The giving up/cutting down alcohol support thread! Part 5

graemecarter

stroppy wrote: »

Hello all.... stroppy reporting in

:hello: Fay, can you put me down for 1 please.

Have been reading above posts with interest and think I fall into the same camp as some of you.... A glass or two of wine once the kids are in bed after a long day is something I really look forward to, very rarely go out and get drunk any more. In fact I dont even look forward to it if I know there is a night out planned and usually try and worm my way out of it!I rarely drink anything but red wine and if I didnt have any in would not drink Hubbys lager or any of the various spirits we have in the house(but ive always got some in!). Thing is I really like the taste of a glass of Shiraz and do miss it the nights I dont have a drink. So question I suppose is does that make me an alcoholic or just someone who looks forward to a certain thing to relax me at the end of the day? Just like someone else might look forward to going to the gym or a big bar of chocolate each night?Or is it just a habit?
Sometimes I think I am making too big a thing out of it....It doesnt affect my day to day life...I dont get nasty or abusive....I occasionally let go a bit and perhaps drink a full bottle but even then I dont get really P*****!
Think my main worry is I know I drink over recommended units and I dont want to pickle my liver!
Sorry for the ramble, Im a bit confused today:rolleyes:
I dont think anybody on here is flippant about their drinking habits as they wouldnt be on here in the first place if they were, its just everybodys different and have different approachs on how to handle things. Whatever works for you I say...:D ....Me I havent quite worked out an approach yet apart to sit staring glumly at my soft drink wishing it tasted like Shiraz :rolleyes:
Stroppy xx

It's a great question, and well put.
Alcoholism to me is not so much how much, what and how often you drink, but more of a mindset/state of mind.
I didn't classify myself alcoholic until I went to get help with my drinking (and even then I just wanted help to cut down:D), but it was the thinking and the feelings of the other alcoholics I listened to that left me with no doubt in my mind that I was alcoholic. I didn't share their drinking habits, but I did share how they felt.

It's difficult to define an addiction - maybe if the definition was using a substance to change the way you feel even though there are consequences with it, then perhaps a daily habit that you cannot break is an addiction. Then again, maybe not.
If drinking doesn't affect your day to day life, then you have nothing to worry about!! :T If you are drinking over the recommended units, then perhaps it is a cause for concern. However, drinking too much does not equal alcoholism.

At the end of the day it doesn't matter what I or anyone else thinks. I think the individual knows if they are drinking too much (and why post here if your drinking was normal and it didn't concern you in any way??), and the individual will get the appropriate help when things get too much. However, I would hate to see anyone here lose anything first, so I continue to preach vigilance, and erring on the side of caution.

jo1972

RecoveringAlcoholic wrote: »

For Stroppy:

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Are You An Alcoholic? [/FONT]

You might like to take the following test, developed by the World Health Organisation. To calculate your score add the figures up in the left-hand column. A score of eight or more suggests a drink problem.

http://www.aa-uk.org.uk/publications/areyou.htm

.

I scored 27 out of 38. No surprise to me as I already know I'm an alcoholic, but it certainly does bring it home

honeybear_2

RecoveringAlcoholic wrote: »

http://www.aa-uk.org.uk/publications/areyou.htm

19 :rolleyes:

I am with Stroppy tho, it's the wine not the alcohol that I want

115K

jo1972 wrote: »

I scored 27 out of 38. No surprise to me as I already know I'm an alcoholic, but it certainly does bring it home

I got 27 too.:o

Pippilongstocking

Hello all

I got 18 or 19 (did it three or four times just to check) - Did the same or a similar thing last year and it was much much higher - my habits have changed a bit but not enough!

Sorry FUAS - altered the sheet now Well done on the extra stars

HB hugs me dear

fedupandskint

RecoveringAlcoholic wrote: »

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Are You An Alcoholic? [/FONT]

You might like to take the following test, developed by the World Health Organisation. To calculate your score add the figures up in the left-hand column. A score of eight or more suggests a drink problem.

http://www.aa-uk.org.uk/publications/areyou.htm

I scored 8

TIME2GROWUP_2

I was 19 too... like HB.. but prior to this thread I would have been much higher... so if I hang around maybe it will get lower...:D

Nessa56

fedupandskint wrote: »

I scored 8

I scored 8 too

v
x

yellowmonkey

26 for me :rolleyes:

heath480

0 for me today.22ND May 2003 would have been 32:eek: