Am I an Alcoholic?
Am I an Alcoholic
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Harwich MA
Posts: 3
Am I an Alcoholic?
I have been trying to get sober for two and a half years.
Every time I get a few days of sobriety, my brain tells me that I am not an alcoholic. In meetings, I hear about people who know that if they have their first drink, they will start on a path where at the end they will end up in the back of a police cruiser or will lose everything.
I drink 12 ounces of rum most days of the week. Then I stop. I do not lose anything. I do not get arrested for driving under. I just get a little sleepy when the buzz wears off.
Why should I stop drinking? Please help, because my brain continues to allow me to drink while something inside my soul tells me that I should not drink. I am a spiritual person. I feel my emotions. I rejoice in the blooming of forsythia in the spring.
Am I an alcoholic or not? Should I stop drinking or not. Please help.
Thanks,
Jeff
Every time I get a few days of sobriety, my brain tells me that I am not an alcoholic. In meetings, I hear about people who know that if they have their first drink, they will start on a path where at the end they will end up in the back of a police cruiser or will lose everything.
I drink 12 ounces of rum most days of the week. Then I stop. I do not lose anything. I do not get arrested for driving under. I just get a little sleepy when the buzz wears off.
Why should I stop drinking? Please help, because my brain continues to allow me to drink while something inside my soul tells me that I should not drink. I am a spiritual person. I feel my emotions. I rejoice in the blooming of forsythia in the spring.
Am I an alcoholic or not? Should I stop drinking or not. Please help.
Thanks,
Jeff
Administrator
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Dancing in the Light
Posts: 61,469
Welcome and I'm glad you found us!
Only you can decide if you're an alcoholic or not.
If alcohol is causing you any problems in your life, then stopping is a good idea.
It takes a lot of motivation to stop drinking, so you need to be focused on recovery. If you're unsure if you're an alcoholic, try stopping for a fixed period, say three months, and you will likely get your answer.
Only you can decide if you're an alcoholic or not.
If alcohol is causing you any problems in your life, then stopping is a good idea.
It takes a lot of motivation to stop drinking, so you need to be focused on recovery. If you're unsure if you're an alcoholic, try stopping for a fixed period, say three months, and you will likely get your answer.
Forward we go...side by side-Rest In Peace
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Serene In Dixie
Posts: 36,740
Hi ...Welcome to our community...
I knew that I was an alcoholic when I continued
to drink and I really wanted to stop.
Why stop if you are not feeling it's a problem?
I don't think social drinkers think
about quitting one way or the other.
Here is info you may not know...
CDC+Moderation
According to the CDC....
Moderate drinking is no more than 2 drinks a day for men..1 for women
They consider a drink to be
12 oz. of beer..5 oz. of wine...1 1/2 oz liquor.
Your body and mind processes all 3 toxins equally
so drinking only wine or only liquor or only beer
or mixing them is of no importance.
They all do the same damage.
Good to see a new member.
I knew that I was an alcoholic when I continued
to drink and I really wanted to stop.
Why stop if you are not feeling it's a problem?
I don't think social drinkers think about quitting one way or the other.
Here is info you may not know...
CDC+Moderation
According to the CDC....
Moderate drinking is no more than 2 drinks a day for men..1 for women
They consider a drink to be
12 oz. of beer..5 oz. of wine...1 1/2 oz liquor.
Your body and mind processes all 3 toxins equally
so drinking only wine or only liquor or only beer
or mixing them is of no importance.
They all do the same damage.
Good to see a new member.
bona fido dog-lover
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: SF Bay area, CA
Posts: 99,759
It's true: only you can tell if you're alcoholic or not. But if your 'soul' is telling you that you should not drink... then some part of you thinks you have a problem. I'd listen to your soul. After all (I believe) it's the only part of you that will survive death. Your brain function ends with death. I do not believe that the soul dies with the brain. Just my opinion...
problem with authority
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Washington, DC
Posts: 870
Maybe you shouldn't stop drinking. (I'm not trying to be flip.) I have never had a DUI. (I did end up in the back of a police cruiser, but that's another story.)
Although I drank every day toward the end, I did not drink as much in quantity as some people whose stories I've heard.
My brain tells me I'm not an alcoholic too. I know I am. Maybe you are not.
If you are really curious to find out, you should try abstaining for a period of time...30 days or so. Or, even better, try moderating your alcoholic intake to no more than the recommended "healthy" level...no more than two drinks per day for a man under 65.
If I could manage that without too much thought or trouble, I would probably come to the conclusion that I am not an alcoholic.
Although I drank every day toward the end, I did not drink as much in quantity as some people whose stories I've heard.
My brain tells me I'm not an alcoholic too. I know I am. Maybe you are not.
If you are really curious to find out, you should try abstaining for a period of time...30 days or so. Or, even better, try moderating your alcoholic intake to no more than the recommended "healthy" level...no more than two drinks per day for a man under 65.
If I could manage that without too much thought or trouble, I would probably come to the conclusion that I am not an alcoholic.
Originally Posted by jeff123a 
I have been trying to get sober for two and a half years.
Every time I get a few days of sobriety, my brain tells me that I am not an alcoholic. In meetings, I hear about people who know that if they have their first drink, they will start on a path where at the end they will end up in the back of a police cruiser or will lose everything.
I drink 12 ounces of rum most days of the week. Then I stop. I do not lose anything. I do not get arrested for driving under. I just get a little sleepy when the buzz wears off.
Why should I stop drinking? Please help, because my brain continues to allow me to drink while something inside my soul tells me that I should not drink. I am a spiritual person. I feel my emotions. I rejoice in the blooming of forsythia in the spring.
Am I an alcoholic or not? Should I stop drinking or not. Please help.
Thanks,
Jeff
Every time I get a few days of sobriety, my brain tells me that I am not an alcoholic. In meetings, I hear about people who know that if they have their first drink, they will start on a path where at the end they will end up in the back of a police cruiser or will lose everything.
I drink 12 ounces of rum most days of the week. Then I stop. I do not lose anything. I do not get arrested for driving under. I just get a little sleepy when the buzz wears off.
Why should I stop drinking? Please help, because my brain continues to allow me to drink while something inside my soul tells me that I should not drink. I am a spiritual person. I feel my emotions. I rejoice in the blooming of forsythia in the spring.
Am I an alcoholic or not? Should I stop drinking or not. Please help.
Thanks,
Jeff
Forward we go...side by side-Rest In Peace
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Serene In Dixie
Posts: 36,740
Hi again...
I went to find this link about alcohol and your brain
Alcohol Chemistry and You
I find it's interesting...hope you will too.
I went to find this link about alcohol and your brain
Alcohol Chemistry and You
I find it's interesting...hope you will too.
Member
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Miamisburg, Ohio
Posts: 217
Welcome to SR Jeff,
I can only tell you that I'm an alcoholic and share my experience. For years I'd half-heartedly proclaim to be alcoholic, I kind of thought I always had a problem with alcohol...and drugs.
It seemed to me I just needed the right circumstances in my life to find the happiness I was looking for (right job, right relationship...etc.) then I wouldn't have to rely on alcohol and it wouldn't be a problem for me any longer.
It took me 30 years to reach the bottom of my,"why I drink" list. When I ran out of things to blame and realized my drinking was the problem I sought sobriety.
I didn't really want to be alcoholic but I've found that being alcoholic isn't so bad as long as I don't drink. I belong to the AA fellowship because it's there that I learn from others how to live without picking up.
Good luck Jeff!! If you're an alcoholic don't be afraid, there is recovery and you can live it.
God's Peace
I can only tell you that I'm an alcoholic and share my experience. For years I'd half-heartedly proclaim to be alcoholic, I kind of thought I always had a problem with alcohol...and drugs.
It seemed to me I just needed the right circumstances in my life to find the happiness I was looking for (right job, right relationship...etc.) then I wouldn't have to rely on alcohol and it wouldn't be a problem for me any longer.
It took me 30 years to reach the bottom of my,"why I drink" list. When I ran out of things to blame and realized my drinking was the problem I sought sobriety.
I didn't really want to be alcoholic but I've found that being alcoholic isn't so bad as long as I don't drink. I belong to the AA fellowship because it's there that I learn from others how to live without picking up.
Good luck Jeff!! If you're an alcoholic don't be afraid, there is recovery and you can live it.
God's Peace
Member
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: uk
Posts: 157
hi,
Im not sure if im in the position to offer advice after only 17 days sobriety but your post struck a chord.
I KNOW im an alcoholic, but its taken me a long time to come to terms with it,it still feels really odd that im talking about ME here! you talked about spirituality
I can really relate to that.
When i was drinking (and i sincerely hope i can say that as being in the past)
I functioned FINE, i got up every day at 7:30, got the kids to school, did the house work, then went out to my evening job.
Every night id be sinking wine, didnt matter if i got in at 2 am from working, id STILL have to have at least a bottle.
I never had any problems with my health from drinking, and when i tried to talk to people about the amount i drank i found that many other people drank WAY more/ more often than me, for longer than me and id come away feeling really silly for worrying about it.
But i couldnt escape that feeling INSIDE ME that something wasnt right.
