do i have problems with alcohol use?

[sofrisky03]

want to know if i have alcohol problems? alcoholism does run in my mom's family her father had it, her 2 brothers had it and one of her neices does as well. my mom does not have it, she drinks every once in a while but not excessive or on a regular basis and she doesn't need it. I do not feel that i need it. I do enjoy a drink every once in a while. i drink only on the weekends normally friday and i'll have maybe 5 drinks, but usually not more than that. i don't see that there is anything wrong with that because i don't always go out and its not like i feel i have to have that drink. the thing that i am worried about is about 4times in the past 4 years, i have drank in excess. its like my body doesn't know when to stop and i guess its like i black out b/c i don't remember what happened. does this mean i should stop drinking all together. or should i just limit the amount. like say i'll only have 2 and no more b/c then i wouldn't allow myself to get to that point. please help?!
oh yea i forgot i'm 23 year old female and my drinking does not affect work, relationships, school or priorities.

 

[odeminkwe]

want to know if i have alcohol problems? alcoholism does run in my mom's family her father had it, her 2 brothers had it and one of her neices does as well. my mom does not have it, she drinks every once in a while but not excessive or on a regular basis and she doesn't need it. I do not feel that i need it. I do enjoy a drink every once in a while. i drink only on the weekends normally friday and i'll have maybe 5 drinks, but usually not more than that. i don't see that there is anything wrong with that because i don't always go out and its not like i feel i have to have that drink. the thing that i am worried about is about 4times in the past 4 years, i have drank in excess. its like my body doesn't know when to stop and i guess its like i black out b/c i don't remember what happened. does this mean i should stop drinking all together. or should i just limit the amount. like say i'll only have 2 and no more b/c then i wouldn't allow myself to get to that point. please help?!
oh yea i forgot i'm 23 year old female and my drinking does not affect work, relationships, school or priorities.

I don't know if anyone can tell you definitively whether or not you have a problem. Having family members who are alcoholic does increase your risk for alcoholism and it sounds like you understand that. Your experiences with excessive drinking and blackouts is a bit suspect and it's good that your aware of it. If you are an alcoholic you won't be able to limit yourself to two drinks. You might be able to for a while, but eventually you'll experience another bad drinking night.
I am an alcoholic in recovery and have been sober since I was 20. I sobered up with the help of AA and if it is something you feel comfortable doing, I suggest checking out a meeting. I don't know where you live, but if it is close to a decent sized city, there might even be meetings specifically geared towards young people. Hearing other peoples stories might help you determine whether or not your drinking is problem. If you have any questions please feel free to pm me. I will pray for you and your family.

 

[BlessEwe]

Addiction for me started out the exact same way having fun with some blackouts.
It became a way to feel normal and comfortable.
Except for Methadone I really haven't heard of someone becoming an addict the first time ( but I am sure there are).
Like your mom we have the predisposition to become an addict but she hasn't conditioned it into her body. Which can happen very fast with some people.
I would recommend to stop now before you can not stop on your own. Addiction is a powerful lying destructive disease that can bring you down fast.
Blackouts are a major danger sign, normal drinkers stop before they reach this point with one or two drinks. Potential alcoholics/ and or chronic alcoholics continue on drinking into blackouts. Or go on for years trying to change their drinking pattern in denial only finding themselves back to the same situation over and over until they are completely consumed in addiction unable to stop and needing a drink just to start the day into the day.

Addiction doesn't care who you are,
we are not here to judge so feel free to ask any questions you have.
God Bless.

 

[stephenc]

Hi Sofrisky!

I'll weigh in a bit, because our patterns are somewhat similar. I have gradually come to realize that years of "just on the edge of alcoholism" boozing actually has effected my life.

The test for me (and a challenge tonight as well); Do I have to have some booze this weekend, or can I actually go a weekend without?

Others will have better further advice, but just offering some solidarity, some support.

