Sad, Confused & Alone
 

So right now I pretty much feel like ****.
I have no idea how to go about giving up drinking and I wish
I had even the slightest desire to do so.
I am so confused as to whether I am or am not an alcoholic.
My boyfriend said to me "You're not an alcoholic"
But I know in my heart that I have a dependancy on it and
that I do not drink for the 'right reasons'.
I feel stupid and like I'm overreacting.
I have no idea what to do and who to turn to.

Brittany, you can only listen to what your heart tells you. If alcohol is causing problems for you in your life, then it's a problem and it doesn't matter what anyone else says about it.

Have you tried to stop for a fixed period, say 3 months, to see what happens?

That's a good way to get the answer you're looking for.

Hi Anna,
Yes I have tried that before.
I stopped once in 2005-2006 for 8 months then went back.
And I stopped again last year for 5 months then went back.
I wouldn't necessarily say that alcohol is causing problems,
but I do depend on it quite a bit.
I had an anxiety attack the other night because I had no
alcohol on hand and couldn't have my drink before bed.
I went to work the next day feeling like a family member had
died.

re: Sad, confused & alone
 

Hey Brittany,
Something I noticed through my own lengthy recovery is that often times the substance isn't really the issue. I haven't touched my drug of choice in 12 years, but unfortunately the majority of the time I spent "drug free" I was still abusing myself and those around me with my addictive behavior.

Perhaps without the alcohol you will be able to see your life more clearly and figure out why you are so sad. Other people may be afraid of the path you are considering choosing; it certainly isn't an easy one, but it is very rewarding. You should be proud of yourself for taking these steps. Keep up the good work!

Best of luck!

First of all let me say thank you very much for the encouragment.
I'm not sad in general, I'm very rarely like this.
I'm not depressed or hurt, I just feel low.
I have more happy days than sad days.
I'm just low cause I have come to the point where I am relying on alcohol to give me those feelings of happiness.
It's pretty much ruling my life.

Brittany, you are lucky to become aware of your problem before it gets worse. And, I believe simplesyrup is right - for me, the alcohol was a symptom of the problems within me. And, I had to deal with the underlying problems in order to move forward.

I had tried for so long to control my drinking, with great determination. Of course, it controlled me, completely and nearly took me down. The day I knew I had to stop, was such a feeling of freedom for me. I began to reclaim my life.

We are here to help and you can do this!

1/7 days I wil be sad. Maybe not even that.
I don't only drink cause I'm sad.
I do it all the time. I could have had an amazing day,
but I will still go home and drink till I feel it.
I don't feel right and I don't feel myself if I don't drink.

Only you can decide if you need to stop. If I had followed the advice of others I may never have stopped.

i have felt the same drinking for about 20 yrs with a great life and i quit dec 28 2007 i also felt the need to drink everyday and i decided for health reasons i have no other choice than to quit. i want to live long iv had a lot of friends die already from alcohol to make a long story short i went to a doctor told him my problem and he prescribed librium an anxiety drug i had no problem quitting with this medication i think my problem was or is anxiety there are many different types today is 20 days and i take 25 mg 3 times a day ive slept the best i can ever remember and im down to two pills a day i dont feel drowsy at all i might need some medication the rest of my life but its better than drinking. i feel i will be happier every day sober iv heard it takes sometimes 3 months