Alcoholic or wino? And is there a difference?

[Guitarista]

Alcoholic or wino? And is there a difference?

Hi Mossrose, thanks for the thread.

Speak your mind anywhere, anytime Molly. It's always great to read your thoughts.

Moss, i reckon white wine is just the easiest, least yucky al drink that suits you as the vehicle to get the booze down. For me, if i ran out of my least yuck poison, i would be onto the spirits or whatever was around next, even though i don't usually drink that sort of AL. It doesn't matter to me once the floodgates are opened, and i've started drinking, if i run out of my preferred poison vehicle (wine and beer).

Take care. G bloke.

[satz123]

Alcoholic or wino? And is there a difference?

Glass Half Empty;1638266 wrote: MossRose

I don?t think you?re rationalising or trying to diminish your problem at all ? I think it?s a really interesting question. I'm in a similar position, but not only will I not drink something I?m not particularly keen on, I won?t even drink something I really like if the circumstances aren?t right. So I can be desperately craving a glass of wine, but if there?s none in the house, I won?t drink the port or the Baileys in the cupboard, even though I really enjoy that occasionally later in the evening after dinner, or the beer that for some reason I only really crave about 3 times a year after a hot afternoon of gardening. So it's clearly not JUST alcohol that drives our cravings, and I understand what you're trying to say.

I appreciate what the others have said about having to be careful with this line of thought, but I also think it?s too simplistic and quite unhelpful to say that because we all have a problem with alcohol that we all have the same problem, and therefore need to treat it the same way, because we obviously don?t. It may have a similar genesis, but each person?s problem is unique to them and can manifest itself in dozens of different ways. We all have a different genetic, physiological and psychosocial makeup, so to simply lump everyone as ?an alcoholic? and suggest there?s a ?one size fits all? solution fails to address many of the complexities that may help in our understanding, and subsequent treatment, of our individual problem.

To answer your question, I don?t think it?s just about the difference between an alcoholic and a wino (or abuse of any particular alcoholic drink), it?s part of a huge spectrum of different presentations of a problem that experts who have studied the subject for years still can?t agree on. I also think it?s really good that you?re examining how it affects you personally and bringing this sort of subject up for discussion.

EDIT: So please don't regret it.

:wd:what she said

[satz123]

Alcoholic or wino? And is there a difference?

mollyka;1638317 wrote: ok --- hesitated to post on this thread, cos most times I venture out of d'Army I end up getting the nose bitten off me for MY opinions --- and I stress - these are MY opinions --- doesn't mean they are right --

The word that screams at me out of all this is 'YET' --- there are many alcoholic drinks that I seriously disliked and bar an initial tasting never drank -- I include anything apple based in this --- cider or apple liquers --- but in time - if it was the only alcohol available to me -- would it have become my 'rubbing alcohol' --- I'm guessing yes.....
Possibly there are different 'types' of alcoholics as Glassy says --- I won't argue that point cos I don't know --- but I do know that there are soooo many different stages of alcoholism that manifests itself in different ways --- what you describe is one stage...... I too would have been at that stage --- but unquestionably I'm an alcoholic --- 100% --- and IMVVVVHO unquestionably if I kept drinking I'd have moved along from that stage ---- this is a progressive disease/illness --- and this again is MY OPINION --- inevitably we will move up the stages of alcoholic drinking if we don't arrest it ---
Please don't anyone hop on me for speaking MY mind ---
Molly

Have your back Molls :boxer:

[sunshinedaisies]

Alcoholic or wino? And is there a difference?

mollyka;1638330 wrote: Thanks Ava --- ah --- well I've been accused of being opinionated ---

YOU Molly ? Opinionated ? ROTFLMBO - Never !!!!!

Seriously - I rarely post these days but this thread caught my eye - and I so agree. My poison of choice was guinness so when deciding to quit, I thought after I was AF for a while that I could have wine - after all, red wine is good for me right? As long as I didn't go back to the Guinness ..... BUT the amount of red wine started to go up - very slowly but it went up - so I realised there and then that ALL AL had to stop - this time Hubs has stopped with me so we have hardly any liquor in the house - but if I even start to think about having some of the raspberry liquor on ice - I have to pull myself up short. I liked the post about AL, that lifechange posted, being a poison - I need to print that out and post it in BIG letters where I can see it !!!

I am in my first week of being AF (again) - oh, and NF too - and I am thinking that this time I am THERE !! Struggling with being irritable and sleep is all over the place - I do not want to have to go through this again - this time needs to be it for me.

