UnixBer

I've been giving this subject some thought until now, and while it is true that people tend to have some kind of social anxiety to one degree or another, I don't think it is what lead me to drinking in the first place.

What caused my drinking was more my own stupidity and curiosity. The lack of the ability to decline parties and that. I didn't want to be a social recluse back then. It is the peer pressure and you start thinking you like drinking, but you're already addicted and won't admit it, then other things start to lose their meaning, and subtly without knowing it you've passed into addiction.

I know for sure that it is drinking alone that twisted my perception of the world and caused at least 90% of my problems. So here my opinion is that the alcohol addiction does not require underlying emotional/mental issues, although drinking creates more of that for sure. What do you think?

least

Interesting. I don't know if dependence on alcohol is due to underlying causes or not. I only know that I couldn't treat my underlying causes (depression and anxiety) until I got sober.

DoubleBarrel

If you don't know, it's kind of a chicken or the egg kinda thing right?

How about stop drinking, and after a few months, you're sure to learn a lot about yourself, how you think, and what you are really using alcohol for.

hypochondriac

I thought drinking caused 90% of my problems. Certainly the anxiety and depression I suffered from was largely down to my addiction, but after still struggling in sobriety after a good amount of time I went to get more professional help and found out, yeah, there were some underlying reasons after all. I won't say they caused my drinking but it does explain why I felt like I needed something to help me cope. Tackling that now is the key for me I think. I think there are a large amount of things that quitting drinking will miraculously solve, but if there are lingering issues then it is worth investigating them rather than thinking drinking ever did anything positive for us...

MattyBoy

I think its a combination of underlying causes and an addictive personality tbh. I mean everyone in life has issues - stress, worry, guilt etc. so it's not necessarily these issues that drive people to alcoholism. Other wise, well, there'd be a lot more alcoholics out there (not that there aren't plenty already!) . For me, I blamed the drinking on my 'social anxiety' but once I sobered up, I realised I was much better with people than I had previously thought and that I'd just been tricked by the effect of alcohol in to thinking being drunk brought out the best possible version of myself. It really didn't. The fact for me was that I'd always had an addictive personality. Ever since I was a kid, I'd never have 1 cookie, I'd have 8 ; I'd also glug down my water or fizzy drink. That's just my nature and I geared it toward alcohol (big mistake).

Anyway that's just me, but for others I'm sure there are underlying causes but I think people also have to derive a sense of satisfaction and euphoria from alcohol as well in order for them to be candidates for alcoholism.

Kris47

An addictive personality personified it for me. It didn't matter if it was for good or for bad. I did everything to the max. Played hard, worked hard, exercised hard, drank hard. It didn't help to be working in a place with liquor. I found out I had way too many friends on the back bar and on the other side drinking, too. That's where it all started for me.

I still glug my water or pop down like you Mattyboy. Doesn't hurt with those, though.

Leana

Very interesting, I've wondered this myself many times. In my case, I didn't go to therapy so any problems I had while drinking I still have while sober. In my case, I think I got into a cycle of drinking that I didn't know how to stop. I liked the buzzed feeling at first and then needed more and more to get that buzz. I don't suffer from social anxiety or depression, never lost my job, and while not wealthy we have enough money to meet our needs. So I don't think underlying problems were the cause of my drinking.

nicole100

I agree with the addictive personality. for myself anyhow, whatever I do tends to be all or nothing. I am either a size 0-- or majorly overweight. I exercise for 2 hours a day--or not at all. With drinking--I was either not drinking because it isn't healthy or I drank to great and dangerous excess.

CAPTAINZING2000

Pffft started drinking at 13ish. It was a life style. As far as root cause, something I heard at a meeting a while back "when, I first started drinking it was fun then it became fun with trouble at the end it was just trouble .
Looking back I was an alcoholic from the very start. I did develop a high tolerance at the end and my weekend warrior drinking turned into every day but Wednesday .
What I think, happens to so many people they delude themselves into thinking the next time I drink will be fun like the good old days.

