An Alcoholic or Normal?

[jackmorris23]

My name is Jack - from Ireland.

Ireland is, despite having the reputation of a welcoming place, easily one of the most alcohol driven places on the planet.

Everyone drinks , and drinks a lot. Drinking is inherently tied into our culture, it is quietly frowned upon if someone doesnt drink. Especially a young man.

So my question really is, is it possible to escape from drink, when it is so linked with culture, with socialising and is almost omnipresent.

I dont think I am addicted to drink as I can go for 5 day stretched without feeling much of a withdrawal. But It is the sheer amount of drink I have WHEN I drink that is worrying me. And I need to cut it out soon and get my life back.

Can anyone let me know the best thing to do first?

[Sober Visitor]

An Alcoholic or Normal?

Hi Jack,

:welcome:

There are several folks on this site from Ireland who might better be able to answer your question about the drinking culture in Ireland, and are good examples that it can be done. Hopefully, some of them will come along soon to address your questions in this thread, or you can visit them in the Army thread too. Look for it under the General Discussion section. They start a new thread each day.

I'm not sure if you have a dependency on alcohol, but one way to tell is to see if you can go 30 days without. If it comes easy to you, I would say that you are not yet dependent, but that certainly doesn't mean you're out of the danger zone because binge drinking can be equally as harmful if not more. It can also be a stepping stone to becoming an alcoholic. Most of us here started out as weekend bingers and got progressively worse as is the nature of the disease.

The tool box is a real good place to start. Here's the link for that thread:

https://www.mywayout.org/community/f1...box-27556.html

There's a lot of great information in there that may help you see where you fit and how to make a plan for yourself.

Definitely take a look around and jump in where you feel comfortable.

Best wishes.

Sheri

[Kradle123]

An Alcoholic or Normal?

jackmorris23;1353532 wrote: My name is Jack - from Ireland.

Ireland is, despite having the reputation of a welcoming place, easily one of the most alcohol driven places on the planet.

Everyone drinks , and drinks a lot. Drinking is inherently tied into our culture, it is quietly frowned upon if someone doesnt drink. Especially a young man.

So my question really is, is it possible to escape from drink, when it is so linked with culture, with socialising and is almost omnipresent.

I dont think I am addicted to drink as I can go for 5 day stretched without feeling much of a withdrawal. But It is the sheer amount of drink I have WHEN I drink that is worrying me. And I need to cut it out soon and get my life back.

Can anyone let me know the best thing to do first?

To quote your last line, Jack, you've just done the BEST THING YOU COULD DO FIRST

And that of course is find and join MWO. I am 36 days AF after a zillion years drinking and I managed this miracle with all these amazing people.
Sober is right : you have a wonderful Irish community at your disposal. I'm sure someone will be along shortly to take your order!
:welcome:

[Zeppie2]

An Alcoholic or Normal?

Hiya Jack - if you are worried about the amount you drink then do something about it - I think all of us here started like you and ignored our problem for years, slowly getting more concerned until we hit ROCK BOTTOM.

I don't recommend it.

Anyway - welcome

[Imagine]

An Alcoholic or Normal?

HI Jack. I am new here on this site and from the US. Although I'm not from Ireland, your story rang true with me just on your level of drinking. I too can go a day or 2 without drinking, then inevitably, a friend stops by or we go out, and a few drinks leads to MANY! I live in the country, by a river, and it is a very social thing for us to hang out at the river, drink beer (and wine, and liquor). Or, because we don't have much to do out here in the country, drinking is a common past-time just to unwind after a days work. After a while, I was drinking almost daily, and a lot. More out of habit and "fun" than necessity. I never woke up and needed a drink to function through the day. Often I felt tired and groggy in the morning but never vomiting and totally hungover... probably because my body was just getting used to the alcohol but not yet dependent. I started to notice though that if I did not drink, I couldn't sleep, and when I tried I would sweat in the middle of the night. When I did drink, I noticed that I would drink alone after everyone else was done. I started to crave just being alone with my drink. I knew I was well on the way to developing a big problem. So I decided to try going a month without drinking.
Last September I went the whole month without a drink at all, just to see if I could do it. I could and did, but at first the anxiety was HUGE! It wasn't fun. Social situations were a bit awkward, and I realized that I had social anxiety. it just didn't seem fun to go out if I was not having a drink. It was hard for me to be involved in conversation. But regardless, I went the whole month without a drink. I just told people that I was on a health kick. No one cared that I didn't drink, but I also did not go out very often. I then slowly started drinking again "knowing" that I did not have a problem because I just with a month no booze. I did not drink every day, I did not fight daily cravings, but slowly but surely when I did drink... again... I wanted more and more alcohol after the first drink or 2. One or 2 was never enough for me. Basically, if I started to drink in the early evening, I had to keep going until I drank myself to sleep. I didn't get crazy, violent or do anything stupid, but nevertheless, I would get physically drunk enough to sleep. I never get much of a hangover and would drink myself to sleep every other day.
I knew in my gut that I have a problem, I am not a "normal" drinker who can just occasionally have one or two and be satisfied. I thought...How can a person go to a party and just sip on 2 beers through the whole evening?!? Just HOW is that possible???

