Coping with alcoholism.

reply to post by the owlbear

Quit espousing the Holier than thou crap.

Not being holier than thou...just stating what I've learned. Sorry if you are adamant that alcoholism is not a disease.

Didn't mean to offend you, but I'm not sure that you are "up" on addiction.

Coming from a full blown Alcoholic I will tell you there is no "easy answer" or "fix...

Been through a dozen treatment programs, inpatient out patient... jail.....all comes down to one thing and one thing only....and it sounds simple because it is....

Don't drink.
that is the only answer....I havent mastered it but I've kept my career for 25 years, lost several jobs because of it.

but there is only one fix to alcoholism...dont drink

Every now and then I can have a few beers after work and drink water or Mt.Dew but more likely than not I will spend my last dollar on beer if I start.

This brings up a question I've often asked myself. maybe fodder for a new thread.

Often after a night of drinking I feel like #, feel I've let people down and embarrassed myself and swear I will never do it again.

So I wonder if serial killers feel the same remorse...feel bad about it...swear they wont do it again

reply to post by tinner07

Often after a night of drinking I feel like #, feel I've let people down and embarrassed myself and swear I will never do it again. So I wonder if serial killers feel the same remorse...feel bad about it...swear they wont do it again

Thing is you're not a serial killer murdering others, you're slowly killing yourself.

I've been there w/ alcohol. I AM there.

Not sure killing others is the same as a constant compulsion to drink...

reply to post by llmacgregor
It sounds like you need to get serious and do 60 in 60...60 straight days of AA meetings it will help you stay sober for 60 days and then you can start on your road to recovery...No excuses just do it...also make sure to find a sponsor it will help...I know you can do this...stay strong and keep focused...good luck and keep coming back...sincerely a friend of AA...

reply to post by the owlbear

Actually medical professionals agree it is (and all addictions) are a mental disease. Just because it isn't cancer or an STD doesn't mean it isn't a disease. It can lay dormant in you until you reach that point, and THAT point is different for everyone, but after that it takes over your life and your thoughts till you either die, go to jail, or get on a path to recovery. Even if a recovering alcoholic hasn't drank in 20 years, he is STILL an alcoholic.

Hi oll
And do you know what
your correct,
i grew up in glasgow in an alcoholic environment
and that lay dormant till i was 22 and i had always promised myself i would never drink.
Things change so bloody fast and before you know it BANG "i have a problem here".
and its harder to admit in the open

reply to post by davesmart


Thing is ...I said what you quoted . Not Owl Bear.

Thank you all for the kind replies.

I've tried valerian root when I was younger to help me sleep, ill have to give that a try.

I know I'm the only one who has the power over my life and my addiction, I've never been much of a prayer or religious, so handing the reighns to a higher power, whatever or whoever that may be, is not something I've had much practice with. I feel like it's my responsibility to deal with this on my own.

I dont know what stage of alcoholism im in, but it is far enough along for me and others to recognize a problem. It is messed up....i hate these cravings, shakes, anxiety, and sleepless nights when I dont drink. Attenting AA and listening to other people speak, and applying their logic to my situation seems to help for while, I just cant attend meetings everyday.... the cravings are everyday, and once I subdue to it and get drunk, said logic goes out the window.

Im on my 3rd day today without drinking, and damn it.....its on my mind hard. Lately ive found getting active and going for hikes ect helps alot, but it has just been a crappy start to summer up here in the pacific nw, cold wet and windy. Gotta find something else I guess.

reply to post by llmacgregor

It is messed up....i hate these cravings, shakes, anxiety, and sleepless nights when I dont drink.

That is alcoholism friend.

And like you, I'm not big on the "religious" stuff that is involved in some AA meeting. I'm agnostic.

i used to (as soon as I woke up) look for where I put the bottle last night. Not there anymore, but just a slip or two from it.

Thing is alcoholism is a progressive disease. Next time you might go on a bender it'll take more..you'll go further. On and On.

All I can say is keep resisting the urge, check out "Librax" from your doctor-- in UK it may have a different name...but it helps with the physical symptoms of withdrawal. The mental part of addiction is the hardest.

