I know this is stupid, but Beer vs. Hard Liquor
 

Okay, are there any people on here who just drank beer and went through some hard physical withdrawals. I'm on day 30 something or other and I'm getting that I don't think I have a problem. Never in trouble and no withdrawals. Thinking its because I just drank beer.

I need the beer drinkers only to tell me its just as bad.

Why am I not going through major physical withdrawals.

I'm just feeling like I'm sick of talking about drinking and talking about not drinking and sick of thinking I'm gonna mess up and thinking about not messing up. Today is just bugging me.

Just not feeling right today.

Beer drinkers are alchies too. Right ?????:abco:

OnceNice...while ur waiting on just the beer drinker to arrive,,,,even tho i drank most stuff i eventually ended up drinking cheap wine...and i thought wine was less troublesome than beer....hmmmm....i thought i was safe....
I guess not.....if i drank none, a little, moderately, more, alot....i still ended up with the obsession to drink. That ultimate craving for it and not having enough alcohol to quinch my thirst for it. That dependancy of a substance to make me feel better, make me not feel pain....all sorts of reasons......if that makes sense....

Now im outta here so the others can share with u...

Thanks for letting me share my friend.... : )

Hi OnceNice,

Sorry your in a bit of a funk, I hope you perk up soon. There are lots of "beer onlys" on here, I'm sure they will be along. For now, I just wanted to say that you may be getting a case of the 30 day "maybe it wasn't all that bad's" I know, I'm getting toward a month myself here, and wondering the same thing.

Just trying to remember how much better I've been feeling the last month. I'm happy for your progress, keep up the good work.

Steve

Thanks Steve. I'm pretty sure you are right. And people keep asking me to do stuff. I just keep saying no. And people don't know me as a "no" person. I just do waht they want.

Are there any alchies who are caretakers too. Sometimes I wonder if I should be in Alanon. I don't know.

I drink too damn much. I'm questioning it I guess.

Wow Rose! Are you picking thought out of my brain or what!?

I'm a alchie beer drinking care taker. I want everyone around me to be happy, even and especially at the expense of myself.

I never had any physical withdrawal symptoms..........I never got arrested, never lost a job, never got a DUI........but I am an alcoholic. I had blackouts and puked my guts out and got kicked out of bars and was only lucky I never got a DUI or killed anyone on the road.

I also drank at home by myself and drunk-dialed and drunk-chatted online. I've done things I don't ever want to tell anyone I've ever done......all because I drank too much because I don't know when to stop. In fact I don't stop -- the stopping point would come at the point that I could not physically lift the bottle of beer to my lips.

Any of that sound familiar? For me, it's just a choice. I know I've already said that today but it's true, I just choose not to drink. I could very easily go out right now and get trashed. Deep down I know where I will end up. It might take me some time getting there.......but eventually, I know I would end up in the gutter.

Are you looking for someone around here to give you a different answer?

I'm proud of you. I really, really am.

hugs,
doll

No, I'm not looking for a different answer. More of a reassurance that I'm in the right area you know.

I work for lawyers. For a long time. Unfortunately, I'm alway playing devils advocate, always justifying everything. I'm not knocking lawyers. its just how it works ya know.

Oh well, I'm just really wanting a drink today.

I was a beer drinker once too....

...until I realized liquor was quicker, didn't fill me up as much and I didn't feel quite as crappy the next day....

...Oh yeah its easier to hide and sneak and an less of an odor, vodka anyway.

Most of my vodka drinking buds where strictly beer drinkers too. I guess in a way it is part of the progression of the disease.

I understand what you're going through Rose. I really do. Don't ever think you're alone in this.

love,
doll

We can convince ourselves of any and everything, and usually we are able to see where we have been wrong. Which have you wanted to do more drink beer or not drink beer? I doubt you have ever said that I am going to drink every day for the rest of my life, but I am sure that you have said I am never going to drink again. Have you ever said I am going to drink beer everyday for the next thirty days, probably not? Not having withdrawals or never being in trouble is not a justification for drinking. If you need justification for not drinking, then make it "I am not drinking so I don't get into trouble and I don't go through withdrawal.

Thank you for being a beautiful person who has gone 30 days without drinking.

Thank you for posting

And most importantly

Thank you for listening to me, I needed it.

