[davidr2287]

My best friend/cousing was killed by a drunk trucker who had just came out of a bar. I suggest you learn how to control it or stay away from it before you get into deeper trouble.

 

[MaZa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ttvetjanu /img/forum/go_quote.gif How do you recommend training self discipline? I will not give up alcohol, I mean, seriously. I am only 20 years old and it is not a constant habit for me to drink.

Age means absolutely nothing. Training self discipline is same whatever you do, you just have to do it and force yourself no matter how much it causes pain. But as in case of alcohol, it is sometimes impossible. One of the effects of alcohol is that it loosens self discipline. Some become talkative, some aggressive, and despite intentions as sober some go bottoms-up in their drinking. As I said, avoid situations where your will to control your drinking/avoid alcohol might be tested too hard. And getting help if you simply cant control it.

 

[MaZa]

Quote:

The kind of alcohol problem you describe is the kind that will eventually end up ruining your life. A person with no alcohol problem does not ever wake up bloody with no memory of what happened the night before.

x2

 

[frozenice]

I don't know how you develop self discipline other than to figure how many drinks you can drink at once - probably one or two and have the control to stop drinking any more that night versus when you want to let loose. The only thing I would say is to make sure you're in safe surroundings (good friends around to look after you and you don't need to drive anywhere) when you let go. It's more about making a conscious decision to drink versus it just happening. You have to make a decision before you start to drink because the other isn't working.

 

[Carmantom]

This link will answer most or more of your questions. Cheers for you to talk about it. It can't hurt to read the page.

Alcoholics Anonymous :

 

[mbriant]

Quote:

How do you recommend training self discipline?

I have no idea. I'm no expert (and doubt you'll find many or even any here .... you need to seek professional advice ) but it's my understanding that it can't be controlled unless you simply quit drinking, because of the very nature of alcohol's effects. It impairs your judgement. While sober you might feel that you'll be able to just have one, or two, or three drinks, then stop, but once the alcohol's in you, your judgement becomes impaired and you can't stop.

Side Note: I did a quick Google of binge drinking and there's plenty of info there. One site that concerned me however ( I'm afraid I forget which one ) was quite large, supposedly created and operated by a single Doctor, and gave me the impression that it was being funded by the alcohol industry. It seemed to focus a lot on student drinking, but appeared to soften the stance taken by most alcohol abuse experts, and intentionally goes out of it's way to contradict them. It also appeared to be aimed directly at students .... the alcohol companies' best customers. For example, it kept saying that despite the generally accepted definitions of "binge drinking", binge drinking actually required 2 solid days/nights of drinking....less than that and they were essentially saying "boys will be boys" ( or girls will be girls of course) This site seemed very similar to the supposedly "authoritative" studies, organizations, and experts the tobacco industry used to fund. If you've ever seen the movie, "Thanks for Smoking", you'll know what I mean.

Anyway, watch out for that. Don't just surf the web, find a single site that appears to cater to your own point of view, and use that to justify continuing destructive behaviour. Again, real medical advice is your best chance of a cure.

 

[Jaska]

Jos tämä ei ole vielä tullut mieleen,

Anna pirulle pikkusormi, niin se vie koko käden.

Muista se!

 

[subtle]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ttvetjanu /img/forum/go_quote.gif I wouldnt go as far as to say I am an alcoholic. I don't drink every weekend, neither do I 'urge' for a drink. It is just the high amounts that I drink when I drink which bothers me.

If you drink to the point of getting drunk, when you do drink, that's the definition of an alcoholic.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ttvetjanu /img/forum/go_quote.gif This would mean skipping about half of all social gatherings we have together.

Sounds like that self-esteem issue you were mentioning.

If you still have that high school mentality where you feel you have to attend every social event, otherwise you're going to miss out on something, then perhaps you should reevaluate things and find something to do that provides your time with a little more meaning? I'm not saying this in a condoning manner, because I've been there before. Getting past that stage is all about maturity.

 

[blem]

Take up another habit

 

[ericj]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mbriant /img/forum/go_quote.gif For example, it kept saying that despite the generally accepted definitions of "binge drinking", binge drinking actually required 2 solid days/nights of drinking....less than that and they were essentially saying "boys will be boys" ( or girls will be girls of course)

I was under the impression that 2 days was when a binge officially became a bender.