I tried to ignore it, shut it up with more booze, laugh it off as me being a born worrier you name it i tried it but it wouldnt go away.
Id wake up in the small hours after a binge thinking- oh god, i really have to stop, but i continued.
Call it god, your Conscience, or whatever you like but it persisted in letting me know i was heading for a place i did NOT want to be in.
It wasnt until i couldnt ignore it anymore that i had the courage to try and quit, and here i am now thankful to god that i have 17 days sober.
Like other people have said, only you can decide, i toyed with the idea for YEARS, funny thing is once i accepted it , things became much easier.
I really hope you find what your looking for and that you make the right decisions for yourself, Theres lots of wonderful and inspirational people posting in these forums anyway, so i hope either way you stick around.
Im not sure if im in the position to offer advice after only 17 days sobriety but your post struck a chord.
I KNOW im an alcoholic, but its taken me a long time to come to terms with it,it still feels really odd that im talking about ME here! you talked about spirituality
I can really relate to that.
When i was drinking (and i sincerely hope i can say that as being in the past)
I functioned FINE, i got up every day at 7:30, got the kids to school, did the house work, then went out to my evening job.
Every night id be sinking wine, didnt matter if i got in at 2 am from working, id STILL have to have at least a bottle.
I never had any problems with my health from drinking, and when i tried to talk to people about the amount i drank i found that many other people drank WAY more/ more often than me, for longer than me and id come away feeling really silly for worrying about it.
But i couldnt escape that feeling INSIDE ME that something wasnt right.
I tried to ignore it, shut it up with more booze, laugh it off as me being a born worrier you name it i tried it but it wouldnt go away.
Id wake up in the small hours after a binge thinking- oh god, i really have to stop, but i continued.
Call it god, your Conscience, or whatever you like but it persisted in letting me know i was heading for a place i did NOT want to be in.
It wasnt until i couldnt ignore it anymore that i had the courage to try and quit, and here i am now thankful to god that i have 17 days sober.
Like other people have said, only you can decide, i toyed with the idea for YEARS, funny thing is once i accepted it , things became much easier.
I really hope you find what your looking for and that you make the right decisions for yourself, Theres lots of wonderful and inspirational people posting in these forums anyway, so i hope either way you stick around.
Am I an Alcoholic
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Harwich MA
Posts: 3
Thanks to all of you who responded to my post. Of course, I wanted all of you to tell me that I was not an alcoholic so that I could keep on drinking.
But the truth is that I do feel that something is wrong in my soul.
And I doubt that I could stop for a week let alone 30 or 90 days.
Love,
Jeff
But the truth is that I do feel that something is wrong in my soul.
And I doubt that I could stop for a week let alone 30 or 90 days.
Love,
Jeff
mle-sober
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Golden, CO
Posts: 1,243
Jeff,
People here state repeatedly that only you can tell if you're an alcoholic - other people can't tell you. I'm respectful of that for this forum but I have to say I've had family members, friends, doctors, therapists and counselors telling me I was an alcoholic since I was 20 years old. I'm almost 40 now.
I remember sitting in an AA meeting at a rehab when I was 20 and listening to all these people talk and feeling completely disconnected from me. I was absolutely certain that people were misreading me and that I was NOT an alcoholic. I was just at the rehab because I was depressed and my family was hassleing me to go.
Later, I had many, many interactions with doctors and therapists who were helping me address mental illness (I eventually got diagnosed Bipolar) and who insisted I needed to also address my alcoholism. Over the years, I denied and denied - feeling very righteous.
And then, something happened this past year. I never got a DUI, I never lost large sums of money or a spouse. I never accidentally hurt anyone. What happened was I started hiding how much I was drinking. I started hiding bottles and lying about it. That was my clue. I was drinking so much that I knew my spouse would be appalled and I felt like I had to hide it.
So I tried to quit. And I couldn't. I couldn't even limit my intake. I'd draw a line on a bottle and say that this evening I wasn't going to go past that line. But EVERY SINGLE TIME, I would blow right past that line and drink everything that was available to me in the house.
I knew with certainty I was an alcoholic.
It was a very scary time and I hope that, as you are contemplating alcohol in your own life, you have strength and courage. It gets better. And I'm glad you're here.
People here state repeatedly that only you can tell if you're an alcoholic - other people can't tell you. I'm respectful of that for this forum but I have to say I've had family members, friends, doctors, therapists and counselors telling me I was an alcoholic since I was 20 years old. I'm almost 40 now.
I remember sitting in an AA meeting at a rehab when I was 20 and listening to all these people talk and feeling completely disconnected from me. I was absolutely certain that people were misreading me and that I was NOT an alcoholic. I was just at the rehab because I was depressed and my family was hassleing me to go.