We all live in the shadows, on the edge of where the darkness lies.

According to the CDC...from their website,

Is beer or wine safer to drink than hard liquor?

No. One 12 ounce beer has about the same amount of alcohol as one 5 ounce glass of wine, or one 1.5 ounce shot of liquor.

Glad you are still sober Rose!
:banana:

Hey, sorry its taken me so long to respond... Yes, I was a beer drinker!

My typical cycle was weekend binge drinking, recover from the hangover on Sunday, and back to the workweek on Monday. I drank a lot of Harp Lager (yum!).

Towards the end there, when I was deep into the spiral, I was going out about every other day after work, closing the place, finding another, not getting home until very early in the morning, try to grab a few hours of sleep and start over again. When I was coming home from work, (whether I had free time or not), I was either thinking about which place to stop at first, or else I was still hungover and just wanted to go back to bed.

I drank a lot of beer. The last couple times out I started including shots too, and wound up in handcuffs both times.

It isn't the form the alcohol takes, its the alcohol itself. It doesn't matter if its in beer, wine or a mixer. What matters is how much of it you take and how often. For me, I was taking high doses regularly about three times a week before I stopped. I was a heavy beer drinker, and once I started I wouldn't stop.

The thirty day mark is an important point. The alcohol has fully worked its way out of your system, and you're past all the physical stuff, (you may not have noticed it for what it was).

I can certainly relate to getting sick of always talking about nothing but alcohol. Its just your brain waking up again, that's all. Use the time before and after meetings to chat about other stuff. Do some service work to bring other activities into your life. Have dinner with people.

Be careful though. Now that you're past the physical stuff, the emotional and psychological stuff will start up strong. Recognize the disease when its talking to you, lying to you, trying to get you back. This is the period when you'll encounter lots of self-cons and self-deceptions -- some people describe it as a committee inside their heads -- you'll tell yourself anything just to get past that hurdle of the first beer (and once you start, one leads to twelve or more).

I think you're in the right place. You are not alone!

I only drank beer for breakfast... but I have read that a can of beer is equal to the ounce and half of hard liquor.

You seem to have some issues with feelings around being a caretaker so why not go to alanon? It's been recommended that I go as well.. I know I qualify.. but I just couldn't bear one more meeting at the time.

Why not post about those caretaking feelings on the alanon/naranon boards? There sure is a lot of wisdom over there about dealing with the resentments that build up inside a caretaker's soul.

You're doing pretty darn good! It always makes my day to see you here getting the nose :C023: picking under control, posting, making everyone laugh and managing to not pick up that beer!!

:Val004:

I don't really know if I qualify for alanon. My dad died of alchohism. My mother raised 8 kids, i the youngest alone. I'm 40 now. He died when I was 6. Some of here codependant ways I think might have rubbed off onto me, but she was not drunk.

I don't know sometimes I just don't know where I fit in.

I'm pretty bad today. I've been doing pretty good so far, but today I just want to say F' it. I don't even have a reason why. I just am so mad at everyone and doing everything they ask and getting nothing in return. Then I can't even take my drink.

Plus I'm getting so fat. I thought if I quit drinking beer I'd lose weight.
I'm sorry everyone. I"m not very funny these last two days.

Started with just beer, went to rum and beer. Whiskey and beer and then back to just beer (cheaper could last longer through the week)
No withdrawls, no fighting with inner thoughts. The choice was made and I stopped. Being stubborn helps. I set my mind to stopping and I didn't need think about all the what ifs. When things came along that had me question if I should or shouldn't pick up a beer...I just remembered my past and knew I didn't want to return there. As Nike says...just do it...is how I made it through. If I sat about thinking on things, I may not have stopped when I did.
Just yesterday my sons were drinking and asking...so dad, how long has it been?
I did have thoughts that said...I should have just one and show them I won't melt from one beer but then my thoughts changed...no beer will remain a good example to them. My youngest is 23 and each time I am around when they are drinking...my not drinking is a example..Life can be good...Sober.
My last time drunk was about 20 years ago. The last beer I had was about 16 years ago. Two beers 16 years ago hit me like a six pack would have the 4 years before that. Two beers reminded me right quick...not for me, sober is better.

((((((rose)))))))