Horselover

Hi everyone I have a serious question about alcohol and I am hoping for a lot of feedback on this. I was talking with a friend on here and I told her my temptation is pretty much over because the in laws are gone and so is the wine that was in the house while they were here.

Now comes the strange part. My Mom's husband ALWAYS brings a bottle of vodka when he comes for dinner and that does not tempt me in the least bit. The same goes for beer and pretty much anything but wine. We had a beer in the fridge for months and my husband finally used the beer in some onion soup he made.

Am I an alcoholic? I did drink wine every night and it was getting earlier in the day and lasting until I went to bed each night. I did have blackouts from the wine also. I know we have a lot in common, but this seems to be a difference that I am curious about. I really plan on staying sober regardless of what the responses are, but I really wondered if there were any others out there that was like me? Thanks!

Dee74

LOL I vote yes, you are an alcoholic

I know people like me who'd drink almost *anything* (but even I'd draw the line at mouthwash or vanilla essence) and others, like you, who drank just one thing....

there are as many tastes as there are alcoholics - it's the effects that matter, IMO, S

D

Horselover

Thanks Dee. I really am curious about this. I don't "think" I'm trying to make excuses. LOL!

Dee74

LOL I didn't take it as one

D

Horselover

It certainly does Classical and thank you. I knew there had to be more of us out there. I usually find like minded people around here and I guess that should answer my question. LOL!

Brandeeno

When I was in my prime (lol) I wouldn't discriminate when it came to alcohol. If it had alcohol in it (except for crap like baileys or kaluha) I would drink it and drink it quickly. I don't think there was ever a time I had unused or unconsumed alcohol in my house ever for more than a few days.

I can't really comment on your situation as I've never been able to pass up alcohol (no matter what kind) when given the opportunity.

Sorry I couldn't help, but happy holiday's and stay strong!!

CarolD

Acording to 'Under The Influence" blackouts are a symptom
of middle stage alcoholism.

And the CDC says there is no difference between the
destructive affects of any alcohol ingested.

Sooo...I'm glad you plan to continue sobriety


However...why you are not tempted to have x
and yearn for y? I have no clue.
My guess is it's like eating
some foods I simply don't care for.

Horselover

Brandeeno - No you did help. It helps to find out how others experience this and that was my question on this thread. I appreciate your response.

CarolID - I certainly have all the symptoms of an alcoholic when given the test, but this is a question I have wondered for a long time.

cmhcali

Hi! I would drink anything while drunk but had my choice when I was sober. I question if I am an alcoholic but I know I am one. I ask would a normal person black out? Would a normal person drink everyday? I would say no. those are a few questions I ask myself.

CarolD

During a weekend in D.C. ...4 of us were playing cards.
2 were only beer drinkers...one brought Bourbon over
I had arrived with my quart of Scotch.

There was also odds of other alcohol around.
And a case of beer + 3 Champagne Magnums.

When we got unenexpectedly snowed in....we continued
the party. The next evening...we were all having
to drink the Sweet Vermouth ..all that remained in
the house.

Did we want the Vermouth?
... it was all staying high.

I don't think non alcohols want to stay high.

flutter

I'll say more of the same, and I KNOW I'm an alcoholic. There could be beer here, margaritas.. other stuff, I wouldn't touch it. Might THINK of it in a time of dire desperation, but as advanced as I let my alcohol get, I was really hiding most of what I'd consume, which quickly turned into vodka. I remember when I was still drinking w/ friends and family, I didn't think about having a second glass of wine at mom and dads, or a second beer at a football game. Weird stuff..

I just ordered that book Under the Influence, and I'm really looking forward to reading it.. talks alot about how the alcoholic mind/body actually processes and responds to alcohol differently than non-alcoholics. Who knows.. can't hurt to understand a little better, another perspective.

Hevyn

I think it depends on how far gone you are - I believe I was end stage. Back in the day, I would only sip "girly" drinks, wouldn't touch beer or drink anything straight. After about 10 yrs. of drinking I graduated to Jack Daniels on the rocks. It once made me gag, but it tasted great in the 80's. Then came the 90's and - as Carol said about the Vermouth - whatever was around would be just fine with me! I once made myself sick on creme de menthe, because that's all there was in the house & the liquor stores were closed. Like Brandeeno, nothing stayed around my house for long. I think we wind up drinking anything we can get our hands on if we keep working at it. Interesting question, S.

four812

i wouldn't touch absolute. but i'd drink 6 beers many nights in a row, or more, and a joint or two, and...I had a few blackouts, drove home with no memory of how i made it, pounded on the hood of a cop car (the cop was sitting in the car) and i was refreshed about this years later by a friend and then the memory came back a little bit, and a little bit more over time.

for me the term "alcoholic" is a large circle that includes the lightweights and the heavys and the ones who combined it with drugs and the ones who went on to drugs. it includes those who became homeless and who went to spend years in prison. with a few different twists I could have had a completely different kind of life, and then it would be real easy to say "now that guy was definitely an alcoholic".

