hart143

I think that I may have a problem with alcohol but does that mean I can never drink again? I have 5 days sober and have been drinking for many years off and on Since college. ( A few drinks every other night and binge drinking On weekends. Recently I stopped drinking because we are trying to have a baby and I felt really awful day 4 my first attempt so I went to the Dr and he said I was going through withdrawal. I was so ashamed I couldn't even tell my husband at first. So I decided to stop completely and it's been going fine.. I still have a desire for a drink at 5 or 6 pm but it passes and I move on. I'm worried though we have a few events coming up if I should attend them.. Will I ever be able to have one or two drinks again or will it mess everything up and make me go through this withdrawal again??

matt4x4

No one can say if you are an alcoholic or not. Only you can do that. There is the hard drinker that after a certain event, they stop altogether. I found that I never had just one or two drinks. When I drank, I craved vast, endless amounts of poison. In my lifetime, I never sat down and drank one or two drinks, NEVER!!!!!!!! Some do, and they amaze me. The normies, they drink, they feel a bit tipsy, they are done, they leave the glass 3/4 full.

least

Yes, having a few drinks may send you back into withdrawal again, and it won't be fun. I stopped drinking many times only to start up again and put myself back in the same mess I was in before. It's better for me to not drink at all... and after four years sober, I don't WANT to drink anymore.

littlefish

There are tons of online tests you can take that will help you figure out if you have a drinking problem. But as others mention, I think we all know, in our heart of hearts. Have you considered some kind of program for support?

If you determine you are an alcoholic and decide sobriety is your only option: drinking would get you right back to square one again. The only real successful path is total abstinence. A good program will help you install that in your life.
good job on your days sober!

CodeJob

Kudos for tackling this issue before you are expecting! Good luck to you.

Sorensen

Sounds like a potential drinking problem that could lead to alcoholism, I think it is great you have recognized you may have an issue with booze, good to catch it sooner then later.

Dee74

Hi Hart

I can't tell you if you're an alcoholic or not, but I am and I can't drink, not even on special occasions, because drinking sets off the insanity again.

I will say tho - if you're worried enough to sign up here, and if you're sick enough to have to visit a Dr and he tells you you're in withdrawal, I'd think very carefully about the next drink you take.

D

least

Amen!

IOAA2

Hi. Try a web search "AA 20 questions" which may help you with your question.
It starts like this:
1. Do you lose time from work due to your drinking?
2. Is drinking making your home life unhappy?
3. Do you drink because you are shy with other people?
4. Is drinking affecting your reputation?
5. Have you ever felt remorse after drinking?


BE WELL

goirish

Yes good for you to look into it. If you can catch it now it can save you and your family from going through a lot of ****. Good luck...........

SoberLeigh

Hart - Congratulations on your five days of sobriety; well done. You are so very wise to be asking yourself these questions, especially now if you are trying to start a family.

Only you can decide if, in fact, you are an alcoholic. Alcoholics come in all shapes and sizes; some drink heavily every day; some are binge drinkers. My big clue was that one drink was not enough and I could never stop at one or two. Since you are planning on becoming pregnant, you may want to give complete abstinence a try now; there is so much evidence that drinking alcohol during pregnancy can damage a fetus.

Welcome to SR, Hart. We are here for you.

matt4x4

Yeah, we alcoholics are 100% honest with all the tests that we do, right, especially when it comes to our drinking problem? NOT!!!!!!!!!
I remember doing all those tests and I lied on each and every one of them.
I wasnt that bad and heres why.

hart143

Thank you all for such candid and thoughtful responses. It touched my heart that people care so much. I am on the road to recovery because i have accepted that there is a problem. That voice in the back of my mind telling me something is not right and the guilt of taking that drink was enough to signal me that I had to take action.

hart143

And the DESIRE to ease the anxiety by having a drink was so overwhelming that I would and then feel instant guilt until I had the second drink. So yes there is a problem there and I thank God I was able to see it before it destroyed the beautiful life I have now.

Hevyn

Welcome hart! It's great to not be alone with this - I'm so glad you decided to join and ask some questions. You'll be avoiding so much trouble by dealing with this now. Best wishes on your plans to start a family.

Randummy

Hey Hart,
When I first went to my local drug and alcohol clinic they were totally straightforward. I felt the need to drink every, single day whether I was bored, busy or not and if I didn't drink, I got super anxious by 6pm, without fail. I would also have trouble sleeping if I didn't have a drink. I don't know if that makes me an alcoholic, but it did indicate that I had a problem so I'm detoxing now. If you're in any doubt, then why not just cut it out for a while? I've cut alcohol out before and after a week my energy has increased and my skin has looked better so there's no harm in stopping!

Echelon1

As others have stated everyone has their own personal physical, mental, and financial alcoholic limit for me it was mental. As someone I love is helping to motivate my realization it's a problem. Sure I knew I drank to sleep, made excuses to drink, bought it on my way home from work (even went as far as to rotate my stores so the clerks wouldn't recognize me) became ill if I didn't start at a certain time. Had no appetite until I had a few. All that said I never cared, it became my life. I now forced my realization with the help from others and loved ones. For me they are the only way to succeed. 65hrs strong and I feel great.

Redmayne

I can only speak for myself, as I understand it, only you can declare yourself an alcoholic...which is what I and countless others have done.

Which is an excellent exercise in self realization and acceptance found in A A's first step in the suggested 12 Step program of recovery...

Another suggestion is that if alcohol is costing you more than money, it might be considered your an alcoholic...

But in the end it's down to you, no one else can declare you an alcoholic...

zerothehero

Here's how I figured it out, and I'm not recommending this, but...

After I felt awful during withdrawal, I tried withdrawal again. Then again. And yet again....

...ad nauseum (if you know what I mean).

zerothehero

I find it interesting that the DSM V (and earlier editions maybe) do not use the term "alcoholism." They use the term "alcohol use disorder."

If your alcohol use is a problem it's a problem. If it's not it's not. It's like they've sidestepped the "disease" question. Alcohol use disorder is a disorder if it's a disorder.