I've thought about going to AA but I feel like if I did it would be admitting I am one and I kind of don't want to put that label on myself. I am probably setting myself up for failure but I feel like if I don't have that first drink and work out I'll be good. That first drink will be my downfall. I've been trying to give away my booze. I can't part with my bourbon. i have 3 beers in my fridge that have been in there for a month (since the UCLA game) I have a 24 pack in my garage just in case. I lie to myself and think if I can not drink for awhile once I start I'll be able to control it.
Obvs I don't know you or your situation, and wouldn't even think about labeling you. However, admitting you have a problem is the first step toward recovery, and is often the most difficult step for people to take
Either way I wish you the best of luck. Also - not sure if I've mentioned this in the past, but in addition to the years spent with my ex, I also grew up with an alcoholic mother. I'm absolutely not a counselor, but I have 20+ years of experience and have worked through analytical approaches in addition to the 12 step program. So feel free to PM me if you have any questions (even if it's just seeking a hypothetical perspective from a loved one or friend) or just want some advice
AA try NA - QUIT just a waste of time . ya know how I quit ciggs - pot and the nic patch . know how I quit alcohol just fucking quit. BOOM DONE . what gets me is how everyone cuts pot down but oh legal drug addiction seems to be the hardest thing .
I grew up with a variety of lung issues but at some point when i was 19 i decided to start smoking anyway. Naturally, i started with just a few each day but that became more and more. Later on that year i started smoking weed, which i obviously enjoyed quite a bit more. Time went on and the condition of my lungs continued to go downhill. Over the next few years i was at two packs per day along with a tremendous amount of weed. I was always smoking something. My lungs were always on fire, I felt like i was dying. Eventually, I developed a serious lung infection and realized i couldnt keep it up. Luckily, while i was sick i was barely able to smoke without making myself feel substantially worse. It was the perfect opportunity to stop. But i had to decide: do i quit both or just one, and which one? Due to a few medical issues i chose to keep smoking weed. So there i was for a solid 3 weeks, sick as fuck and strung out on benzos and cold medicine while detoxing from nicotine. But it worked. Sure, that might be an absurd way to handle it but ive never been one with any self control and i had to do something. I havent had one cig since then. I'll have a cigar occasionally but since i'm not inhaling i dont really give a shit. My lungs improved for a while because i was always broke and there was a limit to how much weed i could buy, but now there's not. Sure, it would be nice to give that up too but i would have to treat my conditions with actual medication thats infinitely more dangerous than a bit of weed so no thanks to that.
Get help. If you have "just in case" beer then you have a problem. Go to an AA meeting or do a once a week counseling session for awhile. But get some help. You won't make it without some sort of support if your mindset is already using booze as the security blanket when its ready. Your head is going to make it a priority to fail at some point.
I like to get up, have some coffee and a protein bar, and then stretch out. I don't like to just get up and rush around because I won't be fully awake yet and I don't want to injure myself by doing something because I'm not paying attention.
once I was court ordered to go to rehab. it was discusting-, everyone was substituting alcohol with ciggs getting more addicted than they were . they had a then 3 per pack habit smoking 3 packs a day try to get off alcohol.what a joke. nicoteen is by far the worst drug on gods green earth , and AA and NA promote it . go to a meeting to kill yourself. we have sobriety - the hell you do .
I know I might come off defensive but I am not trying to be. What I meant as "just in case" has more to do with me being cheap and not wanting to waste the money I spent on the booze. I know I probably have a problem and I should get rid of the booze.
