tigerlover

im 21, been an alcoholic for 9 years now. Is it ok to drink only on holidays like non alcoholics do?

Bianca84

Wow as far as I can tell you is that if you can afford staying off it, then do so. As an alcoholic, its difficult to maintain control on your drinks. But if you can afford doing so, sure why not go ahead

1 simple trick that I use is that I drink only among family as they know my problem and they will always look after your welfare.

Or another one is always be with someone who knows your problem and can control you if you getting a bit of excessive in swallowing the shots

best of luck to ya

Dee74

Hi TigerLover

I have 20 years experience at it that says it's never safe to drink if you're an alcoholic.

Once I drink, all bets are off - and with all due respect, not even friends 'standing guard' could stop me.

D

Stimmed

Hey Tiger, welcome to SR.
So are you saying that you were confirmed to be alcoholic around 12 yrs old?
If thats so, then you must have been drinking for sometime before that. The abuse at such a youg age and too such undeveloped organs would to me suggest that you really should not drink at all, and if you can, try and make up for it now by being good to yourself. A good first step would be to see a doctor and tell them what you have posted here, im sure you will get the advice you are looking for. :-)

kiki5711

You've been an alcoholic since you were 12!!! ?? I cannot even answer or comment your question cause this sounds like it's more complicated then just "about" drinking.

tigerlover

im sorry yall. im new to all this. i ment to say. l drank my first drink at 13. Im not too sure how long ive acutally been an alcoholic

LexieCat

Drinking is never "safe" for alcoholics. Ever. The problem is that alcoholics don't react to alcohol the way non-alcoholics do. Something in the body/brain changes, and one drink will induce cravings for more.

Some people do struggle with alcohol for years, always thinking that THIS time they can have "just one or two". Maybe, just maybe, THIS time they can, but NEXT time (which might be a week or a month later), they will lose control again.

My first husband was definitely a full-blown alcoholic when he was your age. He got sober and joined AA when he was 21, and now he is 52, has a great life and never had another drink. He doesn't feel cheated on holidays, he's happy he's sober to enjoy them.

least

As an alkie myself, I'd say it would be safe to drink when hell freezes over.

kiki5711

hey fellow Georgian!!! Norcross, GA here!!

thank goodness you're even asking about this at your age and not years down the road.

when you say you started drinking at 13, does that mean after school and weekends? didn't anyone in your house notice that you were drinking at this age?

In any case, I hope things are going well for you, and hope you are able to find good life without drinking.

Stimmed

So did your alcoholism begin @13, or did it develop over a time? Like when did you start drinking or feel you needed to drink regular. As for when an alcoholic should drink, some have already posted the answer, its never, or even NEVER! if you really want to get better and have a better life. :-)

Enoy

And LexiKat !!!



15 years of my own experience agrees with Dee74. That's my definition of being an alcoholic. I can't control it. I might be able to for a single night ( rarely ) but it only opens the door to more and more drinking within subsequent days/weeks/months. It's that first drink that will be my downfall.

Stevie1

Tiger...for us alcoholics, it is never, ever, ever OK to drink.

There are several self-assessment tests you can take online, here's one:
Michigan Alcohol Screening Test (MAST), Revised

Congratulations for questioning your alcohol use at an early age. It is a progressive disease and will get worse over the years if you let it.

Tiggertym

Definitely never, I'd say. My DOH is not alcohol but I know that I can't even drink if I want to stay sober. One leads to another, leads to another. Just this once, leads to another day, leads to another day. I have enjoyed many holidays alcohol free. I find it more fun to be the sober one watching the show the drunk people put on then being drunk myself. You really don't get to see all the stupid things people do and say when your one of them.

Taking5

I'm reminded of Robert Downey Jr's quote about drinking:

That about sums it up for me. If I tried a glass of wine I may never make it to Christmas.

Danae

Hi,

For me, the answer is NO, I can't drink just on special occasions. I've learned that the hard way. I agree with the others who say this is true for alcoholics.

But here's the thing, I found how much EASIER it was to give up alcohol entirely, rather than making exceptions for special occasions and holidays. It isn't on the table as an option at all.

This means I can relax. There is no more bargaining with myself (Maybe I can drink on Christmas and birthdays? I can drink with friends if it is for a celebrations but only one drink?) I don't waste energy thinking about it and making up rules that often get broken. I'm much happier.

Try thinking about how it would feel to "celebrate" holidays by not obsessing about drinking. How great it would feel to wake up the next day and feel well, and proud of yourself. Just my two cents

Supercrew

What makes you think you are an alcoholic?

CarolD

If you continue to drink...you will keep being an
active alcoholic.......alcoholism is a progressive
miserable disease....

I hope you will stop and find a healthier future
Welcome to our recovery community....

loveon2legs

It's easier for me to have 0 drinks than it is to have 3....so it's safe to say that no amount of alcohol is okay!!! one just leads to another..then another... and I'm not willing to go there!!
There is so many other great things to do when the holidays arrive...and just think you will remember everything that happened! and won't wake up in a haze!!

recycle

It is not ok for me and here is why: I don't think if I had a drink I would immediately careen off into an absurd binge. It certainly is a possibility, but it is not why I abstain. What that drink would do is change my thinking about drinking. A few days or perhaps even weeks later, I would drink again. And then a few days after that. In short order, I would be exactly back where I was of the path of self destruction. Alcohol changes the way I think in a way that is beyond my conscious control. I have done this experiment enough times to know this truth about myself. The fact that abstinence is the "easier softer way" is an added bonus.

Stimmed

Hit the nail on the head y dont you!