Am I an alcoholic?

Awful Me

Awful Me

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#1
Dec 9, 2004
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#1
When I used to do standup I was in bars every night and getting trainwreck drunk.

Quit smoking 6 years ago and standup 5 years ago. Didn't drink for about 2 years.

Now I drink daily, but only have 1 sometimes 2 a day. My regular glass is about 3 fingers of bourbon or whiskey.

Based on quantity it doesn't sound bad, but today I had to work late, then I cut my yard. I haven't had my drink and I was thinking about skipping it and going to bed early.....but now all I can think about is having that drink.....
 
whiskeyguy

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#2
Jan 12, 2010
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Drunk Whiskeyguy says "fuck no, dude".

Sober Whiskeyguy says "seek help".:action-sm

I find the term "alcoholic" very arbitrary. If your drinking isn't causing you regular problems with your health, work, or relationships, I don't think so. However those problems can be ones that exist that haven't seen consequences yet... such as are you constantly driving while over the legal limit, or having to mask your drinking at work or social events?
 
Gorilla Pimp

Gorilla Pimp

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#3
Nov 2, 2009
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#3
My grandfather used to say if you can just have 2 drinks and stop you're not an alcoholic... Or if you can go 2 weeks without a drink with no problems, you're probably fine. Everybody is different.
 
fletcher

fletcher

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#4
Feb 20, 2006
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If you think you are, you probably are.

Cut back, see how you feel, then if you cant deny your dependency maybe look into something further.

Skip the drink tonight, just roll with it, and if worse comes to worse you can lean on the fact that you are a very light drinker and try to not escalate to a more serious one.
 
Ballbuster1

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#5
Aug 26, 2002
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Nah. You're fine. If you CAN'T go to bed with out it then you have a problem.
I have a few beers and shots most days but when we go out I rarely do to avoid
the hassles of DUI checks. I like to drink, but I don't have to.
 
Awful Me

Awful Me

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#6
Dec 9, 2004
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#6
I rarely "get drunk" anymore. Even if we go out, the most I have is 3.

I'm hoping the only reason I'm craving the drink now is because I started thinking about. It wasn't an issue when I was doing stuff. It wasn't until I sat on the sofa and started contemplating it
 
somnarium

somnarium

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#7
Aug 24, 2012
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In the same way someone who chews gum everyday gets nervous when they're out of gum. Obviously your body has grown accustomed to it's medicine which isn't great but as long as its not affecting other things, you're not drinking a damaging amount. But I'm not a doctor, what the fuck do I know?

I haven't had a beer in a couple weeks and its sounding pretty good right now. To the fridge!
 
whiskeyguy

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#8
Jan 12, 2010
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#8
Awful Me said:
I rarely "get drunk" anymore. Even if we go out, the most I have is 3.

I'm hoping the only reason I'm craving the drink now is because I started thinking about. It wasn't an issue when I was doing stuff. It wasn't until I sat on the sofa and started contemplating it
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Routine is also part of it.

I'm probably a binge drinker by definition, but don't consider myself an alcoholic. I overdid it last week, and decided winter is over and it's time to knock that shit off and start getting back in shape for summer. Haven't even had the desire to drink in six days, and don't feel like I'll be drinking to intoxication any time soon. I may have a beer or two this weekend, which I'm certainly capable of doing.
 
Motor Head

Motor Head

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#11
Jan 23, 2006
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#11
I'm something like 32 days without a drink. Everyone is different. I say if you can go M-TH without a drink, your doing fine. If you ONLY have 1-2 a night and they don't contain more then a couple shots each - I would think you're fine.

Just monitor yourself. Be truthful about how much you are drinking daily. If you are wacking down a large amount of booze almost every night and drinking yourself into oblivion on your days off, then test yourself and see if you can go a couple weeks without a drink. If you are climbing the walls in 2-4 days then you might want to seek professional help.
 
Master Paux

Master Paux

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#12
May 8, 2009
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Motor Head said:
I'm something like 32 days without a drink. Everyone is different. I say if you can go M-TH without a drink, your doing fine.
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I used to not drink at all from M-Th.. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, wasted. That was the beginning of the end for me. But, like you said, everyone's different.

Just be brutally honest with yourself.. deep down, you'll know the answer. But to me, the best gauge is whether you can easily go without drink. Even if you're just having one or two a night.. it is possible to still be an alcoholic if you DEPEND on those drinks. Not saying that you are! That's really not for me to judge.. like I said, only you'd know best so long as you're honest with yourself.

