Pj1991

Hi everyone. This is my first post and to be honest I'm not 100% sure if I have a drinking problem.

I am a 22 year old male and have been drinking rather heavily for the last 3/4 years since I was around 18. I have gone up to a month in this time without a drink and it doesn't really bother me but most nights I will get in from work and have 4 or 5 beers. At the weekends I will normally wake up Saturday morning and drink from around lunchtime till midnight 1 am. Now I have always thought that to be classed as "an alcoholic" you would need to drink every chance you get and have to drink every day but from doing some digging around online it would appear that people who only drink 2/3 nights a week can be classed as an alcoholic so I guess the question I would firstly like some advice on from you guys is: do you think I have a problem? Like I say if alcohol was taken out of my life I don't think it would destroy me as I see my drinking as more of a habit and a routine than an actual addiction.

I am also currently recovering from a pretty heavy 5 day bender (it was my birthday yesterday and I have took the week of work to go see some family) and I've basically got smashed the last 5 days. I haven't had a drink since around 11pm last night. Now today as you might imagine I feel pretty rough but I feel a lot more down than I normally do. I have always had problems with anxiety and I'm panicking and worrying that if I don't drink I'm going to die of withdrawal symptoms or something. I had the worst night sleep last night, waking up every hour which has never happened before too and it has freaked me out beyond belief. I understand that this looks like an overreaction but like I say I have always had a problem with anxiety and hypochondria but the second question I would like to ask and get some advice on is: is it normal to feel this down and panicky after a heavy session and is there a genuine chance of me dying from alcohol withdrawal with the amounts I drink?


I appreciate everyone who takes their time to read this and I hope you all have some good advice for me.

Take Care!

Johnston

Welcome

Skye2

Hi Pj - welcome to SR
You say you don't know if you have a drinking problem, yet say you've been on a 5 day bender. What does that suggest to you?

We can't give out medical advice on here, but if you're worried, please get in touch with a doctor - they've seen it ALL before and there's no shame in it.

Good luck and keep posting

PS You could also phone the AA helpline for advice 0845 769 7555

Pj1991

Hi Johnston. Thanks for the welcome!

Skye... It's not so much as medical advice I need just people views on if my behavior sounds like that of an alcoholic? I mean I had a very long train journey yesterday and I just sat there by myself for 7 hours drinking which I would agree does sound like the behavior of an alcoholic yet I still don't think there is a major problem.
I try to justify my drinking by saying I'm a male in my early 20's and I'm having fun but a number of people have told me I should look into getting help. I enjoy drinking but I'm terrified of doing some irreversible damage to myself. Is 3 years of moderately hard drinking enough time time to cause this kind of damage?

Thanks for posting

TomSawyer

For me, when hangovers started turning into withdrawals after benders, that's when I knew I had probably crossed the line. It took me a while to figure it out, but they just get worse and worse until I finally knew.

Pj1991

Hi TomSawyer. Thanks for the post

So the not sleeping and the panicking and feeling of fear that I'm just going to drop dead are all classic signs of withdrawal? I don't have the shakes or anything like that just a feeling of, as stupid as it sounds, "impending doom".

WhoDey

Don't get hung up on the word "alcoholic". The question is do you have a problem with alcohol? Only you can answer that.

hayley86

Welcome Pj1991, i would say that drinking from lunch time until 1 am and having benders that last 5 days are big red flags. If drinking is impacting negatively on your life and you are suffering from anxiety and panic after these sessions then it might be a good idea to stop. I used to get bad anxiety after a heavy drinking session so i would drink more. It took 2 years for me to go from binge drinking to daily drinking and by the end it was impacting on my health. Since quitting i have zero anxiety or panic. If you are worried about withdrawals I would go and speak to your doctor and be really honest about your alcohol consumption. There is tons of support here. I'm glad you have joined us.

Pj1991

That's the thing though.... I genuinely don't know. I mean I work 9-5, never take a day off, don't drink as much when I know I have work the next day as I do at the weekend so in that sense I would say no but then I go on 5 day benders as I say and people have picked up and told me I drink too much that's not the behavior of someone who doesn't have a problem with alcohol.

Pj1991

Hey Hayley. Thanks for the post .

I wouldn't say it negatively impacts my life in a serious way. I mean I don't really socialize that much and I never really have. Always kind of enjoyed my own comapny so when I sit by myself all day on Saturday and get hammered I don't see as such a problem. I may still be in denial about the whole thing though ha! Just replying to some of these posts I can see I am trying to defend my drinking and not saying it is that bad because I am embarrassed about it. Think you're right, a trip to the dr may be in order.

Thanks for the post again

WhoDey

I hear you. When I first joined this site I kept thinking that I wasn't as bad as everyone else. Hadn't hit "rock bottom".

Sure, I had my missteps, but I largely drank without overt negative consequences. Over time, however, I could see how my drinking was becoming an increasing problem ... physically and spiritually.

I'm glad you had the courage to come here and post. Take the time to explore. We learn from each other.

Dee74

Hi and welcome PJ

all that sounds pretty normal...but none of us are Drs, and we're all different - what might be fine for you may be a problem for me and vice versa.

The one sure way yo make sure that you have nothing to worry about is see your Dr - I hope you'll do that. I recommend it

D

dwtbd

as Whodey said I don't think labeling yourself as an x or nonx is helpful or all that important. Only you can make such a determination , one you have to honestly appraise and acknowledge for yourself.
I have come to realize that my problem with drinking was not based on how much or for how long I drank as measured in years or total amounts, but my problem was with each time I drank. What I mean is , when I drank I got drunk or I was not satisfied. That is/was the 'problem'. I continued to drink for years , which is certainly 'a problem' by itself, but the real problem was what happened to me, the way I felt every time I drank.
If the way I felt or my reaction to alcohol is termed alcoholic, so be it, but it is what it is.
I would suggest you do research on things like alcohol dependence, kindling, withdrawl , stages of alcoholism to see if any of those things resonate with you.
I had a drinking problem for 30+ years, but not so much because of the years , the problem was every time I drank. I wish I had asked the questions you are asking when I was your age.
I wish you well, and please appraise your drinking with total honesty, it may save you 30 yrs of a life better lived.

Pj1991

Thanks for the advice Dee

Think it will probably be for the best. Going to book an appointment for next week .

Pj1991

Hi dwtbd and thanks for the advice

That's an interesting way of looking at and I have never thought of looking at it that way. I think it is hard as you say to define what the "problem" with drinking so much is. We will all probably in some way think different aspects of drinking are the "problem".

I'm going to really try and kick it this time and you're advice has made em feel a bit better about my challenge