Alcoholism

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Not full blown alcoholism I but have been through periods where drinking is a problem for me. Its something I have to keep in check. I also used to work in a drug and alcohol rehab. Physically it can be pretty nasty going through the initial detox and can include seizures and some pretty full on stuff
 

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You hear the term "functioning alcoholic" used a lot these days too. I think many Australians have an unhealthy relationship with alcohol in that sure they can hold down a fairly successful job, not get pissed during the day but drink heavily on a nightly basis, have poor family and social network and underlying mental health issues, obesity and co-morbidities . All these these problems certainly add up over time and could easily turn into the kind of "alcoholic" we think of when we hear that word. One who wakes up in the morning and drinks vodka for breakfast.

Im 29 and every single one of my friends kicked up a stink when those lock out laws came in here in Sydney. As I said in my previous post I have had issues in the past and I think these laws actually helped me in taking a hard look at myself and how I use alcohol.
 
Not personally, i like to drink but never have become addicted to it.
Can stop whenever i like.

However it's in my family, my mum was an alcoholic for about 15 years.
She's around 2 years sober now.
 
I think I'm addicted somewhat, but only that I'll need to have 1, not dozens

Alcoholism was around in my childhood, definitely shaped who I am in a way, not particularly emotional, but I'm yet to find any real adverse effects because of it. Something might sneak up on me one day...
 
Marklar_33 said:
I think I'm addicted somewhat, but only that I'll need to have 1, not dozens
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Yeah, I'm like this. I'll have 1-2 whiskies almost every night. About once a year that can easily creep up to about 5 a night, but once I realise my behaviour is escalating, I can bring it under control again. I can also easily go periods without, which I've done several times.

I've never had alcoholism affect me or my family, but it is something that I'm aware of because I know how much of a slippery slope it can be (I work in the community and have lots of contact with AOD affected people).
 
La Dispute said:
What things did she do?
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Well she's a narcissist as well . Parents divorced when i was 6. I lived with Dad. My sister stayed with Mum. She never came to see me. Only ever saw her when Dad and i picked sister up on weekends. They ( her and bf ) practical bought sister up at pubs. Would bring lots of randoms back to house after a Sunday session. I went back to live there when i was 16. They used to get drunk and scream at each other for hours on end. Would sometimes get violent with each other. Never had any money. We didn't have a car.... Yeah needless to say my child has never seen me drunk. Ever. He never will.
 
I'm not but I was a bit worried a couple of months ago. I went through a two week period of drinking almost a bottle of red a night. Fortunately I got sick and it deterred me from drinking.
 
raskolnikov said:
I'm not but I was a bit worried a couple of months ago. I went through a two week period of drinking almost a bottle of red a night. Fortunately I got sick and it deterred me from drinking.
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'A' bottle?

That's just an entrée
 
My father was an alcoholic from 25 onwards; till his early death at 60 from chronic alcohol abuse.....It's insidious both on an individual & cultural level....It's basically a plague in Scotland....Calvinist Presbyterianism being a significant contributing factor, culturally.
 

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TheWoodenSlug said:
+1 for alcoholic father. It's only in the last few years that we've developed any decent sort of relationship, but I look at a lot of my friends with their fathers and I get incredibly jealous.
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There is much shame attached to alcoholism, as an emotive equivalency.
 
Never been through it personally. Am only 20 so haven't been on the booze for long, and I'm still at home so it's not really something I can do nightly without my parents beginning to take notice. I'm a big drinker though and can drink too much for my own good when I'm out sometimes which is starting to concern me, so trying to fix that up. Tend to have one proper session a week if I have one at all, sometimes it becomes 2-3 times if I have birthdays or other gatherings.

My grandfather was an alcoholic from the time my mother was born right up until his grandkids started coming into the picture (40 years later basically). Well that's what I think anyway. Remember him being on light beers if he was drinking and never remember see him affected much by alcohol so I think he had stopped drinking to the point it was a problem. Damage was already done though. Haven't seen him in 8 years after mental health started becoming a major problem for him after my grandma died and he sold the house and headed to the country. My mum never mentioned it while I was younger, but now I'm drinking she has mentioned it a few times and you can tell she never had any kind of proper relationship with him, seemingly related to drinking. My grandma's family also had a bunch of alcoholics so it's safe to say I've got to watch myself.

I'm lucky that both my parents are responsible. The amount of times I witnessed them in any bad state as a kid would easily be below 10 and they never really drink. Maybe the occasional wine with a meal and some drinks at social occasions, but not really at all at home.

I work in liquor and the drinking culture in this area is pretty disgusting. Lot of working class people, but also your office types thrown in. Many customers easily polishing off a bottle a night, some even coming 5-6 times a week for bottles of whiskey and the cask drinking can be pretty outrageous. Functioning alcoholics a lot of them clearly. They're not as bad as the full-blown ones I've had to deal with on occasions, but you just have to wonder how these adults go home and have any kind of proper happiness and relaxation when all they're doing is hitting the bottle. I couldn't think of anything more s**t than coming home, getting drunk, watching a TV show and going to sleep, while basically being nothing to your loved ones.

