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Am I an alcoholic?

10 years ago 0 +0 / -0 11215

Sounds like you are doing great Carrie! Congrats.

Also, sounds like you have great advice to offer. I think you are going to do awesome at moderation.

Keep posting here and keep staying accountable with us. I look forward to hearing about more successes from you.

Ashley, Health Educator

Here to help :)

10 years ago 0 +0 / -0 5

Hi Ashley,

Thank you for your warm welcome. I have been taking a look around the website, and using some of your tools (which are very informative), and while I don't think I'm alcohol dependent, I do think my relationship with alcohol can be problematic at times. I often feel in a crisis of conscience, where I work with people going through addiction treatment, and feel I could be my own patient.

This week I have taken some of the challenges for moderation from the website, and I have been successful! For instance, last night I went out for drinks with friends, and only had 2 glasses of wine. Mind you, they were 12$ each and on my student budget I couldn't afford to have more, but the main thing that I felt was when we left. I felt really proud! I went home, took a hot bath, read a bit, and went to bed. I was able to limit myself! Also, only twice this week did I have any alcohol at all, last night being one of them, and Wednesday being another for a friend's birthday. Again, I only had 2 glasses of wine! and this time we were at home! I felt really proud this week, and got some questions that I was asking of myself answered. I will be trying my hardest to continue with moderation, and see how that goes.

I haven't really thought about your question before though - what would I tell a friend in a similar situation. I do have a friend that has problem drinking; we've talked about it on numerous occasions. The difference is the denial - she will flat out lie about how much she drinks or being intoxicated, even when it's very clear (slurred speech, impulsive behavior, etc.). But if a friend in my situation exactly would ask for advice, I would probably tell them to try monitoring their habits, learning about moderation, and if they really need help because they can't stop, to seek it, and that I would help them find it.

Anyways, thanks again for your site! I will be using it regularly to help keep on track with moderation. Here's hoping!

10 years ago 0 +0 / -0 11215

Hi Carrie,

Welcome to the site. Try taking the Check Your Drinking screener in the Education section. It will tell you some information about your drinking.

Whether you are an alcoholic or not it sounds like you want to cut back on drinking regardless. It also sounds like you have a good understanding of addiction. So I'm curious what advice would you give to a friend who was in a similar situation to you?

Ashley, Health Educator

Here to help :)

10 years ago 0 +0 / -0 616

Hi Carrie.....it's hard to say whether or not you're an alcoholic, honestly that's a term I prefer not to use. I consider myself an alcohol abuser. You seem to be in a place I was at at about 3 years ago when I started to ask myself the same question. It's up to you to decide whether or not you have a problem, and if you need to do something about it. You've certainly come to the right for insight and support. You said you asked your friends and family if your drinking had negative affects on them and they said no. Do you think they were being totally honest with you? Im not sure if someone asked me that question, if I could be brutally honest if I felt their drinking was a problem, unless they were causing me some serious grief. I never asked anyone if my drinking was a problem for them, not even my husband, but I could see it in his eyes when I poured myself a glass of wine. I knew it bothered him, but I still drank. I tried many many times to limit my drinking, it took me well over a year to finally reach the point where I can say I am able to moderate. I drank almost daily...4-6 times a week. A year and a half ago I finally realized I had a problem and found this site and many wonderful supporters. In September I made a serious decision to moderate and I've done quite well so far. I've limited myself to weekends and yes I've slipped a couple times, it's always a struggle, but with time it does get easier. If you're starting to question whether or not you have a problem, then you've taken the first step to recovery...whether it be abstinence or moderation, only you can make that decision. I wish you well and hope you find this site helpful. It's a great place to learn from others and you'll never feel judged or alone.

