gingerrogers

Just another day at work with a short night before. Needed to make sure my husband had passed out before it was safe to go to bed. Then I took the advice to join SR so I stayed up a little late. Today at work I mentioned I joined the forum to a coworker/friend and she tells me that I wasn't much of an alcoholic if I could quit by myself. Because she tells me that an alcoholic is someone who has to start the day with a drink. Gosh, I drank 2 1/2 to 3 thirty packs of beer a week on a normal week.

Dee74

I'd be pretty careful about who you mention your problem to.

There's a lot of misunderstanding, fear and stigma about alcoholism - and a lot of wrong information too.....

I was one of the ones who did have to start the day with a drink, but there's many many of us who didn't.

Not all of us were homeless or living in cardboard boxes either

Some quit with the help of SR, others need more....

None of these factors have any real bearing on the 'severity' of our problem, IMO.

Alcoholism can strike anywhere - all ages, all walks of life - and manifests in a variety of different ways Ginger

D

Hevyn

Hi ginger. Glad you posted.

Your friend doesn't understand alcoholism. It isn't how often we drink - but what it does to us when we do drink. For years I only drank on weekends, but I got totally wasted and had no control once the first drink was in my system. You're definitely doing the right thing by joining us and deciding to change your life.

Eleni58

I never ever drank in the morning and rarely started drinking before 5:00 pm. But I AM an alcoholic because I NEEDED it every day and could not stop after one or two.

Welcome aboard and best wishes on your road to recovery!

gingerrogers

Thanks, I grew up with an alcoholic father and he was the other end of the spectrum. I considered myself a highly functional drunk. Drank every day after work but on days off 11 or 12 in the morning. Missed out on a lot of life.

Mizzuno

I agree with being careful about who you tell on this personal journey. People do have judgements and their own ideas as to what a "real" alcoholic is. You are the only one who knows the answer. Welcome to the forum. This site has been a great instrument in my recovery from alcoholism. I hope that you find it to be the same.

dayover

Stigma like that is why I am hesitant and don't know how to tell people I have a problem

I wouldn't say I have a high bottom, because I think what I have been through is unusual for someone my age (but not someone who is an alcoholic, it is unusual compared to 'normal people'). But because I'm so young sometimes I feel like I will not be taken seriously unless I continue to drink for a few years. But I can't do that because before I decided to quit, I was already at such a low and painfully unmanageable point.



Interestingly we were talking about this at AA lately - how in Step One it mentions having to raise the bottom for younger people, etc. I think as an alcoholic it is important to recognize when you are comparing yourself to others. (Not that the OP is doing this at all, just mentioning it) "Oh, well I never drank like Uncle Joe did. He drank vodka. I drank wine." or "Well it never got bad enough that I really lost anything, I still had a job, my family, my house.." "I could've been worse"

Because the thing is, it got bad enough that you went to a meeting. It got bad enough that something, even if it was briefly, told you you could NOT keep living the way you have been! Sure most of us could have been worse. But we sure as hell could be better. You hit bottom when you stop digging.

ReadyAtLast

Welcome to SR

I'm also very careful of who I tell and would never tell anyone at work.

You know if you have a problem,It's not for anyone else to say you do or you don't. You know what's best.Don't let other people influence you.