Underlying causes

[bleep69]

Hi all.

A lot of the threads I read here look at alcoholism as the result of something - depression, anxiety, etc. Does this hold true for you? Personally, I think everything is fine, I just drink until suddenly wake up the next day. I'm not doing it to blot out feelings, I'm not doing it because I was abused, I'm not doing it for any specific reason at all, I'm just doing it.

There was a shitty period I went through in my twenties, which is where I started drinking heavily, but that's long been successfully resolved. My life now would actually be in a very good place if drinking wasn't such an enormous, important part of my life. So, why do I drink? I can't work it out, other than the fact that I'm alcoholic. Sometimes I think it's because I'm bored, but that's crap - life is boring only if you let be.

Why do you drink? Do you have a reason?

[fennel]

Underlying causes

I don't have any reasons for drinking, either. It felt so fantastic at first ...then, it became habitual.

[tiptronic_ct]

Underlying causes

I think the reasons why people start to drink would make for an almost endless list.

In my own case, alcohol was a form of self-medication to forget about pain, it was a social lubricant and yes, it could be fun. It alleviated anxiety. It kept me company. It made me and others more "interesting".

Whatever the reasons are, the simple fact is that addiction caught me by the balls. The important thing for me to remember: my reasons for starting to drink aren't good enough excuses to carry on doing so.

[mario]

Underlying causes

Emotional pain and difficult feelings are a part of life, there’s no escaping them, but alcohol deals with them so effectively, that its easy to develop a reliance on it to take away all your painful feelings. In order to cut down or stop drinking therefore, you have to accept that painful feelings must be dealt with sober, just as you are. You can deal with life, but you are choosing not to experience discomfort, because it can so easily be tranquillised with alcohol and with that you get one of a hell of a killer disease.

[allswell]

Underlying causes

Hi Bleep69,

The list can be endless I suppose, however I subscribe to the Rational Recovery defination and that is simply that there is a deep, mental pleasure to it that comes from what the author describes as the "midbrain". According to the author This is why some drink to feel good, then drink to recover from a hangover. Drink because they are angry then drink because they are happy and want to celebrate. Drink to relax then drink because they are anxious. Finally it gets to the point where someone can simply be drinking all of the time. The list can go on and on. If you are interested in quitting I would definately suggest reading it.

Best

[Chillgirl]

Underlying causes

Bleep - I began drinking regularly at 15 and for me it was the greatest social tool in the world! It wasn't that I was painfully shy but alcohol made me feel invincible. I became gregarious when drinking and the life and soul of any party. People thought I was tremendous fun and I just loved the high it gave me. I believe I very quickly became addicted to that high and it became the only way I could operate socially as I never knew any different.

It was much much later I drank to numb out my feelings, as an adult I didn't know how to function without it. It was there for celebrating, commiserating, rewarding, punishing, you name it, it was there.

[bleep69]

Underlying causes

Thanks for the responses. Very vague question to begin with, I suppose!

Will have a look at that book allswell, thanks.