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I'm quoting my own post from earlier in this thread. I'm happy to share that I've significantly moderated my wine consumption. The result has been surprising, mainly in terms of weight loss. Although I work out regularly, I could not come down to the desired weight of 183 lbs. As soon as I moderated the wine consumption I was able to drop to 181 lbs with no struggle.
The other positive change which I''ve noticed is that I don't choke as often as I use to. I would choke on my food very frequently when my wine consumption was up. Not so any more.
Over the past few days, I've had a few glasses with family and friends, but nowhere near what I was consuming just over a month ago.
That makes me wonder--if you catch it early enough you may not have to stop entirely? Years back, I was starting to think I was going in the wrong direction--I'd finish a beer at a bar and want another one right away. I stopped right then and now I'm an extremely moderate drinker, so try to catch it early if you can b/c it's not fun at all to have to stop entirely, even if you rarely drink anyway.
To make a long story short, I hardly used to drink, maybe 1 beer a week IF that...then in 2007-2008 I had a really bad breakup with my now ex GF and it wasn't easy for me to deal with it. I know it's silly but I started drinking. In 2008-09 I drank a lot, perhaps 3-4 beers a day and then a lot of hard alcohol as well...johnny black etc. In 2010 I stopped drinking hard alcohol completely but continued to drink 2-3 beers a day with several occasions of 6-8 beers a day. I didn't feel this was particularly excessive but wasn't so sure...
Now, I am at 2 beers a day with the occasional 6-8 beers a day. I'm trying to stop but sometimes I love getting a slight buzz and I just don't feel anything at all with 2 beers.
Today I bought 5 x 24oz cans and swore to drink 1 can a day for the rest of this week and then buy a 6 pack on the weekend and then have 1 12 oz a day next week as a basis to reduce and finally quit drinking...which I really want to do due to health concerns (I am perfectly healthy now but fear about the future if I keep this up)
BUT... I wound up drinking 3 of the 24oz cans, it felt great. but I know I screwed up!
Any strategies to quit? Do you consider me an alcoholic in your opinion?
I think that if you're questioning your alcohol intake this much then maybe it's time to get some professional advice. The not being able to stop drinking in one sitting could be seen as potentially problematic, but it's my understanding that alcohol doesn't really become a problem until it starts affecting one's ability to live daily, normal life (going to work, running errands, paying bills, etc.)
However some online websites would define me an alcoholic simply by my drinking habits; I don't drink often but when I do I tend to go overboard on it, by drinking way too much in one sitting. That is considered an unhealthy drinking habit but it's not like I couldn't live without alcohol if I had to or even decided to so I don't know.
Also, ask yourself why you feel the need to scrutinize your alcohol consumption. Is it outside pressure or your own knowledge of how your drinking habits started? Or is it affecting the way you live your life (keeping you from other hobbies, close relationships, etc.)? Answering these questions could probably really help you.
I read somewhere once that you are an alcoholic if you can drink to the point of blacking out--a rare talent I take it? I don't believe that though b/c I have been known to black out but haven't in years and I can stop after 3 beers or whatever my cut-off point is.
How do you define an alcoholic? The thing is I'm a binge drinker and can abstain myself from booze for months. But when I do drink I drink alot usually two days in a row and then my money is gone and I can't drink anymore. My shorty likes to say that I'm an alcolic but she says many offensive words when she has her period... so anyway I would like some feedback from ya'll! Thanks. and I forgot add... benzos are also involved. Mightyqueen? Mcgowdog? Lemme know what you think bout this "cumbersome" situation.
Last edited by Northwindsforever; 01-01-2012 at 11:15 AM..
If you are consuming that much alcohol, especially after a break up then YES you are an alcoholic. Alcoholism runs in my family. My Aunt is an alcoholic, She starts the day with 2 cups of coffee and by lunch time she starts having gin with 2 olives in it on the rocks. and will continue to have gin on the rocks until 8pm. She did quit at one point and was sober for a few years but she went back full force. Then last year she quit again for a few months, went back and claims she has cut down. She lives out of state so it's hard to tell with her. When she is in a druken state she likes to call very late at night and talk about nonesense, next day she does not remember. My mom was a social drinker all her life (2 drink minimum) then several trajedy's struck our family, (my dad died in 2004, her brother died 2007) and many other stress related issues. She was a wine drinker. She even told me that she had taken a week off from work for vacation and spent all day everyday drinking wine from the moment she got up until she went to bed, I Never really knew how bad her drinking was. She was high functioning though,has a full time job, keeps a nice home and never drank and drove. She had a local liquor store that did delieveries and she would order 3 bottles (biggest the store carried pinot grigio) those bottles would last maybe 3-4 days. She was greif stricken and depressed and turned to alcohol. In anyone's presence she drank quite a bit but was never fallen down drunk. there were nights we'd talk on the phone and I could tell in her voice she had been drinking but I never called her out on it. She would say things to me that hurt my feelings but I always kept my mouth shut. this went on from 2004-20010 with a breif stop in her drinking for about 6 months before she quit cold turkey. She never went to AA or a treatment center. She just stopped. The day she stopped ( I did not know she did) I was picking her up to spend the day with her as I always do every other saturday. She sat me down to say she was "SICK". I was like Huh? I quit drinking a couple days ago and I have the shakes (alcohol withdrawl) She had a rough beginning when she quit but she is 2 years sober now. I don't think quitting cold turkey works for everyone but I do wish all of you good luck and success on your decision to quit drinking (if that's something you want to do.)To the original poster of this thread if you can try and cut down and then eventually stop all together I wish you the best of luck.
It is just stupid, but at this moment I'm afraid of buying a bottle of beer because... I want to drink beer. I throw away bottle of wine and hide rest of Tequila I drink in Saturday.
I don't drink often (and never day-after-day) but when I drink, I drink until I'm completely drunk.
I am supposed to be ACoA. My father have sorrow that his father used to drink and he has no childhood, I have sorrow that my father used to drink and I have no childhood. I'm afraid that I might be the same.
For you all trying to stop drinking, I have run across a book that I think may help many of you. It's a natural program of nutrients and diet that help to curb cravings. It's The Mood Cure by Julia Ross. Many of her suggestions have helped me greatly and I'm hoping it can help someone else, esp since you probably don't want to skip over from one substance to another. It's mainly for people with depression but many drink b/c of depression and it has a whole chapter devoted to people with addictions. I think you can get it for about $9 at Amazon.
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One question.
Mightyqueen? Mcgowdog? Lemme know what you think bout this "cumbersome" situation.
