relapsed
12 Step Recovered Alcoholic
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: New Zealand
Posts: 6,613
Originally Posted by time4change79 
I don't think I'm different. I think there are LOTS of people with drinking problems very similar to mine. I'm just not sure there's going to be too many on a forum like this. I've noticed that most of the posters on here seem more like the types that have really messed their lives up with drinking at some point. They here someone like myself that has a much milder and different version of their disease only to assume I'm in denial or something. If I were in denial, I wouldn't be posting on here. I have an alcohol addiction. There is no question about that for me.
There are no other versions of this illness. There are different stages however. That stands to reason as it is a progressive illness. Some of us messed up more than others, but the fact is that earlier in our drinking careers ALL of us went through milder stages, and it progressed.
You might call yourself a "functioning" alcoholic. That is a common term these days to describe someone on your position, but you see, functioning is not a type of alcoholism, it is a stage. All functioning alcoholics are on their way to becoming hopeless non-functioning alcoholics . It is only a matter of time.
Many here saw the bottom before they hit it, and made decisions to change before the mess got too great. That is what we hope you will do. What some of us have been through, we wouldn't wish on our worst enemies. It is a true sign of humility when someone can learn from someone else's mistakes.
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Join Date: Oct 2017
Posts: 1,283
Originally Posted by PennyLane76
There are herbal supplements such as Valerian that help some sleep. Of course supplements can have interactions, side effects, etc. so check with your Dr.
Also, I would suggest not posting here how "they", meaning "us", can't understand your very special circumstances because most of "us" have messed up our lives. You aren't that unique. There are others here who have juggled stressful full time jobs while putting themselves through college.
Also, I would suggest not posting here how "they", meaning "us", can't understand your very special circumstances because most of "us" have messed up our lives. You aren't that unique. There are others here who have juggled stressful full time jobs while putting themselves through college.
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2017
Posts: 22
Originally Posted by Gottalife
Another "yes but..."
There are no other versions of this illness. There are different stages however. That stands to reason as it is a progressive illness. Some of us messed up more than others, but the fact is that earlier in our drinking careers ALL of us went through milder stages, and it progressed.
There are no other versions of this illness. There are different stages however. That stands to reason as it is a progressive illness. Some of us messed up more than others, but the fact is that earlier in our drinking careers ALL of us went through milder stages, and it progressed.
Someone that drinks every night from addiction has a completely different problem than someone that binge drinks on the weekends.
There are different forms of the "illness" that results in different problems. My brother in-law, who quit drinking in his early 20's would get wasted drunk almost every time he drank. despite only drinking a couple days a week, he turned his life upside-down with alcohol at a very young age. After his 3rd DUI, he finally quit drinking and has been sober for almost 10 years now (from alcohol). When they legalized marijuana in the state he lives in, he started smoking weed occasionally with his GF. Now they smoke all day long 24/7. The guy is impossible to be around because if you put him in a situation for more than a few hours where he can't get high, he's awful to be around. His GF is the same way. He says marijuana makes him feel more relaxed. Marijuana is a drug that I can do once in a blue moon, but I have no desire to keep getting high on it again after coming down. It makes me feel anxious and uneasy if I'm not in the right situation. I could never smoke it all the time. The drug completely effects us differently just like alcohol.
I don't think you can just blanket people's drug and alcohol addictions as all being the same because different drugs effect people differently, especially alcohol. Someone that habitually drinks and someone that gets "weird" when they drink have two different problems. While I feel that alcoholism has definitely been a progressive disease for me, I've never really been the type to not have a shut off valve that will drink themselves stupid almost every time they drink. I'm the type that will pass out when I get drunk, not the type that will keep drinking and get themselves into trouble.
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