New to this, a little nervous?
 

I am 26 years old. To make a long story short, i didn't start drinking until i went to college(Northeastern, Boston, MA). My father died when i was 19 years old, and i dropped out of school. Since then i have probably drank at least 5 days a week up until my current age. I don't think im an alcoholic, because i dont wake up shaking ever from not drinking, but I do know i have a drinking problem. For example yesterday i went out and had 6 shots and about 6 beers over a 2 hour period and literally felt nothing. I posted on facebook, how i am done drinking and got absolutely no support from my "friends" only sarcastic comments. That is why im signing up for this website because i am internet friendly, and i feel like complete strangers can be more supportive than my friends. I have an employee party coming up tomorrow night and with new years right around the corner i really hope i can start my recovery off on the right foot. Currently im not even a day sober but im really going to try this time, no matter how hard it is.Wish me luck!

Welcome onetime. If you think you have a problem with alcohol you probably do. Certainly the deciding factor in whether someone is an alcoholic is not whether they wake up shaking. I drank almost daily for years, and am grateful I did not have any withdrawal symptoms that I know of when I quit.

Read around the forum. Post. Good luck. You can do this. It is up to you.

Hey Onetime, welcome!

This site does have the advantage of being personal while totally anonymous. I made use of that heavily when I first started to seriously quit.

I really do believe that in time your friends will come around to your change. It's mostly ourselves that are the strongest critics, and only in time do we see the world was never as hostile toward our addiction as we thought. But that, as with many things, happens in time. For now glad you're here.

Hi Onetime :) Welcome!

Sometimes our 'friends', end up being toxic to our recovery. I hope that isn't so for you, but it happens, unfortunately.

I never shook either (or lost a job, a relationship, got a dui, went to jail etc etc), but I am an alcoholic, and it almost destroyed my life in so many other ways. It really doesn't matter if you identify yourself as an alcoholic.. you know that alcohol is a problem in your life, that's why you're here.. HUGE step.

Personally, I'd skip the party.. no need to be in an environment dripping with alcohol this early on, but that's your call. My sober date was 12/18, two years ago, so I TOTALLY get how hard this time of year is.. trust me I do. But they are just days like any other, and in true recovery we do learn how to live sober, long term.. regardless of what happens in life, what holiday it is, how the weather is outside, whether or not we're having a bad hair day (ok, now I'm being facetious, but you get my point).

I'm really glad you're here. Facebook wont help you recover, but I know SR will, if you're ready!

Welcome! You will find a lot of support here. Your friends will come around and if they don't it is probably a good time to re evaluate the friendship. I agree with flutter, sometimes "friends" can be toxic to recovery. Surround yourself with people who will be supportive of your recovery.

:wavey:
welcome....you can find information....understanding and support
with us....thanks for joining.

Our focus is much different than social networks..:)
We are here to assist people wanting to improve their lives and futures.

thanks for all the comments so far...to "flutter", i dont solely identify being an alcoholic with shaking or whatever else. I got a dui, and i constantly go into work with hangovers so i know its a problem. I know its not normal to drink 4-6 days a week(maybe more in the summer time) and although i enjoy drinking their are aspects of it i flat out hate, but have learned to deal with, i.e. having no money, waking up hungover, even becoming a "good drunk driver". I dont know how long my sobriety will last but this is the first time I have really been committed to it, and i feel like once my friends see that im serious about not drinking, they will support me. I have just said it to many times for them to take me serious.

WElcome to our recovery family!:hug: I find so much support and friendship here and depend on this place to help me stay sober.:) I hope we can be as much help to you as this site's been to me.:)

All of the above + 1! I wish I got sober when I was 26!

I respect your feeling that you have a drinking problem but don't know to what extent.

One idea may be to see if your company offers an Employee Assistance Program. It is a free and confidential counseling benefit and it may not hurt to get in for a visit.

Dave

Hi onetime
Welcome to SR.

I think it's pretty clear you have a lot of red flags

I came here not really knowing what to do or even if I really had a problem (even tho I nearly died from my drinking). SR helped me to work out a lot of things - hope we can help you too :)

And yeah - you've put it in quotes so I think you realise there is no such thing as a 'good drunk driver' - I hope that's past tense, onetime.

D

Welcome onetime - you're here talking about your problem and that's a great first step. When it comes to your friends, remember that you're doing this for YOU - so that you can have the best life possible.

When I was drinking I hung around other drinkers, so it wasn't too surprising that they didn't appreciate my sobriety. My social circle has expanded a lot since then and to my surprise, there's a whole world of people who aren't getting drunk several times a week (they actually have the energy to do something with their lives, too - and it's kinda inspiring to be around them).

Take it a day at a time and keep posting!