Goose1

IMO there is truth to what you say Unixber. Perhaps some of us alcoholics don't find out we have emotional issues until we start drinking. One thing I know for sure is alcoholism is progressive and when drinking and then sober helps to suppress feelings. I truly feel everyone is unique, because everyone is different. The differences are so wide spread, I'm sure reasons to drink go from one end of the spectrum to the other end. It sure seems like the experts want to treat emotions when treating one with this addiction. Hired for our skills, education, experiences and fired for our behavior. Initially and early; although a long time ago, I think I actually picked up under peer pressure. But it led to a long time of drinking and binge drinking, killing my reality and judgment. Today, acceptance has helped with many of my emotions including any social anxiety I may have developed. Thanks for sharing. Goose

instant

Alcohol is an addictive substance. it creates cravings.


I think of it in the same category as other addictive substances. Use them frequently enough in sufficient dose and those with biological vulnerability will start to fall.

Dee74

It's hard to make generalities I think. I know I had definite underlying reasons for my drinking - but I did enjoy drinking and how it made me feel, initially at least, and I became an alcoholic on top of everything else.

courage2

My experience was that nothing "caused" me to drink except that I had a notion, having been surrounded by drinkers and high-functioning alcoholics throughout my childhood, that it was a good thing to do. And it was very available. Once I started booze & drugs I found that they made certain problems appear to go away.

I definitely agree with but I think alcohol abuse not only can create mental health issues but seriously intensify existing ones. The ones it creates probably get better rapidly with sobriety, but separate issues sometimes -- often? -- require additional care. I think.

Anna

For me, alcoholism was a symptom.

I had definite underlying issues that I had to deal with - growing up in a crazy, chaotic home, anxiety, depression, dreadfully low self-esteem.

Yes, I needed to stop drinking, but I never would have, could have recovered without doing the other work.

cusper

I believe that it is genetic for me. I haven't been tested but I can almost say with absolute certainty that I have the alcoholic gene. Almost every living relative on my mother's side (with the exception of my brother) is an alcoholic. Actually when I think of it most of the dead relatives were alchies too. Anyhow.... then also on the nurture side of the equation seeing people drink all of my life it kind of seemed like the natural thing to do. However now that I don't drink I, too like some of the other posts can put back many bottles of soda water in a night.
However that being said I have always been aware of my family's predisposition to alcoholism and when it started to affect me in the ways that reminded me of my mother... (in fact i knew i got worse than she did... she still drinks and is well into her late 60's) I knew I had to stop. I felt like alcohol created mental issues rather than appeased existing issues. I think any issues I had prior to drinking was just the wear and tear of living. But the alcoholism created a whole other ball of nonsense that I don't miss.

iam2antsy

i think i drink because of emotional/mental issues. sober time of day i think about my life & get a feeling like a knife in my gut, a feeling of despair. i drink to the point of comfortably numb...

Inca

I know for me I started drinking heavily to deal with anxiety and emotions that I didn't know what to do with. Drinking relaxed me and helped me numb feelings so I didn't have to work through them. The problem was that it actually made my anxiety a lot worse the next day because I was so stressed about what I said or did when drinking that I would reach for another one to make the anxiety go away. Thus, the cycle of alcoholism.

1newcreation

I drank coz it comforted n changed the way I feel. Grew up w/o mum n dad was extreme workaholic. Tried to fit in as teenager but had no success in dating, never had girlfriend till my 20's & on n on
Alc made me sociable for few hrs until passed out. Personally speaking here as a Christian didn't know who I was in Christ! Now no matter whats thrown @ me I've got a positive affirmation in my mouth. Plus aa. I love it

justinJustQuit

I think it all started out as a habit sort of thing. I had a group of professional wrestlers that I hung out with every day. They would take me to bars getting me wasted all the time before I was 21.

I don't have any social anxiety (that I know of) or depression. I started drinking a lot to fit in like the rest of them.

Hearts

I started using alcohol/ drugs to numb bad feelings. Since that worked I did it more. I was thinking about it today and it's a boredom thing, too. Like, a LOT of it was/ is boredom. Even if I'm not bored. I need some zing of excitement. But, whatever started it, it kicked open the addiction doors in my brain. Sometimes I wonder if I'm an addict in general instead of just an alcoholic but illegal drugs are harder and more dangerous to get so I stick to alcohol. I would rather not find out.

ETA: I was just thinking about it. I got a medical marijuana card specifically so I could use weed to ride out bad withdrawals. So, I always have some in the house but I never use it for anything else. I don't enjoy it. I guess I really just am an alcoholic since that specifically is what I go for. (Sorry, brain shouldn't start turning this late at night.)