I had a realization that I probably fit that definition as well about 1 1/2 years, 2 years ago. Made a concerted effort to cut down, and made real progress last year. Going to try and continue this year. Right when I finished school, around 25---which was also the first time I really had my own money---I was pretty out of control. Blacking out almost every weekend, etc. It did not affect my worklife whatsoever, I was basically a high-functioning alcoholic and doing really well at work. I used to be under the impression and justify that if it doesn't impact your worklife, fuck it, you're fine. Then just started doing some studying on my own and realized how wrong I was. Lived this way for a year or 2 before I got a hold of myself. What's really helped me is yoga and meditation, to be honest. I don't really have an addictive personality, and consider myself to have fairly good self-control. Quit dipping on my own my junior year of college after doing it for 3-4 years, have done blow a handful of times but have never been infatuated with it, and despite being a self-admitted pothead, don't really smoke until I'm dumb. I'm kind of a lightweight in that regard, honestly, and I don't enjoy being so stoned I can't think. I just like to mellow out (often), I often take 2-3 hits of the vaporizer around 8:30-9 after working out and dinner, and that mellows me out for the entire night. Re: yoga and meditation, I understood that I really hated "not being in control" of my mind and functions. It was really an internal, enlightening, self-realization thing. It wasn't overnight, nothing is---but I gradually moved towards this and away from drinking to excess. This is another subject entirely, but mushrooms also REALLY helped this---but those aren't for everyone. I started slowly, cutting out liquor (pretty much never touch the stuff now---get called a pussy by all my friends because I regularly refuse shots when the group does them), then going home when I start to feel real 'drunk,' and now I don't really do the late-night bar thing anymore at all (this is a recent development, however). I don't always follow it, but I also have a self-imposed "home time" where I like to be get home between 11-12 on Friday and Saturday nights. Like I said, for me a lot of it is mental and being in control and knowing your limits and how quickly I can get out of control, if I let myself. I still smoke weed, but rarely drink to excess. I think Lyrtch posted the stat >14 drinks a week, and I'm right around there now. However, while I know the scientific community needs some sort of baseline, I don't think one flat number is appropriate for the entire population. But that's a different question entirely. I have no doubt that it's still in my best interest to continue to cut-down. However, I doubt I'll ever swear it off entirely. Question about this---even when I was pretty wild, I still really only fit into one category. I've never experienced "A" or "E," but have "C." What about G? I mean, I'm sure there are times in everyone's life when they wake up feeling guilty about how much they drank. However, in the past 3-4 years, I can think of only a handful of times I've actually felt guilty about my drinking. Of course, one time is too many, but how much before you technically fit into this? I haven't really felt 'guilty' about my drinking in over a year. And of course, I'm not naive and realize there will probably be bachelor parties, etc. where I'll drink to excess again. I guess what I'm asking is how to psychologists/providers address someone like myself, who actually considers myself healthy and in control, but admittedly has weekend benders 2-3x/year? it's also a hard dynamic to balance, at least for me. I still LOVE alcohol. A huge, hoppy IPA is one of my favorite things in the entire world. I don't drink regularly anymore, but I also have long weekends about 2-3 times/year, where I'll just go balls to the wall. Even after those weekends, I still only probably fit into "C." Further, I like being social and enjoy being around my friends, and genuinely enjoy the atmosphere of fun bars. After typing this all out and reading it, I have no doubt I need to chill on the 'party' weekends, too. But still interested to hear how that scenario is addressed.
Sounds more like you are growing up and maturing than anything. If you are just "cutting down" because hangovers suck and you don't care to party like that anymore but once in awhile, I really don't think it's much of a deal. If you are cutting back because you have seen and caused problems or feel ur drinking is starting to get out of control, then you probably have a problem.
And that sounds more like an excuse. And I don't mean to come at you like that. But if you are trying to quit but "don't want to waste money" is a complete cop out and making up another excuse to enable yourself to keep booze on hand for when you fail. Because with a mindset like that, you are setting yourself up to fail and go right back to the drink.
Thankfully I've never had a problem with hangovers. Guess I'm lucky in that regard. Never caused problems, but about 2 years ago I definitely made changes because I felt like my drinking was getting out of control. Now, it's simply because I don't want to get that way anymore.
The problem is I don't want to drink right now. I don't think I ever want to drink again. But I don't want to label myself an alcoholic. I have no idea if I am doing this thread a disservice. I am going to give away some of the booze. Because you're right I shouldn't have it here.