Horselover

You know what? I'm a mixture because when I "was" drinking I would drink wine and then Mom would bring out the after dinner liquor and that would bring the night to a sickening halt. I would work up to drinking other stuff, but rarely would I start with it. When I started drinking as a kid I would drink anything. They used to make this thing called wapatoolas (sp?). It was literally made in a big round trash can (cleaned out or at least, I would prefer to remember it that way.) and they'd throw every kind of hard liquor you could think of in and all the fruit they could find. I would get violently ill after those parties. Amazing I'm alive.

I would answer my own question as "Yes" and to quote Dee, "LOL I vote yes, you are an alcoholic."

gravity

Maybe it ties into past behaviours and preferences?

I would always start with beer but after a point would drink pretty much anything. I would also hang around blues bars.

That being said, a dozen cold beer in the fridge would bother me. A couple of bottles of wine in the house - no problem. I also feel a bit "deprived" when I walk by a rockin' blues bar but I couldn't care less when I walk by an airport lounge.

Regardless, I don't think that this is necessarily a defining trait of alcoholism.

Once I start drinking, I can't stop (craving). And despite the hell it was causing in my life, I kept drinking again & again for years (obsession). To me, this is alcoholism. Doesn't really matter what is in my fridge.

SerenityGirl

When I was first in the program, I wasn't sure if I was really an alcoholic or not. I thought of myself as a potential alcoholic..??????I was told that it didn't matter what you drank or how much or when...but did my drinking cause problems or get me into trouble...I didn't drink as much as most others, but when I did drink It did cause problems and made me do things I would never do sober...So after all this time it doesn't matter anymore, I am so thankful I am sober today and a Mom that my grown kids can be proud of and I can be there for them, it scares me to think what would have happened if I would have continued drinking...

dave47

Hi Horselover,
my choice was beer and sometimes vodka and that would usually keep me happy.
If I was hammered though, I would drink anything that was available.
We very rarely have beer in the house, unless my wife wants a can or two but we do have wine and some other spirits. I have no interest in these whatsoever so I guess that even though we are all different we are also the same- keep strong and best wishes.

desertdonna

It's an interesting topic, Horselover. For years I drank only wine, the good stuff. Then I switched to hard liquor. It took less for the desired effect and was much more cost effective.

I just ran across some beer that was at the back of the fridge for a couple of years, I think. I'll chuck those when recycling is due. And there were some nice bottles of wine that I've given to friends over the last few months that have been laying around. I'm sure that there are some 5+ years of fruity, sweet-type low-alcohol bottles gathering dust somewhere that I'll clear out eventually. The thought of any them are about as interesting as cleaning out the cat box.

But even in the last few days, a bottle of 40 proof straight whiskey was like a shimmering mirage in the desert. And not because I wanted a drink, or wanted to relax, but just because it represented swift and complete oblivion. That was always what I had to have in the end. Like the ghost of Christmas past come back to haunt me.

I don't drink any alcohol. I can never play that kind of game with myself. But it's only the hard stuff that has tripped my trigger so far.

So I guess your query will get all kinds of responses. But there's also a commonality. If we're here, there was a problem that had to go. Moderation is not in our dictionary, and to think otherwise is delusion. Just the facts, ma'am.

Have a great Chistmas!

YouveGotStyleKi

My experience is that if you think you have a problem, chances are... You do. Hahahaha. I know I'm an alcoholic as well as an addict. I'm allergic to booze. I break out in heroin. hahaha

But I dunno honey, I think you're the only one that can determine that!

Jomey

Hey Horsie - I vote with Dee - again! LOL! You and I are alcoholics. My husband drinks about 12 beers a year. There is always some in the fridge and has been from day one of my recovery. The only time I have touched it is to move it out of the way for other groceries! You could have come over with your wine, and I would have said "no thanks". But if someone would have walked into this house with a bottle of Jack Daniels....the rest is history, and God willing, history it will stay!

As to why that is, I can't say, either, but I would agree with Carol. We all have different tastes in food, clothes, nonalcoholic beverages, so it makes sense with alcohol too. Maybe you just weren't at the desperation point of drinking ANYTHING before you began your recovery.

In any case, you are here and you are sober, and I am proud of you!

Love Jomey