I wouldn't have a relationship with either of my parents if they were polishing off a 6 pack nightly or a couple of bottles of red.

I like a wine, beer or glass of whiskey as much as any anyone, but I cannot understand how people can drink such big amounts nightly. A drink to me is for enjoyment, a bit of confidence if you're out and that's it. This idea that drinking nightly to relax from the stresses of work or whatever is a joke.

The way it is so socially acceptable to be drinking large amounts for no good reason at all is a concern. A lot of people these days are rambling on about ice, footy players using coke or they're ripping into stoners for having a joint to relax, yet completely accepting the overuse of the drug that is alcohol, something that damages our society far more than any of those things.

I can't believe I just wrote such a long post basically shitting on alcohol when I enjoy it so much. But at least it reassures me that I can see how damaging it can be. People just seem to ignore a lot of it, and I'm guessing a lot of the time it ends up being too late.
 
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You'd be surprised how prominent it is. I work in alcohol and see women come in nightly and get three bottles of Giesen a night and do this three to five nights a week.

I probably got a bit too dependent on alcohol for a little while. I love a night out and sometimes find myself at the point where with just another mate, we can knock off a slab between us over five hours for pres. I still drink at least once a week socially (and it usually ends up getting close to messy) but I've been trying to stop the knock-offs. One is never enough, five is too many. But it gets too easy to knock off six. What is an alcoholic? Is it busting for a beer after a long, s**t shift? Is it drinking a bottle of red by yourself in the dark on a Tuesday? Is it Melfi taking shots of Belvedere in between clients? I generally think it's when you have a quench and need for it and tend to think about it if you haven't had one – but tbh if you're just at the 'normal bloke' level of alcoholism, ie 6-10 beers across the week outside of a binge, it's pretty easy to look at yourself and just stop drinking. I didn't have a beer for 10 days and didn't really notice it until I thought about it last week.

TBH I think I just like buying piss. I genuinely like the taste of beer and I like trying out new bevs, and I like the culture around sitting with a few mates, watching the footy, or having a few pints and a pub meal. Buying it reminds me of those times, and I'm a sucker for the feeling of splashing $150 on some Levis or even a few bucks on an op shop buy. Being in the environment is bad as well – when there's a good special on, or something new in that looks good, it's a nice reward at the end of work... when I was working at a Woolies, I'd do the same thing with good specials even if it was on something totally s**t for you like iced coffees or lollies...

And as a student I can't really afford the slab and a half a week so I haven't purchased a carton for a while now. Cut down from drinking 2-3 stubbies after a regular five hour shift, to having one.

A good way to stop it is to think of the calories. Because it's not a cheeseburger or a kebab you don't get that guilty feeling, but a six pack is still a fast food meal and then some. I've been doing a lot more exercise and trying to get to the fitness I was at at 17, so doing an hour of exercise and then drinking a few stubbies makes you feel like you've just sweated for no ******* reason. It's worked well for me. And I siphon the cash I'd usually spend into cooking up an extra good meal or two a week, or putting into a clothes fund.

Essentially, I just think we all have our vices. Humans sort of need it. Most people want a wind-down. We're basic and rely on risk/reward mechanisms – some people gamble, some people drink, some people smoke, some love eccies every weekend, some have smaller ones and spend too much money on Asos or eating s**t food too often. I think we're all prone to some sort of unhealthy lifestyle which infringes on our money and health too much. It's a part of who we are.
 
nbaman1 said:
I work in liquor and the drinking culture in this area is pretty disgusting. Lot of working class people, but also your office types thrown in. Many customers easily polishing off a bottle a night, some even coming 5-6 times a week for bottles of whiskey and the cask drinking can be pretty outrageous. Functioning alcoholics a lot of them clearly. They're not as bad as the full-blown ones I've had to deal with on occasions, but you just have to wonder how these adults go home and have any kind of proper happiness and relaxation when all they're doing is hitting the bottle. I couldn't think of anything more s**t than coming home, getting drunk, watching a TV show and going to sleep, while basically being nothing to your loved ones.

I wouldn't have a relationship with either of my parents if they were polishing off a 6 pack nightly or a couple of bottles of red.

I like a wine, beer or glass of whiskey as much as any anyone, but I cannot understand how people can drink such big amounts nightly. A drink to me is for enjoyment, a bit of confidence if you're out and that's it. This idea that drinking nightly to relax from the stresses of work or whatever is a joke.
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Yeah the big thing for me is being drunk. A lot of the people I see are living alone. I've been pretty pissed by myself a few times and it's absolute s**t. Usually when you're agreeing to meet people out, so you have to have a few at home, then the plans go to s**t and you end up a bit woozy watching a John Longmire press conference at 11pm. To me, it's the worst feeling. Being pissed is great fun with your mates – it's a laugh, you talk s**t but it's always optimistic and generally not depressing. Alone, the depression tends to come out and you can find yourself really angsty and nostalgic. Even if I come home from the pub after five pints I tend to chuck on an old album and it really isn't a nice feeling at all.