10 years ago 0 +0 / -0 72

I don't know where to start. I'd love to start with a blog posted to my profile, but even launching it doesn't give me a place to write it up. I am surprised, and grateful to come across an on line group that maybe can help me control my addiction to wine....OH I LOVE IT. Its my best friend and it floats at the bottom of the glass, then asks for a refill. I've not had a drop all day, red is my demon. I need to learn when to stop. I want to be able to go out and have one glass, maybe two and stop. but for now, I think I am going to try it one day at a time, with no wine :). Thank you all for the warm welcome. I'll probably ask a lot of stupid questions not knowing how this site works. I want more for my profile than my picture, in this case. HB does give a s**t!

10 years ago 0 +0 / -0 12

Welcome carrie999, drinking 3-6 times a week and 3-4 drinks per session may be a good reason to stop, if not control your drinking now rather than later. The fact that you came here and posed this question (am I an alcoholic) should be enough for you to start making some positive changes in your life. The worst side effect for you may be having a clearer mind and saving money!

Another book I suggest is Allen Carr's Easy Way to Control Drinking. I am still reading it and it's really got common sense information to quit drinking. He also has a book for quit smoking. Both books highly rated.

10 years ago 0 +0 / -0 72

total confusion, how do I connect the boards to the others postings? sorry newbie here.

10 years ago 0 +0 / -0 72

that's what brought me here. I have the same problem, along with others

10 years ago 0 +0 / -0 1562

When I try to cut down, it ends up not being as easy as I thought, and I feel like I've failed, which makes me feel more like it's problematic.

The idea that somehow, someday he will control and enjoy his drinking is the great obsession of every abnormal drinker. The persistence of this illusion is astonishing. Many pursue it into the gates of insanity or death.

The above is from the big book. I could totally relate to it. I went switching from hard liquor to beer and wine and took several years to realize that I couldn't handle booze like other people. The book suggest a simple technique to determine if one is an alcoholic:

We do not like to pronounce any individual as alcoholic, but you can quickly diagnose yourself, step over to the nearest barroom and try some controlled drinking. Try to drink and stop abruptly. Try it more than once. It will not take long for you to decide, if you are honest with yourself about it. It may be worth a bad case of jitters if you get a full knowledge of your condition.

10 years ago 0 +0 / -0 5

Hi guys,

First of all I want to thank you guys for your warm and welcoming responses. I was really nervous posting on here last night and I'm happy that I was received with open arms. I wish you only happiness and positive vibes!

It's interesting really.. I study the neurocircuitry of craving. What happens in our brains to trigger that overwhelming urge. From a neuroscience perspective it's more or less straightforward; people, situations, feelings, and things that remind us of using trigger craving when we encounter them, which can be so strong that we relapse. Which is why in many programs, and correct me if I'm wrong about AA (I don't remember), they advise you to stay away from triggers. I'm a long time smoker (15+years), so I know how that can feel like! Some people just bring out the chain smoker in me..

I think reading the AA book will be helpful. You know, it's almost funny, I've researched so much on the topic, in the books it's clear-cut. If you meet such and such criteria, you qualify for a substance dependence or abuse diagnosis, with substance dependence being akin to addiction, or an uncontrollable and complusive overuse of drugs or alcohol. In reality though, it's much less clear cut.. I've seen some people in treatment who display similar patterns than I do. I wonder if I'm living in that ever so comfortable denial stage, where saying out loud I have a problem with alcohol sounds ridiculous.

I can't really say I crave alcohol, but some days I do think about it alot. Or at least I think to myself, boy could I use a drink right now. The reason i question myself is that I rarely if ever stop at just one. I will usually have a few of glasses of wine to feel the effects. One of those ever so helpful "diagnostic criteria" (*sarcasm) is difficulty in limiting or controlling intake. I wonder, is this me? If I think about it alot, drink several times a week, and I rarely want to stop at just one, do I just have a less severe addiction but an addiction nonetheless? When I try to cut down, it ends up not being as easy as I thought, and I feel like I've failed, which makes me feel more like it's problematic..

This turned out a bit longer than I thought... thanks for letting me vent it out!

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