Levels of alcoholism

[cymru]

I have been reading alot through the threads, old and new recently, and I find it interesting to see the different quantities of alcohol consumed by ppl, and at what level it is considered a problem. Alcoholism is such a complex disease. There is no set drink, amount or brand. We are all unique in this horrible affliction.
I read that for some, finishing a whole bottle of wine in one night is worrying them. For others, 2 to 3 spirits a night is a worry right up to bottles of spirits and more.
When I was trying to give up previously( very much a dry drunk ) if I read a thread and the person was worried because they would finish a bottle of wine a night it used to really bug me for some reason. Alcoholic my arse! I drink a bottle in an hour, and hardly feel a buzz!
But now as I look into it a bit deeper, it's dawned on me what a hugely complex disease alcoholism is. There is no singular solution for it (AA, meds, god, rehab) and I guess that's why there are many internal debates and arguments between us, as what works for one person, doesn't for another. It's finding your way out I guess!
Anyways, just something I was thinking about today!
Cy x

[EnglishWriter77]

Levels of alcoholism

I know what you mean Cy! Sadly I used to feel very dismissive of people who drank a bottle of wine a day - "Yeah, shock horror! Try a bottle of Vodka", etc.

But as you say any frequent reliance upon any form of AL, in any quantity, is a problem. Hopefully I am older, wiser, and more helpful to anyone's problems now, thanks largely to MWO.

[coalfire]

Levels of alcoholism

Yeah I struggle with this one too. Sometimes I read posts that say I drink a few glasses of whatever a night,dont pass out and Im worried.

I look at it and think if I could do that I would pronounce myself cured.Its hard to know why one persons problem would be another persons miracle cure. Maybe cultural differences play a part? In some cultures it is acceptable to drink more than others. Maybe parenthood and high pressure jobs play a part too?Regular nightly consumption of alcohol can leave you feeling a bit blah the next day even if you are not an alcoholic and I think some people just feel that it is dragging them down and that they would be better off without it in their lives.It is hard though not to feel a stab of envy when you read those posts! Aw well we are only human and its good that we can talk openly about it.

[Doggygirl]

Levels of alcoholism

This is a really good topic Cy. Something I heard somewhere along the path made a lot of sense to me. It's not how much or how often we drink that describes the problem, but what happens WHEN we drink that described the problem. If I have difficulty stopping once I start, that is the red flag. There are people who cannot stop at one drink whether they do that daily or once a month, or do it with wine or with whiskey, or who ultimately end up drinking a bottle or a gallon.

One of the things I like in AA is the idea that the ONLY person who decides if I'm alcoholic or not is me. We are all human and it's easy to judge sometimes when I shouldn't (and CAN'T know what is truly inside another person). However I like having the standard of "each person decides for him/herself" as the ideal. In the end, that's how it all works out anyone. We usually don't get serious about seeking help because someone else thinks we have a problem (at least not serious enough to be successful stopping) - we tend to do it when WE finally realize we have a problem.

I like to look for the similarities I have with others rather than the differences. I learn much more about myself that way than when I try to distinquish and distance myself by my differences. (I'm not that bad, I haven't lost __________, etc.)

It took me a long time to "get" this stuff. I'm stubborn!

Cy, you are sounding great. I'm really happy for you!

DG

[coalfire]

Levels of alcoholism

Doggygirl;1085298 wrote: Something I heard somewhere along the path made a lot of sense to me. It's not how much or how often we drink that describes the problem, but what happens WHEN we drink that described the problem. If I have difficulty stopping once I start, that is the red flag. There are people who cannot stop at one drink whether they do that daily or once a month, or do it with wine or with whiskey, or who ultimately end up drinking a bottle or a gallon.DG

Oh look its me! Hi everybody:H:H:H


To all those- cant stop when they start folks like me-here is a little bit of science to maybe explain why. It might help to cut down on the self loathing/ Im a bad person mentality that so many of us develop.
NEWLY IDENTIFIED GENES, NEW DRUGS, SPELL HOPE FOR ALCHOLICS | Lawyers Wellbeing Blog

[cymru]

Levels of alcoholism

Excellent posts. Really got me thinking tdy. Twas my Sunday thought of the day!

[Bean]

Levels of alcoholism

I think the attitude of "I'm not that bad because I only drink beer or wine (vs 'hard liquor')" is a common one.

Bottom line though is that alcohol is alcohol is alcohol...it will inflict the same damage whether it is a nice wine or mouthwash.

God I love being sober!! Good thread Cy.

[theshark]

Levels of alcoholism

excellent topic when i first read the early stages i thought yeh thats me,but i could still identify with problems in the critical and chronic stages and i only drank lager albeit quite a lot on a daily basis

[coalfire]

Levels of alcoholism

Ditto Shark. My first reaction was I am stage one then I made myself count honestly.
Score:
Early phase=20 out of 22
crucial phase=13 out of 31
Chronic phase=7 out of 25

You get a shock when you actually count.

[hippie37]

Levels of alcoholism

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36HquPzdxf4[/video]]YouTube - The Genetics Myth - Clip from Zeitgeist 3: Moving Forward

[Doggygirl]

Levels of alcoholism

The other thing to keep in mind is that this thing is progressive, not static. I used to think my alcoholism was static, and therefore maybe I drank a lot, but was "safe" and not an alcoholic with my life and everything in it at risk.

WRONG.

It just keeps getting worse. The hole keeps getting deeper until we stop digging.

DG

[InChains]

Levels of alcoholism

I have to say reading the list of early stages etc I got a bit of a shock, I didn't fill all of the criteria for early stages, but I picked up more than my fair share of crucial and even a couple from chronic. To me that says alot about stages of alcoholism - by most people's standards on here I do not drink alot, just enough to get a little bit drunk, make the world a little less... solid. I am not a truly heavy drinker - yet over the last 7 years I have clocked up suicide attempts, near death experiences and alot of failed quit attempts. Fact is I don't think alcoholism can be defined by quantity - its down to how drink affects you, which makes sense really, after all you could not catergorically tell everybody that they are drunk after 5or 6 pints for example - that would get me drunk, I am an young, short and underweight but alot of people wouldn't feel the same way.

EDIT: Also agree with what DG says above, its the increase in amount that starts to make the difference after a while.

[kitty72]

Levels of alcoholism

Great thread.

I wasnt going to post this as I dont want to bring AA into it but I have had some people (usually male) at AA tell me that my AL problem of being a functioning alcoholic on 2 bottles of wine a night is 'nothing' - Id like to print this thread out and show them! Grrr!

[mama bear]

Levels of alcoholism

Great thread guys...thanks

[rubywillow]

Levels of alcoholism

My friend Cym, you are a quiet inspiration, because your battle has been a long one, with great highs and lows, but still you fight, and learn. And it's the learning that will eventually save you. Something I think a lot of us have a problem with is tolerance; when we listen to others, we invariably compare their experiences to ourselves. That's not healthy. LEARNING, and listening, is what helps. Every person's problem is as different as a fingerprint, and has to be treated that way.
When I first came, I thought I had some answers. BOY, was I wrong! Maybe I know LESS today, but I am learning. And that's why I stay. Support, an open forum, a place where people can anonymously tell their secrets, that's our strength.
Great post Cym. All the posts are great! It's obviously spoken to a lot of people.:l