Alcohol Problem

Off Topic
1

I have an alchohol problem. I don’t have an addiction to alcohol, the problem I have is that whenever I drink alcohol I can never have just one or two.

I have been drinking now for over 10 years, but still haven’t mastered the art of moderation, I just find it impossible.

Someone told me that as I grow older I’ll learn, but I’m nearly 30 and I’m still not able to control it.
Why is it that I am not able to stop at 1 or 2 drinks?? do I have defective genes??

Socially I am quite a shy/quiet person, so the alchohol helps me to relax and open up. The more I drink the more chatty and sociable I become,and I also love the euphoric feeling of alcohol I get, but then a few hours later, after I’ve had around 6 or 7 pints, I switch to the whiskey and just don’t want to stop.

I have taken breaks from drinking for a few months thinking if I didn’t drink for a while maybe when I start again I would be able to control my intake and stop after a couple - but it just doesn’t work like that with me.

Has anyone else had the same problem as me?? were you able to control it ater a while or did you just give up drinking totally??

2

You do have a problem and it will likely get worse with time. The best thing to do is quit altogether. You would also see a pick up in T levels and results of lifting.

3

Your a drunk. No offense, but that’s life. I was too. I gave up Liqueur 2.5 yrs ago when I realized that I could not control my habits. It’s a hard call to make & admit that it is a problem especially when your buddies are bugging you. Good luck w/ it though.

4

[quote]Canadianrigpig wrote:
Your a drunk. No offense, but that’s life. I was too. I gave up Liqueur 2.5 yrs ago when I realized that I could not control my habits. It’s a hard call to make & admit that it is a problem especially when your buddies are bugging you. Good luck w/ it though.[/quote]

Hi Canadianrigpig, thanks for the reply.
I am not a drunk… like I said I am not addicted to the stuff…I can easily go weeks without drinking… my problem is that when I do drink I don’t stop till I’m drunk!

5

[quote]jay711 wrote:
I have an alchohol problem. I don’t have an addiction to alcohol, the problem I have is that whenever I drink alcohol I can never have just one or two.[/quote]

No, you’re addicted to alcohol. I’ve heard the rationale before from drunks. "Well, I don’t need a drink all the time, I just have a few too many when I do drink.

Stop completely, and get in AA if you can’t stop completely.

6

Seriously, if you can’t control every aspect of it, then it owns you. You might not see it now but you will in the future.

7

You sound exactly like an ex-alcoholic family member of mine. In my family line, we all naturally are highly tolerant and absolutely love the taste of alcohol. Not an acquired taste, mind you. Just simply like the stuff, the smell, etc, from the first time any in the family taste any kind of drink.

If you cant control when you DO drink, don’t drink, period.

Strange as it is, alcoholism does seem to be one of those things that you can be genetically predisposed to, especially if your naturally tolerant to the effects.

  • I used to do the same as you, and I cut that out pretty fast, it’s just not worth it if you only drink till your really buzzed, feeling good, and saying things outside of your normal nature.
8

You are a drunk, so am I. The only difference between us is that I don’t drink, have been sober for 15yrs. I quit after 9yrs of hard drinking at the age of 23yrs (yes,I started at 14). If you think you have a problem you do, Alcoholics Anonymous helps with some people. You should go to a meeting just to hear the stories, they will be very similar to yours.

              Good Luck Get Help,
              Phileaux
9

Good luck. You are right. In time, you will learn. What you will learn is the question.

10

I am not an alcoholic… I can control when I drink, just not how much I drink…
I can easily go months without drinking if I decide to

11

[quote]jay711 wrote:
I am not an alcoholic… I can control when I drink, just not how much I drink…
[/quote]

And that is part of the definition of a “drunk”. You can’t control how much you drink. That means you have a problem with comsumtion. Accept it and make your move.

12

[quote]jay711 wrote:
I am not an alcoholic… I can control when I drink, just not how much I drink…
I can easily go months without drinking if I decide to[/quote]

That doesn’t sound much different to an alcoholic who can manage the condition so long as they don’t drink at all, who can go with none, but not being able to stop at one or two.

13

[quote]jay711 wrote:
I am not an alcoholic… I can control when I drink, just not how much I drink…
I can easily go months without drinking if I decide to[/quote]

That’s what an alcoholic is. Once an alcoholic, you always are. It’s a condition. Just because someone goes 15 years without a drink doesn’t mean they can start back up without any of their previous problems.
Obviously, you have the opportunity to cut off the problem before it spirals out of control.

14

[quote]jay711 wrote:
I am not an alcoholic… I can control when I drink, just not how much I drink…
I can easily go months without drinking if I decide to[/quote]

No, you ARE an alcoholic. I think there are varying degrees of the condition. You can control when you drink, but clearly can’t control how much. So if you don’t COMPLETELY control it, then it has control over you, at least on some level. That’s a problem. You’re either on or off, hot or cold, black or white. If you have no dimmer switch and are either 100% or not at all, then there’s something wrong. I think a lot of the problem lies in your perception of the word, and that explains your denial.

