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Alcoholism

letusbuyyourcar said:
Okay I tried to say previously that if it works for you or anyone you know then that's a positive thing. I also tried to say I wasn't trying to offend you or influence anyone's decisions. So having said all that AGAIN I am now officially done with this conversation and thread.
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I'm not offended, angered or particularly bothered. I am pointing out your misconception to hopefully keep someone on the fence from not investigating something that might save their life.

I wish you well and nothing but peace and happiness. I'll buy the coffee and we can sit and chat sometime should we ever be in close proximity.
 
tas6691 said:
The first thing you would need to understand about alcoholism and recovery is that the drinking was simply a symptom of the problem. Stopping drinking without addressing the problem makes living with the problem unbearable. I still attend 2 to 3 meetings a week after 34 1/2 years as it keeps me focused on the solution to the problem so taking a drink doesnt sound like a good idea. I go because I want to, because thats where I learn and remember and try and help others do the same. Could I stay without a drink and not go? Maybe. Could I stay SOBER and not go? NO And there is a difference between not drinking and being sober....to me. Just not drinking isnt sufficient for me. I require more out of life.
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Just because I got the monkey off my back doesn’t mean the circus left town.
 
Asbestos said:
Back then, Bill W and Dr Bob would turn away folks who still wore a watch. They weren’t “done” yet. 😂
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Back then they would have turned me away because I hadnt gone down far enough and they didnt think I would "get it". Thank God we have opened our minds and become more welcoming in 90 some years.
 
I can see all sides I guess. I know people who have been clean for decades, still go to meetings and still call themselves alcoholics. I guess I see where they're coming from but I don't particularly understand it.

I guess I could be considered an alcoholic too. I've tried quiting several times over the last few years. Some of you have seen my threads where I've given away all the alcohol in my house a few times, only to buy it all again a few months later. It was HARD to get past the urge some days...when grilling out or sometimes just coming home from a ****ty day and wanting to take the edge off. I was surprised that it took maybe 3 years to be able to get past that urge. Some days I'd drink 1 or 2. Other days 10-12. Lots of days none at all. So I never thought of myself as an alcoholic, but I guess I could be? I've jumped in the tub naked and thrown up all over myself a few times bc I despise throwing up in a toilet.

I quit all beer and thought I'd just go with mixed drinks and sip. Well, I went to the liquor store and bought 3 5ths, made some mixed drinks when I got home and promptly killed an entire 5th within the hour. So that was obviously a failure.

I'm finally at the point where I don't have the super strong urge to drink anymore. But I will allow myself a beer or 2 at the Mexican restaurant every now and again. It's probably been 3 weeks since I've had a beer. So I feel like I'm finally tracking ok and I feel better physically too. Good Luck to anyone else trying to quite. It can be a journey.
 
Alcoholics just have to do what works FOR THEM to stay sober.
One size does not fit all.
The ones in my family just had to finally decide they wanted to get/stay sober and quit cold turkey. No meetings, no support groups. Took some a couple of tries, but everyone was successful and died sober.
 
Drinking alcohol doesn't make someone an alcoholic. Someone is an alcoholic when alcohol has the power to control their life, and short of total abstinence, they can't help it. They have to be sober, or the disease damages important things (mentally, physically, socially, professionally). AA's seemingly zealous approach is an acknowledgement of this fact: Sobriety is the only non-destructive answer for someone who has that disease and doesn't want to spiral down any time life gets hard.
 
the only requirement for AA membership is a desire to stop drinking. That could be stop drinking 5 beers a day or a case a day. May 9th 1983 I went to my first AA meeting and got with the "program" . One doesn't "have" to lose their home, business, wife, children, friends,......but it helps focus the mind if you ae having trouble with denial. AA is a fellowship.....some folks don't like to fellowship with people. Openminded people get sober and stay that way in AA by developing friends within those circles. Loners usually don't stop until the day of their funeral.
 
Basically… if your life seems worse after you quit drinking, you might be an alcoholic.

Anyone can be white knuckle sober for a period of time. I’ve done that a lot. But real Sobriety is actually being content without alcohol. I was never able to get contentment trying it alone.
 
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