Good luck, man.

Originally posted by Chamberf=6
reply to post by davesmart

 

Thing is ...I said what you quoted . Not Owl Bear.

Waaaaa
Not me?
You want glorification for this?
Take it and tell everyone you meet they have a disease.
You have a disease, your partner has a disease, your children, nieces, nephews all have a DISEASE
DID YOU TELL THEM YET? HELL EVEN YOUR UNCLES AND AUNTIES HAVE YOUR DISEASES...

CALL ME WHEN YOU WAKE UP. NO DONT CUZ YOU MIGHT BE DISEASED.










MENTAL ILLNESS IS NOT A DISEASE. YOU DO NOT CATCH IT BUT LIME THIS POSTER...YOU SURE GET JUDGED ON IT.

Originally posted by Chamberf=6
reply to post by the owlbear

 

Quit espousing the Holier than thou crap.

Not being holier than thou...just stating what I've learned. Sorry if you are adamant that alcoholism is not a disease.

Didn't mean to offend you, but I'm not sure that you are "up" on addiction.

edit on 5/28/2013 by Chamberf=6 because: (no reason given)

Your not offending anyone, certainly not me.
For the record alcoholism and drugs are addictions,
as darnell says in christine "you cant polish a turd"

reply to post by llmacgregor

I know I'm the only one who has the power over my life and my addiction,

Though you may believe that, it's not true. Currently your addiction has control over you, and your life. Consider it a "higher power".

handing the reighns to a higher power

That's only a way of excepting that not everything is in your control. Do you really believe that everything that affects you is in your control?

I feel like it's my responsibility to deal with this on my own.

From what you said in your OP, that doesn't seem to be working too well.

Like I said earlier, read "The Big Book". That will help you come to grips with your problem, the "higher power" thing, and a lot more.

I've never been the least bit religious, and I'm still not, so I always considered prayers to be chants that reinforce positive thinking. That works well for me.

See ya buddy,
Milt

Originally posted by the owlbear

Originally posted by Chamberf=6
reply to post by davesmart

 

Thing is ...I said what you quoted . Not Owl Bear.

Waaaaa
Not me?
You want glorification for this?
Take it and tell everyone you meet they have a disease.
You have a disease, your partner has a disease, your children, nieces, nephews all have a DISEASE
DID YOU TELL THEM YET? HELL EVEN YOUR UNCLES AND AUNTIES HAVE YOUR DISEASES...

CALL ME WHEN YOU WAKE UP. NO DONT CUZ YOU MIGHT BE DISEASED.

MENTAL ILLNESS IS NOT A DISEASE. YOU DO NOT CATCH IT BUT LIME THIS POSTER...YOU SURE GET JUDGED ON IT.

What planet are you from ???

Most mental illnesses are diseased treated to come to a "remission" not a "cure".

What's your deal with STD"s?? Do you have one??

Not all diseases get transmitted by bodily fluids you do realize??

why TF would I tell everyone I know they have a disease?

You are truly getting a bit belligerent and defensive about things you don't seem to even understand.

No offense, just MHO

reply to post by llmacgregor

You can call your "higher power" whatever you want...

I call mine the universe and sometimes Shiva (creator and Destroyer).

Whatever works for you you can help you "work it".

The more you worry about it the worse it becomes. I'm a functional alcoholic, I own a business and have people that depend on me everyday. I find that a 6pk and a couple shots after work, I'm out by 10pm, up at 5am. Rather then quit learn to moderate, I satisfy my cravings a little everyday. One of my best friends is a total binge drinker, fights it for a week or so, then gets wasted for days on end, drinks from the time he wakes up till he passes out. I can't stand it!! Morning/all day drunks piss me off, he calls me a hypocrite because I drink everyday. Thing is I've trained my body to accept alcohol this way, I don't even think about it all day at work, I go home take care of whatever (paying bills, mowing, ect ect) then it's beerthirty. Maybe taking advice from me isn't a good thing, I might be the exception to the rule. On the other hand, I can't stand the whole AA crowd, tried it years ago, can't stand the whole self pity boohoo "I'm a pathetic drunk" mentality. The main thing is, take care of your responsibilities BEFORE you start drinking, keep your eye on what those responsibilities are the next day.

