Everyone has their own perception on how much is too much. Here's my brief story. I grew up and my Dad was a binge drinker. His parents were alcoholics. I feel that is what has happened to me. For years, I would tell myself, "It's ok. I just enjoy drinking". I think I have reached the age where reality has set in and I have a tendancy to get depressed when I go too far. I'm not going to say what my drinking preference is, because it doesn't matter. What matters is that it is always in excess. Every sonce I was a young teen, I have sought out alcohol. Perhaps it's a genetic thing. I'm not sure. Last night I mentioned that I would like to try to stop for 6 months. My wife is all for it and would like to quit as well, but mentioned that maybe we should set a more attainable goal, so as not to be disappointed if we cave. I want to stop, not only for potential health risks, but to see how wonderful life can be without viewing it in rose colored glasses with a twist. I can honestly say that everything negative in my life has had an association with drinking. I do not believe in drinking and driving. The excessive drinking doesn't take place in public places. In fact, if you met me, you might not even realize that I had even been drinking. I'm normally very cautious and if the wife and I attend an event where there is alcohol, we will book a room at a local decent hotel. I have been with the same company for 17 years. My employer doesn't have a clue about it. My main objective of this thread was not to have anybody feel bad about others or themselves. I have never attended an AA meeting, because I didn't have the guts and have heard mixed reviews on it. I have thought about buying books on it. What it all boils down to is will-power. Do I have enough will-power to knock this out myself? We'll see. I'm blessed to have a loving family and the support of my wife. And no, I'm not hung-over. I have heard some people say that they do not get hang-overs. My response has always been, "That's great. That means you didn't drink too much". Some respond by saying that they do infact drink in very large quantities, but do not get hung-over. Perhaps they are always drunk. I just don't see how that is possible. Anyways - To answer my own question. I drink every 2 - 3 days, but it is more than the average person can handle. 1 binge night on any given day is too much. Some people drink a beer or 2 everyday. That doesn't seem too harsh, but 2 beers does nothing to me. Plus I can't kick the cigs until I stop the alcohol. I'm going to give it a shot again. Hopefully soon, this can be a part of my past. I'll be honest on my progress. You might notice that many of my responses are silly and meaningless, but I am an honest person in general and would never say or do anything to purposely hurt anybody. I know that some threads dry up over time. I will only bump the thread if it's major. Thanks for listening.
I grew up in an alcoholic household-- my mother. I drink very little, so there is no way to say that I drink too much. I have about one beer a week with a sandwich. I drink wine about once a quarter and hard liquor about once a year. Alcohol is the most over-rated product out there. Hey <b>swilkins</b>, sometime try and catch the movie "My Name is Bill..." starring James Woods and James Garner. It is about the founding of AA. It is a great little TV movie.
a 6pack will last me a month durring the winter... durring the summer with the added cigars I smoke it lasts about 2 weeks.. unless it's wine I dont buy drinks when I go out to eat... So no I dont drink too much,
Good luck man. It's good you're making this decision on your own and not after a tragedy, an arrest or a general embarassment. It sounds like you'll be able to make it. Personally, I go through stages. There will be weeks when I drink nearly every night and there will be weeks where I'll have a couple drinks. Back in college and for a few years afterwards, I'd drink nearly every night. Looking back, I was probably an alcoholic, but I'm not sure since I've never really said to myself "I need a beer" and not meant it in a joking way. Nowadays, I tend to only drink when there's a sporting event on and there are buddies around drinking with me. That, and I'll down about 25 beers if I'm camping and floating down the river.
Keith Urban feels your pain... You brought that bottle home in a paper sack Drew the blinds and locked the doors And there's nothing but empty there inside that glass So you pour a little more And there's no one there to judge you At least that's what you tell yourself, but Don't you know Nobody drinks alone Every demon, every ghost From your past And every memory you've held back Follows you home Nobody drinks alone You remember whiskey on your daddy's breath So you always stick to wine And you scared your little brother half to death You just kept it all inside You can hear your mama cryin' Only now she cries for you, and Don't you know Nobody drinks alone Every demon, every ghost From your past And every memory you've held back Follows you home Nobody drinks alone Though you're lonly Hey don't you let that feelin' fool ya Nobody drinks alone
Good idea and I hope you can stick to it and see how it feels. It looks like the alcohol is not doing you any good, and you have alcoholic tendencies in your family. You can either do this with or without a support group - that kind of thing is your own decision and depends on what works for you. Good luck and keep us posted. Myself, I don't drink at all. I won't touch it. Too many people in my family have had alcoholic tendencies. I keep telling myself I should at least have a drink where everybody else is drinking, just to fit in... I don't have to take more than a few sips of it... but I can never even bring myself to do that. I wish there were more people who didn't drink.
I drink a lot on weekends (I built my own bar) but am slowing down if not stopping. If it wasn't for the hangovers, I wouldn't want to stop. I like letting loose and having fun.
I haven't had a drink since new year's day. I guess I just wanted to prove to myself that it's something I enjoy, not something I need. If nothing else, it's saved some money over the last 6 months or so.
sounds just like me. if you asked me right now, i'd say i'm an alcoholic in the sense that i get drunk practically every night. but not in the sense that i feel like i need it; it's just easy to drink alot when your friends are drinking every night too. when i go back home, my drinking cuts down significantly, so i know it isn't much of a problem in htat regard. my college career is about at an end, so i'm enjoying it as much as i can .
I'll parrot what my father always says: Our ancestors came over to this great country explicitly to sell tobacco and alcohol. I'll be damned if I break up a family tradition!
Does your Dad sell it or buy from your relatives? I guess it's only fitting that my 2000th post be used on a thread that I started.
About once every 6 months, I'll go to a happy hour with co-workers and drink 1-3 beers. That's the complete extent of my alcohol consumption. I drink less than 6 beers a year.
