Am I an alcoholic?

[Karibo]

This morning I woke up in my bed without rembering how the hell i got there and my room was a complete state with books and DVDS all over the place and my bed was damp and there was my cup on it's side on the floor. That is so scary waking up and not knowing what happened, and this is not the first time it's happened either.

I don't drink during the week at all it's always when we go for a night out on the town on a saturday. My problem is I never know when to stop and one minute I will be feeling fine, then next thing i know I wake up and wonder what the Hell happened. Luckily so far my friends have always been there to look out for me. But i'm scared - I mean it's so dangerous, anything could happen to me or I could put someone else in danger.

The thing is, all my friends drink quite heavily too and they get like this at times. I tried to cut down alot and recently i have, it's just last night I was drinking the same amount as my friend and i guess i couldn't keep up because she wasn't even that drunk, but apparently i could hardly walk. The thought of giving up alcohol scares me because I don't know if I could do it.

I hate waking up with that dreaded feeling, not even knowing what i've done or said to people.

I think the best thing to do is just go cold turkey.

[TheLegend]

Originally Posted by Karibo

The thought of giving up alcohol scares me because I don't know if I could do it.

Everything was fine until I read that. If you feel that way, then that means you are addicted. Maybe you should try to cut it off for like a month or two just to see if you can and to make sure you're not addicted.. Because otherwise it might be dangerous.

[MewSkitty]

Going cold turkey is very hard to do. Though I never have and never will drink, I have had addictions to things in the past and going cold turkey will only drive you crazy. The best thing to do is decrease the amount of the stuff you're addicted to and try different things to keep your mind off of it.

[newlydumped]

Hi there-

I have to say that I see a lot of what I used to be in your post. Not knowing your limits when you begin drinking is a HUGE problem. I used to do the same thing. I didn't drink during the weekend but when I would go out on the weekend, more often than not, I would wake up the next morning with little to no recollection of the night before. It was almost never intentional. I would go out, intending to have a couple drinks, and end up totally smashed. Part of it was an always varying tolerance, much of it was my inability to recognize how drunk I actually was and then continuing to drink. My friends would try to tell me, and I would just brush them off...after all, I am in my 20s, and everyone around me was drinking, too.

Then about a year ago, I met this guy that I absolutely adored. The drinking was a problem almost from the start. But for the first seven months, I was able to get him to let it go each time it happened. But then, it got to be too much. And this guy broke up with me. And I stopped drinking cold turkey. It didn't bring him back, and probably never will. However, I feel like it has brought ME back. And I like myself so much more now that I am sober.

I am not going to tell you that it was/is easy. It is hard, especially since I still go out with my friends, and generally end up explaining at least once that I do not drink by choice. But it is so worth it. I never wake up hung over, I don't forget events of the evening before. My pocketbook is not nearly as empty. My friends like being with me. And I don't have to worry that I will do something stupid like wrap my car around a tree or get sexual with someone that I shouldn't. And I don't have to worry about ever losing another friendship (and drinking did cost me a few, even before the ex) or another relationship to drinking. Trust me, alcohol is not worth it.

Good luck with whatever choice you make, and feel free to PM me if you want to ask me anything.

[robowarrior]

Enjoy but drink with measure.

Everything that has TOO for it, is damaging.

[byates5637]

Hey, i'm in a similar situation. I get wasted usually 2 nights a week. I can always remember the general outline of what i did the night before, but sometimes i forget the finer details such as conversations i had with people.

I wouldn't call either of us alcoholics. To be an alcoholic is to get drunk every day. Alcoholics drink in the morning, afternoon, and night. What we are is better described as "problem drinkers." We drink to much and we know it, but we still have some self control over ourselves. Of course after years of being a "problem drinker", if you never learn self control, that is when you start to become an alcoholic. SO don't ever let it get to that point.

It may be better to try and cut down your alcohol intake then to try and quit all together. I have been able to cut down how much i drink with some success. I used to think it was fun to get a bottle of whiskey on a friday night, invite all my friends over, and drink half the bottle by myself. I'm done with that now (except on a very rare occasion). Now i usually limit myself to only having 6 or so beers when i go out.