Later, I had many, many interactions with doctors and therapists who were helping me address mental illness (I eventually got diagnosed Bipolar) and who insisted I needed to also address my alcoholism. Over the years, I denied and denied - feeling very righteous.
And then, something happened this past year. I never got a DUI, I never lost large sums of money or a spouse. I never accidentally hurt anyone. What happened was I started hiding how much I was drinking. I started hiding bottles and lying about it. That was my clue. I was drinking so much that I knew my spouse would be appalled and I felt like I had to hide it.
So I tried to quit. And I couldn't. I couldn't even limit my intake. I'd draw a line on a bottle and say that this evening I wasn't going to go past that line. But EVERY SINGLE TIME, I would blow right past that line and drink everything that was available to me in the house.
I knew with certainty I was an alcoholic.
It was a very scary time and I hope that, as you are contemplating alcohol in your own life, you have strength and courage. It gets better. And I'm glad you're here.
bona fido dog-lover
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: SF Bay area, CA
Posts: 99,759
Don't stop for a week or a month - stop just for today. Just for today, don't drink. THen tomorrow will become today and you don't drink for that day. It's easier to take it one day at a time.
I've been taking it one day at a time for the last 24 days, and that's my longest sober time in the last year. So if I can do it, anyone can, if they want to badly enough.
:ghug
I've been taking it one day at a time for the last 24 days, and that's my longest sober time in the last year. So if I can do it, anyone can, if they want to badly enough.
:ghug
Member
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Toronto
Posts: 79
Originally Posted by jeff123a
I have been trying to get sober for two and a half years.
Every time I get a few days of sobriety, my brain tells me that I am not an alcoholic. In meetings, I hear about people who know that if they have their first drink, they will start on a path where at the end they will end up in the back of a police cruiser or will lose everything.
I drink 12 ounces of rum most days of the week. Then I stop. I do not lose anything. I do not get arrested for driving under. I just get a little sleepy when the buzz wears off.
Why should I stop drinking? Please help, because my brain continues to allow me to drink while something inside my soul tells me that I should not drink. I am a spiritual person. I feel my emotions. I rejoice in the blooming of forsythia in the spring.
Am I an alcoholic or not? Should I stop drinking or not. Please help.
Thanks,
Jeff
Every time I get a few days of sobriety, my brain tells me that I am not an alcoholic. In meetings, I hear about people who know that if they have their first drink, they will start on a path where at the end they will end up in the back of a police cruiser or will lose everything.
I drink 12 ounces of rum most days of the week. Then I stop. I do not lose anything. I do not get arrested for driving under. I just get a little sleepy when the buzz wears off.
Why should I stop drinking? Please help, because my brain continues to allow me to drink while something inside my soul tells me that I should not drink. I am a spiritual person. I feel my emotions. I rejoice in the blooming of forsythia in the spring.
Am I an alcoholic or not? Should I stop drinking or not. Please help.
Thanks,
Jeff
Best wishes.
Community Greeter
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Upstate New York
Posts: 51,526
Jeff, if I may ask - has this been your pattern of drinking for a number of years? You may build up a tolerance for the 12 oz. a day & begin to increase it before long. That's what happened to my friend who retired about a year ago. She only drank on weekends when she was working, now it's every day. So far, it's still fun and relaxing for her, but I'm a little worried.
Lucky you up there in beautiful Cape Cod. I love Hyannis, Provincetown, Martha's Vineyard & Nantucket.
Lucky you up there in beautiful Cape Cod. I love Hyannis, Provincetown, Martha's Vineyard & Nantucket.
Member
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: wherever my feet take me
Posts: 1,314
Welcome Jeff.
If you find yourself asking whether or not your an alcoholic, something about your drinking habits is causing you concern..
only you can decide that. You stated that drinking hasnt causesd you any trouble. Well in my early days I didnt get in trouble either. Didnt meant there was no problem though. As time went on the problem became apparent.
i could be totally wrong, but when I think of an alcoholic I think of someone that cant stop once they have had 1.
dont go by me, but if you feel in your "soul" you might be an alcoholic, I would address it before the troubles start DWI etc.
Keep posting
If you find yourself asking whether or not your an alcoholic, something about your drinking habits is causing you concern..
only you can decide that. You stated that drinking hasnt causesd you any trouble. Well in my early days I didnt get in trouble either. Didnt meant there was no problem though. As time went on the problem became apparent.
i could be totally wrong, but when I think of an alcoholic I think of someone that cant stop once they have had 1.
dont go by me, but if you feel in your "soul" you might be an alcoholic, I would address it before the troubles start DWI etc.
Keep posting
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