Darwinia

I suppose there are as many reasons as there are alcoholics.

Some say it is a disease. I heard it is in the genes. Mental and psycological conditions. Abuse in childhood. Anxiety. Poverty. Too much money. Introverts. Extroverts. Resentment. Wanting to fit in. Life is tough. Escapism. Boredom. Stress. Addictive personality. The list goes on.

In my case it is simple. I always just wanted to have fun. I believed that life was supposed to be one long never ending party. I landed in a male dominated profession where there was one rule only: work hard, play hard. And boy did I excell. Work was fun, socialising almost every evening even more fun. The after work drink with collegues and friends became the many after work drinks. I fitted in like hand in glove.

My sport of choice golf was a replica. Every round, good or bad followed by the 19th hole with many drinks. Fun became drinking and without drinking there could be no fun.

I became addicted to alcohol because I simply drank too much of the damn stuff.

It's that simple.

carlingford

Darwinia, great post, yes, I agree I am in similar situation, just drank for fun but unfortunately the poison took a grip. Funny enough some of my friends who drank even more than me are not effected like me. I think my addiction might be rooted in a bit of all the pointers you mentioned in your post, cannot pin one specific one but just wanted to have fun and now have this disease.

Nonsensical

I drank because it made me feel better.
Until I couldn't feel better without drinking.
Until I felt bad unless I was drinking.
Until drinking just made me feel less bad.

Kaily

I was bought up in an alcoholic house. Had many traumas in my childhood so I was a very shy withdrawn child.
Early teens I frequently got blackout drunk, never understood why just thought it was normal.
Here I am at 53 still looking for a solution to the demon.

Darwinia

Kaylie's post is a case in point. I grew up in a privileged home with supportive parents who hardly drank. I was given life's opportunities on a plate. Kaily had a hard childhood with alcoholic parents. Yet here we are. Both alcoholics. The road to alcoholism is paved with many flavoured cocktails.

ScottFromWI

I found that for me, the only way to finally get sober for good was do stop trying to figure out "why". I AM an alcoholic, and knowing why won't change that fact. And as we see on a daily basis here, alcoholism affects people of all races, creeds and socio-economic backgrounds.

Looking back for me, the real reason I wanted to know was so I could fix it and resume drinking normally.

Darwinia

I agree Scott. The "why" is not relevant, just interesting. No matter what the reason, once alcoholic status has been reached abstinance is the only remedy. I also do not feel guity that seemingly I has less "reason" to become an alcoholic. I did. So now I try to fix it best I can.

tomsteve

it is quite interesting to read,see,and hear the many different backgrounds of alcoholics.
in aa when I removed the backgrounds and started listening to the thinking, we all had very similar thinking.low bottom drunk, high bottom drunk, "functioning" alcoholic, closet drinker, party animal, doctor carpenter, lawyer, mechanic, business owner, politician, teacher...the list goes on.....
all the same thinking.

entropy1964

I think the why of my alcoholism IS important (causes and conditions) because if I ignore it, sublimate it, wish it away, it always comes back, mad as hell. The why is in the past and if the why is not processed it possesses my present and infects my thinking. However the past is often very complicated and processing seems impossible. But with faith, a higher power and support, the why's can be let go....or at least I'm hoping so.

blueberry2015

For me I drank because I couldnt handle emotions, it numbed any pain out, on happy times I drank to heighten my emotions... soon caught up with me in the end!

Elicia08

I am certain I was born an alcoholic. No doubt in my mind. It is how my brain is wired and I don't really need to know why. It just is.... I believe this isn't necessarily the case for everyone, though. As others have said, we all took different roads but ended up in the same place. Thank goodness that place is here!!!

ERosey

How I got here. Drinking was always fun. I wasn't running from anything or treating pain. I just drank a lot. But I noticed one thing, my anxiety would be horrible after a night of drinking. Heck, during college football season I would drink all day. And then about a year ago it took a turn.

I was drinking earlier and earlier in the day. And now I am addicted. I cannot tell u how many times I sit there thinking, "how and why did I get here?!" It is truly baffling to me.

But as one person wrote above. The "why" doesn't matter anymore. All that matters now it the "how" of getting and keeping alcohol out of my life.

Bruno1979

I started to drink as a teenager with my friends, holidays abroad, parties, clubs, pubs etc,

The problem is that I forgot to stop. I didn't even consider that stopping was an option.

From 18-36 years old I basically let alcohol dominate my life.

I don't even think that I was an alcoholic, I just knew that it was time to stop. And thank god that I did,

Bruno.

butcher70

Darwinia, great post! And applies to me too. I let myself drink the better part of two cases of beer a day for around a year. And the part of it that gets me is a i used to look back and say "wow, how did this happen?"

awuh1

It's true. People who become alcoholics come from widely differing backgrounds, have different genetic predispositions to alcoholism and drank for different 'reasons'. Nevertheless there does seem to be a common thread.
Many of us had the perception that life was not all that meaningful.

The solution involved finding a way to change that.

Darwinia

Good insight Awuh. Life is not that meaningful objectively speaking. Yet, it's what we've got. Perhaps non addicts find it easier to find significance. I do lean towards a nihilistic disposition and you have spotted that well.

MIRecovery

Alcoholism is an equal opportunity offender

MeSoSober

I'm another with no "reason" to have become an alcoholic. But even in college, where there's a LOT of alcohol abuse, I think I stood out -- and not for my awesome grades. I think even then it was clear that I had/was going to have a problem.

I guess I just REALLY liked the feeling it gave me personally (the sense of security and the wonder of life) and the camaraderie, too much. And I think I have an innate tendency to self-indulge beyond most people. I've always lacked discipline.

Fly N Buy

Very natural to ask why - especially early in sobriety. I've read disease models and ascribe to a program. However, after reading the book Under The Influence I subscribe to the pysioligical reasons; an alcoholics body metabolizes alcohol differently than a non-alcoholic.

Avoidance is the only solution.

http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...influence.html

bexxed

I became an alcoholic because I abused alcohol. If I drink, I'm abusing it. I can't drink one drink without abusing it. I don't have the same relationship with bananas as I do with wine. It doesn't matter why, really. Why isn't the answer. The answer is that it is.