Can Problem Drinkers Keep Drinking

[Breez]

Can Problem Drinkers Keep Drinking

Cashy-

You just made me get a flashback of an episode when I did outpatient about 3 1/2 yrs ago and my original counselor(male) switched me to a female (who got her smarts from a book not from the streets or experience). So about a week & a half into it she comes up to me during a break in our group meeting and goes "how are you doing?" I'm like "ok" Baffled. She's like "I thought I'd check on you since I'm concerned you're probably going through withdrawals right now".

Um-hello. It's been over a week and a half since I had a drink (we had breathalizer tests done). I looked good, was chipper and if I was going thru withdrawals the last place I'd want to be was with people.

Where she got that I'll never know. Makes you wonder how many people fall thru the cracks. b/c of lack of "true" knowledge.

That special on HBO addiction showed a hospital in Texas (?) where the alcohol related accidents are followed up by counselors so that people don't fall thru the cracks b/c normally people just get treated for the accident & sent on their way.

[cassy]

Can Problem Drinkers Keep Drinking

we all get a bit sensitive over the drinking issue dont we at times ..maybe wose before coming to this site.

I for one realise we all drink in different patterns and for different reasosn ...dont care about labels. The common denominator is everyone on here wants to drink less or not to drink at all,, who cares what the definition of an alcoholic is... i dont. i just want to get a grip on this drinking,,not sure yet whether its abstain for good or try and moderate.

since getting on this site i havent drank but i would like to try and see if i can moderate at some point.

that may be impossible ...but guess what I now have the luxury of getting back on here for support..so whatever i choose to do hopefully it will never return to pre "my way out" days22

good luck to you all


regards Cassy

[paula]

Can Problem Drinkers Keep Drinking

Hi Cashy,
I agree with you, I do feel there is a stigma in some parts of society with alcoholism.
I must admit that I also cross into that alcoholic territory,and I also don't want to go
there again.I'm glad that your bipolar has been diagnosed and is being treated.
Good luck
Paula x

[dilayne]

Can Problem Drinkers Keep Drinking

Hello all,
I definitely am much better off when I'm abstinent..and have been most of my life..when I quit the first time back in 1987 or so, I'd only been problem drinking for about a year and went to AA because I had always been afraid of alcoholism because of my father's drinking..so I wanted to nip it in the bud. I did for 16-17 years and have been trying to drink moderately..I know I will fail, yet I've not recommitted to abstinence yet (I just came off of 4 and a half months of abstinence..no problem)..so we'll see. Right now, I'm moving back in that direction and do trust I'll get back there..I'm trying for abstinence during the week and will see how it goes on the weekends. It's weird to be in this place right now, because when I'm in the AF zone, that is where I am totally..

[Serenity]

Can Problem Drinkers Keep Drinking

Hi all

I think the only way to truly see if moderation will work for you is to try and limit your consumption of your drink of choice - I tried this and it worked for about a week.

It can also be dangerous if you have a number of AF days under your belt and then start moderating and realise that you can't - you are back in that hole again.

My point is that moderation is an attempt to drink like normal drinkers - i.e take or leave it after a few glasses but by definition if you are limiting yourself to 2 glasses or having to say I will only drink on a Friday or after 7pm or every weds etc you are still obsessing about alcohol and therefore not thinking like a normal drinker who can take or leave it. We have built up our tolerance over the years and to gain an effect we need to drink more than 2 glasses to get it.

I think the issue about depression and self medicating is so true and the underlying cause of the drinking in this case needs to be addressed, but alcohol itself can lead to depression and my depression was made worse by alcohol although it did relieve it temporarily.

I know some will not agree with me but I think that it needs to be stated that for a lot of people who are looking for help controlling their drinking they are past the need for moderation and will continue the cycle of binge - AF - binge etc.

Love S

[paula]

Can Problem Drinkers Keep Drinking

Hi Serenity;
I agree with every word you say,moderation has never worked for me
I have tried it so many times, and the end result has always been the
same. I'm afraid it's all or nothing.