Not all “drunks” or “alcoholics” are bums, disheveled , unsuccessful, or drinking every day. I know some who are VERY accomplished, very wealthy, very driven, but very lacking in control of this aspect of their lives. You can either stop drinking outright, or maybe only drink beer, trying to slow down the inevitable when you do drink. Acknowledge your weakness and do something about it.

I don’t sit here in judgment. I have no dimmer switch, in many facets of my life, and I acknowledge that fact. You need to as well.

15

just dont drink if you do make sure its not going to mess up your job or family and make it something strong like ever clear so you dont get a hang over and you dont gain to much weight

n3wb

16

An alcoholic could use the rationale: “I only get drunk when I’m drinking”. That’s pretty obvious!

The issue is, can you drink without getting drunk? If the answer is no, then you have an alcohol problem.

It doesn’t make you a bad person, but if you don’t recognize it & act accordingly, it will control your life.

17

Symptoms of alcoholism are:

-Making excuses to drink

-Lack of control over drinking, an alcoholic may not drink for months or years, but when they do, they have difficulty stopping.

-Excessive alcohol consumption

-Denial of drinking problems

-Tolerance to the effects of alcohol, an alcoholic person is able to consume a great amount of alcohol, before showing any signs of drinking.

-Feeling annoyed when criticized about drinking

how many fit?

18

Move to ireland and you’ll fit in nicely lol.

19

binge drinking is a problem and a form of alcoholism too. take it from myself and others here who have already been down that road. AA isn’t the only way. check out the book rational recovery. a great online resource is: http://wqd.netwarriors.org/

or just make the decision now to never have another drink again. if you have to think about trying to “moderate” your consumption, chances are you won’t be able to in the long run.

20

Hey man,

You’r problem sounds quite similar to mine. I’m the same as you in that I can go for a LONG time without drinking but when I do drink I often go overboard.

I find that often times I start out the night with the best intentions (ie. not to gert absolutlery hammered) but like yourself, when I get to a certain point I just go into total overdrive and will start downing pints probably every 10-15 minutes. Often I would end up having 20+ pints a night. I have found that I can control my drinking when I’m in a controlled atmosphere (ie. in a quiet pub just having a few quiet ones or at a house).

THe big problem for me is when I go to nightclubs or busy bars. I completely forget my intentions of not getting hammered and get totally carried away. I believe it’s the sensory deprevation aspect of nightclubs that causes this with me. With the dark lights and loud music it is really difficult for me to realise that i’m getting progressively more and more hammered. I get caught in the moment and figure that hey, if Ive had 12 pints already and i’m having fun i’ll get more hammered and have more fun. Soon, I’m gone way overboard.

On average, I drink 1(sometimes 2) times per week. Not a lot for here in ireland. There was a period of about 2 years a while ago that EVERY SINGLE night I went out I could not remember past midnight.

I know what many will say…give up alcohol. I also have no doubt that I suffer from a form of alcoholism. I put my hands up and say I have a problem. HOwever, I am reluctant to give up booze. THe reason is that I really can’t see my life without booze. Sad I know but I really cant see myself sitting in on a friday or saturday night while everyone else is out having fun. I have tried it and I always end up feeling miserable. I know, I know, I should be able to live without booze but in Ireland SO MUCH (almost all) of the social scene for people my age revolves around pubs/bars/alcohol that giving it up would involve becoming a social recluse. I’m not sure but I figure england is somewhat similar.

It’s for this reason that I try to control it. I have tried willpower. HOwever, Willpower is not enough. Usually with willpower, I will control it for a little while but willpower inevitably weakens (i can only hold out for sol long) and I fall back into the same old habits. Also, while you may have the will when sober, when your drinkin it’s a different story.

So buddy, I try to control it in a different way. I totally balieve that the only way to control it is to change my habits. Everyoner has their own way of doing this but the way I do it is this:

Usually on a night out I’ll start out by going to a buddy’s house for some beers at aroun 7 or 8 O’clock and then about 11 or 12 head out to a pub/nightclub. Everything is fine in the house and I can moderate myself reasonably and dont feel the need to chug pints. However, the problem begins when I get into the pub. SO, what I do now is, I don’t go to my buddys house anymore. I’ll go to the bar sober at around 11 or 12 and meet them in there. I find that this helps me control my drinking since I am not already drunk walking into the pub. Also, since pubs here close at around 3AM, it limits the amount of time I can drink. I find that at about 2 or 2.30 I am beginning to wane and down pints but by this time, I only have a half hour of drinking left so I dont end up nearly as hammered as I would otherwise.

ANyways bro, what I’m trying to say is that you have 2 choices:
a) Give up booze altogether (great if you can do it)
or
b) examine you drinking habits and soberly change them (in the sense that I did above) because willpower alone, will not work. You gotta force a lifestyle change. YOu muyst change your habits. I cant suggest a way. It’s somethin you gotta figure out for yourself bro.

Every once in a while I’ll fall off the wagon but it has made a big difference in my social life. The worst thing is being known as the always-drunk guy on a night out. I’m only 24 but I wasted many years of good nights out/weekends/times I should have enjoyed myself through my weakness for alcohol and that is something I thoroughly regret.

CD