Am I really that bad?
 

I've read so many threads of people who struggle with 2 or 3 drinks a night. Yet I struggle with a pint a of vodka a night. Am I really that bad or are they just downplaying their addiction?

PS. I really really want to get well.

The quantity or type of alcohol you drink really doesn't matter. Some do downplay how much they drink to make it seem like they don't have a problem, I know I have in the past.

Bottom line, if drinking is a problem for you quitting is the best solution. How much or what kind of alcohol you drink is irrelevant.

Define bad? In all honesty a whole pint of vodka a night i would consider to be VERY bad for your health and would suggest that you have an addiction but i am NOT a DR!

And define addiction aswell, if someone feels that they MUST have 3 pints a night or NEED 3 pints a night then yes i would say that is an addiction.......... Im no expert tho just an expert on my own story :)

I wish you all the luck in the world Sinderos :)

Thank you ScottfrWI. I never thought of it like that. I just thought that I have a massive drinking problem and can't imagine 2 or 3 drinks as an issue. Now I see some people can have issues with a lot less alcohol. Still a little hard to wrap my head around but I'll get there.

I know I have a massive alcoh

Well I tried to update the accidental post but it didn't work. Guess i need to get a real computer soon instead of an iPhone.

All you need to wrap your head around is that you have a problem, which I think you recognize. And what's even MORE important is wrapping your head around the fact that its only YOU who can ultimately quit and make it all happen. Nearly all of use have tried over and over to moderate, or quit but not really commit.

Once you have done that the road to recovery is more clear - you make a plan and stick to it.

I am dedicated to quitting and look forward to a sober life. It was just totally shocking reading that a lot of people having issues 2 drinks a night. Regardless, I have decided to become alcohol free and look forward to a sober life. Today is the day. :)

Hi, Sinderos.

Addiction comes in many forms and there's no use to compare yourself to others. There's no "bad" or "good" addiction -it's still addiction

Focus on your sobriety, your life, your health, your booze-free future.

And, BTW, you don't know how big is each of those two-three drinks, do you?))

That's about how much I drank everyday.
But I've always known that's extreme. Somehow I've done it on and off for years but I remember once watching one of these a & e style programs and a guy who drank a pint of vodka a day for just a couple of months ended up in ICU almost bleeding to death. Scared the crap out of me.

Everyone's different and I think the guidelines of more than one drink regularly is going to cause problems is about right.

...but of course for alcoholics... one is always too much.

I started buying my beer in 40 and 24oz containers. I could then say "hey I only had 3,4,6...ect"! Strange things go on in an alcoholics mind. BTW I disagree that quanity doesn't mean anything. I fail to see how somebody with a drink or one beer a night has a problem. A pint of liquor or a twelve pack a night has problem written all over it.

Congrats on making your decision Sinderos!! Let us know how you go.. Just focus on what YOU need to be well as as much as we have the same challenges, from reading here regularly it comes clear how things manifest differently for individuals. I think the important thing is to support and encourage and try not to compare. I think in the early days for me I did this to try and condone my own problem but now I know I'm only kidding myself.. Really hope you have a great day 1!! :)

Most of the time I did have 2-3 glasses of wine a night, but I am a small woman! In recent months though I was finishing off the bottle about once or twice a week, which gave me a terrible hangover for a good part of the week. And I have no doubt it would have continued to escalate.

Women are supposed to average no more than one drink a night. But what's the point of that? Better to just not drink at all.

Don't worry about others.

I knew people who drank less than me and people who drank more...I was still killing myself with what I drank.

It's far less about volume and frequency and far more about what happens to us when we drink.

D

Pint of vodka and 2 nips for me. Alcohol is alcohol, and if you know it's bad for you and you are having trouble stopping still, then I recommend speaking to your dr about it.

When I first started this recovery, someone told me, relate, don't compare. I myself didn't drink daily, but when I would drink, I made up for any days that I didn't.., but everyone has a different story.

It's hard to play the "how much do you drink" game with alcoholism - some of us binge, others kill ourselves slowly, others pound away constantly. The patterns differ but the results are the same - addiction can ruin your life.

As for me I was a vodka drinker too, nearly killed myself drinking 2 gallons a week. What are you going to do about this issue? You can read my blog post about what happened to me, you do not want to go down that road. What's the plan?

Sinderos,
I would say i averaged between 3-4 beers every night. Not as much as some but it wasn't the amount of alcohol it was the mental obsession and self hatred that I felt because I could not stop. I woke up every morning hating myself and spent all of my time planning that nights drinks. I wasn't present for my own life. That was a problem.