Can’t drink any less than none.
The idea that amount , frequency ,or length of drinking career has any bearing on that fact , is pure AV bs.
What’s your plan for future drinking ?

Beyond what everyone else has said, and I have said myself about everyone being welcome here, I repeat what another poster said about tolerance going DOWN towards the end. While I once could put away 2 bottles and be no worse for the wear towards the end (and if I drink now) I am clearly drunk after just 2 or 3 glasses. That didn't stop me, I still drank 3-4 bottles of wine a day with an added large beer or some vodka or rum to top it off. But I was definitely drunk and suffering after only a small amount of what I could actually stomach. It wasn't always that way. I used to be able to drink everyone under the table. I guess my alcoholism was worse than yours..... but we're not comparing right?

Too much, too often.

Beyond that, the only thing that mattered was getting sober and staying in recovery.

I come here because I have a problem. When I look for similarities, I find solutions. When I look for differences, I expand my problems.

Canuck.. Congrats on Day 4 and as everyone says, it gets better. Thank heavens there is a site where people can post and and ask for help, before they get to the severe physical addiction and waste of years some of us here experience. Being proactive to stop a potential issue that is progressive is a good thing, IMO

I do think its your early sobriety talking here, there are so many emotions to process in early recovery, it's like a rollercoaster. Anger and overreacting a couple of them I experienced as well

I really hope this discussion has not turned newbies off from posting because they don't drink "enough".

this is what i thought, but this post honestly made me feel stupid for posting here.
i don't have a daily or even weekly alcohol consumption, but still thought i had an issue. i was going to AA 2-3 times a week, posting in these forums and trying to stay dry.
guess it was all for nothing and i have no problem because i don't drink ALL THE TIME.

I quit when my consumption wasn't as high as some, but now that I have some sober time, I'm absolutely clear that I was addicted to alcohol.

It was really important to me to hear stories similar to mine -- otherwise I could easily fall into the trap of thinking "well, I'm not that bad, I can keep drinking". I was very, very fortunate that on the first day I decided to quit, I heard the story of a woman who drank just like me, decided to quit, and was happy with her choice. That boosted my resolve to do what I already knew was best for me.

If we have stories from all waypoints along that long slide into alcoholic death, there's a better chance of inspiring someone to step off the bus NOW instead of waiting for it to get worse.

I do acknowledge, Canuckleman, that when someone decides to quit, it may be harder or easier from one person to the next ... some folks will have more physical damage and more "wreckage" in their life, maybe mental health issues figure in there too, some have already lost everything. What's great about SR is I see stories every day of people who successfully quit at all points on that long slide -- very early or very, very late. They demonstrate that it can be done, and it's worth it, and the sooner the better.

You know. My sponsor just had her 20th Anniversary of sobriety. She hasn't had a drink for over 20 years. But she's still an alcoholic. If she were to take a drink today then it wouldn't take long for her life to be unmanageable again. I was a binge drinker as well. Considering the unmanageability that THAT brought into my life I think it's lucky that I didn't drink every day. As it was it affected my finances, my relationships, my health, my reputation. I lost a house, several friends, and my integrity. I hated myself and wanted to die. Perhaps thats not problematic enough for the OP, but you know, it was problematic enough for me to know that I NEEDED to stop, because I'd tried to moderate in plenty of different ways, and that didn't work. And when I tried to stop, I was shocked to discover that it was much, much harder to do so (and keep my sanity) than I'd ever expected it to be. And thats why I need this place, and need AA. To help me stay stopped and find a way to deal with life on life's terms without that release from myself and my responsibilities and disappointments that alcohol gave me the hope of while I white-knuckled from binge to binge, either recovering from one episode or obsessively thinking about how long it was til the next. That was not living.

BB

Hi Canu:

I hope you keep educating yourself about alcoholism. Knowledge is power! The power to understand that things really aren’t black and white and that each person has their own experience. The power to analyze how our words can affect others that can be in an incredible vulnerable situation.

There are a lot of people who come here doubting their situation and I don’t think that comparisons are helpful. We should only focus on ourselves and our own journey and try to be supportive of others, this is with this community is all about and everybody is welcome. It doesn’t matter how much we drink or how little we do.

Hey Canuck, I think I'll keep my pitchfork and torch in the shed for now. :) Everybody gets a little irritable and vents and I appreciate the honesty.

Keep posting, keep going. We can do this.

Anarock, please, never feel silly for posting. The majority of people here are not taking inventory.... and if you say you have a problem or feel like you are out of control of your drinking then you are in the right place! Please keep posting and sharing :grouphug:

"The gift of desperation", as tomsteve refers to it, made me look for similarities when I first realized I needed to get sober.

