Ok here we go

[Old Soldier]

My story is not too dissimilar than others i have read here. I never drank in high school, being forced by my mother to go to church. I know at the time it was what she thought best. I started drinking after i left for the army at 18. The first beer i drank was MGD when i was stationed at Fort Huachuca in Arizona. I didn't like it at first and only had a couple, and soon stopped. My drinking story really starts about a year later when i was stationed at Fort Hood Texas. I got a new roommate that had just arrived from year stint in Korea. He was a heavy drinker and i quickly built up a tolerance and soon we were splitting a 12 pack or more a night. We drank like this for a year, when he left the army, at this point i was polishing off a 12 pack by myself a night, and still running PT (Physical Training) 5 days a week. Our first sergent moved the other really heavy drinker into my room, and it just got worse. We joked that she (the 1SG) had moved us together to see who would drink themselves to death first. About 6 months before i was to get out of the army (early 2003) my wife arrived at our unit from Korea. Suddenly i had someone to impress, and a reason to fix my reputation as the barracks drunk. We started dating, and i was sober for the first few months and for a wile was able to control my drinking like a "normal" person. Come to think of it the longest i have been sober since i was 18 was the year i spent in Iraq (2004-2005.) We (the wife and i) came back from Iraq and moved to Arizona. For the first year out here i was able to mostly control my drinking, but i was progressively drinking heavier. It wasn't till we moved into out current neighborhood that things started getting as out of control as they had been for me in the army. you see all my neighbors drink, a lot and almost every night we would be out drinking and having a good time. Now my wife is a very light drinker, she likes a margrita every now and again, and since she studied abroad in Munich this summer she likes German beer. I have always liked good beer, St. Paule Girl, Spaten, Dos Eques, Sam Adams ect. At any rate i found myself starting drinking as soon as i got home (around 4 usually) and knocking back about 4-6 beers before going out and hanging with my neighborhood buds. I would have an additional 6-12 with them. Mean wile my wife was watching and realized i had a problem and even approached me about it last year. So i did what i assume is the normal drunk thing and cut back for a few months and then was back at it. What was really scary about this is i am one of those that "blackouts" i would not remember anything much past my 8th beer. From my wife's stories i realized i was treating her in a way i would never do sober, not physically abusive, but i was being border line verbally abusive. This was when i realized i had a problem. So the wife and i had a long talk about my drinking and i decided i had to do something about it. So yesterday a day after my 29th birthday (had just 2 beers btw) I went to my shrink and told him about my drinking and he has put me on Campral. He wants me to take it for about a month and then get into AA meetings. But i figured i would get a jump on it when i found this site. I am one of those people that cannot drink. my family has a history of alcoholism so the demon lives in my blood. I know it will be a every day fight, but with the support of my wife, my doctor and you fine people i know i can beat it. oh i know i am not old, i just feel that way thus the screen name.

[startingover]

Ok here we go

Hi there OS.
Thanks for sharing your story.
Its great you have decided to tackle this at your age, and that you are not going to waste any more years on this soul sapping poison.
The support and inspiration on this site is second to none. So let us know how we can help you OK?
Do you have a plan together yet? Thats a good start.
Check out the Toolbox thread in the Monthly Abstinence section. That has lots of ideas to help keep you strong.
Very best wishes.

[tiptronic_ct]

Ok here we go

Best of luck, OS. You've come to a great place, where you will find lots of support.

I am so happy for you that you realised at a young age that you need to do something. I've wasted such a big chunk of my life, and so have many others.

I really encourage you to do your utmost to beat alcohol into submission - your life will be so much better without it.

[Sunbeam]

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OS,
Welcome, young OS. You will find lots of good support here. Great people, with many different yet similar alcohol stories. And we aren't ALL squirrelly... There is some kind of joke going on the Army thread under Just Starting Out...

[Old Soldier]

Ok here we go

Thanks for the kind words. today is a bit tougher than yesterday. but i noticed today how alive i felt. i am on day 3, and i don't know if it is a placebo effect, but i don't care i feel alive for the first time in a long time.

[tiptronic_ct]

Ok here we go

OS, that's good news.

Just make sure you have contingency plans if the beast raises its ugly head! Pop in here if you need help!

Tip

[Popeye]

Ok here we go

Old Soldier;660616 wrote: Thanks for the kind words. today is a bit tougher than yesterday. but i noticed today how alive i felt. i am on day 3, and i don't know if it is a placebo effect, but i don't care i feel alive for the first time in a long time.

It only gets better Soldier, given the chance.
I quit six months ago and I can't tell you how much better simply living is.

[brittzak]

Ok here we go

Welcome...u have found a very supportive group! We r here 24 hrs too!! The desire to quit is there and you know there is a problem...keep coming here reading and posting!!!

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

Ok here we go

Hello again Old Soldier and thanks for sharing. It is great that you have realised aged 29 that there is a problem, I only wished I had have done the same. This is a progressive illness and the longer people leave it the worse it gets both physically and mentally. Makes sense when we think about it, constantly abusing our bodies with toxic levels of alcohol. Anyway keep reading and posting, there are so many people here who have been in the same boat. But it does get easier and you are right, you can do it.