[cassy]

Can Problem Drinkers Keep Drinking

Hi serenity

i take your point that most of us will never be "normal drinkers" as we have crossed the line or else we wouldnt be on tnis site would we!That said I actually dont think i know many normal drinkers ...maybe a couple of people who have a drink at a wedding every few years.

just thinking about work colleagues and they all say stuff like.../i dont let myself drink during the week or "i only drink at weekends " or i limit myself to 2 wines a night" or "i always have a drink of wine with a meal" "i go to badminton and then have 2 pints"

would you think they arent normal drinkers...or by your definition would you think they are problem drinkers/ alcoholics. By the way these people i refer to are doctors and nurses!!!

Regards Cassy

[giles123]

Can Problem Drinkers Keep Drinking

Hi Serenity,

I agree with you totally there. It took me many years to realise that trying to "control" my drinking was making me obssess and think about it and causing major problems in itself. It was only a matter of weeks before I was back to my old patterns.

To an earlier post who referred to not caring about labels -- I was trying to offer a bit of advice through my own experience.. That to admit and label myself as an alcoholic helped me immensely as I then realised I had this disease and it set me on this (long) path of recovery.

In my own experience as well it also helped with my immediate family because when they realised this they were quick to not thrust me into situations involving alcohol, to offer support and to back off with the pressure...

I realise everyone's situation is different (as I said before) however I was throwing up my own experiences - I'm sure people out there will identify with me.

Cheers

[Serenity]

Can Problem Drinkers Keep Drinking

Cassy - totally agree with you - I posted this on another thread b4 I say yours.....

Its a difficult one isn't it... after all alcohol is an addictive drug and the more you drink it the more you become addicted the question is " are some peoples brain chemistry more predisposed to "liking" it ? " and therefore drinking more in the first place to get the addiction or if you drink for long and hard enough do we all end up addicted to the stuff.

Most people who drink "normally" will drink to excess either occasionally or regularly (not all I grant you) - I think you only define yourself as having a problem when you don't like the way it makes you feel and how it impacts on your life.
There are plenty of people that I know prepared to put up with the hangovers and feeling like crap to keep the "buzz" of the addiction going but would not class themselves as problem drinkers let alone alcoholics.

If we all were to inject heroin, an addictive drug like alcohol (although less socially acceptable) and it was in a neverending supply we would all become addicted to it because of the way it makes us feel - I think that it is the same with alcohol and ultimately there is not a "normal" drinker category just people who drink less and less often.
Hope I made sense bit of a rant
All the best
love
S

[Serenity]

Can Problem Drinkers Keep Drinking

Cassy - totally agree with you - I posted this on another thread b4 I saw yours.....

Its a difficult one isn't it... after all alcohol is an addictive drug and the more you drink it the more you become addicted the question is " are some peoples brain chemistry more predisposed to "liking" it ? " and therefore drinking more in the first place to get the addiction or if you drink for long and hard enough do we all end up addicted to the stuff.

Most people who drink "normally" will drink to excess either occasionally or regularly (not all I grant you) - I think you only define yourself as having a problem when you don't like the way it makes you feel and how it impacts on your life.
There are plenty of people that I know prepared to put up with the hangovers and feeling like crap to keep the "buzz" of the addiction going but would not class themselves as problem drinkers let alone alcoholics.

If we all were to inject heroin, an addictive drug like alcohol (although less socially acceptable) and it was in a neverending supply (like alcohol) we would all become addicted to it because of the way it makes us feel - I think that it is the same with alcohol and ultimately there is not a "normal" drinker category just people who drink less and less often.
Hope I made sense bit of a rant!!

Oh and Giles - whatever works for you - I am quite happy to tell people I trust that I have a drink problem and others that I am an alcoholic - some people just wouldn't understand if I were to say I was an alcoholic - but it certainly helps me to use that "label" so I know exactly where I stand (I am a dietitian and they would not understand if I said I was an alcoholic!!!)
All the best
love
S

[Cashregister]

Can Problem Drinkers Keep Drinking

I agree about the obsessing - that's why I could not go to AA to stop drinking to excess, it just made me think about drinking more - or about not drinking. Like being on a diet - works for a while but then....

I prefer ABs and that's because I prefer feeling good. My doc has said to me that this may not be a problem in the future as i learn to understand my bipolar and may well be able to have a few and be "normal" etc - but for now i'm happy just not thinking about it too much!

Cashy
xxx