2 martinis a day

[rubywillow]

2 martinis a day

Hope you stay with us, Donald!

[Waiting for his way out]

2 martinis a day

Ruby, I live in Florida and own a cabin in Blue Ridge, GA. I know what you mean by "grow over you" it is amazing how it takes over trees and everything else in its path. We see it all along the highways driving up.

[rubywillow]

2 martinis a day

Waiting, our cabin is in Helen!!!! PM me next time you're coming up, only takes me 2 1/2 hrs. to get there. Lots of MWOer's say they're coming by. I'll PM you! Adding you to Buddy List now!

[Waiting for his way out]

2 martinis a day

We will be at the cabin for Christmas and New Year's week.

[Guitarista]

2 martinis a day

sometimes, people aren't actually addicted to al, but just drink way too much.....trick is, to know the difference.....no? G.

[Waiting for his way out]

2 martinis a day

That is what my husband used to say..until he figured out there was no difference. At least not for him. Because it started as "drinking too much" then more and more, from beer and wine to Vodka and week by week, year by year it turned into an uncontrollable problem and an addiction without a doubt. Only Topamax helps him, with a good dose of will and a good dose of love

[seila1]

2 martinis a day

Welcome, Donald! I have just joined too and am looking into supplements and Topamax. I did get the book and the CDs, I do recommend the book if you haven't read it. I do find the CDs helped and it was an alternative to my AL rituals but it can be hard to find the time or the quiet (crazy household). If you do try the Kudzu, let me know I would be anxious to hear what you think. I hope to hear from you and am there for support as one newbie to another.

[Boss.man]

2 martinis a day

Guitarista;451214 wrote: sometimes, people aren't actually addicted to al, but just drink way too much.....trick is, to know the difference.....no? G.

Oh, I hate the word "addicted" just as I hate Alcoholic. Is there a biological test for "Addicted"? Are you "addicted" to food, water and air?

The word I like is Alcohol Dependent. That is; your body has changed it's internal chemistry such that a given person is dependent on alcohol on a regular basis. IMO this happens largely because people get a daily drinking habit, and over time, the brain and body adjust to the regular habit, just as your brain and body adjust to having 3 meals a day, or 2 or 4.

IMO people aren't really that different. Pre-Dependent people simply haven't picked up the Dependency, but they could at any time. Post-Dependent people have learned to grow beyond their Dependency, and the mental and physical symptoms of it.

I don't feel quantities particularly matter. If you drink to an extreme, providing you live through it, if you don't drink for 2 months you probably won't become Dependent.

I've read that some people can be dependent on a single drink (1.5 oz liquor or 1 glass of wine) per day, but this is rare.

I think for most people it is in between. Maybe 3-4 drinks, maybe 5 or more days a week, for more than a few months, that triggers the body to adopt Alcohol as an essential nutrient for the body and mind. The relationship gets more intense as people age, since a 40 year old can't metabolize alcohol as quickly, or recover as quickly, as a 20 year old.

Just my opinions.

[Peanut]

2 martinis a day

I agree Boss!
I was dependent on a single cigarette a day for years!!! Was I addicted to nicotine during that period?? Phycially? Probably not!

[A Work in Progress]

2 martinis a day

I really don't think there is a genuine difference between "dependent" and "addicted." Nor a genuine difference between "physical" addiction/dependence and ... whatever the alternative might be? All of these phenomena that we experience: the mental/neurological changes that happen with long-term use of a pleasure-inducing substance, are played out in the mind, the body, the emotions, and in our behavior... it's all of a piece. There's no physiological "test" for "addiction" NOR for "dependence," nor for Major Depressive Disorder, nor for Paranoid Personality Disorder, nor for Bipolar Disorder, nor for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, nor for Autistic Disorder... but they are all genuine phenomena.

wip