Why did you start to drinK?

[hadit]

Hello Everyone. Does anyone want to share why they began to drink in the first place and contiinued down the path of finally admitting to being an acoholic.

My drinking started when I was a very shy teenager who found it hard to fit in and used alcohol to make me feel normal. As I grew into an Adult I still continued to drink to excess and was diagnosed with Social Phobia Disorder. I suffered also with Depression and Anxiety. My mum suffered with this debilitating condition most of her life and was prescribed medication that help her regain back her life. She never self medicated with al or drugs. She never touched al. I eventually was prescribed medication for D and A which has helped me enormously. I don't really suffer with Soc Phobia anymore, or at least nothing to worry about, BUT I have been left with the legacy of being an alcoholic. I am now 34 days af.with the exception of a very small slip a few weeks ago. Just wanted to share. Thanks for llistening.

[red67]

Why did you start to drinK?

I never had a real reason to start drinking alcoholic in excess. I drank in my early twenties but only when I went out and no different than anyone my age. I quit drinking for at least 10 years once I got out of the club scene. The very first time I drank again was at a party and drank so much that I passed out and didn't remember most of the night. From that night on for almost ten years I was an alcoholic, from that very party on. It's so scary to think my switch was turned on that night for no reason and I struggled for 10 years to escape that hell. I have no idea why it happened like that. I don't know if anyone else has developed into alcoholism that quickly, I would love to hear others experiences.

[red67]

Why did you start to drinK?

Also, my father, uncle, brother and grandfather and I am sure other family members were/ are alcoholics. Does this prewire my brain for it? If so, why did I not become an alcoholic when I was younger and drank? I did drink to excess at the clubs but never like I did once I became an alcoholic. I had no problem not drinking when I was younger and no problem completely giving it up, it wasn't even a decision I made to quit. It just didn't fit with my life anymore and I never even thought about drinking. What happened 10 years later at that party???? What triggered in my brain??? I had just lost 80lbs, did that change my body chemistry? I have no answers except I know I can't ever drink again.

[JakeC]

Why did you start to drinK?

Except a few tastes here and there, the first time I drank was the summer between Junior and Senior years of High School. I had transferred in and didn't know many people nor did I have a car. I heard about a party at park about 2 miles from my house. So I decided to ride my bike to the park.

There was some underage beer hidden in the woods next to the table. I had like 4 or 6 beers. I was buzzed! For whatever reason, I ended up walking with a classmate with whom I had already made a connection. We walked to the other side of the park where (unbeknownst to me) the teachers were having a year end thing.

I encountered my English teacher who had spent the last year belittling and berating me. I asked her if she had submitted grades. She said yes. To which I responded "good; I just want you to know that you were the biggest bitch". Her response was shock. My response was to run away, but I tripped over the park bench. As I caught myself, I saw another one of my teachers trying to hold in her laughter / approval.

I collected myself and walked back to the student side. I don't remember how I got home.

[hadit]

Why did you start to drinK?

Thanks guys, One of my downfalls was to move into some accomoidation in a hospital where I worked as a 17 yo and mixed with all ages from 24 to 65 . They drank heavy every night and of course they encouraged me to drink as well. Some I think even found it fun to get us young people drunk! They had nothing else to do, many were alcoholics. But I didn't allways drink,sometime I would even hide the beer by pouring it into pot plants etc.
But I certainly started to develop a real taste for it and yes I liked it. In them days I could stop for weeks there was no real addiction at that time that came later.

[hadit]

Why did you start to drinK?

Red, I think if you have alcoholism in the family there is a real chance that siblings will be inflicted as well.i I allways recall my Grand Father saying his father was a big drinker. My GF never drank.I think he new the outcome.if he did.

[Cinders]

Why did you start to drinK?

Hadit,

I binge drank as a teenager but after I was married and started a family, I drank "normally" in that I did not drink while pregnant (once I found out) and only had one or two glasses of wine a night.

I started drinking later after I went to work more alcoholically. I was traveling constantly and the lure of the bar where I could sit and chat with other travelers to pass lonely evenings ramped my drinking up to 4-5 a night. After I had gastric bypass, the game was on.

I have been struggling for 8 years to get sober. I have quit my job. I have embarrassed myself tremendously many times, I have broken the hearts of my family and I have not been there for people when they needed me.

My family tree is rife with alcoholics, even though both my parents were not alcoholics.

At the end of the day, I finally figured out my life was sh@t. I got sick and tired of being sick and tired, to use an AA saying.

One thing I have decided,though, is rather than asking myself "why me?" I ask myself, "well, why the hell not me?" Is there some reason I think I am so special that I don't deserve to be an alcoholic? or get ill? or suffer setbacks in life? Hmm. I don't think so.

