done to avoid getting irritated and angry, or whatever, to begin with. I had never learned about "dodging bullets", looking first to prevent walking right into avoidable trouble, avoiding traps set by sadistic bosses, etc. For me, to eliminate the garbage that gave me reasons to seek comfort in alcohol, I first had to go back and pick up skill in skirting trouble. You know, if you don't like getting hit by cars, then get out of the middle of the road! Be an active part in protecting your own well-being to avoid preventable problems that subconsciously will become excuses to drink. Educating yourself about yourself is a good part of getting better. Becoming sober is not something someone else does for you, only you can do that for yourself. While doing that for yourself, to make things easier, you will very likely need some guiding input, sometimes harsh, and some "attaboys!" from those who've already gone through what you are facing. You already know how to do one thing that is a great help, which is staying physically fit. The way military establishments keep all those rambunctious hormone-driven adolescents out of trouble is by working them so hard they have no strength left to get into trouble, and they sleep soundly instead of seeking mischief. Very hard workouts release the body's own endorphines, which are excellent tranquilizers and cause mild euphoria that plays the role of a reward for doing things that are good for you. If you got 'em, use 'em!

tomsteve

nowwe're getting somewhere!! apparently I struck a cord there, which is awesome as that's tellin me theres truth to the words-
bad things have happened that your not seeing or understanding and you know it will get worse and you also know comparing your situation isn't going to help.
great progress already!



denial is deadly. you can do what ya want, but im just not into cosigning death certificates.

tomsteve

But I have one of those little mini breathalyzer (not sure how accurate it is it's just a cheap one).

how bout pullin up to an officer of the law fist thing in the morning and having them check youre BAC? maybe compare the results??

dude, you go ahead and rationalize all ya want. alcohol is deadly and your drinking isn't healthy and keeping up the way ya are, theres the possibility someone else besides yourself will get hurt.
wont happen to you?
yeah, I thought that, until I was responsible for the death of another human.

good luck on your journey, but this has been a great reminder for me: why people stopped trying to help me with my dam fool ego in the way.

ScottFromWI

Oguin:

You've come to a sobriety forum and asked for advice about your drinking. That is what you are recieving - the collective membership of SR comes from a vast array of backgrounds all around the world. We all use different recovery methods and have very diverse views. What we all have in common though is that we understand and have lived through alcoholism. Many are still fighting it ourselves or via family members, some have been abstinent in recovery for years or even decades.

What our forum is not about is personal arguments or accusations. You will receive a wide variety of opinions based on experience, but you can also ignore users that you don't agree with by selecting that option under their name. You can also report posts that you feel are out of line by clicking on the little red triangle in the lower left hand corner.

A friendly reminder to all to keep the discussion to helpful and supportive information.

Oguin23

Thanks agains for all the advice everyone. So, my question is now, being a single adult who lives alone, what is a safe way to taper off alcohol and break this drinking habit? Id rather not have to take time off work for medical detox or anything like that... Can I safely ween off by just decreasing my drink intake little by little over the next few days? Thanks.

ScottFromWI

You should really see a doctor before attempting to taper or quit. Severe withdrawal symptoms can occur even when cutting back. Especially with the extreme amounts you have been consuming. There was just a post here the other day from someone who tried to taper back and ended up in the ER. Please be safe.