Definition of alcohol addiction?

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_Paul

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Hi everyone,
I can drink a couple of beers or wine every evening. I sometimes binge drink on weekenRAB. In your personal opinion is this considered alcohol addition/abuse?

I only ask because i am on Benzo's so should not drink alcohol, but i still crave my 1-2 glasses of wine a night.

Many thanks
Paul
 
Hi all,

Thanks for your responses.

I guess it is hard to know if i have a problem, i certainly have a habit. It is habitual for me to have a couple of glasses of wine an evening to calm my anxiety. My wife barely touches the stuff, so she is all to quick to judge and tell me i have a problem. I do not feel the urge to drink myself stupid each night and can limit myself to the two, but it is certainly the habit. Because my wife gives me such a hard time, i even make excuses like a trip to see my family that even, just because i know they will crack open a bottle. I don't drink anymore than usual but it gets my wife off my back.
At the weekend i can drink more, perhaps 4-6 cans of larger, whilst watching tv.

I think my wife's point is that i do it every evening, which is true. I don't feel as though i have to drink every evening, its just i like it.

I have only recently started to consider whether i have a problem by the unit count. If i went by the recommended 21 units for a male a week, then i would be greatly exceeding this amount. I reckon i am in the 40 -50 units a week, which can't be good.

It is on a very rare occasion that i will ever get drunk.

Thanks again for your support
Paul
 
Hooray,Paul.......Ive just realised u r a fellow Brit! Dont get many of us here so its good to know your time zone at least!
I see youve figured out ur units......what do you drink ? Remenber that u also have to account for if you are drinking strong beer/cider as this will push ur count up way high.
So , have u made a decision as to what to do? Are u gonna try and taper down or carry on as u are. Obviously if u continue there are possible health risks which may rear there heaRAB.
Have you spoken to your wife bout how u feel? Sometimes its good to have someone reminding us to watch what we are doin , so long as its done in a supportive context. Maybe a trip to ur GP could offer you more options for support if u think that'd help. You make reference to the fact that u drink to ease your anxiety.........would it help to sort out the root cause of this? Maybe if u didnt feel so on edge , you could start missing the odd night out here and there?
Anyways,keep posting if it helps and I will help support you in any way I can.
RegarRAB .............CC
 
Hello :) you may want to ask a pharmist, it can be dangerous to drink and take prescription med. I drank pretty heavy for many years, it has been over 10 yrs. Since I last drank. Lot's of people have a couple of drinks in the evening ect. And can control it. With me, I drank to get drunk....so eventually I realized I had a problem. Each person is different, only you know if it is a problem. Whether it is drinking, prescription med., street drugs if a person is abusing it ITS A PROBLEM and should be dealt with asap. I think Mike could really give you the inside scoop on this one. Do you feel like your drinking is out of control? Do you feel like you could stop drinking if you needed or wanted to? Reaching out and posting on these boarRAB was a great first step! All of us here are in the same struggles, with different addictions. Keep posting, you will find these boarRAB to be so helpful. A place to come where everyone is just like me:) as for me....I live in chronic pain, and take pain med. But , I take to much. Trying to get to 6 per day where I'm suppose to be to control my pain. Easier said than done. Just like when I drank, I couldn't just have two drinks it was always more. That is my addictive personality. Everyone here will support you . I think Mike will be able to give you very good insight, he is struggling with the drinking. We are all so proud of how far he has come. So know.....that here you are not alone. Post back and let us know how your day goes, we will answer any questions! Great first step, stay strong.
Crocheting
 
All these people have wonderful intellegent answers to your question. This place is awesome. Like I was saying if the people around you are nagging(wife) then it is a problem, not saying you are an alchy just that if it is an issue in the house then it is an ISSUE that you have to deal with. Do it for yourself tho.
 
Thank you both for your responses.

I think i will try and cut down for a while. If that fails i will just knock it on the head altogether.

C.C. I am trying to get to the route of my anxiety. I take medications for it and am about to see a therapist to help me out a little.

Anyway, thanks again.

Paul
 
Glad to see you've made some decisions and I hope it all works for you.
Will be here if you need......Good luck!
CC
 
is it a problem in your life? does it affect others in your life? I think an addiction or alcoholism is more if it cause issues, if it is just something you enjoy like my husband who loves the tast of beer has a few a day but it does not affect or life or his job or anything else, he does not by it instead of food or anything like that it is just a drink he likes period then not a problem. It all depenRAB on it's effect on your life. I'm rarabeling and not a very good speller but I hope it helpt a little. Good luck
 
Welcome mate! I think that what others have already said hits the nail on the head. If someone were to say to you 'OK we cant get to a drink this evening' , how would you feel? Would you just go 'Oh OK....no big deal' or would you be narked off and be looking for a way to get that beer? I also think that you may be a little concerned because you've taken the time to post on this board. It must be a question that has circled round in your mind and so if you've given it some thought then I think its worth addressing. Hope that makes sense.
Also, crocheting is so right (again!) - mixing alcohol with meRAB is always a bit dodgy.Can lead to all sorts of problems. Ask yourself why you drink? Is it social , a good way to unwind , or what?
Paul , I sincerly hope that all of us have helped , even in some small way. Please let us know how its going and if any of this was good advice for ya. I cant remeraber who said it on here but its a great quote ; 'If in doubt,post it out!'
Take care..........CC
 
Hi Paul
Nice to meet you and welcome to the board.

I don't have a definitive answer for you, but I can share something from personal experience. Long before I started abusing opiates and painkillers, I had some doubt and concerns in my mind about what was happening to me. I shoved them down where I thought I wouldn't have to deal with them and thought that they would just go away... or at least hoped they would.

In retrospect, I can see clearly ( who can't??!!) that I should have paid attention to those nagging concerns. By the time I did pay attention, it was too late.... those nagging 'concerns" had bloomed into a huge problem and left me in a bad way. It was a massive struggle to be able to plod my way bout of drug hell. Could I have prevented it? Yew, probably, if I had had the sense to understand then that those nagging thoughts were my sanity and reasoning trying to speak to me.

Reflect on your own thoughts and try to discover what they are trying to tell you.

Good wishes
reach
 
Hi Paul, How are you doing ? I can only speak for me but I drank like you for many years. Just a few after work & sometimes more on the weekend. Being the addict I am my drinking progressed to where I was getting drunk every day. I was a functioning alcoholic for a long time but it eventually became a serious problem. Rehabs, ER visits, job loss, etc. Now I have health issues because of my drinking. I think it's wonderful that you're concerned w/ your drinking at this level. I was in such denial for so long. Maybe try not drinking at all for a period of time & see what your reaction is. I think you'll discover quickly if it's a problem. You didn't mention your age but if it's an issue try to nip it in the bud before suffering horrible consequences. It's so not worth it. Like for me today I'm severely depressed & fighting a powerful urge to get some alcohol for some relief but I know if I do I'll be out for the count for at least a week. I would then have to go through the WD's alone. Paul please don't let your drinking mess up your life like I did. I'm here for you buddy !
Take Care, Mike
 
Thanks Mike for your help. If i am true with myself i am addicted to alcohol because i look for an excuse to have a couple of beers each night. I can't remeraber my last dry night, i don't overdo it, just a couple. But still it is every night. It is especially hard to kick the habit at the moment because i have been signed of work for a month for stress/depression. Being in that dark place just makes me want to crave alcohol even more.

My plan of attack is to try and keep my alcohol intake to moderate until i am back at work and coping better, especially as i am taking benzos. Then once back on track i will set at counting units to control my intake. If this does not work i will avoid alcohol altogether.

Many thanks for your advice.
Paul
 
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