doggonecarl

Are you? This from your first post to SR, before you decided to drink:

You missed drinking. So now you are drinking. And asking us if you think you'll be okay.

It might be too late to ask us, your addiction already has you in its grasp.

patrickt1

Thank you guys for chatting with me. It's great to know that people understand both sides of the coin. Great news is i have developed a better understanding of life. More so than an average 25 year old man. Perhaps being so close to loosing my life has give me this outlook. Another great thing is I have people that care. Around me 24/7. A family and a girl. Whatever happens. If I decide to drink socially, or not at all. I will never risk loosing them or hurting them by forcing the loss of myself on them. I realised that I ran from love when I was downing that whiskey, couldn't stand the sight of love and didn't feel entitled to it. That's changed now, I will keep posting because I know if things ever get out of hand, if I decide to drink socially and I spiral you'll hear from me. And you will hear from me before it is too late

patrickt1

Diagnosis changed, I was told a long time ago I couldn't drink but in fact turned out to be no damage to the pancreas. As for the addiction having me in its grasp, I disagree, i feel great sober i feel great after a few beers. Just wondering if anyone also had come back to alcohol from a better place

hellrzr

Reading posts like this is a great reminder of the insanity of Alcoholism.

Mizzuno

If they are in a better place its because of removing the alcohol. That is why you are doing so much better. Also, the self work with therapy. Not by re- introducing alcohol.

patrickt1

Elaborate. And I mean that in a totally genuine way. I asked if anyone had come back to it in a better mind frame. Tell me how I'm wrong or not wrong etc

Linz805

We are on a sober forum for alcoholism (or whatever people have issues with). So I would say we did not do so good with alcohol. Only you will be able to tell yourself that it's ok. Over and over again you hear alcohol taking over again and again. I'm not risking my sobriety to find out.

patrickt1

Oh dear, I see where I've went wrong. I've been quite insensitive actually. And I give a sincere apology. Sorry that didn't occur to me. I'm on night shift and just fancied seeing if anyone felt similar. Didn't occur to me I was being very insensitive. Sorry again

Linz805

You don't have to apologize to me! I think your looking for success stories in going back to drinking and I don't think you will find any here. We try to help each other stay sober and to not drink. If you stick around you will hear the stories of people struggling. And also the success stories of staying sober 😋 I wish you the best in your journey... can't imagine what it's like in Ireland I think you said!

patrickt1

Thanks a million for the advice it's really appreciated. It is tough in Ireland. We are masters at bottling up our issues and drinking to avoid them, unfortunately that lead's to a pretty rotten drinking culture.

Mizzuno

This really isnt about apologies or insensitivity. I cant speak for anyone else but I am not the least bit offended. This is about YOU.

Concerned for your frame of mind? Yes. Do I think your idea of drinking is askew after having pancreatitis ? Yes.

Linz805

I am getting sober at 30. It's tough I know! But my life personally was going To go nowhere if I kept drinking and I stopped drinking before health issues . You have everything to gain in sobriety and you could lose so much more drinking. 2 years is a great job. You can always find us here if you need to

Midwest1981

how long have you been drinking again?

Sometimes you can get away with it for awhile but if your an alcoholic it will catch up to you. The couple of times a week will go to three or four times a week then eventually every day. Then you are hurting the ones you love.

That is what would happen to me.

Bird615

I broke my 30 years sobriety.

I got sober at 21 and started drinking again at 51. Surely I'd be okay after all that time, especially since I had a lot more to lose, more responsibilities, etc. Told myself that if it got bad again, well, I'd just stop.

Started out not too bad--I was careful, didn't drink to get drunk at first, but over the next few months it soon crept back up to getting drunker and drunker, drinking more and more often, blackouts and then when I knew it wasn't working, trying to stop.

It was nowhere near as simple as just stopping like I thought it would be. I struggled for 4 and a half years between trying to moderate so I wouldn't have to quit and trying to quit but being unable to.

I voluntarily jumped right back into hell and I'm am so fortunate I was able to get out again with my life. I know a lot of people that didn't.

BlissWithin

I decided to stop drinking for the first time when I was 25, a couple of months later I convinced myself I was too young to have an alcohol problem. At 29 I was drinking more than ever and I was desperate to control or moderate my intake. I finally stopped at 31 when I realized my physical health was going downhill and I would probably be dead before 40 or even earlier.

hellrzr

If you can't relate than maybe some AA meetings would help it make sense. I guarantee that if you go into an AA meeting and share this with the folks there that you will hear many horror stories of the road you are traveling down, again.

In short though, at the age of 25 you almost drank yourself to death, stopped for a bit and are now starting drinking again. Don't you see that as insanity?

Delilah1

Hi Patrick,

I am glad you came here and posted, and I am also very glad your health is better. I currently have 15 and a half months sobriety after spending several years alternating between being sober, and trying to moderate. I failed miserably at moderating, and it is much easier to be sober all the time.

I wish I had stopped at 25 instead of 45, and if I could turn back the clock I would be sober. You have a long, beautiful life ahead of you, and the opportunity to face each day with a clear and sober head.

I hope you will decide the few pints a week are not worth the chance of slipping back into a dangerous drinking pattern. I also hope you continue to post!

❤Delilah

August252015

Agreed. I'd also ask myself this question: is alcohol doing my body any good? Any harm? Any harm - yet? Honest answers to those for me? There would be absolutely nothing physically positive alcohol would do for me in any amount, and only devastating consequences, slowly or quickly.

JustTony

I'll post something (in the paragraph below) that I sense a lot will disagree with? After that I'll get back on track with everyone else!

IF you had been a heavy drinker - even a very heavy drinker - especially at weekends - I would have said moderation was possible albeit not probable.

But you weren't. You nearly killed yourself at 22 years old. Moderation is not possible for you. You will slide back into insanity.

In addition you talk about being less anxious and now having a girl? What if the unthinkable happens and you break up? You know you can down ten pints and drink half a bottle of whiskey a day....

There are gradations of alcoholics in my opinion. At 22 years old you were a bad, bad case. I wouldn't risk it?

Lastly - and sorry to be personal - but you say you have a supportive network of family around you? They saw you nearly die at 22 years old and now they know you're drinking again and not stopping you? I wonder how many of them are very heavy drinkers?

Soberwolf

Welcome