I have relatives who have similar drinking issues. It's not that they drink continually, it's that when they drink, they drink for the exclusive purpose of getting drunk. They are never having just a few drinks. It's either just one beer or one glass of wine with dinner, or the goal is to get totally smashed.

Which makes them irritating to be around, unless you also have the same hobby. But - and this is an important point - they have for over a decade somehow managed to keep this from interfering with their business and personal lives.

I think if you've gotten to the point where you occasionally wake up not remembering what happened the night before, it has by definition become a problem.

And the thing about people who can drink enough to completely exit reality for a night and not get hung over is that they don't end up with negative associations toward overdoing it.

For sure your conscious judgement is impaired when you're drunk, but if you've been drunk before and paid for it dearly the next day, there's got to be some part of your subconscious somewhere in your head that recalls what the aftermath is going to be. That voice in the back of your mind that says "Wait a minute. I've been here before, and then later my tongue was stuck to the roof of my mouth, and i threw up, and i had mud butt and a terrible headache all day!"

People who don't pay the price with a hangover end up being the people who really severely damage their internal organs.

 

[1Time]

You can't go back to being a cucumber once you've been pickled.

It is foolish to attempt a reduction or moderation of your intake once drinking has become a problem. You can't do it because alcohol is addictive and you're addicted.

The only solution that prevents an inevitable worsening of this illness is to completely stop drinking. And that usually only happens after intervention or seeking help.

There's plenty of info online, but I suggest seeking help in person. AA meetings are free and can be your path to recovery.

The tougher you may find it to accept these statements, the farther you are away from living without this problem and the more dire your need for help will become.

Alcoholism is a well documented condition. Help is available, and the worst thing you could do is to not seek it.

 

[Superpredator]

I drank too much for a couple years in my early twenties. Much of it had to do with feeling like I constantly needed to have a drink in my hand while I was out in social situations. Three of my grandparents had major dependencies on alcohol, and so do a number of my uncles. Your problem does not sound like alcoholism to me. I think people tend to drink unintelligently when they're young, consuming three or four plus drinks in rapid succession to try to get to a point of feeling level and good. Unfortunately, an hour after your fourth drink, while you're working on number six or seven, you're already past the point of no return. Forty minutes later you're a complete moron.

I turned 30 recently, and alcohol hasn't been very interesting to me for about four years. I just don't like feeling inebriated, and I realized booze isn't a very impressive social lubricant after all. If I do have a drink or two, I drink water in between and afterwards to stay hydrated and prevent any trace of hangover.

Some simple strategies for not getting dumb:

1. Drink one kind of alcohol a night (i.e., don't mix liquor and beer, and don't consume drinks containing more than one kind of alcohol). Mixing tends to cause the effects of alcohol to sneak up on you.
2. Alternate alcoholic beverages with nonalcoholic ones, water if possible or club soda if you want something with some taste. This will keep you from getting too drunk too quickly, and help maintain a stable but enjoyable buzz throughout the night.
3. Don't drink on an empty stomach.

That's it. If you can't stick to that, you've got a problem, be it alcoholism or simple stupidity (I say this as someone who was once pretty stupid).

Society for Neuroscience | Young Brains on Alcohol

 

[rhythmicmoose]

One thing that I honestly think might help you would be to take a "night off." Hang out with your friends like you usually would, but just tell them you're not drinking that night, and don't. As you hang out with your drinking friends that night, you'll gain a much better understanding of what's happening to you when you drink too much. Hopefully this experience will help you be smarter next time you drink.

If you've been drinking for four years though, you should know when to cut yourself off. As a cop once told a friend of mine, "If you're too drunk to have sex, you probably should have stopped drinking."

 

[breakfastchef]

Quote:

Originally Posted by filipelli /img/forum/go_quote.gif I am sorry breakfast chef, but a tone like that does not help anyone. Including people who have substance addictions. It's a bit accusatory and not supportive.

If you are going to open up a 'can of worms' to a forum of people and ask for advice, you better be capable of accepting the replies. I don't care if the subject is drugs, booze, relationships or how many times you have been to jail, don't post if you cannot handle the responses from this widely varied group of people. The guy wakes up one morning in blood and can't remember what happened?! If that is not a serious sign of a problem that requires immediate attention, then you give the OP way too much leeway. Better to be faced with blunt and proper advice rather than crappy advice. The posts following your initial post pretty well sum up and support my 'accusatory' and 'not supportive' tone.

Back to the cans...

 

[dbfreak]

Would a higher tax help?