GB05

It is impossible. I notice that many of the posters here have attended AA meetings. The have only ones I have been present at are the ones I have been court ordered to be at (am the nicest person in the world when sober, vice versa). I have listened to people talk about how they drank for 10...20...even 40 years before they stopped. Those same people have quit consuming any sort of alcohol altogether and are now some of the happiest people in the world. I strongly advocate the fact that some of life's best lessons are the ones you learn from your own mistakes. The only thing that scares me is that I am only 22 years old and have abused alcohol for 4 years now. My tolerance to alcohol is ridiculous and the way I conduct myself has accelerated so fast for the worse. I honestly do not see how I can be alive for another 10 years. When I am drunk I get thoughts in my head that scare the hell out of me when I wake up the next morning. Despite all this trauma I continue to drink because I cannot stop. I feel trapped. There is no need to push the panic button, I am not going to do any harm to myself. I just wish I could be done with the learning experience and move on. Does this make any sense???

lulu70

Hey there. Welcome to SR. Glad you are here. I have to tell you that I have a dear friend in my home group who got sober before her 21st birthday. She has remained sober for 15 years. Sure, there are some who drank for a long time. There are also quite a few of those whose drinking progressed so rapidly they had to quit much sooner. It is really up to you. How about going back to AA, this time of your own volition. If you really give it a chance, I doubt if you will be sorry!!

Hang in there, hon'.

Phinneas

Nope. Lots of sober happy people around, just like you mentioned. It's how to get there that is the hard part.

I, too, have a sober friend who joined AA at the age of 16. She is now 8 years sober.

There is hope. Go back to those meetings and listen and learn.

Glad you're here, GB05. Welcome.

CarolD

I see many younger people coming into AA on their own.
Fantastic!
The sooner a problem is acknowledfed...
the quicker one can live in the solution.

How wise of you to begin early!

Sugasnaps

Hey GB welcome to SR

Anything is possible including your recovery. You've already transitioned from a blind-to-the-problem alcohol abuser to one that has recognized there is a problem. Believe it or not, that is a HUGE first step. So you are heading in the right direction just keep asking questions and learn about alcoholism. I can tell you from my own experience that it doesn't get better on it's own just like it doesn't get worse on it's own - it takes your participation.

Hang in there and keep posting!

Suga

Kellye C

Hi and welcome,

It can be done! There is a saying that you can stop the elevator and get off at any level meaning you don't have to sink to the bottoms that some did. You already know you have a problem, you can stop drinking. There is hope! I didn't believe that at first, I figured it would work for them but not for me. I am 40 but I only drank as an alcoholic for 3 1/2 yrs (which was long enough to almost kill me).

Keep posting and know that this can work for you too!
Kellye

Irish Virus

What more do you need to learn? What things do you think you need to experience to have the light bulb come on?

What makes sense to me from what I gather from your post, is that you haven't quite hit the so-called bottom yet. Everyone's is different and you haven't slammed into the pavement hard enough to really want to stop.

It is possible and it can be done. You first have to WANT to quit. Just thinking that you need to quit will not cut it.

I hope you find the strength to quit. You're only 22 with a bright future ahead of you if you decide to get sober. Don't continue to drudge down the pathway to hell if your drinking is out of control like you say.

Good Luck.

Don S

If you don't find AA meetings useful, here are some alternatives:
Alternatives to AA and other links

Many people quit drinking on their own. They just make up their minds that alcohol isn't good for them, they stop buying it, they decline it if offered, and they stop hanging out with people who want to drink all the time. It's a rational decision, though not necessarily an easy one to make on your own.
Don S

GB05

Thanks. Your posts mean a lot more to me than you will ever think.

aloneagainor

It doesn't make rational sense, but I think I can safely assume that everyone here can directly relate. Knowing active addiction will destroy you, while deceiving yourself into thinking it won't hurt you. Inherent contradiction, you see. In that war zone there is no peace.

Oh do I see myself in you! It's a "learning experience". That's been my justification for continued use for nearly 2 decades! The games we play with ourselves! Don't fool yourself into thinking that your desire to use will fade on its own. I waited to "grow out of" active addiction (my drug of choice is considered recreational, not something a person becomes "addicted" to...ha, NOT!) until I finally started to realize the complicated mess I'd landed myself in, that was only growing more dysfunctional/ impossible the farther down that path I went. You think active addiction is "impossible" to get beyond after 4 years, it won't get any easier after 14 or 24...and the brain cells you destroy along the way might be ones you need to make a change, or have a happy life...

There is something to be said for learning from your own mistakes. And if one lived on this planet alone that would be a functional way to proceed. Unfortunately, when a person drinks to excess they're putting OTHER people at risk, and you can hurt other people. Don't let THAT be your rock bottom learning experience.

jmhs002

Welcome GB. It is not impossible. You should give AA a try when you are not being required to attend. It has changed my life. I drank every day for about 10 years until I had decided that I was going to die young if I continued. If I can stop, you can stop!
JMHS

ASH

Hi GB, welcome to SR, glad your here!
Good for you for understanding you have a problem and seeking a solution.
Keep reading here and you will know it is not impossible.
Hope to see more of you,
take Care

GB05

Thank you all for your support. I am still getting wasted to hell everytime I drink and it always seems like it is worse than the time before. Not sure what I am going to do with this situation. It seems like I am going through that cycle where I want to give up on everything. More mistakes and more of mess to clean up before I can get sober again before the next binge drinking.

BSPGirl

Well it's possible to lead a sober life, really. Welcome to SR.

ASH

For me once I passed this point it only got worse. I stopped drinking for 5 years
and was back where I started the day I picked up, and it got worse still.
It doesnt stop, I hope you can, I wouldnt wish the life on anyone.
Keep working it