refrigerator

Yeah I know what you're saying. I'm 23....24 in September. In 5 years of college, I'm the only person out of my group of friends that has ever sought treatment for alcohol addiction. And it sucks. I'm the ONLY one that has ever just up and left one day because I drink to much.

And yeah...it gets really, really lonely. None of my friends really get it. I think that they think that I left school for other reasons, as maybe they didn't think i was "that bad" even though they never saw me drink a 12 pack on my couch and pass out with a xanax several times a week. Maybe they think I just left for attention or something?

The old adage that you can't be an alcoholic in college is total BS...but people ACTUALLY believe it after a while since everyone drinks.

sezegg

Hey, I was just talking about this with my parents yesterday. There is noone at any of my local meetings below 35+ im 27 and ive lost most of my friends. Noone wants to come round if theres no party! Just made me sad because I thoought I would make lots of sober new friends.

gymi11

Its funny I was just talking to a friend today. I was complaining there is no one in my area that is around my age. Either they are in their 20's or 60's. I'm 40. So its just not you guys that have this problem. I find I can get a lot of good info and experience from the old guys and new incite from the younger crowd. Its working out.

freeradical99

Hey--

Actually, I envy you: I am officially an Old Person, and wish every day, sometimes two times or more, that I had listened to all the ppl, teachers, professors, a psychologist-in-training, and peers, who told me that what I was doing with drinking, perhaps more than any other substance I was doing at that time, was highly aberrant (pissing in wastebaskets, getting gang-banged, flunking out of school b/c I did not bother to withdraw on time, random sexual encounters I did not exactly recall, and other stuff in this arena). had two DUIs before I was eighteen. Because I was in Philadelphia, neither underage drinking nor public intox was given much attention by the law.

Flash-forward to the effin forties: I have lost twenty years to this crap. Alcohol has undergirded the other substance abuse and addiction (speed, crank, ice, and now, benzos) difficulties I've had. Fired from too many jobs to count. Kicked out of living arrangements. Never repaid student loans b/c I was too busy effing drinking/using/hiding/buying trivial stuff for which I had no need, or pawned later.

When I was more or less forced to go to Lexington, KY--no other options--I racked up ten AIs in the years that followed. These have been a hindrance in finding any kind of work. Am now in the process of filing psych disability, b/c my wage (now 13/hr, tops) is being garnished by the guvm't, and disability would actually be better than trying to work.

Never did ****. You're ahead of me at twenty-three. Many people are. (Note: AA has not really worked for me; its cult aspects are disturbing, although I will grant that its language and practices seem to have saved the lives of many people. I go to meetings, mainly as a way to get out of the shelter where I am living, b/c everything went to **** when I lost my last job.)

I'd like to find a mode of abstinence that will work for a social retardate such as myself. If you find AA/NA helpful, PLEASE go! Antabuse has also worked well for me, when I could afford it. (Muy expensive, but also muy helpful.) Many ppl your age here in Lexington go to AA, and seem to like it.

Luck to you,

freerad

firewalkwithme

i hear you...if anything until things get better just hang around here i suppose, right?

thanks for all these responses everybody, really dig getting different perspectives on this...always good to know one isn't alone!

MemphisBlues

I'm an old timer -- 55 years old and eight months sober! I have a children 32, 29, 20and 15. All of my kids are sober except my 32-year-old son, who I think is one calamity away from following me down the path of alcoholism and addiction.

Those of you in recovery in your 20s are my heroes. My 15 -year-old daughter likes a band called Angel Spit and hosts drug-free raves. My 29-year-old son is a counselor helping abused children. My 20-year-old daughter is in college and is as straight as an arrow.

Where I'm living now, I'm blessed to see young people come into the rooms, ages 19 and above, many who are in rehab and have no choice. But the ones who really speak to me are the young ones who finished rehab and come into the rooms on their own volition.

Remember one of the major tenants of recovery -- we can't keep what we have without giving it away. Those youngsters keep me sober.

And my kids remind me that there are many, many "normals" who do not abuse drugs or alcohol. Find them. If you don't find them in the rooms, find them at work or at school. They're there. When we use and abuse we just don't notice that of the seven billion or so folks on this ship, the vast majority of them are not alcoholics or addicts.

