what Consitutes being an alcoholic?

[Karl1981]

i have been doing a bit of thinking after my 'Binge' (and i hate that word) the other night.

what Consitutes being an alcoholic?

out of everyone i have known my entire life have been drinkers, some large all of the time some 'binge'. only 1 person does not drink at all.

many of the most successful people i know drink a bottle of wine or more a night.
some of the guys i use to work with being some of the best chippys in the building game drink before work at 6 am in the morning. i am by no way saying drinking in the morning is good.. but everyone else i know goes out has dinner goes home has drinks ect, and can still lead a very successful life.

my question to you is what acually consitutes being an alcohilic?
if you can lead a life of great sucess, hold a job and family life ect, why and how could you be an alcoholic?

im just doing a little soul searching on a few aspect on my life at the moment, and have a few questions i can not answer. maybe becasue im young maybe because im igorent(oh and cant spell)

this is not ment to offend anyone its just a question. one of the many i would like to ask..

thanks for your time.

(oh posted sober by the way)

[Beaches]

what Consitutes being an alcoholic?

Hi Karl, for me I knew it was a problem when I started feeling badly about myself and how I was impacting my kids/family. Mainly though how I started feeling about myself...the shame, embarrassment etc.

[Mackeral]

what Consitutes being an alcoholic?

Hiya Karl,

Over the last couple of years i have asked myself the same question..
I was talking to my mum at new year about it...Sometimes she still asks me..Are you sure your an alcaholic?
I said to her that 2 alcaholics are proberly never the same..I never wake up wanting a drink..Sometimes i can limit what i drink..I have even managed to go the odd night without a drink in the past..
On the other hand drink is never out of my head..I was always worried if i had enough money to buy drink that evening..Drink caused arguments with my wife..If i had my last ?10 and no food in the cupboard for my family i would buy the drink and lend food off family..To me thats an alcaholic..There are worse drinkers than me..But there are better ones..
I have friends aswell who will drink a bottle of wine every night or go to the pub at the weekend and spend ?200 and turn up for work on Monday with bags under their eyes and stinking of alcahol..Have they got a problem..I dunno..Thats for them to decide..
I know alcahol has a really bad effect on my life and makes me do things that im very very ashamed of...And thats enough reason for me..

[cymru]

what Consitutes being an alcoholic?

Hi there Karl. For me its when i noticed i didnt have friends anymore! Well, not ones that i see, my girlfriend, who is salt of the earth is pretty much leaving me cause of my drinking. I have lost my job, which i liked very much, and have my parents calling me everyday from New Zealand cause im sure they think im going to top myself when there gone. I am 33, and things have started getting bad in the last 2 years, to the point where i dont really know where to turn next. I know for sure that i am an alcoholic, and if i could turn back the clock to the day when i decided to drink again after nearly 5 years sobriety i would. But i cant, so i am stuck here, wondering what and where to go next.

[Bella]

what Consitutes being an alcoholic?

Hi Karl....There are different types of alcoholics..and its a very personal thing..but if u are an alcoholic..u will know about it!!! It just starts becoming a very big part of your life...like Mack said, u think about it alot...its in your head. Hope that helps.. Bella XXX

[bestlifeldms]

what Consitutes being an alcoholic?

Hey Karl,

I think you will get as many different answers as there are members here. I believe that is because it is a personal and unique perspective. What is acceptable to me, may be totally unexceptable to anohter.

To me, an alcoholic is anyone whose consumption of alcohol creates problems with any aspect / area of their life. (Physical, emotional, financial, spiritual, professional, psychological, anything) If the use of alcohol creates a problem, then it is a problem.

Hope you get all the answers you're looking for.

[Guitarista]

what Consitutes being an alcoholic?

G'day Karl. There are many 'functioning' alcoholics out there too. Just like some of the people you've described. They may appear happy and successful on the outside, but many are a living hell behind closed doors Take care mate....................G.

[Seacailin]

what Consitutes being an alcoholic?

Hi Karl
Hope u are doing well. If I put "one" drink in my system, the drink starts making my decisions, I am powerless over alcohol and my life becomes unmanageable.

[skinny cow]

what Consitutes being an alcoholic?

I am reading a boom at the moment called 'Sober for Good' (its written by the lady who wrote fit for life) andshe interviews all kinds of people who are problem drinkers. She avoids the word alcoholic because of all the connotations the word has. Some of them are really down and out drunks, but some of them may be only occassional binge drinkers, while a few would only drink a few drinks a night.

All of them successfully conqured their alcohol problems either by abstinance or in a few cases by moderating. In all cases, alcohol was causing problems at some important levle in their lives; health, money, relationships, spiritual, emotional, or all of the above.

i know i have a big problem personally. And i also think that if you are questioning it, its probably a fact. But thats just my opinion. They also say it tends to be a progressive problem and for me that has been very true. All the 'limits' on my drinking have begin to slide over time

[keeta]

what Consitutes being an alcoholic?

Hi Karl,
I knew I was an alcoholic when I finially was able to admit I wasn't controlling the alcohol that as soon as I took one sip it was controlling me.

I hated to admit it, because I am a control freak.

I just know I can't drink like a regular person...once in a while...just one or two...etc.

Best of luck in your soul searching, we are here for you! :l
K

[Skinned Knees]

what Consitutes being an alcoholic?

Hi Karl :l

When I realized that I could not go one day without drinking, I realized I had a problem. I always made sure there were enough beers in the fridge to get drunk that night. If not, I went out and bought more. And then, when I couldn't just stop drinking, I realized I had a bigger problem than I thought.

SK

[ready2change]

what Consitutes being an alcoholic?

Karl...It is a personal decision as to whether a we as an individual have an drinking problem, not for anyone else to decide.

Please stop comparing your drinking to that of others that you know. From my own experience I know you can look at someone and think they have the greatest life and are happy and successful, but that is on the outside. Inside, they may be living there own personal hell. It is not always what we see that is truth.

If you read back over your posts, you will see the personal hell that drinking has caused you. Therein perhaps lies your answer as to whether drinking is a problem for you or not. Only you can decide. From what I have seen, you are a much happier person when posting sober. That is just my opinion.

R2C

[witchywoman]

what Consitutes being an alcoholic?

Hi Karl,
I have to agree with Keeta, having no control over my drinking - that was my realisation that I had a problem. I had always been a very moderate drinker, for many years, I never drank till I vomited or passed out, I drank for the enjoyment of it & if I didnt drink it was not a problem, however the last 12-18 months saw a change in the way I drank, it no longer became a case of "having a couple glass's of wine to enhance/celebrate a moment" it became drink that bottle & maybe a 2nd, which in the last 8-12 months became 2-3 nights a week as well as weekend drinking. Plus a big factor for me was the fact that i didnt actually enjoy drinking - just couldnt stop myself, till I arrived here. I got lost in the Al, I wasnt me, now I feel I am finding myself again, & I am so much happier.
good luck,

[FloridaBoy]

what Consitutes being an alcoholic?

my question to you is what acually consitutes being an alcohilic?
if you can lead a life of great sucess, hold a job and family life ect, why and how could you be an alcoholic?

If you depend on AL there is an issue. The dependence can increase too. I am one of those people that do not have an AL off switch. I just do not know when to stop. That means I have to leave AL alone. I used to go to a party and would think...this time it will be different. :upset: I think it can be harder for males to accept this because of all the AL marketing directed at us...O. K. this is not easy to accept for anyone.

You are a good guy and will get past this.

[oldslippers]

what Consitutes being an alcoholic?

ask those closest to you its often very obvious to them !