Here are some suggestions to help cut down.

Stay sober during the week like you have been, don't drink during the week.

Start drinking a light beer, or anything that has a low alcohol %. This way you can drink more without getting so drunk.

When your going out to the bar, if you plan on staying there all night, then don't go to early. For example, if your friends usually stay out till 2AM, then don't even go to the bar until midnight.

During the week try to make plans for the weekend that don't involve drinking.


good luck
-brandon

[annie24]

Originally Posted by byates5637

I wouldn't call either of us alcoholics. To be an alcoholic is to get drunk every day. Alcoholics drink in the morning, afternoon, and night. What we are is better described as "problem drinkers." We drink to much and we know it, but we still have some self control over ourselves. Of course after years of being a "problem drinker", if you never learn self control, that is when you start to become an alcoholic. SO don't ever let it get to that point.

It may be better to try and cut down your alcohol intake then to try and quit all together. I have been able to cut down how much i drink with some success. I used to think it was fun to get a bottle of whiskey on a friday night, invite all my friends over, and drink half the bottle by myself. I'm done with that now (except on a very rare occasion). Now i usually limit myself to only having 6 or so beers when i go out.

Here are some suggestions to help cut down.

Stay sober during the week like you have been, don't drink during the week.

Start drinking a light beer, or anything that has a low alcohol %. This way you can drink more without getting so drunk.

When your going out to the bar, if you plan on staying there all night, then don't go to early. For example, if your friends usually stay out till 2AM, then don't even go to the bar until midnight.

During the week try to make plans for the weekend that don't involve drinking.


good luck
-brandon

I have to disagree with this post. You can be an alcoholic and only have one drink a month. I have, unfortunately, dated several alcoholics recently, both active and recovering.

One alcoholic I dated never drank in the mornings, but he'd get home every night and get smashed into oblivion.

It's pretty hard to tell the difference between alcohol abuse and alcoholism. But, if you can't remember what you've been doing and are blacking out, that is AT LEAST an alcohol abuse problem.

Another thing that alcoholics do is make "rules" about their drinking. ie, no drinking on certain days, or not at certain times of the day. If you are making rules about your drinking, then it sounds like there is a problem. It was one of the things I learned in a specialized class about the liver I took.

I think you should consider talking to a counselor about your drinking. Both of you!!!

[DN]

Any time someone needs alcohol on a regular basis there is serious cause for concern, the gap between feeling the need is irrelevant.

One definition of an alcoholic is some one who needs and/or is dependent on alcohol.

I think you would be advised to seek help - AA may be a place to start or at least your doctor.

[byates5637]

You can be an alcoholic and only have one drink a month?

Do i have a violence problem because i got into a fight in highschool?

Am i a sex addict because i like to have sex a few times a week?

Do i have a personality disorder because i get into bad moods once in a while?

Do i have a caffiene abuse problem because some morning i get a cup of coffee?

You have to draw the line somewhere. I have seen how bad alcoholism can get first hand, and i know there is a big difference between that and the way i am. Drinking is fun as long as you know when to quit. Just keep your head up, respect yourself, and know your limits. If your problem keeps getting worse even when you try to limit yourself, then go cold turkey. And if you can't do it on your own, then try AA.

So if i drank all the time and didn't make rules about when not to drink, then i wouldn't be an alcoholic? seems like it would make more sence the other way around.

By the way - i just got home from the bar. I was playing poker there. I was drinking iced tea. I didn't even think about getting a beer. When i was 21 there was no way i would ever go to the bar and not get a beer. I think alot of it has to do with growing up. I don't know how old you are karibo, but if you just recently came of age, alot of people indulge at that time, but then start to get over it when they get older. It's those nights when you get slammed and wake up not knowing what happened that will teach you. most people can only have so many of those bad experience until they realize it is just not worth it.

[TheLegend]

yes, you can drink once a month and still be an alcoholic. Being an alcoholic is not how much you drink, but, everything that becomes an habit is an addiction. Like Annie24 said, if it's becomes a habit that you drink once/twice or (insert number here) a month, then it is considered as alcohol abuse, or addiction.