Do you think I have a problem with alcohol?

[tyrantblade]

I have come to realize that this is the best replica watch forum after 2/4 of the major forums have banned me, will never let me back, and think I'm a huge joke.

The only other 1 that I'm still on would probably see my banned if I posted like I used to on bz (after all, trailboss admitted he would of banned me if he wasn't so lazy).

So I have to wonder what you guys think.

To give you guys some background, I have blacked out 3 times (twice from drinking too much alcohol, one time I set out to drink twice as much as I do in a usual week (i usually drink once a week); one time I wanted to make sure my younger brother didn't lose his job because if he did I would have needed to pay more on bills, which is already hard, and he sometimes drinks when he has to work that night, and the other time I was just really mad at somebody when I was still in school and when I "woke up" it was already done.

In addition to my diagnosis of bipolar-nos I used to be a self-harmer (cutting mostly), but haven't cut in about 4+ years, even when I couldn't get my mental health Medication. (An anti-psychotic).

What do you think?

[Nanuq]

TB, I am nowhere near the smartest guy in the room, but I've learned a few things. One is, if you're asking questions like that, chances are you have a reasonable concern. If there's a concern, then something deep in your mind is trying to get your attention. It's putting two and two together and coming up with an answer it doesn't much like.

That's a good thing. Your subconscious is sending you a signal that it's worried. My advice... pay attention to it.

I have some friends here that are in recovery and swear by the AA program. Go find a meeting and give them a chance. If you really do have a problem, they'll do anything to help you. If you don't have a problem you'll make some amazing friends and still be welcome to attend.

Steel sharpens steel. Find some steel to stand with you.

[tyrantblade]

AA  meetings = admitting to being an alcoholic, I really don't think I have a problem.

I just wanted some insight as to what you guys think.

[imajedi]

I have a lot of experience in this area, I checked my former roommate into detox and he is a self admitted alcoholic now and been sober since the day I took him in. A girlfriend of mine has similar problems with cutting etc and even tried to commit suicide. She also had a problem drinking until she blacks out. I have had many long talks with her and she is not an alcoholic in the traditional sense but uses alcohol to deal with the issues from her mental health problems. However, after a lot of soul searching, she's realized alcohol just makes her other issues worse or even magnified and so she's been forced to give it up. My advice would be to have a lot of honest conversations with yourself and others and ask if alcohol is helping or hurting. If it's hurting, why bother trying to label yourself one way or the other, just stop.

[Nanuq]

AA meetings aren't only for people willing to admit they have a problem. I used to think they were until I had a few long conversations with people that attend. They're a place for people to go and find a brotherhood to stand with them. If that makes it easier to figure out what's going on, it can't hurt to try, eh?

[droptopman]

I have worked in Behavioral Health for over 20 years.

I am in recovery.

Some good advice given here. AA is free and highly effective for millions of people. Great place to go and find support.

If you are not comfortable with AA, I might suggest that you seek an addiction professional for a screening/assessment and get some feedback from them. I do know alcohol and/or drugs will exacerbate co occurring conditions. So for folks that have other mental health diagnoses, using either can be problematic. See a specialist though as most of the healthcare system is not experienced in dealing with addiction and co occurring disorders. It is a specialty and takes specific education and experience to be effective.

Good luck.

[Sogeha]

I can only wish you the very best of success in overcoming alcohol issues. I've a history of outages myself and although it is now under control, I didn't follow anything like a normal recovery program.

[Maron]

Hey buddy.

I feel your pain, I myself have struggled with addiction for 19 years. I wouldn't call it a struggle anymore though, but I'll always be an addict.

Let's get to you. I'm going to give you some advice, and then I'm going to contradict that advice , kind of. The forum is great for sharing and for a sense of belonging. That being said don't expect appropriate or good advice about this topic here. Now I'm going to give you a little advice, seek professional help. The guys on this forum are not professionals and if they are this is not a professional setting. Another piece of advice, put alcoholism on the back burner. You suffer from.a mental illness, let that be your focus. Are you taking your medication? Are you managing your lifestyle ? Including sleep, stress, exercise, nutrition? I can tell you aren't because you shouldn't be drinking, period.

