qab53

First off I'm 23 and about 1 year done with college. I definitely have an alcohol abuse problem and I'm pretty sure it could turn into alcoholism if I'm not careful. I've always had the mentality to drink to get drunk. I started drinking in high school and wouldn't drink often but when I did I always got hammered. In college I did the same thing except alcohol was more readily available so I did it even more often. Freshman year my friends and I would drink to the point of being hammered 2-3 times a week but by senior year it was down to 1 time a week (rarely 2) because it would take such a toll on our bodies. My friends would always get drunk when drinking and sometimes blackout, I always seem to blackout much more often then them.

I've been reading all day about alcohol abuse and alcoholism and to be honest I don't think I'm an alcoholic but I definitely think if I don't make a change I could be headed down that road. My worry is that I have one of the symptoms that separates the abusers from alcoholics, and I would like your opinion on if you think I've crossed the line of becoming an alcoholic. I have never had symptoms of alcohol withdrawl, or a desire to drink the next morning to cure hangover. In fact its the complete opposite, the thought of drinking the next morning disgusts me and after a night of heavy drinking I don't even touch alcohol till the next weekend. The symptom I have that worries me is that once I get drunk it turns to a blackout much more often then my friends because I have trouble stopping. The reasons I feel I have trouble stopping are #1 I set out to get drunk, #2 I have no wife/kids so really only have responsibility to myself and the only really negative thing that's happened to me is embarrassment and some scratches (this causes me to have a lot of "bah screw it nothing really bad ever happens" moments when I want to not drink as much. #3 my friends have always thought I was hilarious when I'm hammered and when I drink around a bunch of friends I blackout where as when I drink a smaller social circle I am much more likely to stop at before blackout.

I don't really know if I'm able to stop after 2-3 drinks because I never really tried. I've always figured what the hell might as well get drunk. My friends always get drunk when they drink but they don't blackout as often as me an usually stop at really drunk. My main question is do you think based on my symptoms/experiences that I have crossed the line to being an alcoholic or am I an alcohol abuser like my friends and have just been conditioned on getting so drunk because of few repercussions I've had and always going out with the attitude of getting hammered? Note* I've always had the problem of stopping before I got too drunk, it is not something that I have progressed too, it started at day one from drinking. This leads me to think that I have more of a problem with my attitude towards drinking than an actual addiction.

I realize this wasn't really a question, and more of just venting but I would appreciate your thoughts. In the future I'm going to try to do some serious changes to my attitude towards drinking and I'm fully aware that If all else fails I will have to quit drinking entirely. I just feel that I may have gotten lucky and realized my problem before I became addicted, and wanted the advice/input of some people who have undoubtedly been around many people with alcohol problems that range from mild to severe.

hearnerules

Your story hits close to home for me. I dont know if I fit the textbook alcoholic or at least what I thought that was. I never drank during the week, or drank when I was sad but I was the type of drinker you are. Binge drink, act crazy blackout, feel like death the next day.

Ive done this for years and Im just now starting to realize what I have become. Sure I could go a few weeks without drinking but if anyone had a party I take it to the max. A case of beer, no problem to drink. But hopefully you wont follow my road and then start getting arrested. Ive been in and out of legal trouble the last 8 years and it all stims from how insane I act when drunk.

I used to think it was bad timing or just bad luck getting caught but the reality is it wouldnt have happened if I hadnt drank or if I had any ability to control myself.

You may not need to put a definition on what you are doing but the road ahead is very bumpy if you aren't careful.

Snarf

If you want to find out if you're an alcoholic (and only you can make that diagnosis), try going out and having a couple drinks and then quitting. You said you've never really tried before, so give it a shot. See if it's easy to stop after 1 or 2. See if you find yourself consciously taking time between drinks, or becoming anxious about ordering another one, or struggling over choosing whether or not to order another. Conduct a little experiment, and note the findings. Then ask yourself again whether or not you're an alcoholic.

Me, I cant stop after a couple. And even if I do, I'm all out of sorts, 'cause I really, really want more. So now I just can't drink at all. If I can't be comfortable with myself when drinking, and if I can't control how much I ingest, I've got no business drinking in the first place.

Dee74

Hi qab

Welcome.

I'll be straight with you - does it really matter whether you're an alcoholic, alcohol abuser or an alcoholic dependent?

You're blacking out, you have trouble stopping, you drink to get drunk, and you're a figure of fun amongst your mates.

There's enough there to be worried about qab - right now - no matter what label you put on it.

D

topspin

May want to ask a professional , like a counselor, about your "approach" to alcohol. I'm not sure it describes life-long "social" drinkers.

Your caution and (hopefully) awareness of a potential problem is to your advantage.

I don't really get too hung up in the semantics. "Abnormal drinker " describes me perfectly. I always drank to get just short of drunk, ....unfortunately; I inevitebly ended up wasted. Took a toll as the years rolled by. And the "toll" got progressively worse


Take care

least

You may be right. If so, you're lucky to have escaped getting into serious trouble over your drinking. As Dee says, what difference does it make what words we use to describe a problem - it's still a problem that should be dealt with before it gets worse... and when it comes to drinking as you describe, it can only get worse.

I'd give it up altogether and be grateful that I gave it up before something awful happened.

Welcome to SR!

Anna

Blacking out is very, very scary and very, very dangerous, and definitely a symptom of alcoholism.

But, only you can decide if you are an alcoholic or not. If alcohol is causing you problems in your life, then you are likely an alcoholic.

Why not stop for a fixed period, say a month, and see what happens? If you're not an alcoholic, you should have no problem with that.

If you do decide to stop drinking, we are here to offer support.