Addiction is so hard on everyone because it's such a selfish disease. If you're really truly considering whether you have a problem, really try and think about how your drinking affects those around you. It may not seem like much until you really sit down and think about it
Then I don't think you have a problem. You had alcoholic tendencies built in. Everyone does. If the person sees the thresh hold and back out, they usually don't develop any significant problem going forward as long as they don't go back to that behavior. Was arrested at 16 for underage consumption. Again at 18 for public intox and underage consumption (xanax) Dui1st (moonshine in the car) Dui2nd (cocaine) Dui1st again (cocaine) Wreckless driving reduced from Dui4th. (Cocaine) - life changer. Spent four years learning how to live sober. I dealt with my issues and worked through them. I still have a few drink now but its only maybe a couple beers when I do. I don't do drugs. I don't drink liquor unless it's a special occasion. And I never go out or drive anymore. If I drink, its usually at the house and its usually maybe 2 times a week and a total of MAYBE three beers or a glass of wine or two. I don't get the urge to drink beyond that. I'm usually just ready for bed at that point. And I drink a beer more for the taste than to get a buzz.
I wouldn't so much worry about the label in your instance. You've already admitted the first step as you realized it had been an issue. You don't have to call it anything other than that, but finding people with the same goals as you could be beneficial
Stop putting a label on it. It's fucking stupid and one of my main issues with AA. You just have some metal issues like everyone else. Your problem is you use alcohol as your way to deal with that rather than dealing with them properly. Like say, your emotions and feels. Sounds gay. But its the truth. Gotta face up to what you have been drinking for and deal with that issue or you will go back my man.
every fucking AA and NA member stands out side the meeting talking to anyone they can with a cigg in the hand ------ duh ?????? been there done that !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! know what that's called substitute-ing addictions. and the bad thing ?????? you can do it all u want , it's legal to kill yourself . LOL now what ? edit add on : self medication is easy to do - yes ?
I could buy a sack for the money it costs now to buy a pack of ciggs twice a day for a month ? duh ? let alone a treat to myself . wtf ? what's so hard to understand ?. 10$ a day times 30= what ?
I don't drink to deal with stuff. I have a pretty stress free life. I drink because I like to get drunk. I know that doesn't make it better or doesn't mean I don't have a problem. Maybe that's why I have a harder time admitting my problem or attempt to downplay it. I usually drink when I am grilling and/or watching sports. The issue is I can't just a few and have been getting really terrible "hangovers" that sometimes last a couple of days. I probably do have a drinking problem but it isn't one that is drinking to escape or not deal with issues.
Don't worry about labels as much as focusing on how it makes you feel and whether you want to change things up
I personally think it's probably more to do with not knowing howbtoblive without it. And that makes it much more uncomfortable. But think about this, what will happen if you don't? Nothing. And that's a good thing.
Now now this I think is 100% correct. I am having to adjust my activities to doing them without drinking. I have to "learn" to do the things I like with drinking while I do them. It seems simple but it isn't.
I am trying to change. I just don't want to get turned off so to speak because of a misunderstanding. I don't know why it matters to me if someone says you're drinking because of X reasons when I know that's not why. My reasons are not any healthier but I want to be honest. I don't know if it will helpful if I am not. Maybe I am lying to myself about why I drink but I don't think I am.
THAT is you problem my friend. Learning to live without it. So its in the same realm. Boy, it was hard tobrelearn everything. Stress reliever. Gone. Fun football night. Different. Hell, my actual likes and dislikes changed drastically when I quit drinking. You mature very quickly to what YOU really are when you stop because you only know what you think you like as a drinking version of yourself. It's crazy to watch your progress. That was one or the best ways to get through it. Get serious. Don't drink for a day. Take an "inventory" of yourself and your well-being ofbhard times, what you find out you enjoy and things you have dealt with and overcome without alcohol. Do this about once a week for about a year. Looking back upon your progress as you grow from drinking was the best thing for me to show how much I grew as an individual. And how much infinitely better my life has gotten.
First of all, I've forgotten more shit in those rooms than you have ever fucking learned. I've been to 14 treatment centers across this country and have been arrested 17 times for shit I've done while blacked out or fucked up on the sauce. So you don't know shit.
Dickbutt And I will fucking quote some AA shit right now for you asshats. Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities. Boom.