Coping with alcoholism.

reply to post by DaTroof


True.

I gotta hit the sack....work tomorrow, 3 days runnin clean... Ill be back tomorrow, sorry for any unanswered questions to some of ya.

Originally posted by the owlbear

Originally posted by llmacgregor
Hey guys, this isn't something I am particularly proud of, so hold back your insults and unconstructive criticisim please.


I believe I have become an alcoholic. It has effected my job, love life, social life, health, and mental health, among other things.

I have an alcoholism history in my family and I'm afraid I have inherited it..... unfortunately. in the past year it has gotten worse than ever, my cravings are getting stronger, and the amount I drink is increasing. I will go a week or so without drinking, but then I find a trigger and I binge for four or five days drinking no less than a 12 pack every day. then I catch myself and quit for another week or so, in that time I commonly attend AA meetings. but I always seem to find myself drinking again after being triggered by almost anything really, mostly stress I have to say. it has become an addiction I am sorry to say. I thought I was stronger than this but I guess I'm not.

So I have come here to ask any of you how you cope with this, because I know I'm not alone. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I have the desire to quit, but I didn't think it would be this difficult.

Also...and this is the big one...ALCOHOLISM IS NOT A DISEASE. NO ONE SNEEZES AND YOU CATCH ALCOHOLISM FROM THEM. IT IS NOT AN STD OR OTHERWISE RELATED THING.

YOU HAVE A CHOICE. PLAIN AND SIMPLE...DO I PICK UP THAT BOTTLE OR TWELVE OR DO I BE RESPONSIBLE AND ACT LIKE AN ADULT.

Sorry...didnt mean to sound like an ass...but that is what it comes down to. YOU. Not some HIGHER POWER or holding hands with crackhead johnny and heroin tony every week.
You.

And you know what, I believe in you...

Quoted for Truth.............................

First I want to say that I am in the adult beverage industry.
I drank and still drink 3-6 beers when nothing is happening at night, and that is on top of the wine sampling I do with my customers each day. I have gone several months of drinking every day and/or night sometimes.

I had spinal surgery that eventually caused me to become unemployed. I decided for a career change after that and went to Truck Driving School and eventually got my CDL. From day 1 of truck school I couldn't touch a drop for 3 weeks and I dare not do it because of urine, blood and hair testing at random, which they did on me frequently ( I think do to my past employment history ). The first couple of days were somewhat hard especially at dinner because I usely have wine with dinner.

I was OTR for 3 months and only home 6 days in that 3 month period and could only drink for 1 of them because I could not drink 24 hours before getting behind the wheel of the truck.

Long story short, I didn't really miss it after the 3 weeks at school and when I came home my wife was in shock when I didn't go to the fridge for a beer. I eventually had several but it was because I wanted to, not because I HAD to have one. It is mind over matter or WILLPOWER.

I was later offered a job back in the wine industry which is where I am today.

You and ONLY you have control of you.

I went to rehab for drug addiction. Though I never used alcohol much as I didn't like the feeling of being drunk, alcohol is a drug, and all drug addiction is the same disease. I go to A.A. meetings too. It's the only thing I've found to keep me clean and sober, but also reasonably happy and sane.

reply to post by llmacgregor


I was in the same boat a few years ago. Actually, what I did was go to an AA meeting, and it was the most depressing thing I've seen in my life. That was enough to straiten me up.

reply to post by Hollie


Dudeeeeeeee, thanks for the not so relevant statement...gtfo.
Apparently I cant sleep tonight.
And apparently you dont know what you are talking about, go back to you're video games.

Originally posted by DaTroof


Alcoholics are pansies. Try fighting a real addiction. Alcohol isn't even addictive.

If you can learn to use you're god damn brain rather then your keyboard, maybe you would be able to comprehend common sense troll...back off! Us here at ATS dont put up with that sheet.

Originally posted by the owlbear

Originally posted by llmacgregor
Hey guys, this isn't something I am particularly proud of, so hold back your insults and unconstructive criticisim please.


I believe I have become an alcoholic. It has effected my job, love life, social life, health, and mental health, among other things.

I have an alcoholism history in my family and I'm afraid I have inherited it..... unfortunately. in the past year it has gotten worse than ever, my cravings are getting stronger, and the amount I drink is increasing. I will go a week or so without drinking, but then I find a trigger and I binge for four or five days drinking no less than a 12 pack every day. then I catch myself and quit for another week or so, in that time I commonly attend AA meetings. but I always seem to find myself drinking again after being triggered by almost anything really, mostly stress I have to say. it has become an addiction I am sorry to say. I thought I was stronger than this but I guess I'm not.

