Am I abusing alcohol?!
Question: Am I abusing alcohol?
My mother has expressed some concern for me in the past, and I told her not to worry. She still buys alcohol, mostly wine and has had some problems herself, in the past, with abusing alcohol, although she has always been highly functioning, like myself.
My mother left on vacation this week, and every night she's been gone, I have had a couple glasses of wine. I had friends over the other night and binge drank vodka and beer with them. Last night I got drunk by myself on half a bottle of wine...
Do you think I might have some substance abuse issues, or do you think that I am 19, it's just a phase and I am being a little dramatic about everything?
Answers:
Hello. You definitely have an alcohol problem. First of all, starting to drink at 13, is a bad sign right there. And 2 signs of somebody with a drinking problem are, drinking alone, and not being able to stop drinking, once you start. I've had a problem with alcohol my whole life, and you sound a lot like me when i was young. Addiction is a very hard thing to overcome, so it would be best for you to do something about it now, before it just gets worse ( and trust me, it will ). I've seen a lot of lives ruined by alcohol abuse, and a family member of mine died from drinking too much. If you are already thinking that you might you have a problem, that means you probably do. I wish you the best. Take care.
Yes, you have a substance abuse problem. Many people start off this way. Get a handle on it now before life's troubles cast you into a deep pit. Teen Challenge is a nice resource and have helped many people with community counseling.
You are NOT alcoholic . You have a good handle on your life
Man i dont care wat none of these ppl say u cant label someone an abuser bcuz they started drinking @ 13 i kno ppl who started smoking cigarettes @ 8. drinking everyday is an alcoholic. drinking everyday all day n using ur last 2 bukks to buy a generic 40 is an abuser. i dont think ur an abuser i think ur an alcoholic. why? bcuz u choose to drink in ur down time whether itd b on the weekend or monday night. they say wine isnt the same as being an alcoholic. which is bs cuz u get drunk offa wine way faster than beer or liquor. u drinking a bunch of wine all the time might earn u the label of abuser jus for the simple fact i kno wen u drink wine ur smashed before the bottle is empty...am i lying? i think uve reached the point between alcoholic n abuser unlike most ppl ur reevaluating urself before u cross that line. that doesnt mean u have to quit drinking period. it means u need to sit down n think about wat weekdays u drink n narrow it down to the weekends n holidays n maybe the occasional week night.
Contd...if u try n u cant stop drinking thru the weekdays u might b on the verge of becoming an abuser. so if u cant do it seek some type of help as a last resort. but for now do urself a favor n start by only one glass of wine/liquor a day n move slowly down to weekends n holidays. if someone has a party on thursday night u can drink. thats wat everyone does at a party. jus b careful how much u intake. if u say u can handle not drinking its wen u drink u dont kno ur stopping point get super dumb wasted n have someone record u. no offense but all ppl who get throwed look n act stupid so mayb if u see urself on camera u kno thats ur breaking point. me im not a drinker but wen i do i kno my end point is a good buzz n maybe a little sideways walking. but i dont ever wanna b wrapped around a toilet throwing up. so thats how i kno wen to stop. find ur stopping point n as long as u kno when its time to quit drinkin n enjoy the buzz u have u shuld b fine.
sounds like me at your age, I had no "off" switch when it came to alcohol. I went to university where lots of drinking took place anyhow, it was fun but I just didnt stop drinking. Id force myself to take breaks for long periods of time as well.
My drinking pattern did not improve and I had the feeling something was different and that could be a more serious problem. I was a straight A student and didnt even drink alcohol until age 16. But once I did, I was hooked.
After university, it just got worse and worse and I just couldnt stay away from alcohol. I just had overwhelming cravings for it. It just got to be progressive and really screwed up my life.
Fortunately there is a new medication that I take that has eliminated any craving for alcohol so I dont drink. So thats pretty awesome.
I suppose you could just wait and see if you go down my route. Its a genetic thing, runs in my family and the reason why I didnt drink until 16 is my parents always warned me that it runs in my family (Irish) on both sides. Half of my family drinks themself to death.
Guess it was dumb to even take that first drink back then.
That may not be you at all. If you start needing alcohol to have fun or choose alcohol over other things in life or if starts causing negative consequences in your life. Then you may want to limit yourself.
THe cool thing is that there is a cheap generic medication that treats people who have nonstop alcohol cravings like I did, that wasnt known about when I was your age so down the road if you have problems with quitting drinking there are options available to help