Anyway, I did some research on how much was too much drinking. And I was drinking WAY too much to be healthy, although not drinking EVERY day. I thought that if I drank on Monday, I would take Tuesday off... and since I didn't drink on Tuesday, I would drink on Wednesday... so forth and so on. NOT healthy! I was kidding myself that every other day drinking would help my body recover. By the way, I am a 38 year old female and have been drinking for 18 years. A moderate to heavy drinker, although never a constant "drunk" and never physically dependent to function. Emotionally dependent, YES. I use alcohol to relieve social anxiety, to feel relaxed and to be a "fun person to hang with" to my friends. I use it to battle my lack of true confidence and to relieve general stress and anxiety that has built up for many years. So in this way, I self medicate my mind.
I believe I am an abuser (very bad abuser at times), but not an alcoholic. I do however have alcoholics in my family tree.
So that is my background in a nutshell. Sorry for rambling, but I didn't know how much of my back info would be helpful to you.
ANYWAY.... on to this past week and what I did to help myself!

Monday I did not drink.

Tuesday, I had a stressful day and drank probably 7 beers and one glass of wine.

Wednesday I felt groggy and was mad at myself for drinking myself to sleep again. I started researching online and found this MWO site. I read and read and read, and decided to try some of the vitamin supplements to help deal with my anxiety and panic attacks and not to go to the drink to medicate. I want to either stop drinking altogether, or be able to be a normal drinker. have a drink or two, be satisfied and STOP! So...
Wednesday cont.... I did not drink. I made dinner and sat with my boyfriend and had him finish off the rest of the bottle of wine. I drank water ALL day long.

Thursday, no alcohol. Much water. I only took some vitamins that I already had in the cupboard. Magnesium, vita c and b12. I fetched my man a beer and thought about a beer for myself but didn't really want one.

Friday... same as Thursday. Water and general vitamins. I am feeling better though in general.

Saturday, my boyfriend got me L-glutamine, Maca root, evening primrose oil and valerian root to help with anxiety and sleep. I took those Saturday, drank water and cleaned all day. I had a lot of energy! It felt great to have not drank for 3 days straight! So Saturday night, at 8 o'clock after a very productive day, I was tired and wanted to sit down and relax. I wondered if I could have JUST ONE BEER, sip and enjoy it, and then go watch tv and unwind. And that is just what I did! Which is UNHEARD of for me.
I enjoyed the beer... yet did not even want another. I was very proud and excited thinking "these supplements might actually help!"

Sunday night I tested myself. I had 3 beers over a period of 4 hours. I thought that maybe a little more alcohol in my system would spark my "need for more". It didn't! I still did not want any more. Again, which is RARE for me.

In short, my personal advice would be to try some of the supplements. At least it seems to be working for me.
(I forgot to mention Milk Thistle. It helps repair your liver, which you have probably hurt a bit with social binge drinking. I take that too)
"HELLO" to everyone reading this. It is my first post on this site.
I want to thank all of you for sharing your stories. It has helped me so much and I hope to be able to return the favor.

[LibraryGirl]

An Alcoholic or Normal?

Imagine, your story sounds similar to mine. If you'd like to talk with other modders, why not check out "Long Term Moderators" on this site. The July Mod Squad is the busiest thread right now, and most of us check in daily.

Welcome:welcome:

[baclofan]

An Alcoholic or Normal?

jackmorris23;1353532 wrote: My name is Jack - from Ireland.

Ireland is, despite having the reputation of a welcoming place, easily one of the most alcohol driven places on the planet.

Everyone drinks , and drinks a lot. Drinking is inherently tied into our culture, it is quietly frowned upon if someone doesnt drink. Especially a young man.

So my question really is, is it possible to escape from drink, when it is so linked with culture, with socialising and is almost omnipresent....so far so good.

I dont think I am addicted to drink as I can go for 5 day stretched without feeling much of a withdrawal.

...simply age factor, gonna catch up eventually with everyone! But It is the sheer amount of drink I have WHEN I drink that is worrying me. And I need to cut it out soon and get my life back.

...the life part is the key, I don't care how much you drink, the moment it starts to impact your life...watch out!

[Aoife]

An Alcoholic or Normal?

Hi Sober V. I jumped on the link to the Tool Box. But how do I find it once logged in?....

[Sober Visitor]

An Alcoholic or Normal?