So I have come here to ask any of you how you cope with this, because I know I'm not alone. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I have the desire to quit, but I didn't think it would be this difficult.

Also...and this is the big one...ALCOHOLISM IS NOT A DISEASE. NO ONE SNEEZES AND YOU CATCH ALCOHOLISM FROM THEM. IT IS NOT AN STD OR OTHERWISE RELATED THING.

YOU HAVE A CHOICE. PLAIN AND SIMPLE...DO I PICK UP THAT BOTTLE OR TWELVE OR DO I BE RESPONSIBLE AND ACT LIKE AN ADULT.

Sorry...didnt mean to sound like an ass...but that is what it comes down to. YOU. Not some HIGHER POWER or holding hands with crackhead johnny and heroin tony every week.
You.

And you know what, I believe in you...

I have to agree here.

Quit being a P***y and man up. Blah Blah...I'm addicted...I can't help myself.....B******t. you can do whatever you want.

Most alcoholics I know are craving sympathy and its pathetic.

If you wanna drink yourself to death than have at it and have a great time, but don't whine about your problem. Either quit or enjoy it.

Its up to you.

reply to post by llmacgregor


i think its about ' understanding how you work inside ' that may help you OP

every person has a soul which resides in the heart
- though most people dont even know they háve one -

and you, your I, is doing nothing but constantly Please your own soul
to make your soul feel good

but it seems, that it got difficult for you to hold up this artificial construction for her
and therefore it breaks down at times, and you drink

..i dont think it d help you to ' go to aa meetings ' .. or 'make walks '..or read ' selfhelp books ' :
they all but tell your I to " do " something again
[ that is - to change or improve that construct your I creates for your soul ]

but that is exactly the problem: you are having problems keeping úp the construct
and then ' tricks ' to hold it up will not help

the real problem is, your soul s hanging over a Void
a Void, which can only be filled with a metaphysical entity
a deity

another poster sneered about 'god crap '
well: he has no clue what he is actually saying there
because it is exactly God - and ONLY God - who can stand in that Void to keep your soul up.

choose wisely
all the best

reply to post by Lone12


Your post makes me want to take a drink.

I don't think you are helping this man.

Originally posted by the owlbear

Also...and this is the big one...ALCOHOLISM IS NOT A DISEASE. NO ONE SNEEZES AND YOU CATCH ALCOHOLISM FROM THEM. IT IS NOT AN STD OR OTHERWISE RELATED THING.

YOU HAVE A CHOICE. PLAIN AND SIMPLE...DO I PICK UP THAT BOTTLE OR TWELVE OR DO I BE RESPONSIBLE AND ACT LIKE AN ADULT.

Sorry...didnt mean to sound like an ass...but that is what it comes down to. YOU. Not some HIGHER POWER or holding hands with crackhead johnny and heroin tony every week.
You.

And you know what, I believe in you...

I think you may be a little--just a little--off with respect to your definition of what a disease is. If you said that alcoholism is not a communicable disease, I would certainly have to agree. It would be silly to claim otherwise. But it is, in my opinion, just ridiculous to claim that alcoholism, or addiction in general, isn't a disease.

From Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org...:

• "A disease is an abnormal condition that affects the body of an organism... There are four main types of disease: pathogenic disease, deficiency disease, hereditary disease, and physiological disease. Diseases can also be classified as communicable and non-communicable disease."

So yes, you're right about it not being related to sexually transmitted diseases, colds, influenza, or any other communicable disease. There is even an entire government agency that concerns itself largely with infectious and communicable disease, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Even so, the following diseases and conditions that you would discount as products of choice are some of those listed as topics on the CDC's diseases and conditions page www.cdc.gov...:

• Arthritis
• Asthma
• Autism
• Cancer
• Epilepsy

I picked those specifically because there can be genetic components to all of those apparently non-diseases. After all, it's not a disease if you can't "catch" it right? Similarly, there has been an overwhelming amount of evidence to support the contention that there is a genetic component to alcoholism and other addictive diseases:

• "The genetic basis of addictive disorders": www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov...

• "Genes matter in addiction": www.apa.org...

• I've used a lot of Eric Nestler's work for my academic research. His research is solid and very interesting. One example of Nestler's contribution to the field of addiction research is "The Genetic Basis of Addiction": www.apa.org/monitor/2008/06/genes-addict.aspx There is a PDF of this article available from another website (can't link to PDFs from ATS).

• "Vulnerability to Nicotine Addiction Appears to Have a Genetic Basis, Study Suggests": www.sciencedaily.com...