My advice is focus on your mental health. Seek professional help for the management of your mental illness and to promote your mental well being. You may be an addict but addiction is a symptom of poor mental well being.

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[tyrantblade]

6 hours ago, Maron said:

Hey buddy.

I feel your pain, I myself have struggled with addiction for 19 years. I wouldn't call it a struggle anymore though, but I'll always be an addict.

Let's get to you. I'm going to give you some advice, and then I'm going to contradict that advice , kind of. The forum is great for sharing and for a sense of belonging. That being said don't expect appropriate or good advice about this topic here. Now I'm going to give you a little advice, seek professional help. The guys on this forum are not professionals and if they are this is not a professional setting. Another piece of advice, put alcoholism on the back burner. You suffer from.a mental illness, let that be your focus. Are you taking your medication? Are you managing your lifestyle ? Including sleep, stress, exercise, nutrition? I can tell you aren't because you shouldn't be drinking, period.

My advice is focus on your mental health. Seek professional help for the management of your mental illness and to promote your mental well being. You may be an addict but addiction is a symptom of poor mental well being.

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I actually sleep good most of the time, I try to exercise, but don't always.

My stress level is usually pretty low, it has been high before, but I've not been super stressed about anything in a while.

As far as nutrition goes I make some good choices and eat/drink healthier choices than I ever have before.

And I almost always take my medication and manage a good level of stability in that I haven't gotten really depressed in a while, haven't self harmed in years.

So other than my once weekly drinking too much I think I'm doing pretty good.

Yes I've been in a bad place before, but I'm not right now and it's been a while since I drank in so much excess as to black out (it did happen twice though, I admit I took it too far those times, once was my choice because I drank a level matching my stress; terrible idea).

I suppose most days it's probably more to chase the feeling and partly out of habit that I choose to drink.

Edited December 18, 2016 by tyrantblade

[Butch_Coolidge]

If you don't have a problem with alcohol, you wouldn't have any trouble not drinking once a week as you put it. My guess is that like most people, you have similar issues. Sounds like they are worse while drinking. Maybe you are seeking attention, or just looking for an excuse to act out and blame it on the booze? Whether you're comfortable or willing to admit your an alcoholic, your acting the part. Doesn't matter if you do it once a week or daily. The same bad things can happen, and the consequences can last a lifetime.......if you have one. My guess is that you think this behavior is cool, and dig the drama. Any attention is good attention. You owe it to yourself to go to a couple of meetings, and say what your saying here. People won't judge you, but you may learn something.


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[tyrantblade]

Maybe I'll stop drinking, or at least cut back to only a few times a year next year.

It's not like I really can't stop as I'm not addicted.

[docthor]

2 hours ago, tyrantblade said:

Maybe I'll stop drinking, or at least cut back to only a few times a year next year.

It's not like I really can't stop as I'm not addicted.

...this is something my father said...year after year after year...it was a terrible time for me as a kid seeing my father always being drunk (he was a so called "level drinker"...trying to always stay at the same level of being drunk). I totally lost my respect for him and one day (1988, I was a little over 18 already) I told him what a stupid little prick he is in my eyes. Only brave when he's drunk, beating his son and his wife, always lying, giving away all the money we had, cheating on his wife...he cried like a baby.

Few month later he went to the hospital himself, getting rid of the poison. He stayed in hospital 3 weeks and never ever drank alcohol again till he died in 2007. I was very proud of my father and I highly respected him and what he did at the end. The only way to get rid of that daemon is to admit that there is a problem and that it's your problem.

 

You sound to me like a so called "quarterly drinker". No alcohol for days or even weeks and then "BAMM"... . Don't fool yourself, don't tell yourself it's no problem and you're no addict and you can stop that every time...  The least you should do is to get in contact with a professional and let him rate your situation.

 

And to answer your question...yes...I think you have a problem with alcohol. But this is nothing that can't be solved

[tyrantblade]

I'll make no excuses, I usually drink one night per week, after my work week is over.

