loulou1981

So i plucked up the courage to visit my GP just to have a chat really & to make sure im taking the right path, i was honest about how much i drank, how often, my inability to just have 1 glass of wine with dinner & my secret drinking.......he said, "my advice would be to cut down"! I said "well no, ive tried that for 10 years & im still a pisshead a few times a week, i KNOW i have a problem"!!!

So to the more experienced out there, my question is.....who is right, me or the medical professional?? I know me & i really dont think ill ever be able to drink moderately, yes I am not alcohol dependent but i honestly feel im in the early stages of alcoholism, do i stick with my plan & lead a sober life forever??!!

JimC60

Loulou,

I am not sure exactly why you visited the GP in the first place - just to seek confirmation of alcoholism? Or, were you seeking meds for detox?

Regardless of the GP's advice, you can certainly just stop drinking 100% and it will not hurt your health in the long run.

Am I missing something?

Jim

JD

As you said, you know yourself and I think you know what to do. It's best to nip a problem in the bud before it becomes a bigger problem. Quitting is simple, but it's far from easy. You've come to the right place for help.

Carver

GPs always say that. Brilliant advice. And they generally only get 5-8 minutes with you.

You know yourself better than any GP

Yes, I think the only way for you to get peace of mind is to quit and not look back, but it's up to you

You can do it!

loulou1981

I really went more for my partner as he wasn't convinced i was as bad as i thought

KidsEverywhere

A lot of GP's don't have a good understanding about what addiction is all about. I would even say a lot of doctors in general. Look no further than how out of hand the opioid drug epidemic got before they tightened up on it.
In their defense, in many ways, addiction is more handled on the psychological side of things rather than medicine. But to hear your doctor respond with "you need to cut back" is pretty telling he is unplugged from the world of addiction.

entropy1964

Hi Loulou
It has been my experience that many drs just really aren't that educated with respect to alcoholism. I think there is effort now to educate them better (as addiction is such a huge problem now) but that's the newer ones. If they don't make the effort to understand addiction, they probably simply don't. And I'm always amazed by posts from folks in the UK about drs telling them to taper, or cut back. Say what? If we could do that we wouldn't be alcoholics.

You may not be 'that bad' yet. Really only you know for sure if you're an alcoholic. But if you are, and you continue to drink, you will more than likely become 'that bad' in time. But its up to you. Not your GP or your partner.

Berrybean

Yes. I agree. If it was a simple as cutting back you wouldn't have gone there would you. If you know that you cannot control your alcohol consumption, and alcohol detrimental to other aspects of your life, then it's a problem.

Why not give the AA helpline a call and have a chat with them. They're really helpful; have a great understanding of alcoholism; and will be able to put you in touch with another female for support in your local area. If that's what you want of course.

Berrybean

PS This was four years ago.

Nothing changes if nothing changes...

http://www.soberrecovery.com/forums/...direction.html

Soberwolf

A lot of Dr 99% do not know about alcoholism

If you say I'm not cutting down I can't & you want help for detox as it can be dangerous they should help if you go with someone it will help

You can always go straight to your local A&E & get help there

On The Road

Loulou. Any chance of finding another GP?

Soberpotamus

Doctors seem to take a pessimistic outlook toward the average person's likelihood of making any sort of major change in diet, exercise, i.e,, attempts to prevent disease. They tend to push medications and procedures. I am sure there must be good reasons for this, though it's despicable and disgusting, in my opinion, and I loathe this lazy approach.

It is true that habits are hard to change, but that is what all of us here have done, all of us who have successfully quit drinking.

Ignore that your GP has given you this bland, trite, and ultimately dangerous to the point of being fatal advice.

You know you have a drinking problem, you are here at SR, and you don't need a guy (or woman) in a white overcoat to soothe you by telling you to "cut down."

Very few who've crossed over into anything akin to "substance use disorder" (and I'm guessing most if not all of us here at one time in our drinking histories fit that label), will be able to successfully drink moderately. Personally, I don't want to be the one who spends 40 or 50 years of my life figuring out if I'm in that minority.

FeelingGreat

Hi Loulou, talking to my doctor was one of the first steps I made to sobriety. Most GPs have a list of organisations that help, but many feel they don't have the resources or specialised knowledge to help. They can act as your cheer leader and encourager but they can't do it for you.
To get the most out of your doctor, stick to the same one, and 'train' them to think about your overall health with you. They have medical expertise and you have responsibility to look after yourself. I've found they become more interested if you're a regular patient.

As for cutting down, you know whether that works for you or not. The doc doesn't. You make the decision based on what's best for you, and don't forget to tell him or her next time you visit.

Holds1325

I had high blood pressure as the result of drinking a few years ago, the doctor just plainly told me, don't drink otherwise you're going to get heart disease at a young age. I didn't quit for years after that and I was 24.

Now my doctor just says, your fine, just no drinking over 2-3 drinks a day and definitely not if you take any pain medication I prescribed etc.

Point is, most doctors are looking out for your physical health and some mental health and want to get you stable. Which is why medication is prescribed and vitals are checked. They aren't therapists. As long as you are breathing and aren't in immediate danger, they'll just say take things in moderation unless its seriously affecting your immediate health.

Ultimately a doctor can't make you quit alcohol anyway, you have to want to quit for yourself and make the decision for yourself.

PurpleKnight

If you know deep down that Sobriety is probably the best forward, then there's your answer!!

I joined SR already having a fair idea of what I really needed to do, and that was part ways with alcohol, as it was creating problems in my life, and when I went to see my Dr, again I knew what needed to be done, I also got the advice of cut back, but I knew that was impossible.

Looking back, Sobriety has worked out quite well!!