• "The molecular genetic basis of addiction to drugs of abuse: Dynamic transcriptional profiling of coc aine-induced gene expression in the Nucleus Accumbens": researchfund.axa.com...

These are articles on the first page of a Google search for "genetic basis for addiction". Some of the more interesting articles can be found in journals having to do with psychology and psychiatry.

My point is that addiction is probably--it may just be a disease. It's reasonable to say that addiction is a disease that likely has a genetic component. Given the right environmental conditions, a genetic predisposition to addiction is likely to lead to the development of addiction. And to claim addiction is a "choice" raises the philosophical discussion of whether humans truly have free-will. But that's not what this thread is about. The OP is clearly seeking support and not to be berated. Not cool.

I'm not trying to say your intentions are malicious in intent, but if you're going to make claims, back them up with something other than writing in all-caps. It seems like you're yelling, which might stress people out. Now that I think about it, stress is what the OP said his likely trigger is...

The links I've provided deal with addiction in general. If I need to further substantiate what I've said with articles dealing solely with alcohol addiction, I would be more than happy to furnish such evidence.

reply to post by darkmistandtrees


Fabulous post backed up with research.

Great job and I hope that helps the OP.

Originally posted by Hopechest
reply to post by Lone12

 

Your post makes me want to take a drink.

I don't think you are helping this man.

...perhaps not.
But i can only tell what i have learned...no ?

see,
the standard offered help varies from ' oh man toughen up ' to ' go to an aa '
but i think thóse things dont Really Help, in the end.

besides
every human will , eventually, find that his only posession is his own soul -
and that a soul is completely Helpless by herself

but most people dont realize that, while in this physical frame.

If OP would agree with this vieuw
he has found the most important question of hislife to resolve.

drinking is but a Symptom
an indication that theres a Void inside.
Most people are able to Mask that - by 'being busy ' filling that void with numerous Trivial things.
But
perhaps God líkes OP
and 'stopped him ' in his tracks to find that out ?

..how can you say then that ' its no help for OP what i said ' ?
bit naive statement isnt it

Originally posted by Lone12

Originally posted by Hopechest
reply to post by Lone12

 

Your post makes me want to take a drink.

I don't think you are helping this man.

...perhaps not.
But i can only tell what i have learned...no ?

see,
the standard offered help varies from ' oh man toughen up ' to ' go to an aa '
but i think thóse things dont Really Help, in the end.

besides
every human will , eventually, find that his only posession is his own soul -
and that a soul is completely Helpless by herself

but most people dont realize that, while in this physical frame.

If OP would agree with this vieuw
he has found the most important question of hislife to resolve.

drinking is but a Symptom
an indication that theres a Void inside.
Most people are able to Mask that - by 'being busy ' filling that void with numerous Trivial things.
But
perhaps God líkes OP
and 'stopped him ' in his tracks to find that out ?

..how can you say then that ' its no help for OP what i said ' ?
bit naive statement isnt it

Very good point.

Alcoholism masks something, the way I overdue work also masks something.

The point I was trying to make is that we as individuals have the power to overcome it simply by wanting it badly enough.

I hope I am communicating this clearly enough to the OP.

reply to post by the owlbear

What if I never wanted a drink ever in my life...but took a shot of heroin instead even though I didnt want one...did it lie dormant in the back of my mind or did I JUST MAKE A CHOICE TO USE A SUBSTANCE...ACHOOO!!!!!! NOW YOU HAVE ALCOHOLISM. SORRY.

It's not like that, owl. Though alcoholism may be the result, but what he really has is an addictive personality. I have an addiction - it's called gambling. Other addictive personalities express themselves through drugs, sex, work, cigarettes... Having addictive tendencies is not a choice; it's a psychological foundation that will always lead the person to choose an addiction as opposed to NOT choosing an addiction.

It is not in our psychological make-up to want to live a life without addictions. We can't be content just working a regular job and going home to the wife and kids. We can fight an addiction, but it will always be what we want even though we know it is bad for us.

If I were given a choice between living my entire life with a loving wife and good kids and a house and vacations, or dropping a million dollars on one hand of blackjack I would say, "Deal the cards." In my psychological make-up, an uneventful, smooth-sailing life is just not in there. Addictions are.

reply to post by llmacgregor


Like some others have said, it's important that you have recognized that you may have a problem. If drinking is having a detrimental effect on your life and those around you, then I think you may be right.

