Alcohol abuse
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 141
Alcohol abuse
Hi,
I have been sober since 77 days. I am 42 yrs old with two teenage children. Well I really don't know if I should use the word sober for myself. My father was an alcoholic, my cousin was an alcoholic. They both died because of alcohol. I was married to an alcoholic person for 16 years. My drinking level started to increase every year since 2004. My two best friends were heavy drinkers (not alcoholic). I remember days when we drank 22 hours non stop. The next day I would be sick to death while they would go on drinking. This was the situation for me all the time. Drink and be sick the other day. Miss work. And I started to be very aggressive. Making telephone calls. Using language which I don't use normally. Every day when I was getting sober I was swearing I would drink in moderate amount. Which as u guess was never able to. I always did the same. This summer I started having brownouts. (not remembering what I did the night before unless someone provided me some clues-a little softer than a blackout). This started to scare me to death. This January 1st I stopped drinking. I also started using medication for some other reason which also helps to cut the need to drink. Now my question is this: During last 10 years I was a social drinker who didn't drink at home alone or who didnt have any withdrawal symptoms at all. But, I was abusing alcohol. Should I have consider my self an alcoholic? (Whatever I was, I am so happy to quit drinking. I look much younger, feel healthier, feel respect, my kids are very happy…. - the list would go on and on and on…)
I have been sober since 77 days. I am 42 yrs old with two teenage children. Well I really don't know if I should use the word sober for myself. My father was an alcoholic, my cousin was an alcoholic. They both died because of alcohol. I was married to an alcoholic person for 16 years. My drinking level started to increase every year since 2004. My two best friends were heavy drinkers (not alcoholic). I remember days when we drank 22 hours non stop. The next day I would be sick to death while they would go on drinking. This was the situation for me all the time. Drink and be sick the other day. Miss work. And I started to be very aggressive. Making telephone calls. Using language which I don't use normally. Every day when I was getting sober I was swearing I would drink in moderate amount. Which as u guess was never able to. I always did the same. This summer I started having brownouts. (not remembering what I did the night before unless someone provided me some clues-a little softer than a blackout). This started to scare me to death. This January 1st I stopped drinking. I also started using medication for some other reason which also helps to cut the need to drink. Now my question is this: During last 10 years I was a social drinker who didn't drink at home alone or who didnt have any withdrawal symptoms at all. But, I was abusing alcohol. Should I have consider my self an alcoholic? (Whatever I was, I am so happy to quit drinking. I look much younger, feel healthier, feel respect, my kids are very happy…. - the list would go on and on and on…)
Member
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Posts: 18
i had the same question and this is what i was told:
don't focus so much on labeling yourself. it doesn't matter if you are an "alcoholic" by definition or not. if you think you have a problem, then you probably do.
makes sense to me!
congrats on 77 days and welcome!
don't focus so much on labeling yourself. it doesn't matter if you are an "alcoholic" by definition or not. if you think you have a problem, then you probably do.
makes sense to me!
congrats on 77 days and welcome!
Member
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Minneapolis, MN, USA
Posts: 164
Agreed, labels don't mean a thing. There probably are different levels alcohol dependency, but all that matters is you want to quit, because you want more out of life. If you feel you are drinking too much, or if its causing problems in your life, but you have problems cutting back or quitting, you have come to the right place.
Member
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 45
It sounds to me like you're a person who is benefiting from abstaining. Alcoholic or not, I don't think it matters if you choose to keep it that way! But just in case...
If I were you, I'd print this on a piece of paper and stick it in your purse. Maybe add some of those items on that list you mention could go on and on. Someday you might feel the urge to get drunk again, and when you do, take this out of your purse and read it. Think about what alcohol did to your family and your marriage. If you still choose to binge drink after you've done that, you might want to reconsider whether or not you are an alcoholic.
Welcome to SR - I'm glad you chose to share here.
Whatever I was, I am so happy to quit drinking. I look much younger, feel healthier, feel respect, my kids are very happy…. - the list would go on and on and on…
Welcome to SR - I'm glad you chose to share here.
Member
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 246
Congrats on 77 days!! It was freeing for me to stop having the internal conversation about whether i am an alcoholic. I never had withdrawals, didnt drink every day, hell i could even moderate, which i did when playing music out, just never saw the point any other time. I consider myself a full-blown alcoholic and my life has been better since i stopped getting completely blotto 2-4 times a week. If someone wants to call me "just" a problem drinker, i'm fine with that.
Member
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: london
Posts: 623
Welcome, hope you can gain some insight here by reading various posts and threads, keep doing what youre doing, who wants to be an aggressive annoying drunk, even if you werent 'an alcoholic' it caused you problems. You dont need it, life is richer without it!
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 141
One interesting fact is that I am in night business where people around me drink. Most will think it would be hard to quit under this circumstance. Well just on the contrary. When I see the state and the physical change people go through when they drink I feel very privileged and distinguished and kind of strong that I was able to quit
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