Aa
am i alchoholic?
i crave alchohol alot, and i bum it off of other people if i dont have the money myself. i love the buzz so much. i dont drink every day, but i try alot, and if i get the chance, its a 90 percent chance imma drink it. i cant be around it without wanting it. am i addicted?
Yes you are addicted. You don't have to be physically addicted to be an addict. If you crave it that bad then that is an addiction. Anything that is craved really bad and you can't control it, whether it is eating ice cream, stealing, etc. is an addiction.
Some people only will drink like on a Friday and it will be the only day that they do, but they will get completely hammered. These people usually don't think that they are addicts, but they are.
Some people only will drink like on a Friday and it will be the only day that they do, but they will get completely hammered. These people usually don't think that they are addicts, but they are.
All addicts loveand crave what they're addicted to. If we didn't then we wouldn't do it.
If you're in that stage where you crave it, you want it, you'd do it all the time if you could, you bum it off of other people just to get it and get the buzz....
you probably already have a problem.
I know. I've been there. All of us on here have so you're definitely not alone. I thought I was young enough to bounce back from all the heavy drinking I was doing, and I'd quit "someday.".... and I was right... for a while. I'm still okay. My liver is slowly getting better, my short-term memory that was shot to hell is slowly coming back, and my balance, coordination, and concentration... all shot to hell, are slowly coming back again.
Wether or not you are an alcoholic is almost a moot point. Fact is, you're drinking too much, too often. Given time, alcohol will have a negative effect on nearly every organ in your body: Heart, brain, liver, pancreas, skin, etc... This is not a scare tactic, these are facts. Given time you will hurt your body and all of those organs and no one can tell you how much to drink or how little or when it will happen. I started feeling the negative effects of my drinking at age 26. That should give you an idea of how much I was drinking. For some people it will take longer. Others, shorter. But the bottom line is if you keep drinking often and alot bad things will eventually happen. There is no UPside to heavy drinking.
It's time for you to severely cut back how much you drink, and do it soon. You're young enough that you probably (I say PROBABLY) can bounce back from whatever damage you may have caused your liver or other organs. The liver is remarkably tough and unless you have Cirhossis you can probably repair it back to full, or nearly full health by abstaining from alcohol and following a healthy diet and lifestyle.
The only way you're going to stop, reverse, or repair the damage from alcohol is to A, stop drinking or cut down on it considerably. That part is non-negotiable. B. Exercise, and C. Eat a healthy, well-balanced diet.
I wasn't ready to quit until bad things started happening to me. The dizziness, the nauseau, weakness, balance and coordination problems, etc. My memory and concentration began to deteriorate. It was only then I realized I needed to stop drinking. I was 26, overweight, lonely, depressed, and angry. But I also didn't want to die. And the prospect of getting healthy sounded a LOT better than dying at 35.
Here's a few tips that might help you cut back and stop your drinking....
1. Find a doctor and get yourself checked out physically to see how your body is doing. Share your concerns with the doctor and discuss any possible withdrawl dangers he/she can advise you on. They can also refer you to support groups and or / counseling services in your area that will be free of charge.
2. AA is probably a good place to start and there are meetings all over the place. A little depression counseling doesn't hurt either. If you're having trouble stopping on your own then you need to start treating the addiction right away and a support group like AA would be a fantastic place to start.
3. Open the yellow pages and check out the first few or last few pages. There's usually toll free support line numbers there. Suicide line, depression line, etc... Speaking from personal experience some of the operators on those lines are very capable and can also refer you to support and or counseling groups in your area including AA. I've had some good talks with the operator on the depression lines. If you don't have a phone book then just google "Depression hotline" or "Alcohol support" and your city/state and look at the results.
4. From my own experience I've found that adjusting your sleep schedule so that you get a decent, full nights sleep each night is very helpful. Sleep rejuvinates the body and the mind. Life always seems a lot worse if you're exhausted all day.
5. I've found that a little exercise helps as well. You don't need to get crazy, just do a little bit. Do some stretching in the morning or before you go to bed, Maybe go for a walk in the morning or at night. Bring along your ipod or whatnot and listen to some good music that you enjoy. Classical music, I find, is peaceful and thought provoking. I defy anyone to be upset while listening to classical music.
6. Remember a time when you drank too much even for you. Remember the bad feelings, bad things that happened, and most importantly remember how awful you felt when you woke up the next day (probably late) and how the whole day was ruined. Try to capture that feeling in your mind and think about it. Then think about how much nicer it is to wake up feeling refreshed in the morning, having had a good nights sleep, no hangover, no embarassing memories from the night before. Make that a goal to strive for each day. And each day when you wake up take a moment to realize how much better and nicer it is to wake up that way.
7. Don't be afraid to let people in. Friends, family, etc.. if they care about you then trust me they WANT to be there to help you through this.Don't feel you have to be alone if you have loved ones that are more than willing to go it with you. You don't have to shut people out. Your health, your recovery, is key.
