LifeIsCake

I was wondering if there are any others here that seem to be the only alcoholic in their family. It seems that my uncle and I are the only ones. My mom has always been terrified to drink because she didn't want to be an alcoholic like her brother. I grew up in a house where the only alcohol was the rum we used in cookies during the holidays and that one bottle would last for about 3 years. My dad has an occasional beer, maybe 2-3 a month and that's usually when he's standing at the grill.

I didn't start drinking until about 4 years ago and it was absolutely crazy how fast the addiction hit me. I know some say it's genetic and some say it's a disease but some say it's a learned behavior. Sometimes it's all very confusing when trying to figure it out.

I guess the bottom line is that I was wondering if anyone had experience with this type of situation and could offer some feedback.

Thanks,

J

Dee74

I stopped trying to figure it out LIC.

On my mothers side alcoholism is rampant - but my mother rarely drinks and rarely has anymore than one.

On my fathers side alcoholism is unknown. He's a normal drinker too, by Australian standards.
He drinks a glass of port in the evening and he drinks socially, never to excess.

My brother and I drank heavily - he stopped, by his own volition, when he had kids.
He drinks socially now.

My sister is like my mother.

For me as I see it, the simple fact is I have a problem, regardless of how I 'got' it - and it's down to me to fix it.

D

ACT10Npack

I'm the only person in my family have a drinking problem. Depression runs in my family and I'm the only one that use alcohol to cope with it. My younger brother don't drink and my older brother does but only drinks a few times a week and when he does its only 2 at a time. With my parents my dad drinks but not anymore because of me and my mom never drinks.

Bombshell

I'm the only person in my family with a drinking problem, as far as I know. My dad has never drank in his life due to religious reasons and my mum wouldn't have more than one glass of wine a week, if that. My siblings are just social drinkers. My cousins would be quite big drinkers but they can leave it behind them when they leave the pub. I haven't managed to do that!

I dunno if it's genetic or whatever but I know that my great granddad was an alcoholic, he drank away everything he had. Maybe it does run in families, I have no idea...

Terminally Unique

As far as I know, I am the only one in my family, including extended family, that has this peculiar fondness for the stuff. Like Dee said, just stop worrying about the "why" or the "underlying causes" - you'll drive yourself insane.

It just is.