I've got a problem that I've tried to deal with for years, and it never seems to get any better. I have such an aversion to all things alcohol related I can't stand it. I've never had it, and don't really want to. This has ruined relationships, friendships. I just can't stand to see someone I care about doing it, or talking about it. I physically react to the entire topic..even just talking about it. I don't know when this started or why. I've had people suggest to me that something probably happened to me when I was younger, but I don't know of anything. Could I be repressing it? I don't know what to do. I just want to understand it more than anything. When I'm with somebody and object to them doing it, even the response "it's just a little sip" drives me crazy. What can I do? Has anyone heard of this?
2006-11-02 02:03:14 · 5 answers · asked by Squeegy 2 in Social Science ➔ Psychology
Well, your reaction does reflect a "learned behavior" of some sort.
For whatever reason, anything associated with alchohol (whether conversation or visual sight or attitude) is causing a lot of anxiety (and potential anger) inside of you.
It could be tied directly to the impact something/someone associated with alchohol made on your life at one point. For example, some children of alcoholics could have this response to seeing someone drink -- basically denial, repression, whatever you'd like to call it.
It could also possibly be the attitudes that come along with drinking that are bugging you. In other words, is it the alchohol itself, or has alcohol come to represent some other fear in your life?
Your response to "it's only a little sip" for example shows a lot of stress over an incident where you have expressed your anxiety and people don't "seem to be listening" to you.
(So a therapist would follow up on that, possibly, by talking about times in your life where you did not feel in control, where you just felt anxious/bad about someone doing something, and they failed to take your feelings into account. That feeling of being ignored or helpless is one typical cause of anxiety in people.)
As far as actual repression? Perhaps there is a kernel memory somewhere, to which much more anxiety has been attached to over the years. But only someone in long-term counseling with you could work with you to figure that sort of thing out.
It sounds like, despite having such a negative reaction against alcohol, you feel as if it is a problem and would like to change things for the better. That's a good start. Since it's been years with no change on your own, I think you would do well to find help with another person, by undergoing therapy/counseling.
Good luck, and I hope you can get to the root of your issue.
2006-11-02 02:24:42 · answer #1 · answered by Jennywocky 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is a possibility that there is some repression in your mind about it. It also could be you may just simply not like the smell of it. If it is repressed, there will be more than "I cant stand the smell of it". And I am just using the idea that it may be the smell of it as one of many other reasons. The way to know the difference is this - do you have strong feelings of anxiety, fear, etc associated with it or do you simply not like it? If you have unexplained feelings associated with it, odds are something happened that you repressed because you aren't ready to handle it yet. Don't do anything to force it out into the conscious mind, trust your brain to know when you are ready to face that. Hypnosis is a BAD idea in situations like this because if you aren't mentally ready for something, the results could be devastating. God created your mind so that you will be able to handle anything put in front of you so dont mess with that, when you are ready, it will slowly come back to your conscious. It will first come back in bits and pieces in dreams and then flashbacks. It will be scary but you will be able to handle it at that point. Be sure to see a psychologist and psychiatrist at that time.
2006-11-02 02:18:03 · answer #2 · answered by Anna M C 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm not quite that bad about it, but I understand, I think. I agree that there may be something in your past about it, and yes, you could be supressing it. I had some other "aversions" that it took many years with some very good friends to figure out, until I could finally call up the memory that initiated the problem. If it really is causing you this much trouble, you may want to check into some type of counseling to try and deal with it -- or maybe some late night talk sessions with someone who REALLY knows, understands and cares about it. Good luck!!
2006-11-02 02:07:48 · answer #3 · answered by Yahzmin ♥♥ 4ever 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
very interesting! i'm not a psychologist, but it seems that anything that causes you such anxiety is worth talking to someone about. i am curious to know how often this really comes up in your life. good luck.
2006-11-02 02:13:19 · answer #4 · answered by Curious in Seattle 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Seek counseling. It may not be an incident in your past that causes this, perhaps deep down inside you have a fear of someone becoming out of control and irrational. I feel that way about street drugs.
2006-11-02 02:18:30 · answer #5 · answered by Sandy Sandals 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