So, I accept that I am an alcoholic today and that is not going to change. Like Mollyka, I am simply grateful to be a recovering alcoholic at this point in my life. Extremely grateful.

Cindi

[paulywogg]

Why did you start to drinK?

started drinking to help me sleep 2 heinekens would knock me out for the nite,a year later i was drinking a twelve pack or more daily

[YouKayBee]

Why did you start to drinK?

Just part of growing up, I was offered a glass of alcoholic fruit punch by a friend's parents at a barbeque at the age of 15. It was my first alcoholic drink and it made be very giddy, made a right show of myself. Next time it was a glass of wine or cider with Sunday lunch at my well-to-do boyfriend's house. At 17 started drinking socially in pubs, clubs, parties. More times than not whenever I drank which might only be a couple of times per month, I got pissed, had my first blackout at 17 sort of went from there.

[199days]

Why did you start to drinK?

Because I was brainwashed and conditioned to believe YOU had to have alcohell to have a good time or enjoy life, just past down from generation to generation, its a scandal. Look at advertising of this drug , its everywhere, i feel real pity for young people who are just starting to drink.

[hadit]

Why did you start to drinK?

Thanks guys for responding. I to worry about the young people my own kids included. I just see a country of alcoholics, its already happening with our gov't trying to turn the tide to sensible drinking. Being an alkie, I view their efforts somewhat futile.IF kids want to drink,they are going to find booze like I did,even without money. Reducing pub hours,curtailing night club closing times etc etc is not enough. Probably eduction is still our best weapon. Thanks again

[Samstone]

Why did you start to drinK?

Began drinking about 8th grade. We drank to get drunk. Stopped in my mid thirties after a divorce, began again in my 40's, quit again at about 50, began again after a good 3 year stint of staying sober till this year. My last bout found myself drinking alone in the evenings, didn't need or want company, had 2 years of lawsuits after my parents died, trying to settle family farm, which I live on. Glad it is over and the rest of our families can get along and work things out. Through all my wife has been very supportive, though the addiction thing really eludes her. It definitely runs in my family, 4 generations of heavy drinkers.

I just got tired of feeling like shit every morning, wondering what I said, who I insulted etc. The worst one night was getting bombed and getting out of a bath, slipping on the tile floor and almost cracking my head. That felt real intelligent the next morning. I got the feeling I getting too old to do this stuff to myself, hurting myself, abusing myself. I know I'm better than this illusion I was living.

I have done a lot of reading the last year on getting sober so I guess I knew the time had come. I must say other than a few pangs, I don't miss my buzz. I looked at MWO since this January, reading posts, seeing that it seems ok to open up to total strangers.

I AM sober

SS

[gofig07]

Why did you start to drinK?

I grew up in a Christian Farming community where there no one in our circle drank, not even a beer at a picnic ! I was heavy into fitness since age of 16 and managed to get to 45 without much exposure to alcohol except on week ends when we went to the Lake. We eventually moved to the Lake in Wine Country and I started having wine more often. At that time I took my Profession Life to the next step, my husband faced a few health issues, we were building a home and my sister died...I started having a glass of wine every night to sleep...it took me years to get to where I am now which is a bottle every few days. I realized if I did not get a handle on the relationship of A to my stress and living in an area where Wine, Micro Brews are the economy that I could become an alcoholic. I went cold turkey to prove to myself that I did not need A to deal....which I don't. I did not drink during the week last week , did on the week end and again Monday no A. I want to get back to the way I was...having a wine when relaxing with a few friends and a meal...then walking away from it :-)

[YouKayBee]

Why did you start to drinK?

hadit;1518610 wrote: Thanks guys for responding. I to worry about the young people my own kids included. I just see a country of alcoholics, its already happening with our gov't trying to turn the tide to sensible drinking. Being an alkie, I view their efforts somewhat futile.IF kids want to drink,they are going to find booze like I did,even without money. Reducing pub hours,curtailing night club closing times etc etc is not enough. Probably eduction is still our best weapon. Thanks again

Education definitely. I've just attended an alcohol awareness course and wish I'd been given it when I was 14 or 15. The stuff about it being just another drug, harmful and the sleazy advertising plus pressure to use it is all worth knowing. It was just something you did as you got older, you started going out to pubs and clubs at weekend. It was the norm and exciting. I got into a mess with it because I loved the release it gave me. There was no trigger event or abuse to block out but I did have a lot of self-imposed mental pressure with also a history of not being recognised or taken seriously as a child - but that isn't why I drank as such. Lots of people go through similar things and don't turn alcoholic, lots of people have worse happen however drinking stopped me from learning to deal with things - something I've been learning to do firstly when I got 5 months 4 weeks sober 3 years ago, then from the moment I started TSM and my dependence and reliance on alcohol started to be removed.

[bcp2013]

Why did you start to drinK?

What is TSM,please l'm interested in what you are saying ,thanks