am i a alcoholic?

Question

I am a alcoholic it doesnt effect my work or finances, i dont get i n trouble with the law i dont wake up craving a drink & i dont carry a hip flask. however i cant remember the last time i fell asleep instead of passing out or the last time i never had the shakes I have read aot of peoples ideas of a alcoholic on here & i dont fit the bill. So where does someone like me get help the docs will say just stop & if i go to AA everyone will seem worst than me
So please i need some advice on how to stop because on the outside i seem fine but really i m not i want my life back

Answer 1

IT IS NICE TO SEE YOU ARE ASKING FOR HELP THAT IS THE FIRST STEP. NOW DON'T GIVE UP YOU HAVE TO DO THE NEXT STEP GET HELP. AA ISN'T SO BAD THEY BUDDY YOU UP WITH SOMEBODY WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. THEY ARE ORGANIZED AND HAVE GOALS. IT MIGHT BE BETTER THAN REHAB. ALTHOUGH MY BUDDY WENT TO REHAB AND RECOMMENDS IT. THEY GAVE HIM SOMETHING FOR WITHDRAWS "THE SHAKES" HE DOESN'T DRINK NOW AND IS A MUCH HAPPIER PERSON. JUST REMEMBER IT'S NOT GOING TO WORK UNLESS YOU MAKE IT! GOOD LUCK I WISH YOU THE BEST. SOMETIMES YOU CAN ALSO GET HELP FROM YOUR EMPLOYER. FILE FOR FMLA SO YOU DON'T LOOSE YOUR JOB. THIS IS A GOVERNMENT PROGRAM SO YOU CAN'T BE TURNED DOWN. REMEMBER WORK MUST KEEP IT CONFIDENTIAL

Answer 2

I am glad to hear you have admitted you are an alcoholic. This is the first step.

I had a freind who drank alcohol every day. After the years went by, he developed Cirrhosis of the liver. There is no cure for this disease. He was in a lot of pain and he did die at a tender age of 58 years old (in his prime of life) He left behind his wife, children and friends. Alcohol does not only affect the liver. It affects the heart and other internal organs of the body. The longer and more you drink, the more damage is done.

Please check out this web site as it will explain everything in detail about what alcohol does to your body: http://www.drinkingandyou.com/site/us/health/effects.htm

If you value your life, then please go to your doctor and get into rehab and AA.

People in AA dont go by who is worse. They all have different levels of being alcoholics....like the ones who are in the begining stages and up. You are in the middle stage since you do not remember the last time you fell asleep on your own and pass out from the effects of alcohol.

Good Luck.

Answer 3

My good friend once told me that you're not an alcoholic unless you admit you are. And you did admit that with your first words...

So what if the people at AA are going to seem worse than you. Wouldn't that mean that you're going to do better than them? What an ego boost! Or are you afraid that, since they've been recovering for a while, that you'll actually look like a drunken lush? Who cares??? Who the blazes cares what they think? You should go to those meetings and get on track to getting your life back.

Go to one meeting. Just one! See how it goes before you pass judgement on the usefulness of the AA program. And even if you really don't fit the bill, what have you lost by going to one measly little meeting? Nothing. Nothing at all, but you have a lot to gain if these meetings do end up being what you need to get your life back.

Think about it.... One meeting = getting life back. Worth it? Sure it is! Go spend that hour and then let us know how it went.

Answer 4

You are the only person who can truly answer that question. If you think you are an alcoholic, then you are. Remember, not everyone at AA has totally destroyed their life with their addiction, some of them are rather successful people. Also, they will not judge you for having 'less' of a problem than they do. If you think you have a problem, you may want to go check out a meeting. You are really going to need some support to get through this, and if you don't like it, you don't have to go back. There are also rehab centers you can go to, but AA is free, and quite effective.

Answer 5

I think people are quick to shout alcoholic at people who just like a drink these days. Follows really, what with the emphasis on leading a heathly life these days.

However, in my opinion you are an alcoholic when you are phsically addicted to the drink - you suffer physical symptoms of withdrawal that you cannot deal with and succumb to drinking even when you really dont want to/know you shouldn't.

There is another argument however that this in itself is not a problem - you could say that you're just a drunk/a heavy drinker - and that you are only an alcohlic (in the popular sense of the word) if your drinking has a destructive impact on other ares of your life.

In either case, the fact you have felt the need to ask this question is clear evidence of the fact that YOU KNOW you're drinking too much. If you don't care, you wouldnt have bothered to think twice about it and ask the question. Therefore you kow you want to cut-down. When you try to do this is when you'll discover the answer to your question.

Answer 6

you seem to be going on the right direction, acknowledging that there is a problem. Now work on the problem because you are an alcoholic. Alcoholism affects people differently and some are functional and others are not. No I'm not an alcoholic but been around that for years. I know AA seems like will not help, but go there for you, not for what the others are there for. Focus on you and you will get your life back. Good luck to you!

Answer 7

You are in denial. Don't think for one minute alcoholics are dribbling wrecks. They are in every strata of society. No alcoholic is worse than another and if you leave it too late to get help, how far do you have to fall before you fit the bill? Take it from me, eventually, if you go on as you are the hangovers will get worse, shakes, spewing in to carrier bags, craving for drink in the morning. Its a nightmare, and a journey you still think you may not go through. You can't do it on your own obviously, so get a life and get help and don't waste any more of it.

Answer 8

don't turn to god or the AA which is a god orientated organisation, however there is help out there that isn't run by god botherers most councils run drugs and alcohol clinics but the only thing you need is the backbone to not buy any more alcohol - this is hard and i personaly prefer drinking to not drinking but did go on the wagon for quite a while by doing just that, not buying any alcohol - i fell off the wagon when people told me i was drunk when i wasn't so i thought f*ck it i might as well be drunk

Answer 9

it seems to me that you do have a bit of a problem ma by you are not an alcoholic YET and i mean yet cos if you carry on the way that you are then it wont be lond before you do depend on drink .My advice to you would be to go to a AA meeting yes there will be people there that are a lot worse than you BUT thy must have started somewhere so go to the meeting and take the advice of the adviser before the situation gets any worse

Answer 10

So what if everyone seems worse to you at A.A. You still have the most important thing in common with them...you all want to get help. I'm sorry that I can't help you because I don't have the same problem as you but I think that A.A. is a good start because they can answer any questions for you and help you to deal with alcohol. Good luck to you!