I cannot stress enough how important it is to speak with a doctor about all of this. They can better walk you through the steps you need to take to safely detox from alcohol and help put you on the path to recovery. We can't diagnose you or give you medical advice on here, we can only share our own experiences and thoughts based on what we've gone through. But it's a resource you should certainly utilize!
It's a long road and it certainly isn't easy. Feel free to avail yourself of those hotlines you'll find whenever you want and certainly feel free to come on this forum and share with us if you need to talk or vent or just be heard. There's not much you can tell us on here that we haven't heard or done before! No shame, just support!
If you're in that stage where you crave it, you want it, you'd do it all the time if you could, you bum it off of other people just to get it and get the buzz....
you probably already have a problem.
I know. I've been there. All of us on here have so you're definitely not alone. I thought I was young enough to bounce back from all the heavy drinking I was doing, and I'd quit "someday.".... and I was right... for a while. I'm still okay. My liver is slowly getting better, my short-term memory that was shot to hell is slowly coming back, and my balance, coordination, and concentration... all shot to hell, are slowly coming back again.
Wether or not you are an alcoholic is almost a moot point. Fact is, you're drinking too much, too often. Given time, alcohol will have a negative effect on nearly every organ in your body: Heart, brain, liver, pancreas, skin, etc... This is not a scare tactic, these are facts. Given time you will hurt your body and all of those organs and no one can tell you how much to drink or how little or when it will happen. I started feeling the negative effects of my drinking at age 26. That should give you an idea of how much I was drinking. For some people it will take longer. Others, shorter. But the bottom line is if you keep drinking often and alot bad things will eventually happen. There is no UPside to heavy drinking.
It's time for you to severely cut back how much you drink, and do it soon. You're young enough that you probably (I say PROBABLY) can bounce back from whatever damage you may have caused your liver or other organs. The liver is remarkably tough and unless you have Cirhossis you can probably repair it back to full, or nearly full health by abstaining from alcohol and following a healthy diet and lifestyle.
The only way you're going to stop, reverse, or repair the damage from alcohol is to A, stop drinking or cut down on it considerably. That part is non-negotiable. B. Exercise, and C. Eat a healthy, well-balanced diet.
I wasn't ready to quit until bad things started happening to me. The dizziness, the nauseau, weakness, balance and coordination problems, etc. My memory and concentration began to deteriorate. It was only then I realized I needed to stop drinking. I was 26, overweight, lonely, depressed, and angry. But I also didn't want to die. And the prospect of getting healthy sounded a LOT better than dying at 35.
Here's a few tips that might help you cut back and stop your drinking....
1. Find a doctor and get yourself checked out physically to see how your body is doing. Share your concerns with the doctor and discuss any possible withdrawl dangers he/she can advise you on. They can also refer you to support groups and or / counseling services in your area that will be free of charge.
2. AA is probably a good place to start and there are meetings all over the place. A little depression counseling doesn't hurt either. If you're having trouble stopping on your own then you need to start treating the addiction right away and a support group like AA would be a fantastic place to start.
3. Open the yellow pages and check out the first few or last few pages. There's usually toll free support line numbers there. Suicide line, depression line, etc... Speaking from personal experience some of the operators on those lines are very capable and can also refer you to support and or counseling groups in your area including AA. I've had some good talks with the operator on the depression lines. If you don't have a phone book then just google "Depression hotline" or "Alcohol support" and your city/state and look at the results.
4. From my own experience I've found that adjusting your sleep schedule so that you get a decent, full nights sleep each night is very helpful. Sleep rejuvinates the body and the mind. Life always seems a lot worse if you're exhausted all day.
5. I've found that a little exercise helps as well. You don't need to get crazy, just do a little bit. Do some stretching in the morning or before you go to bed, Maybe go for a walk in the morning or at night. Bring along your ipod or whatnot and listen to some good music that you enjoy. Classical music, I find, is peaceful and thought provoking. I defy anyone to be upset while listening to classical music.
6. Remember a time when you drank too much even for you. Remember the bad feelings, bad things that happened, and most importantly remember how awful you felt when you woke up the next day (probably late) and how the whole day was ruined. Try to capture that feeling in your mind and think about it. Then think about how much nicer it is to wake up feeling refreshed in the morning, having had a good nights sleep, no hangover, no embarassing memories from the night before. Make that a goal to strive for each day. And each day when you wake up take a moment to realize how much better and nicer it is to wake up that way.
7. Don't be afraid to let people in. Friends, family, etc.. if they care about you then trust me they WANT to be there to help you through this.Don't feel you have to be alone if you have loved ones that are more than willing to go it with you. You don't have to shut people out. Your health, your recovery, is key.
I cannot stress enough how important it is to speak with a doctor about all of this. They can better walk you through the steps you need to take to safely detox from alcohol and help put you on the path to recovery. We can't diagnose you or give you medical advice on here, we can only share our own experiences and thoughts based on what we've gone through. But it's a resource you should certainly utilize!
It's a long road and it certainly isn't easy. Feel free to avail yourself of those hotlines you'll find whenever you want and certainly feel free to come on this forum and share with us if you need to talk or vent or just be heard. There's not much you can tell us on here that we haven't heard or done before! No shame, just support!
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