Catch it early?

[Rich]

Hello.

I am a professional soldier from England, who has what I believe to be the beginnings of a drink problem. I suffered with another addiction a few years ago, and managed to sort myself out, get fit, and save my life by joining the Army and escaping from a bad crowd.

I have recently been posted to a very quiet Unit, where a lot of evenings are spent alone. I have always enjoyed a drink, but I have found myself drinking alone and watching TV etc. I dont feel depressed but I am getting the urges to drink, that I remember from my other problem. A couple of days ago I resolved to no longer drink alone, only socially and so far I have managed it. I am Alcohol free for two days, but i am finding it quite tough today. When i am away with work I go for weeks/months without a drink and its not a problem, its only during idle time I get the urge.

I can be watching a film and before i know it i have a can in my hand. I am throwing myself into physical training to take my mind off it, and I find this is helping also, but I guess my real question is; can you catch an alcohol problem early, if you have open eyes to what addiction is, and can read the signs?

Sorry for a long opening post, but I find reading these very helpful to me!

Regards,

Rich:new:

[Ripley]

Catch it early?

hi Rich and :welcome: , that's not a long post , God, you should see some of my ramblings...

I'm not the worlds expert but yes, I do think you can catch an alcohol problem early. it seems to be the experience of a lot of people here.

this is a wonderful site and I am sure you will find it really helpful. If you are able to sit with a pc during your free time at your Unit you will find plenty of advice, humour and common sense on these pages. I would really advise you to download or order the book too. It helped me a lot.

Glad you're here, and glad to hear that some of "our boys" are having a quiet time!

kate

[Rich]

Catch it early?

Thankyou.

Much of my time is spent at a PC at the moment, so I hope to be a regular visitor!

[aquamarine]

Catch it early?

Rich- Welcome. I do think that you can catch an alcohol addiction early. Catching it early might mean the difference between being able to moderate your drinking for the rest of your life and having to totally abstain because moderating becomes impossible. You seem to have some wonderful insight into your drinking. Your drinking actually sounds in control but the fact that you are aware of your cravings and are concerned about it is really a great thing for you. I have to say I was really blind to the whole process of alcohol addiction ( or whatever term you prefer to use) until I was had a pretty big problem. Keep coming back this is a great place to get support and understanding. Take Care Aquamarine

[Breez]

Catch it early?

Hi RICH &



Yes you can catch a problem early. Wish I had. I knew I had a problem but just ignored it. Luckily I have decided to do something early enough in that I do not have liver cancer or kidney failure or any other numerous diseases alcohol produces.

Glad you found us.

[maxman]

Catch it early?

Good on ya Rich, I am new to this also, I had only discovered the site yesterday but it has made a difference already. Like yourself I was once a soldier and that is where my drinking problems escalated. there is a huge drinking culture in the Australian Army which is a trap for people with addictive traits, which I assume would be the same for you. I wish I had have realised back then as you have now!. Work at it mate and dont let your peers bully you into thinking you need to have a drink. It can be hard to say no but hopefully they will respect your decision to get off the piss.
Maxman

[Rich]

Catch it early?

We have a massive drinking culture as well, and is difficult to say you dont fancy drinking. Im not worried so much about my social drinking, I just got a nasty shock last week when I realised I had drunk every day for 3 weeks, and I noticed I had put on weight. I have always been a drinker, but used to have days when i didnt fancy it, but those have become few and far between recently.

Cue mad rush to do PT and try and distract from cravings! I really appreciate the comments and I am reading other posts, pleased to see people who are determined to change their lives.

Its only my previous problems that have let me see how Im slipping into my old ways again. Thanks for all the messages, Id be interested to hear from those who find ways other then kudzu etc to distract themselves? I am going to order the book this afternoon.

Thanks! Rich.

[Bella]

Catch it early?

Hi Rich, I think dependancy on alcohol is a very gradual build up. Well it was for me. A little voice in my head used to say " i think you have had enough now, don't you?" And i would ignore it and say "oh don't be boring, i'm having fun" . But years on, that fun (without me even noticing) turned into a need. There is alot of social pressure to drink. Unlike smoking which is now so frowned upon, drinking with friends or even on your own is acceptable and alot of people do it. If you are worried about how much you drink then there might be a problem, but you seem very aware of your inner voice. If its saying slow down etc. the trick is to listen and act on that. Good luck to you and happy reading and posting to you. B

[maxman]

Catch it early?

good luck soldier. keep your head down.

[DidItForMe]

Catch it early?

Rich:
People don't just wake up one morning and have a 8-10 vodka drinks per day problem. They work up to it by not paying attention it. You sound like you have a good head on your shoulders and you are listening to yourself. Don't stop listening to that voice. You can stop a problem before it starts. Good job. And hey, Rich, thanks for doing what you do!

[betty boop]

Catch it early?

Hi & :welcome:

You are so lucky that you have recognised it before it gets out of hand,

Well done, use and abuse the people here, read and post .....

You will have all the help and support that you need....

[maxman]

Catch it early?

Rich you are an inspiration to al of us, keep warm and true

[maxman]

Catch it early?

you should be proud of yourself for the role that you are doing wherever you are. not many could do what you are doing, firstly you are my hero & you will win your battle

[Rags]

Catch it early?

Welcome Rich,
Well, as all the others have said before me, it's good that you've recognised the problem at an early stage. Soon you'll run across POPEYE who a few weeks ago posted things you can say to the guys when you don't want to drink with them, so though you're OK now with social drinking, it's quite OK to stick with softy drinks under a plethora of reasons ranging from got to be up early next morning, giving my body a break from booze, need to drop a few pounds, I need a clear head for tomorrow to, with the hangover I've got I don't want to add another one etc etc. All "blokey" stuff and no one will be any the wiser.
From what you wrote, it seems as if boredom in the evenings is a major trigger in reaching for a tinnie or two, or three. And whilst you're finding diversions at the moment with PT etc., have a look at what you can do when the time finally comes when you are quietlty watching TV. (Which I must add is my favourite trigger time).

Finally, yep, you've caught yourself early. You've seen the signs. This is a perfect time to work out strategies to stop.
You will be used to discipline, so you know you have the training and discipline to carry it through. And it will be fairly easy at this stage for you as you're aware of what is happening and you want to stop it in these early stages. Believe me, you do not want to be a heavy drinker for 30 years like I was. It gradually crept up on me and I didn't realise it was happening. Insidious.
Please read the posts here, and know that there are people here to give you support any time you need it.
As Maxman says, good luck soldier.
Rags

[tea]

Catch it early?

Hi Rich, My Man is an ex Gordhon Highlander....... you will know how he feels about what has happened to his regiment....... how are you and how do you feel about this???