 

[kanga22]

Look at your thoughts. I realized I was an alcoholic when I stepped out of denial about my thought patterns. The social pressure of not "appearing" like an alcoholic is all that kept me from drinking 24/7, because that's what I really wanted to be doing. Having my husband around kept me accountable not to "be a drunk" for over twenty years. Although, my thoughts ALL those years had involved hoping there would be plenty of alcohol at whatever event we were attending. I didn't realize any of this until he moved out.

After he left - my first thought was - "Hey, I can drink now and there's no one who will tell me that I'm acting like a drunk". That thought (along w/ other turmoil (excuses) in my life) threw me into an eight month drinking binge. I got so out of control that I was calling in sick to work. One day, when I was severely hung-over, I drove to school (which is where I worked) to get my kids. I was attending an after school program with them and I remember the stares I got from the other parents as if I was acting strangely. That's what scared me into getting sober and changing my thinking! It's a good thing for me that feeling like a social outcast is all it took for me to clean up my act. Many people wait until something worse happens like a car accident, a disease, or jail time.

In my opinion, if you THINK you might have a problem, then you do and/or you are moving in that direction. Continued misuse of alcohol will turn you into an alcoholic. We do it to ourselves, it's not something that is thrust upon us. Whether you are an alcoholic or not, attending some AA meetings would be beneficial to you. God Bless.

 

[Dralan]

Only you can answer that question. If alcohol is having negative consequences in your life or you suspect it may be a problem, it could easily snowball into alcoholic drinking. To me, the fact that you are concerned about it at all may indicate something. Noone can diagnose you an alcoholic except yourself. Like the previous post said, if I were you I would go to a few AA meetings and just sit and listen.

 

[AxionEsti]

With those blackouts being a concern - let me tell you that my son had those. His birth mother was an alcoholic, so actually he was born an alcoholic. His first alcoholic binge was in front of us (his adoptive parents) and we could barely get him to stop drinking. He was of age, but it scared us. It went downhill from there of course. So, yes, a person can be an alcoholic after the first drink, in that case.

 

[devonian]

I started drinking when I was 18 occasionally, but I really liked it. Gradually it became more often. When I was 23, I looked forward to the weekends to have my 5-6 beers. I suspected I had a problem, but thought I could control it. I continued to keep it to weekends for a while, then once and a while during the week. I started to be embarrassed about my drinking, so I began to sneak drinks between the ones that I let everyone else see me drink. This let me drink a couple of times a week, plus on the weekend. Eventually, it became a daily event. I turned to hard liquor because it was easier to hide. I knew I had a problem, but didnt want to admit it because I thought it meant that I was morally corrupt or weak. So, I deceived myself and those around me. I tried to drink only 2 beers at a sitting, and because I did it once and a while, I thought I had it under control. But I really craved more. I then decided to quit completely, and did it for a while. Once I had "proved" to myself that I could quit if I wanted to, I resumed drinking, and within a week, I was drinking exactly like I did before I quit. Alcoholism is cunning and baffling. It is also a progressive disease, but ultimately you have to come to believe that you are powerless over alcohol. Noone can make that diagnosis for you.

The good news, is that alcoholics are not morally corrupt or weak, simply because they are alcoholics. And when I learned about the solution, I recovered much easier and quicker than I ever could have imagined. I now seldom think about drinking, and I dont think about not drinking. It just doesnt appeal to me anymore. You dont have to be recovering for the rest of your life, you can recover.

 

[Angeldove97]

Please also talk to a doctor or call a hotline if you have more questions on drinking. The experiences of the members here are valuable, of course, but for your own life talking to a trained specialist is the BEST idea. We'll be here to offer the love and support you may need, but getting help or at least seeking advice from a person in real life is an even better idea.

 

[unkern]

I picked up my first beer around the age of 6, I eventually became an alcoholic and stopped around 20. The bible says that you can drink, but read proverbs 23 it speaks on having to much in fact there are several more like it. I would say knock it down to about 1 beer, but if its too much of a struggle then quite altogether. The hardest part isnt so much the quiting its the habits and most of all your friends. The bible says that if they do something that may cause you to fall back into sin that they are sinning, so when someone says lets go out for a drink maybe say no, or take off if they drink in front of you. Eventually you will have to step over a threshhold and let God take control.