Hi Aoife,

The Tool Box thread is the first thread under "Monthly Abstitence." It's a "sticky" so it will always be the first thread.

It kept me busy many a night in the early days of "sober school."

Let us know if you can't find it.

Sheri

[Tabbers (a.k.a. KTAB)]

An Alcoholic or Normal?

jackmorris23;1353532 wrote: My name is Jack - from Ireland.

Ireland is, despite having the reputation of a welcoming place, easily one of the most alcohol driven places on the planet.

Everyone drinks , and drinks a lot. Drinking is inherently tied into our culture, it is quietly frowned upon if someone doesnt drink. Especially a young man.

So my question really is, is it possible to escape from drink, when it is so linked with culture, with socialising and is almost omnipresent.

I dont think I am addicted to drink as I can go for 5 day stretched without feeling much of a withdrawal. But It is the sheer amount of drink I have WHEN I drink that is worrying me. And I need to cut it out soon and get my life back.

Can anyone let me know the best thing to do first?

Welcome Jack, to answer your first question last the best thing you can do is recognise early on that there may be an issue with alcohol. I wish I had realised years before I did, well to be honest deep down I knew there was but I didnt want to accept that fact so I just kept going, sure I was only young and didnt all my peers drink hard? Well actually no, not to the stage where AL had taken a grip, its a thin line between the so called constant social drinking here and the jump to alcoholism. We as a nation drink on every occasion, it is built in to our culture There are many guys who visit the pub for a few every night but they dont see it as a problem, there are many people who drink wine at home every night, you can see it at the supermarket checkouts, yet they dont think there is a problem. There are many people who dont drink during the week but get blathered every weekend but they dont see a problem. Unfortunately AL can and does take a grip and addiction, once it hits, is a life long issue.
I dont mean to sound negative but its a fact and peer pressure seems very insignificant down the line when battling alcoholism. Now to answer your question, is it possible to escape from drink, when it is so linked with culture, with socialising? Absolutely, its not easy at first but in my experience when all is said and done other people really dont care if we drink or not. Sure your drinking buddies may rib you early days but I would suggest you try 30 days free of alcohol and you might be surprised at how you feel.
Keep reading and posting here as there is loads of support and advice from people all aover the world who know what it is like to have a problem with AL.

Take care
KTAB

[Tabbers (a.k.a. KTAB)]

An Alcoholic or Normal?

Hi Imagine, may I offer you a big welcome to MWO.



Hi Aoife, toolbox link below:

https://www.mywayout.org/community/f1...box-27556.html

[Imagine]

An Alcoholic or Normal?

LibraryGirl;1353814 wrote: Imagine, your story sounds similar to mine. If you'd like to talk with other modders, why not check out "Long Term Moderators" on this site. The July Mod Squad is the busiest thread right now, and most of us check in daily.

Welcome:welcome:

Thanks libraryGirl. I most definitely will check it out. I wouldn't have known where to go. Thank you for the advice.
:thanks:

:new:

[jackmorris23]

An Alcoholic or Normal?

Thanks

Thanks to all the people who replied to this.Tonight im goin to see the Dark knight and have offers to go drinking after, despite work tomorrow. I could go and drive and still go out sober? Or i could get a lift and drink.... Test 1of my 30 days i supppose :thanks:

[meadow]

An Alcoholic or Normal?

from ireland too

Jack I am from Ireland and completely understand the pressure you refer to. In fact it is more acceptable to be a drunk than not, and as a young person that is a tough one to deal with. Normal or not - I would say not.....I have lived in Europe where going for a beer means exactly that - no more no less. But it can be done - and hopefully this evening you took the car and didn't drink. At least that is now a more acceptable excuse than "I don't drink". There is a change in Ireland, it is slow but people are becoming more health conscious and fitter so I do think it will become more acceptable. I know a lot of people who run and they just don't drink and it is very acceptable. So go for it Jack - if you kick it now when you are young, you won't be where I am right now in my late forties, doing the binge drinking thing at home.
Good luck, hope the movie was good

[jackmorris23]

An Alcoholic or Normal?

Thanks a mil meadow. Didnt drink tonight. I am sure we could probably help each other not to drink on this forum. Regardless of the past, there is, I presume, always time to quit and rectify things. I have a MASSIVE challenge on friday. Free drink at a work promotions party, likely to be enough free drink for a night worth for everyone and the pub its on in is almost adjacent to my house. Either that or a festival in wicklow with all kinds of everything going on. Its a world full of vice and traps, especially in Dublin. Hopefully I can steer clear of the next few. The question always comes though, is it right not to drink at all? Is it right to be no fun, when everyone else is singing, running around like lunatics on drugs? Where is the line drawn between being a stick in the mud and an alcoholic? Is there a balance?