LadyBlue0527

Indeed, heard it all

"I didn't think that you were that bad"
"Hey, we all overdo it sometimes, I don't think that you have a problem"
"I've never seen you act out"
"You're always funny and happy when you drink with me!"

Then I explain that they don't get to see what's behind closed doors and what my husband puts up with and I have heard the following:

"Are you sure the problem isn't really with him and not with you?"
"Maybe he's gas lighting you just to make you think that you have a problem, maybe you didn't really do what he said you did"
"How come I've never seen you act like that, we've partied together many times"


All of the above serve only one purpose. Awakening and feeding that little voice in your head that says "Hey, this isn't a problem!".

Then you have to get real and be honest with yourself which is one of the hardest things to do in this fight. If the sky being red would allow us to drink we would find a way to make it red regardless of how many times someone could show us it was blue. We could even look right at it and if it meant we could drink we would still proclaim "Look, it's RED!". It's insanity at it's finest.

ctrl

I think it's because there's no medical diagnostic test that says "you've tested positive for alcoholism".

But I think we all know that doesn't mean it doesn't exist. People have only seen what we choose to let them see. Some have seen enough to think we have problems, others haven't.

Hell, some people think I don't drink at all...they've only seen what I choose to let them see. They didn't see that I drank after the party. They didn't see my hangover. They didn't see why I couldn't come to work.

No matter what name you choose to give it, no matter what you try to classify it as, our lives are better without alcohol, and it is hard for us to live without it, and we need support.

GotGrace

My story, too. I figure if it has become a problem for me (normal drinkers don't hide empties, hide vodka, not let anyone have a sip of my "lemonade," etc.) then it IS a problem. Just because I am a sneaky liar doesn't mean I am a stupid sneaky liar!

Welcome Rebecca!

MattyBoy

Haha yep I've had that said to me. In fact recently, when I told my friend I'd stopped drinking as it had "stopped agreeing with me" he actually said "yeah I understand, I mean you've always been a bit of a lightweight". I had to bite my tongue at that point. Me, a lightweight?! This is a guy who thinks a guy who can handle his drink is more of a man and so I wanted to say to him, "how about you try slam a litre of vodka everyday for two weeks" or drink 6 cans of beer in 90 mins, but I thought I'd leave it at that. Mde me realise that however extreme my drinking was, I managed to keep it fairly hidden which is a plus!

Dollyangel17

So many in my life were STUNNED I came out as an alcoholic. Then again...I did most of my drinking alone, and never got drunk when I was in front of people. They were not with me in the bathroom stall at work while I tossed nips back in the middle of the day. The neighbors that saw me walking around with coffee travel mug had no idea there was wine in it, and my friends never saw the pint of brandy I kept behind the bag of flour in the kitchen cabinet.

So yeah...anybody I would tell outside my husband would be shocked at the extent of my drinking.