From what I can recall, one of the claims made by proponents of AA and NA is recognizing that you have a problem is the most difficult feat to overcome in the recovery process. Undoubtedly, this first step is critical. But I would be hesitant to say that overcoming "denial" is the most difficult part of the recovery process. I've known addicts that know they're addicted, know their lifestyle has a detrimental effect on themselves and others, and have a strong desire to overcome their addiction. For one reason or another, many of them continued using to different ends. Some continued on a path of self-destruction, engaged in prostitution to cover expenses, or ended up in rehab numerous times with no apparent beneficial effect. Whereas other just quit; it was easy for them. Others I've known continued using, but modified their behavior in order to minimize the harmful effects their addiction had on themselves and others. It really is what works for you.

Some of my ideas concerning support and advice: If AA works, keep going. It's free, and there are meetings every night and they're pretty much everywhere. If AA isn't effecting the type of change you're looking for, support from family and friends might be enough. That is unless they, too, are drinking a lot. If you have insurance or can otherwise afford it, seeing a shrink might be help. But I would personally be wary of pharmaceutical intervention that might be prescribed. Benzodiazepines and certain opioids are typically what would be indicated in conditions of alcohol addiction. The result is trading an over-the-counter addiction for a more expensive pharmaceutical addiction. If you can discontinue alcohol use and not experience DTs, pharmaceutical intervention is most likely not necessary.

If stress is your trigger there a number of things that can help: exercise is a great way to attenuate the negative effects of stress, valerian root can help as one poster mentioned, and there is a nootropic called phenylbutyric acid (phenibut) that would likely prove to be useful. Valerian and phenibut both act on GABA receptors in the brain similarly to alcohol. That being so, they would both help with the down-regulation of GABA caused by chronic alcohol consumption. This may or may not make sense, but I'm pretty sure a Wikipedia search of any of those terms would clear up any confusion.

Moderation was mentioned by someone else. That's the approach I take, but It has a tendency to backfire and blow up in my face every so-often.

Knowing is important, but action based on knowing is what makes things change. Best of luck.

reply to post by llmacgregor


head up bro, your an alcholic alright but not a chronic one and not enough to have pickled your liver. Your aware and trying to improve your state, its like smokes cold turkey in you get stronger each time you try. Everything becomes a stress trigger when an addict and its mainly subconscious in that your brain cause stress on something today it wouldn't have yesterday if your hanging out. Godd job mate, keep going with it and eventually you'll get there.

And seriously unless you really think you need it stay away from any substitutes or support as obviously they won't be around for ever and when you drop that will hit it again.....

An alcoholic can never be a social drinker again for along time. moderation does not work. an alcoholic will find another "stress mechanism" after 3 beers and if none left will be drink driving for more. Its a personal problem on many levels and if strong just strop, have a rattly month and an anxious 6 month and your good. Stay away for atleast 2 years so you can hardly remember being drunk. If you decide to start again have a max limit and if broken 1 time, straight off. i hope i've helped you champ.

Hey there.. I was in the same position and perhaps worse off. I had 2 DUIs when I was 24-25. Court ordered to AA and was warned to quit drinking by my Dr. He told me if you keep drinking your liver will fail by the time your 40. None of that helped. I used to leave AA meetings more pissed off than when I arrived. I woke up one morning after a binge... And basically said enough. You do not want to die this way. And I quit drinking 22 years ago and have not touched it since that day. The first year is hard. You might lose all your friends. It is tough to go out anywhere without seeing people drinking. It gets easier with time. You at least know you have a problem and if it runs in your family you might know why. You have to really want to quit. For a long time I didn't. It was seeing myself in the mirror that day and having the shakes that finally finally made me realize it was killing me. I cannot judge anyone else. I do not mind other people drinking although I have very few friends who drink at all. I am just telling you what worked for me. Good luck. Quitting drinking was the best thing I ever did. It is such a relief never worrying about being pulled over or waking up feeling crappy every day. The person above is right. It is all or nothing. You cannot drink socially. Your alcoholism progresses even when you do not drink. Do not fool yourself there is no such thing as just one or just two for alcoholics.

reply to post by GArnold


ggod on you mate, another true champion. Its really hard and ignore negative people and negative feeling. You need happy positive people around to help heal your mind, we all know how contagious smiles are and try to keep busy so time flies. On a last note, not that i'm asking. With all the talk on booze people never ask other or themselves why they drink? There is generally a reason even if as simple as boredom but often more complex. A friend used to have 2 everyday with me after work, when he lost his job he'd get there earlier and meet me. I think i said 20 times over the next 3 months "your becoming an alco", he'd brush it off. But that 2 a day routine was to hard to break and it wasn't the booze to start. With the extra time he slowly killed himself.