JamesfrmEngland

I am an alcoholic by all extents - I was sober a while and relapsed and am drinking fairly heavily but not that heavily to my standards. I can sometimes drink 4 cans of Guinness but tonight have dranken 1/2 litre of vodka and 1.5 litres of wine. The conundrum is this: I want to be a Royal Marine or Soldier (British Army) and you are not allowed to be a soldier and an alcoholic. My last report said I don't drink, and I need 2.5 more years of no drinking to be accepted onto Royal Marine training. So when I go to rehab tomorrow they will ask me how I am doing and I'll say I drank 1/2 litre of vodka and 1.5 litres of lambrini but that will mean they may phone the hospital and that will get back to my GP and I will be rejected from the military so I will say I am drinking in moderate levels.

least

So then if you're accepted into the Service, you will stop drinking? I'm not sure what the conundrum is here, if it's what you should tell them or whether you are going to get and stay sober.

Rachinator

IMHO I would be honest. If you are accepted and find out you lied/going to have an issue regarding alcohol you can find yourself dishonorably discharged. That is something that you don't want. If this is something you truly desire you have to give it up. Its a huge commitment and it is not easy, but worth the honor. Ask yourself if drinking is going to achieve your goals.

Fly N Buy

There are many career choices, none of which work out very well when we continue to be in our cups regularly. It's not a riddle, it actually pretty straight forward.

Anna

This could be a good time to stop and be honest, James. Lying at this point is likely to mean trouble in the future.

doggonecarl

Lying about your drinking is hardly the way to start of 2.5 years of sobriety.

Honesty. A good component of successful recovery and an attribute I'm sure they encourage in the military.

Most importantly, if you can't get and remain sober it doesn't really matter what you say now. Your state of alcoholism will dictate where you are and what you will be doing, not your honesty today.

Fervor

While I was typing, they all beat me to it, but I'll add my 2 cents anyway.

I’m not going to tell you that that is a good idea, either. I doubt anyone here will. You’re going to have to take the chance and tell them the truth. There is no other way that is honorable, as a Marine should be.

Even if they don’t tell, your only viable options are:
Stop drinking today, making yourself a solid plan to get and remain sober and physically fit so that when the time comes in 2.5 years you will shine.
Look into alternate career paths.

MIRecovery

Maybe I missing something but people who do not have a problem with alcohol don't go to rehab and almost any substance abuse professional knows there is no such thing as moderate drinking if you are an alcoholic

For me sobriety is not possible without rigorous honesty

SoberLife90

If you lie it will eat at you until it eventually comes out.

Soberwolf

A vote for being open and honest

OpenTuning

James, there is no conundrum. It's extraordinarily simple. The only acceptable way to stop the Royal Marines from hearing you're still an alcoholic, is by giving up alcohol completely. Full stop. End of story.

Ask yourself this, would you want to put your own life in the hands of someone who lied about their alcoholism to trick their way into the regiment?

If you want to join badly enough, then use that as extra motivation to help you battle your addiction. The fact you're even considering lying about your drinking shows how much work you still have in front of you. You can absolutely get there. You are young enough that you can certainly turn your life around and achieve whatever goals you have. But you're still at the very, very early stages of recovery and that has to be your first priority and focus right now.