I was desperate for a solution and so during my first few days in detox where someone had given me a Big Book, I went straight to the stories in the back. I found people like me in there--maybe the circumstances were different-- but the feelings were the same. The demoralization, the shame, the bewilderment, self-hatred, resentment; I saw I wasn't alone.

I could identify and that's all I was looking for at that point--not how I was different. I think that willingness to give up the arguments--to quit fighting, is partially what saved my life by enabling me to accept a program of recovery and to go on to real sobriety.

This is a really interesting thread. I am definitely guilty of "taking other peoples' inventory, namely when 1) "binge drinkers" who do not drink daily are counting their days, when they wouldn't have been drinking anyway, or 2) people post who clearly have lots of personal drama apart from drinking, and seem to be seeking attention. I am starting to understand that both of those judgments are preventing me from focusing on my OWN recovery, and also, engaging in an "us vs. them" way of thinking, which has DEFINITELY been my undoing in the past. Thanks for posting. :)

The reason I'm here is not that I drank daily or huge volumes (in alcoholic terms) but because alcohol and I don't mix. I am an angry and irresponsible drunk. Not a great combination. I need to quit as moderation doesn't work. I have a faulty 'off' switch. I never learnt to drink responsibly. I think deep down I have anger issues over stuff that went down in my childhood. My sobriety is showing me that I need to address this.

For me, there is always a risk that alcohol consumption turns into another 'all or nothing' blackout binge, that I can't control, and that the resultant fall out could destroy my life.

It's not just the blackout drunks, it's the risk of drink driving after having a 'couple' in the local, the risk of nuclear meltdown fights with my wife (who I love dearly) and the impact on my son.

I guess I'm one of the alcoholics trying to get off the bus before it heads over the cliff.

I understand the sentiment in the original post but in my opinion, anyone who has come to the conclusion that alcohol causes issues in their life should be encouraged and supported to post here.

I say we all love and support each other and fight the real problem which is addiction!!! We never know what someone is really going through by just there post and for some this is the only place they can relate to or go for support no matter how big or small there problems are
Hopefully everyone has an amazing day and stay sober because addiction sucks!!

okay but here is the thing: my life is currently NOT unmanageable.
do i have to wait until it is to get help?
i feel like if i keep drinking, it will be.

No no no :)

The earlier we seek help the better. Better to get help before it becomes unmanageable an gets worse and worse. Please don't let anyone put you off posting or being on here or seeking help outside SR too. I wish I'd got help 20 years ago.

I was a relatively light drinker - nothing much in the week and at most a bottle of vodka over the entire weekend. I still managed to mess up my pancreas and now have to inject Insulin daily as a Type 1 Diabetic.
It's not just your livers etc and the 'classic' things you need to worry about, believe me!
My life will never be the same - I have to check sugar levels and inject at least 4 times a day and even check before going in the shower, incase they drop too fast and I end up passing out in it.
Don't be like me - stop while you still have your health.
There are NO safe limits, once you've actually got to the point of finding and joining a support forum.

Absolutely not. I remember wondering why my ex didn't stop drinking before he became an alcoholic as I skipped merrily down the path myself.

I was a weekend person myself, I count all 7 days in a week, even though I only indulged my addiction 2 or 2.5 days a week. My addiction was present all 7 days through foggy brain, tiredness, tummy issues, crankiness.

Everyone is welcome here, people in end stage, people experiencing their first alcohol or drug experience. Friends, family anyone living within the addict vortex. Students looking for information, observing people in forms of recovery. Room for everyone and everyone has a story to tell that we can learn from if we open our ears and hearts.

I've read the ordinal post and some of the replies but not all of them, I'd be here all night!!

Initially I thought the post was all wrong, how could he? Etc. I was offended, I wondered if my bottle of wine a night was something that was being referred to.

I don't think it was, but even so, I can appreciate that my bottle a night isn't as bad as someone who drank as soon as they woke up. I didn't suffer from sever withdrawals, shakes etc when I quit. I totally get the difference. I did however struggle to give up, obsess all the time, it was a brain thing not a physical thing.

BUT the big thing is this site helps me see the direction that things were going in. There is no question that my drinking was only going to get worse, I was functioning but for how long? The anxiety devil was starting to beat me up, I was struggling to get into work, things were only going one way.

There is support here for everyone, whatever "stage" they are at. As Dee said, probably a good idea to ignore anyone that annoys you. I also didn't know there was an ignore function!