alm

I am 21 years old student. I have lots of work, lots of studies and no friends. I drink to feel better. To get alcohol working, it's enough for me to take 3 cans of beer. I can stop when I want. I know that 3 beers will definitely work and I will feel good, so I stop drinking after 3 beers are finished. Sometimes I take only 2. Sometimes (only on Fridays) I will drink something more stronger, but I don't exceed 8 units, but it's probably just because I feel pretty drunk after 8 units, so it's enough for me. I drink alone. Am I an alcoholic? How much can I drink to make myself better, but still not harming my body (like liver cirrhosis)? Or it's impossible to tell as everyone's body is different? By the way, hello. I am probably not an alcoholic, but I am on my way on being one... How did it start for you? Thanks.

Muzzwell

Hi and welcome. Difficult to say as it is a progressive disease. You are here so your'e drinking must concern you, more to the point why you drink. If it is to get away or switch off then that can indicate a personality trait that I have. I used to drink moderately, but I slowly but surely distanced myself from social drinking and started seeking solitude. The major indicator is when someone starts drinking in the day. If you are worried then you should read up about it and maybe try and look honestly at your behaviours. There is a mountain of info out there. Everyone is different. A drinking problem can creep up on you. So I hope you find the answers you are looking for. Good luck.

doggonecarl

welcome to SR. I don't think it is ever too early to start becoming aware of one's drinking.

I started to drink at 18 and drank to get drunk. Every time. Years later I was still drinking to get drunk, but I was also drinking because I had to have it. I was addicted.

There are plenty of folks who drink to excess during certain periods of their life, for instance, during college. When they leave, their drinking goes down to normal levels. They aren't and don't become alcoholics.

Wish that had been me, but sadly it wasn't.

Lionhearted1

I don't know whether you are an alcoholic only you can answer that. But if I drunk only what you wrote as your consumption I most certainly would not be here.

bobdylan45

Hi you said my story how i started , please don't start drinking alone it will catch up on you , it did me i thought it was to relax me , but like any member here will tell you about that first drink !!!!!!!!!!!! the Damage it can do , Please take care .

Bigndfan175

I heard last night in a Big Book study group that its not the amt of alcohol that matters its what happens once you take the first sip; if you're compelled to drink until you can't drink any more then you're an alcoholic. If you can casually drink and stop whenever you want you may not be a full blown alcoholic but rather a heavy drinker. If you're like my wife who can put down a 1/2 glass of wine or not finish a beer then you've got zero problem with alcohol.

bbthumper

I always answer this with what the Big Book of AA suggests. According to the book, if, when you honestly want to, you find you cannot quit entirely or (not and) when drinking you have little control over the amount you take, you are probably an alcoholic.

For some time I could control the amount that I drank. I would hit the perfect spot and stop. Then I crossed a line at some point when control was no longer possible. Most of the time I could no longer predict with any accuracy how much I was going to drink. The Big Book also suggests that this type of reaction never occurs in an average drinker.

Dee74

Hi alm

noone here can diagnose you either way - it just doesn't work like that.

It's about what happens to you when you drink, and how you feel.

I can definitely identify with drinking to feel better tho - the problem with that, for me, was that I began to use alcohol to feel better in almost every situation.

The end result of that was me drinking all day every day by the end.

Whatever you ultimately decide, I think you're very wise to be thinking about all this now.

Welcome

D

alm

It's not about the amount of the alcohol, it's about the reasons I drink I was a little bit worried.

I can definitely stop, because sometimes I have just one beer with dinner. But when I have lots of stress or when I feel sad or something, I'll take 2 or 3. But again, I take just 2 or 3, because it's enough for me to be drunk and feel good. If 2 or 3 didn't work, I probably would take more.

Lionhearted1

You can be a non alcoholic and drink for reasons many people do ie celebrations, funerals, loss of a girlfriend that does NOT make you an alcoholic.

Iam alcoholic because once I start drinking after a certain point I can not stop or moderate my consumption and I will drink until I black out pass out or am stopped..

And i will wake up promise myself I won't do it again and by the next day I will repeat the insanity.

sugarbear1

"I drink to feel better."

That's a little red flag.

Just stop. See how you feel then.

If you can stop and stay stopped and everything gets better, alcohol was a problem, so don't drink.

If you stop and have a harder time staying stopped and life basically sucks, maybe you have alcoholism, so don't drink and find a method of recovery that works for you.

I only drank 3 beers on a Friday night for a long time in the beginning of my drinking. Nothing is set in stone as to the exact definition of alcoholism or alcoholic. We're all on a spectrum.

For me, alcohol was a solution to living life until I found a new one.



Glad you found SR!

Ssdawg1422

I used alcohol the same as Dee. I used it to relax and was self medicated myself everyday for around 3 years and it worked great. Then before I knew it I couldn't get enough to get the job done. Drinking morning noon and night. Not much sleep and no room for food. Constant anxiety. It can be a very slippery slope when used as a crutch, or to deal with life. I just hit 90 days sober yesterday. In that time I've found that I feel emotions again, and sometimes they are still overwhelming, my anxiety has declined, I've lost 40 lbs even and am kinda back to me. At 21 I was like you. By the time I was 27 a few months ago, that's where I was. I certainly don't want to scare you but I also don't wish what I went through for you either. Moderate and if you find you can't then please do not be afraid to reach out.

Garen

I started drinking at 21 and it begun with a few beers. It progressed to more and eventually a six pack at a time. Now I drink at least a six pack daily or a bottle of wine or more... and weekends x2. That happened in just a handful of short years. Now I am trying to quit and it is shaping up to be the hardest thing I have ever done in my life.

FreeFall

I think you're smart to be here to learn more about how alcohol figures in your life and what it might mean. I wish I knew at your age what I know now! It sneaks up on you, and it progresses, and it's not easy to stop. If that little voice inside is telling you you have a problem, you just might!

DIYman

A vast simplification but I think alcoholism is not about quantity, its about need.

I've barely exceeded 21 units a week for the last 10 years. I became uncomfortable enough about this to worry about how much I was drinking, but despite the worry I wasn't drinking any less. That didn't feel right.

I'd second Sugarbear - stop for a month, or six months, and see how it goes. Write about it, either here or in a journal/diary. I did just this and things got a whole lot clearer.

Riel

It's a good sign that you can stop after 3 beers. Once I start drinking, I find it nearly impossible to stop. It's been that way since I was a kid.

It's a bad sign that you're drinking to make yourself feel better, and are lonely.

If you peruse these forums you'll discover how much damage alcohol can do, and you might to decide to err on the side of caution, and try to address your problems by some other means.

Herrick25

I am a director at a treatment center that specializes in Dual Diagnosis and that means when we treat our patients we look for a possible underlying reason they have been drinking. If you are using anything to deal with repetitive uncomfortable emotions or to try to calm yourself be very aware of these feelings. In other words you could be using the alcohol as a coping mechanism which is very dangerous in that it almost always leads to a serious problem. I would recommend you see a therapist where you can talk about how to relax naturally without the use of a substance. You are young so educate yourself about the dangers of using alcohol regularly even if you think its a small amount and you could avert a large amount of future suffering.