Mossrose - thank you for starting this thread - really made sense to me.

Hugs to all, Sun

[MossRose]

Alcoholic or wino? And is there a difference?

Thanks everyone for the thoughtful replies. Molly - Glad to see you here as I always enjoy hearing your thoughts. :l Sunshine - congrats on week 1. Hope to see you around more, my friend. Always enjoy talking with you.

I understand what everyone is saying, and I think my original meaning may not have been clear. At no time was I considering switching to something other than wine, so that I could continue drinking. Never crossed my mind.

Many of you know my story, so you know that I had hit bottom by the time I got to MWO. Pretty much lost it all. I was a typical drunk, who was progressively drinking more and more. I was no different from any other addict. However, I managed to do all of this damage to my life by drinking only one thing - white wine. Yet even at my very worst, it still never would have occurred to me to drink something I find repulsive. That was not the measuring stick for me. It was the increasing amounts of wine I was drinking that was the problem. And trust me, I was always sure to have more than enough wine in the house at all times. I rarely ran out, but if I did, I still wasn't tempted to raid the liquor cabinet. I can't explain it. I may be a rarity, but no less of an alky, if that makes sense.

Glass Half Empty;1638266 wrote: MossRose

I also think it’s too simplistic and quite unhelpful to say that because we all have a problem with alcohol that we all have the same problem, and therefore need to treat it the same way, because we obviously don’t. It may have a similar genesis, but each person’s problem is unique to them and can manifest itself in dozens of different ways. We all have a different genetic, physiological and psychosocial makeup, so to simply lump everyone as ‘an alcoholic’ and suggest there’s a ‘one size fits all’ solution fails to address many of the complexities that may help in our understanding, and subsequent treatment, of our individual problem.

GHE - this is what I was getting at in my original post. We all share the same problem, but I agree with you that each of us needs to tailor a recovery plan that helps us remain abstinent. And that is still my unwavering goal. And thanks for the reminder that ritual is a huge part of triggering.

I'm surprised, yet happy that this thread started a conversation. That's what I love about MWO the most. No one gets tarred and feathered for having a different opinion or thought, which unfortunately is not true with some other recovery programs. Thanks again all.

[Pavati]

Alcoholic or wino? And is there a difference?

Hi, Everyone:

I was going to say the same thing Molly did - YET. Who knows where any of this would have led... (and BTW, we like when you venture out!)

I can say that I like beer, wine and spirits and I drank them all depending on the situation (and sometimes I literally drank them all - in one night!). That's why it was odd to me in those Rain in My Heart docos - they were all chugging wine. Wouldn't it be cheaper and easier to buy a bottle of vodka? I was thinking that might be another part of addiction where the alcoholic brain makes certain rules or distinctions to keep you fooled into continuing to drink. I laughed at my friends when I would make a gin and tonic and they would say "oh, no, I couldn't drink THAT," and then they'd down a whole bottle of wine.

I have a house full of all types of alcohol and I haven't had a drink in 105 days. I don't drink. I learned here that my power over alcohol only exists if I choose not to drink. After that, AL owns the night. (Don't worry, Byrdie - if it starts sprouting heads I'll get my husband to get rid of it...).

Thanks for this conversation, MR.

[spiritwolf333]

Alcoholic or wino? And is there a difference?

mollyka;1638317 wrote: ok --- hesitated to post on this thread, cos most times I venture out of d'Army I end up getting the nose bitten off me for MY opinions --- and I stress - these are MY opinions --- doesn't mean they are right --

The word that screams at me out of all this is 'YET'
this is a progressive disease/illness --- and this again is MY OPINION --- inevitably we will move up the stages of alcoholic drinking if we don't arrest it ---
Please don't anyone hop on me for speaking MY mind ---
Molly

Molly -Ok, maybe I was expecting (or wanting to see-lool) a little drama or such. All I ended up reading was -you- speaking YOUR truth and pointing out some great facts.
Thanks for the post.

[YouKayBee]

Alcoholic or wino? And is there a difference?

I completely agree with the 'yet' and yet's do happen eventually.

[daisy45]

Alcoholic or wino? And is there a difference?

Thanks for bringing this up MossRose - I am the same, although in trying to cut down, changed to vodka or lower alcohol wine and just end up drinking more of it and able to last longer, therefore more time to drink yet more - NO WIN!
Again thanks for reminding me - brought my thoughts in line again