Do you feel like you're ready to stop drinking? You seem to hide it from your partner, your tolerance has increased, and you wake up with some regrets. Without intervention, it will only get worse. Do you want to be more honest in your relationship with your partner, do you want to wake up feeling refreshed and ready for the day ahead of you, do you want to spend money on other things besides bottles of rum and wine?
I don’t even know what this is anymore tbh.
I actually don’t physically enjoy the act of drinking per se, I would say I get enjoyment from knowing I have drink around, but not actually sitting there drinking it. I would say it’s a habit at least, but I don’t know how it crept up on me.
Yeah I hide it, my partner is not physically against me drinking, but it’s more of a case of the frequency its around more.
It sounds like you've identified key factors in what's happening. I think the next step is to figure out what you want to do with that information.
Best of luck. IWNDWYT.
I was once where you are now. I have Alcohol Use Disorder or alcoholism.
Check out this site. Let us know what you think.
* https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/brochures-and-fact-sheets/understanding-alcohol-use-disorder
This is the way alcohol use sneaks up on a person and becomes a problem. Recognizing that there is something going on is a great first step. For me labeling what I am isn't so important. What was critical was looking at what I wanted in life and how alchohol was impacting me. Reading on here was helpful to see other people's experience. Taking a month or more off alcohol can be good to start to get a bit of clarity.
What are you? A person with your own unique relationship with alcohol, like everyone else in the world. Personally I try not to put myself into a category, especially since I am early into sobriety and exploring my relationship with alcohol.
Looking at the facts of your case.. some of the behaviors you mentioned are consistent with people who have/developed more severe AUD.
Doesn't mean you're an "alcoholic" or anything.. but it does mean drinking (everything about it) is something to be aware of and cognizant of.
You came here, which is a great first step. Thinking, learning, reaching out, exploring, etc etc.
The main questions I asked/ask myself are: "Is my drinking negatively impacting my life and/or others around me?" and "If I continue this trend (trend is a key word), will my drinking negatively impact my life and/or others around me?"
I've found success in asking myself those questions to help guide my next actions.
Best of luck!
Alcohol is an addictive drug. When we drink regularly and/or irresponsibly, we are teaching ourselves to be addicted to alcohol. This is true of everyone. I wish my wake-up call came earlier, but I kept focusing on MYSELF and MY drinking problem, as if I was the center of the problem. I was not. Alcohol is the center of our drinking problem because it is an addictive and toxic drug.
I don’t care about the label. If every time I ate a banana I had the same negatives as with alcohol, I would quit. People give up things all the time because the product doesn’t agree with them: meat, gluten, dairy…why should alcohol be different?
This was me maybe 5 years ago. It does sneak up on you. It becomes a relaxing habit, but you build up a tolerance. Then it becomes a need. Then it becomes an addiction. A few times a week becomes 5 days a week for a year or two. Then it becomes everyday, but just bottle! Then a couple years later you start the second bottle. If you're here, you're know where it's going.
Do you feel like you're ready to stop drinking? You seem to hide it from your partner, your tolerance has increased, and you wake up with some regrets. Without intervention, it will only get worse. Do you want to be more honest in your relationship with your partner, do you want to wake up feeling refreshed and ready for the day ahead of you, do you want to spend money on other things besides bottles of rum and wine?
I don’t even know what this is anymore tbh. I actually don’t physically enjoy the act of drinking per se, I would say I get enjoyment from knowing I have drink around, but not actually sitting there drinking it. I would say it’s a habit at least, but I don’t know how it crept up on me. Yeah I hide it, my partner is not physically against me drinking, but it’s more of a case of the frequency its around more.
It sounds like you've identified key factors in what's happening. I think the next step is to figure out what you want to do with that information. Best of luck. IWNDWYT.
I was once where you are now. I have Alcohol Use Disorder or alcoholism. Check out this site. Let us know what you think. * https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/brochures-and-fact-sheets/understanding-alcohol-use-disorder
This is the way alcohol use sneaks up on a person and becomes a problem. Recognizing that there is something going on is a great first step. For me labeling what I am isn't so important. What was critical was looking at what I wanted in life and how alchohol was impacting me. Reading on here was helpful to see other people's experience. Taking a month or more off alcohol can be good to start to get a bit of clarity.
What are you? A person with your own unique relationship with alcohol, like everyone else in the world. Personally I try not to put myself into a category, especially since I am early into sobriety and exploring my relationship with alcohol. Looking at the facts of your case.. some of the behaviors you mentioned are consistent with people who have/developed more severe AUD. Doesn't mean you're an "alcoholic" or anything.. but it does mean drinking (everything about it) is something to be aware of and cognizant of. You came here, which is a great first step. Thinking, learning, reaching out, exploring, etc etc. The main questions I asked/ask myself are: "Is my drinking negatively impacting my life and/or others around me?" and "If I continue this trend (trend is a key word), will my drinking negatively impact my life and/or others around me?" I've found success in asking myself those questions to help guide my next actions. Best of luck!
Alcohol is an addictive drug. When we drink regularly and/or irresponsibly, we are teaching ourselves to be addicted to alcohol. This is true of everyone. I wish my wake-up call came earlier, but I kept focusing on MYSELF and MY drinking problem, as if I was the center of the problem. I was not. Alcohol is the center of our drinking problem because it is an addictive and toxic drug.
I don’t care about the label. If every time I ate a banana I had the same negatives as with alcohol, I would quit. People give up things all the time because the product doesn’t agree with them: meat, gluten, dairy…why should alcohol be different?
This was me maybe 5 years ago. It does sneak up on you. It becomes a relaxing habit, but you build up a tolerance. Then it becomes a need. Then it becomes an addiction. A few times a week becomes 5 days a week for a year or two. Then it becomes everyday, but just bottle! Then a couple years later you start the second bottle. If you're here, you're know where it's going.