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Start going to AA meetings, most of the people there are not losers, they are there because there sick and tired of being sick and tired. They are Executives, Corrections, police officers, and Soldiers alike. I applaud your honesty and the fact you care enough to ask, black outs is a huge warning sign that the body tells you that you are in fact over the top.
I know, I've been there brother, please give it a shot, you'll like having clarity and focus again. Keep us posted on your progress.
I'd call that substance abuse, but not substance dependence. Some people consider the former part of alcoholism, but I don't.
Still, now is as good a time as any to fix yourself. You've accomplished step one, which is recognizing that your behavior needs fine-tuning. So, you have no excuse not to address the issue. If you have social anxiety issues, there are professionals who can help you with that. They may even give you benzos (xanax, klonopin, valium) to ease your anxiety. Wouldn't recommend that, though, because it can quickly turn into another kind of substance abuse.
Honestly, I get the feeling when people post questions like this that they want to have something terribly wrong with them. The dramatic username doesn't help.
I can drink moderately if I really want to. If something the following morning is sufficiently important to me, then I can have a beer or two and then call it quits and set my alarm. And if I'm around a crowd where it's socially unacceptable to get drunk, I can resist the urge. But the urge is always there. It feels like an itch I have to scratch. When I start drinking, I never feel "satisfactorily drunk." I have a lot of inhibitions. Whereas most people need just a drink or two to loosen themselves up, I don't feel sufficiently uninhibited until I'm at least 10 drinks deep, usually blacked out at that point, depending on my tolerance. The only times I've really felt comfortable in my own skin and am talkative and touchy-feely are when I'm very ****ed up on alcohol and/or drugs. Unfortunately the amount of alcohol it takes to get me to that point has me blacked-out and doing stupid things like totalling cars .
Yes, you are alcoholic. Some people assume alcoholic means a homeless wino bum or one who always gets drunk. My uncles are alcoholics. Their alcoholism started with only drinking Friday after work and not stopping until they passed out Sunday night. Monday-Thursday they only had a few beers with their meal at home. It began to effect their work because they were regularly calling in sick on Monday. They were fired and used that as an excuse to drink during the week since they didn't have to go to work. When they got another job, the cycle repeated. Holidays and festivals were always an excuse to get totally wasted drunk. I hated them for it, especially when one puked on me one Christmas when I was around 5 years old. One of my uncles is so far gone that he has to guzzle a few tall cans of beer when he wakes up to stop the shakes. Doctors have told him that if he tries to quit drinking cold turkey, he'll die, but if he doesn't quit drinking (with medical supervision), he'll die. If you don't do something about it now, it'll only get worse for you.
I can drink moderately if I really want to. ........ .
100% indication that a person is an alcoholic. As soon as a person says they can quit drinking any time they want to, that person is an alcoholic. Never fail test, and you've just given us the answer to whether or not you are an alcoholic.
100% indication that a person is an alcoholic. As soon as a person says they can quit drinking any time they want to, that person is an alcoholic. Never fail test, and you've just given us the answer to whether or not you are an alcoholic.
As a heavy drinker (hate the word alcoholic and no not because I'm in denial), I agree with this.
I recommend reading Rational Recovery: The new cure for substance addiction.
And because no one else has mentioned it, you could also check out Celebrate Recovery. May or may not be right for you depending on your beliefs.
I can drink moderately if I really want to. If something the following morning is sufficiently important to me, then I can have a beer or two and then call it quits and set my alarm. And if I'm around a crowd where it's socially unacceptable to get drunk, I can resist the urge. But the urge is always there. It feels like an itch I have to scratch. When I start drinking, I never feel "satisfactorily drunk." I have a lot of inhibitions. Whereas most people need just a drink or two to loosen themselves up, I don't feel sufficiently uninhibited until I'm at least 10 drinks deep, usually blacked out at that point, depending on my tolerance. The only times I've really felt comfortable in my own skin and am talkative and touchy-feely are when I'm very ****ed up on alcohol and/or drugs. Unfortunately the amount of alcohol it takes to get me to that point has me blacked-out and doing stupid things like totalling cars .
Normal drinkers don't black out and total cars. Next time you might black out and total an entire family with a couple of little kids. Please consider going to AA and/or getting into rehab. At the very least, don't drink and drive. The penalties for a DUI are severe and if you don't care about yourself, you still have no right to maim or kill another perfectly innocent driver. Yes, you have a MAJOR problem!
I can drink moderately if I really want to. If something the following morning is sufficiently important to me, then I can have a beer or two and then call it quits and set my alarm. And if I'm around a crowd where it's socially unacceptable to get drunk, I can resist the urge. But the urge is always there. It feels like an itch I have to scratch. When I start drinking, I never feel "satisfactorily drunk." I have a lot of inhibitions. Whereas most people need just a drink or two to loosen themselves up, I don't feel sufficiently uninhibited until I'm at least 10 drinks deep, usually blacked out at that point, depending on my tolerance. The only times I've really felt comfortable in my own skin and am talkative and touchy-feely are when I'm very ****ed up on alcohol and/or drugs. Unfortunately the amount of alcohol it takes to get me to that point has me blacked-out and doing stupid things like totalling cars .
Yes you are. Probably in stage 3 (because you mentioned blackouts). Go to AA website and take a self test.
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