Holidays just give me reason to drink one or two more times than usual.

And I'm not the type to get of control either, I just get really calm, relaxed and just enjoy things more when drunk (i dont drive, so I can't drink and drive (not that I would; or anything like that); I'm just a home drinker really except for the rare occasion that I get 1 or 2 drinks at a social gathering type thing.

[liamerai91]

You can be an alcoholic who only drinks once a week and you can be a non-alcoholic who drinks 3+ times a week. (IMO)
It's ALL about the WHY.

Do you drink because you're bored? Sad? Stressed?

Gotta ask yourself those kinds of questions because merely basing your stability level on how often you drink doesn't cut it.

Impairment goes much further than the night of and morning after. When using substances of any kind on a regular basis your perception of reality will be altered most of that time in between too, until you give yourself a long period of sobriety, then you get your moment of clarity, which is more like a life of clarity if you seize it.

Either way drinking is not an intelligent thing for a human being to do. I feel society has come to a point where drinking is simply regarded as "normal". It's not... and it's definitely NOT okay for a lot of people out there.

My advice? You write down your pros and cons of drinking, if you have ONE con... ditch the [censored].

Sobriety isn't all that boring. Never have to worry about getting DUI, rides, sick, hungover, late to work, beat up, that awful taste in your mouth when you wake up.

It can be an enlightening experience, you get to ask yourself "When I was a kid, what did I do with all my time? What kept me so busy and intrigued?" Then you get to go find those things and apply them, fill your life up with meaningful activities and things you can see clearly and hold on to.

5+ years sober for me. Watches/reps Hobby was one of my life fillers!

Never going back.


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[Nanuq]

That's a heck of a post Liamerai. Well said.

[tyrantblade]

I think most of the time it's not because I'm stressed (although I'm always a little stressed from work), but because it's became something I do habitually once every week, and it just relaxes me and makes me enjoy everything so much more.

[tyrantblade]

I will definitely drink less next year, especially since there will be increased focus on saving money (i didn't even drink most of my last couple bottles because my younger brother did)

[tyrantblade]

Okay, I didn't want to stop drinking before; but I'm serious now, I'm running out of alcohol and I need to start saving money, so starting tomorrow I'm going to cut way back.

[docthor]

Press my thumbs for you mate

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[Sogeha]

@tyrantblade Good luck and best wishes mate. In the end alcohol is a poor substitute for a life you actually enjoy. There are a few of us here figured that out the hard way.

[hologramet]

What meds are you? 

The bipolar disorder, is it type 1 or 2? 

Regarding addiction, you have a huge predisposition due to your bipolar diagnosis, and you will be inclined wether you like it or not to alter your state of mind with behaviors and if that is too complicated with chemicals. 

 

My tip to you, speaking from experience. 

Don't try to drink less, ergo don't try to limit your consumption, cut it fully. And it will be hard, relapses are part of it. 

 

If you need someone to speak with, send me a PM and I will do my best to aid you from both a professional and personal experience. 

 

Admitting the problem and asking for help is the hardest obstacle. Congratulations! Now starts the rest of your life! 

[tyrantblade]

Well, I got drunk a few times this year including tonight, what can I say; life seems designed to make somebody suffer if they try to get ahead, took me years to start getting somewhere in life; only to keep getting pulled down in some way, the latest being this scumbag that sent me a CNET Magazine instead of a ps4 pro.

[tyrantblade]

I might have overdone it but I drank 1/3rd of a 1.75L of Vodka, took Seroquel XR, sertraline and 16 Zzz-quill pills

[Mike on a bike]

Relax just another night, I was teenager in the 70's you have no idea.......................

Sorry didn't read the whole thread just your last post. STOP drinking you have enough on your plate without the booze. Being let us say without any baggage I was able to do stupid things w / little consequence, luck of the draw...............

[tyrantblade]

Yeah I know now that I should stop, I just keep getting tempted to go back to drinking when life sucks and I don't want to think.