So this is it...
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 2
So this is it...
Hello everyone.
My name is Sarah and I am 22 years old. In the past two years i could probably list on my fingers the numbers of nights I have not had a drink. My father is an alcoholic, with liver cirhosis so it must run in the family. generally i will go though about half a bottle of vodka (1 ltr) a night. I know i dont need to but its just in my brain, the night doesnt feel right until i have a drink, then after that each drink calls for another, i feel like i am depriving myself otherwise. I used to be smart, I am a law student, but at the moment, I cant even force myself to even attempt assignments, work is submitted a week late, if it all.
I know i need to change this, if not for the lessons i have seen from my father, but i think i should probably have a normal 20something year old experience. I would like a family some day, but the way I am heading, i doubt it will be possible.
My name is Sarah and I am 22 years old. In the past two years i could probably list on my fingers the numbers of nights I have not had a drink. My father is an alcoholic, with liver cirhosis so it must run in the family. generally i will go though about half a bottle of vodka (1 ltr) a night. I know i dont need to but its just in my brain, the night doesnt feel right until i have a drink, then after that each drink calls for another, i feel like i am depriving myself otherwise. I used to be smart, I am a law student, but at the moment, I cant even force myself to even attempt assignments, work is submitted a week late, if it all.
I know i need to change this, if not for the lessons i have seen from my father, but i think i should probably have a normal 20something year old experience. I would like a family some day, but the way I am heading, i doubt it will be possible.
to SR. Glad you are here. I do hope you find the support, hope and strength I have found here.
Member
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: California
Posts: 624
Welcome Sarah! You've come to the right place. Think about SR as a 24/7 meeting..there are many of us here, all trying hard to head in the same direction - with many, many daily successes. I've had so much support on here - you will too. Keep reading and posting.
Member
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Colorado
Posts: 93
Hi Sarah. Welcome. You are so fortunate that you are beginning to address your problem at such a young age. I know there are so many of us that wish we would have figured it out at 22! You have your whole future ahead of you, and it seems bright. As so many on here will probably agree with, address your alcohol issues now and your future will be so much brighter. I wish you the best of luck, keep us posted.
Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: the high desert
Posts: 887
Welcome to SR! Glad you are realizing the problem you have. Do you have some sort of plan in place to try to get and stay sober? Doing it on your own is difficult if not impossible for most people.
Having been through law school, i understand the pressure you are facing. Late assignments, hungover classes and finals however, are not going to cut it with most professors.
good news, though, there are a lot of lawyers in recovery who will be willing to help you out with support.
I wish you luck. Come back often.
Having been through law school, i understand the pressure you are facing. Late assignments, hungover classes and finals however, are not going to cut it with most professors.
good news, though, there are a lot of lawyers in recovery who will be willing to help you out with support.
I wish you luck. Come back often.
Member
Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 83
Sarah, you'd be surprised how many of us are on the younger side of all of this. My advice? See an addiction counselor, attend AA or some other sort of meeting to see if it works for you, and stick it out here on SR. Keep trying to figure out what will help you with your drinking problem, because you described something anyone would deem alcoholism.
SR Fan
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Mississippi
Posts: 7,910
Welcome Sarah! Good for you for addressing this now.... like others have said, it's so hard to do this alone. We understand what it's like and will cheer you on. Take it one day at a time and see a doc if you think you might need help detoxing.
Sorry to hear about your father. I'm sure he doesn't want to walk the same path (and it takes a lot less for women to develop liver disease). You can get your life back - so stick around!:ghug3
Sorry to hear about your father. I'm sure he doesn't want to walk the same path (and it takes a lot less for women to develop liver disease). You can get your life back - so stick around!:ghug3
Member
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 14,916
Welcome! It sounds like alcohol is causing problems in your life and it's great to come to that realization at such a young age. I wish I had done that. With an alcoholic father with liver cirhosis you can see that this is a progressive disease and what might happen to you as you age.
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 2
Wow, thankyou everyone for you welcome. Even today at work, just thinking about the messages you guys have posted made me feel better. I know I have a long journey ahead of me, and one that at the moment seems really murky and unclear, but its nice to know that there are others here who understand. Unfortunatly today I did not achieve as much as I had hoped. I completed an assignment and it was actually the fear of living a minimum wage life that motivated me actually try (this assignment was about 5 days late) But i did still have a drink to get through it. Tomorrow night I am going out with all my friends, ande i am having trouble (and i dont know if it is possible but i hope that it might be) separating my problem drinking from social drinking (i have a feeling it isnt)
I will start posting in the newcomers experience section soon, but I just wanted to say thank you all so much for your support, it really feels amazing to know that people care
I will start posting in the newcomers experience section soon, but I just wanted to say thank you all so much for your support, it really feels amazing to know that people care
Member
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Portland
Posts: 1,631
Welcome to SR. I do like the earlier post that you should think of SR as a 24/7 meeting. I come here often when hungover and get the strength to start over. I should come here BEFORE having a drink. I do when I'm strong. Read here for ten minutes before having a drink. Then you are less tempted.
Be strong and do well in law school. You want to finish that or you would never have started it. You are obviously smart. I think maybe smart people drink. Maybe dumb people drink too. Maybe there's no difference. But if you're going to be somebody, do whatever it takes to get there.
I know what happens when we mess up and have trouble regaining academic focus. Pick up the books and remember why you love your work. I'm an English Professor and I cannot figure out why I want to fuzz my mind up. Wouldn't I rather read something lovely? I have never, ever, ever found anyone in a bar who could carry on a decent conversation about Virginia Woolf.
Be strong and do well in law school. You want to finish that or you would never have started it. You are obviously smart. I think maybe smart people drink. Maybe dumb people drink too. Maybe there's no difference. But if you're going to be somebody, do whatever it takes to get there.
I know what happens when we mess up and have trouble regaining academic focus. Pick up the books and remember why you love your work. I'm an English Professor and I cannot figure out why I want to fuzz my mind up. Wouldn't I rather read something lovely? I have never, ever, ever found anyone in a bar who could carry on a decent conversation about Virginia Woolf.
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