Peace

Jil

I am 21, and I have yet to meet anyone close to my age who is also in recovery, or realizes their drinking is a real problem. I think what keeps me going is having friends who are supportive of my recovery even if they aren't and don't need to do it themselves.

Although it is sad that no one my age TRULY understands what I'm going through, I am happy knowing that I have made my decision at a young enough age that I still have loads of time to form new, life-long, sober friendships. Although I haven't met anyone my age who is recovering, I have met lots of people my age who choose to be sober (whether it's personal choice, religion, etc.) This keeps me going- there are people who don't drink; I just hadn't surrounded myself with them in the past.

I know I'll eventually cross paths with people my age and in my situation, but for now this site does help.

gymi11

This is funny, well...yeah its funny. I'm 40 and having the exact same problem as the 20 somethings.....in my area there are no people my age and sober. OR they are sober and have about 15 years of sobriety. Either one I cant relate to. I need people who are new in recovery, people that I go out with and have fun with...I mean going out with the old timers after a meeting is fun, but I want some people may age and my sobriety time to hang with.

Redmayne

I was relieved of my alcol-ISM on the 15th of Feb., 2008, then aged 61, a 'young' 61, although I bet I didn'tlook it, I regained my sober health, I didn't regain my health, in that I suddenly found myself suffering the viscitudes of aging,I won't detail them here but anyone over the age of 60 will no doubt know what I'm talking about, so insteadof 'enjoying' my sobriety,filled with boundless good health nothindered by alcohol.I've now had to accept and come to terms with the fact I've entered my third age, the previous one I can hardly remember, it's lost in a sea of alcohol, just try and live inthe day now, but it's really hard, my one consolation I know where I was last night and where I am this morning.

littlefish

Age-related bias is a double edged sword: old people assume young people don't know anything, young people assume old people don't know anything.

Myself: I have a huge amount of respect and admiration for the young people in AA who stopped in time. I dilly dallied for 30 years and lost so many opportunities in life, and compromised my ability to live life...for 30 years. So, I think the young people in AA are incredible.

AA has addressed the issue of youth in recovery and in my area the young people's meetings are on Saturday night and the meeting is followed by a disco. I have about as much interest in a disco as I do in having a bunion. But, I used to be a disco queen. I am glad that the young people are rediscovering the intrigue of dancing in platform heels..heee.

Okay, I will get to the point, I think you have to either seek out young people in AA, or, maybe the yoke falls on your shoulders to create something. All I can suggest is that you find a local youth center related to rehab and start some activity. How about a Saturday night recovery disco? The Saturday night disco with the youth AA in my area has been BTW a big hit.

sable1

Yes, I'm about to turn 24, and have allready realized that drinking wasn't working for me.
I don't know anyone my age who does not drink.
On the other hand, I don't really know what a normal drinker is, those were not the people I drank with. My ex boyfriend, and my friends, were all heavy drinkers and drug users, and we drank pretty much every day.
I remember having some bad withdrawal symptoms when I was 19-20, and that's around the time when I started feeling like it was getting too much for me. So I had some thoughts about quitting allready then.

It amazes me that people drink like that for years, I don't know how they live. I felt like **** allready at my young age, after only a few years of heavy drinking.
I'm happy that I managed to quit, but sometimes I feel like I'm getting really old. Like I live my life like an old lady, when I really should be out at the bars.
But I know my reasons for being sober so I guess I just have to focus on that.

sable1

Same for me. The people that I drank/ did drugs with, ended up being terrible people who stabbed me in the back sortof... so I ended up cutting all contact with them. Could have been a new beginning for me right there, with sobriety, but noo.... Instead I held on to my beloved alcohol and drank bottle after bottle by myself. Maybe more than ever actually.

Latte

I remember being one of the youngest people in the AA meeting I was going to.

One of the old timers suggested that I look for the similarities rather than the differences. That applies to most things in my life these days. It helps me relate to my children, my spouse, and my other friends.

I'm not rare. I'm just like the next person and when I started to see that my eyes were truly opened.

Mcribb

I am 30. I was lucky that the people I know don't pressure me to drink, but it would be hard to be in aa and be below 25. When you are that age everyone around me drank very very hard.