Whiskeyguy nailed it too.. routine can be a huge part of it. And I'm the last person to give advice on how to break the routine because the only way I could was by completely quitting.
 
whiskeyguy

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#14
Jan 12, 2010
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#14
As long as you're not heavily drinking every night, it doesn't hurt in just quit cold turkey for a few days, in order to get a better idea of how much you depend on it. Try substituting some other enjoyable drink in place of it, to help take up the slack from your routine being disrupted. If you have a blender (and not a weight issue), maybe make a milk shake or if you're into them a smoothie (enjoy that, Nancy :action-sm)... that would help negate the loss you'll feel from not mixing that cocktail every night. Even a simple hot chocolate would work. Often people will mistake missing their routine for dependency on a certain substance.

I'm addicted to smoking, but not to the point of chain smoking (I smoke maybe 5-10 cigs a day). However, I could have finished one three minutes ago, hop in my car, and reach for my pack. It's not because I'm needing the nicotine at that second, it's because that's very routine for me.

After a couple of days you'll know if you have an issue or not. I don't think you do.
 
tattered

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#16
Aug 22, 2002
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#16
whiskeyguy said:
As long as you're not heavily drinking every night, it doesn't hurt in just quit cold turkey for a few days, in order to get a better idea of how much you depend on it. Try substituting some other enjoyable drink in place of it, to help take up the slack from your routine being disrupted. If you have a blender (and not a weight issue), maybe make a milk shake or if you're into them a smoothie (enjoy that, Nancy :action-sm)... that would help negate the loss you'll feel from not mixing that cocktail every night. Even a simple hot chocolate would work. Often people will mistake missing their routine for dependency on a certain substance.

I'm addicted to smoking, but not to the point of chain smoking (I smoke maybe 5-10 cigs a day). However, I could have finished one three minutes ago, hop in my car, and reach for my pack. It's not because I'm needing the nicotine at that second, it's because that's very routine for me.

After a couple of days you'll know if you have an issue or not. I don't think you do.
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Know what's funny what you said about smoking. I'm in the house most of day and have zero urge to smoke. I get in the car and I chain smoke like a fiend cause it passes the time in the car
 
whiskeyguy

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#17
Jan 12, 2010
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#17
tattered said:
Know what's funny what you said about smoking. I'm in the house most of day and have zero urge to smoke. I get in the car and I chain smoke like a fiend cause it passes the time in the car
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Yup. On road trips I'll smoke ten cigs in 5-6 hours.
 
somnarium

somnarium

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#19
Aug 24, 2012
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#19
whiskeyguy said:
Yup. On road trips I'll smoke ten cigs in 5-6 hours.
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On the drive back home from college I would go through 10 to 15 in a three hour trip.

I went through a period right out of college where I was drinking everyday. I think it was apprehension about the next step in life and I was worried that I was becoming an alcoholic. Luckily I have come to find I am not my father, and while I occasionally abuse alcohol I can leave it at any occasion. That said, I don't think I could ever say I could never drink again. I very much enjoy drinking when I do.
 
whiskeyguy

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dftns19 said:
On the drive back home from college I would go through 10 to 15 in a three hour trip.

I went through a period right out of college where I was drinking everyday. I think it was apprehension about the next step in life and I was worried that I was becoming an alcoholic. Luckily I have come to find I am not my father, and while I occasionally abuse alcohol I can leave it at any occasion. That said, I don't think I could ever say I could never drink again. I very much enjoy drinking when I do.
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I love drinking also, which is why I take breaks from time to time just to make sure I can. Also years of abusing alcohol takes its toll, so it's good to let the body repair. Getting a little older doesn't help either.

I had some blood tests done last fall to make sure my anxiety wasn't caused by a larger problem, and everything but a slight rise in a certain type of cholesterol (doctor just recommended taking fish oil pills once a day) came back great. I was actually shocked to find out my liver had no issues whatsoever. I imagined I had at the very least strained it over the years.
 
peewee

peewee

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#22
Aug 10, 2003
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#22
Nonalcoholic people don't usually have to go on message boards and ask if they are alcoholic. Only you can answer that question for sure, but something tells me you already have.
 
whiskeyguy

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#23
Jan 12, 2010
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#23
peewee said:
Nonalcoholic people don't usually have to go on message boards and ask if they are alcoholic. Only you can answer that question for sure, but something tells me you already have.
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Or maybe people just find value in including others in their thought process.
 
Awful Me

Awful Me

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#24
Dec 9, 2004
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#24
Didn't have the drink. Feel ok today. Probably won't skip tonight because I have a function after work, but Ill hopefully skip Thursday and Friday at least.


When I smoked it was 3 packs a day, on a road trip I would smoke one every 15ish miles
 
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