Quote:
Originally Posted by movin'on
No offense, but I'd be taking a look at an alcohol problem here. If you keep going back to something that threatens your life, it strikes me as more than social drinking. Once someone has pancreatitus they are supposed to lay off the booze - forever. If you continue to drink, I definitely think you have a problem with alcohol.
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I totally agree with that statement. If alcohol (or anything else, for that matter) interferes with your life and you come up with a dozen reasons why you
have to keep doing it, you have a problem with substance abuse. If you almost killed yourself on a motorcycle three times, wouldn't you see the benefit of selling it? What you are doing may
seem normal, as you are surrounded by people who drink to excess regularly, but that's not normal for a large segment of the population.
I used to think I didn't drink much, as most of the men I dated drank WAY more. Then I got seriously involved with a man whose life became so unmanageable because of alcohol that he was court-ordered into rehab. I stopped drinking to support him, even going to AA meetings with him. The big shock to me: it
was really hard to stop drinking. I (the supposed
non-drinker) had to seriously use the 12 Steps of AA to keep my promise to set an example for Problem Boy.
To make a long story short: boyfriend needed several more trips to rehab and a break-up with me before he finally got sober a lot of trouble later. I worked the AA program and found out it was a great boon to my life. I did well in my work and kept healthy. I made friends with people who actually
could conduct an intelligent conversation all evening. I found out that many people who are in AA were not necessarily falling down drunk 7 days a week. They were just people who needed some alcohol to make it through their life until even that wasn't working for them any more. As one of my AA friends is fond of saying, "You don't have to fall all the way down the ladder to stop climbing up again."
Mind you, I still go to bars and continued to socialize with drinkers. In fact, I still serve alcohol in my home. I worked in music-related public relations, getting paid to organize raucous events with free booze. So alcohol remained in my life, it's just not a thing
I do now. Interestingly, most people don't even know that I don't drink at all. I never discuss it with people, except the ones I know from AA. I walk around parties with a cocktail glass full of fizzy water and no one pays any attention. If the rare person asks, "Why aren't you having anything to drink?" I answer, "I'm taking a medication it doesn't mix well with. I'll join you again soon." Nobody seems to remember I was the designated driver on their last bender, too.
My not-drinking-just-for-today has lasted more than 20 years now. I'm very appreciative to AA for what they taught me and I believe they saved me from a lifetime of trouble. Try a meeting. There's no charge and no pressure. You won't be kidnapped by aliens. You will just listen to experience, strength, and hope from people who have had similar experiences to your own.
Best wishes and good health to you.