Edit to add: DO NOT TAKE MEDS!! Big pharma has ZERO interest in your well being, they are only concerned with getting you to switch one addiction for another.

Sounds like an addiction. Do you really want to rid yourself of alcoholism or is it something you're content with? If you are seriously wanting to leave it behind, you should be willing to make the necessary sacrifices to do so.

First, stop buying alcohol.

As with quitting all addictions, it's a matter of will power. If you can stay off for about a month, you should notice a decline in your desire to drink.

Again, though, you'll only successfully quit if you are very much wanting to do so.

reply to post by llmacgregor


I understand you think you have a problem but ask yourself, is it because society says so? Society is ALWAYS dictating what we should be. Also, are you a destructive person when sober or ONLY when drunk? or do you blame your behavioral problems on being a drinker? Because I do that a lot and also get away with a lot of things by being a drinker. It's my MO.

I mean to say, people have their vices. For some it's cigarettes, caffeine, heroin, crack, or even exercise and binge eating. Everything is a fricking addiction these days. So really think hard on it. Do you have a problem with alcohol? Or does alcohol have a problem with you? It just kind of depends on how you use it. I mean, you can destroy yourself being completely sober but being drunk might make ya feel better while doing it.

Do not forget, alcohol and other "feel gooders" have been a part of our species lifestyles for a very long time. So really think about what you are blaming your destructive behavior on, or what you think is destructive behavior because society dictates that as well. Alcohol? Or yourself? Or even inheriting it? Did I make sense?

reply to post by JeffreyCH


I was like that mannn....a sixxer would to me good for a night.....it somehow progressed. and I would like to make this clear because this isn't a conspiracy..... call it what you want, a disease, a mental illness, substance addiction or just the love of beer, whatever you want to name it, or your opinions on it might be , it is still alcoholism. There has to be some common ground (regardless) on not only a solution, but maybe a little advice shared...from what ive seen there is....and thats why I asked, man, sometimes words of encouragement and experience alike are a big time help, no matter how you dealt with an issue similar to this, or how you precieve it. Ideas are welcomed just as well.

The earth is my higher power.....cause everything that surrounds me comes from it....including myself...and alcohol...gahhhh.

I said I would never drink or smoke, to my parents, cause they did it. I failed

Originally posted by JeffreyCH
The more you worry about it the worse it becomes. I'm a functional alcoholic, I own a business and have people that depend on me everyday. I find that a 6pk and a couple shots after work, I'm out by 10pm, up at 5am. Rather then quit learn to moderate, I satisfy my cravings a little everyday. One of my best friends is a total binge drinker, fights it for a week or so, then gets wasted for days on end, drinks from the time he wakes up till he passes out. I can't stand it!! Morning/all day drunks piss me off, he calls me a hypocrite because I drink everyday. Thing is I've trained my body to accept alcohol this way, I don't even think about it all day at work, I go home take care of whatever (paying bills, mowing, ect ect) then it's beerthirty. Maybe taking advice from me isn't a good thing, I might be the exception to the rule. On the other hand, I can't stand the whole AA crowd, tried it years ago, can't stand the whole self pity boohoo "I'm a pathetic drunk" mentality. The main thing is, take care of your responsibilities BEFORE you start drinking, keep your eye on what those responsibilities are the next day.

I am so with you on that! A functional drunk is wayyy better off than a functional xanax popper (these types are really semi-functional) if you ask me! Plus, at least drunks can control what goes into their bodies and have the option to be completely sober hours later, while a prescription pill head will take months to recover! If they ever can that is. So society says pills are okay but alcohol is not.

reply to post by llmacgregor


Whatever dude. Them Indians over yonder smoke some weird assed stuff, so do the Middle Easterners. People use mind enhancers all of the time and prolly have since before slithering out of the sea. So you drink a lot. Big deal. As long as you aren't harming anyone, I do not see the problem with any drug or fermented beverage. Pssssh.

Alcoholics are pansies. Try fighting a real addiction. Alcohol isn't even addictive.