If I'm having a few with who I'm living with at the time, on say a Wednesday, I don't get pissed. I never did. It was to relax and because there really is nothing better than a good beer after work. Even a s**t beer. So long as it's cold...

The other thing is how full you feel. I don't get how you can drink that much liquid just for the sake of it. You wouldn't drink three litres of coke.

Then there's the feeling of waking up. Even without a hangover, the carbs and the fact you don't have time to process them before laying down to sleep, it just makes you feel heavy, bloated, puffy, and scratchy inside. I hate it. Then again you get this feeling if you have a family pizza to yourself or some toast right before sleeping.

But yeah for me, it's the thought of being drunk alone. I get pissed with my mates, because as you said it's a good way to have a laugh, and it's a byproduct. How many blokes in their 20s catch up outside of drinking? You might go to the footy every so often, a gig or something, but short of a mutual errand, drinking is really the link to hanging out. I can't imagine being even half as pissed as I am on a Saturday at even 11pm, at 9:30 on Monday.
 
Silent Alarm said:
Essentially, I just think we all have our vices. Humans sort of need it. Most people want a wind-down. We're basic and rely on risk/reward mechanisms – some people gamble, some people drink, some people smoke, some love eccies every weekend, some have smaller ones and spend too much money on Asos or eating s**t food too often. I think we're all prone to some sort of unhealthy lifestyle which infringes on our money and health too much. It's a part of who we are.
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This is profound.

I suppose everyone has their coping strategies and is pretty symptomatic of how much we need the distraction. When I was labouring I'd come him and pump joints for hours. Sometimes I'll have a stressful day at work and feel like 3 or 4 Jimmy Squires to unwind.

Whether you're eating junk, watching reality tv, meditating, injecting heroin or chain smoking that sense of escape is ingrained in our society.
 
I'm not necking my first at 3 and I don't get withdrawl after a dry day or 3. I am somewhat dependent thou. I was never a big drinker when younger and even now, even when I have a big one it is usually at the pub and not at a club or something.

But I do drink 6/7 days and am dependent on it to carry me through the week/deal with any stresses that pop up. Life is too relentless at the minute and I find the booze keeps me calm and in check.

I worry about the future/damage I am doing. I have nearly fainted a couple of times on the booze.

Yet lately (since drinking regularly) have more confidence and am less boring so has meant some aspects of my life i.e. career while not high flying brilliant have markedly improved. While I am concerned I don't plan on stopping as I don't want to go down the crapper again. And anyway rather than pop anti ds and anxiety pills a few drinks a night never killed anyone. I just need to stop at 4-5 at time and not keep going.
 
Run n Spread said:
I'm not necking my first at 3 and I don't get withdrawl after a dry day or 3. I am somewhat dependent thou. I was never a big drinker when younger and even now, even when I have a big one it is usually at the pub and not at a club or something.

But I do drink 6/7 days and am dependent on it to carry me through the week/deal with any stresses that pop up. Life is too relentless at the minute and I find the booze keeps me calm and in check.

I worry about the future/damage I am doing. I have nearly fainted a couple of times on the booze.

Yet lately (since drinking regularly) have more confidence and am less boring so has meant some aspects of my life i.e. career while not high flying brilliant have markedly improved. While I am concerned I don't plan on stopping as I don't want to go down the crapper again. And anyway rather than pop anti ds and anxiety pills a few drinks a night never killed anyone. I just need to stop at 4-5 at time and not keep going.
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Sounds like you're in denial man.

I've had three pale ales because my work week has ended and I feel like about five more. Housemate's asleep so it's just me. That's probably alcoholism talking.

It's good you don't indulge but try having one sober night (ie, literally no alcohol) a week and see how it goes.
 
Knew someone who would knock off work and go home via the bottle shop to pick up a bottle of Johnny Red to polish off nightly. Who knows what the weekend involved. If I had a bottle of Johnny Red, it would take me three days to recover. Anyhow, it ended in tears (lost job, kicked out of home etc) and I'm sure there was more than booze being used at the end. I've known two others who have gone to AA (blokes in their 30s). It is difficult for some people to either turn it off or get by managing other things in their life without it.
 
Look at bottle shop anywhere around 3.30/4 and the amount of tradies that pop in for 6 pack/3 or 4 johnny cans for the trip home amazes me. Even when I was young I used to only drink 1 or 2 nights a week, now that I'm married i'd be lucky to have 3 drinks a week, and once ever 4 months have a big night with mates.
 
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deathevocation said:
Knew someone who would knock off work and go home via the bottle shop to pick up a bottle of Johnny Red to polish off nightly. Who knows what the weekend involved. If I had a bottle of Johnny Red, it would take me three days to recover. Anyhow, it ended in tears (lost job, kicked out of home etc) and I'm sure there was more than booze being used at the end. I've known two others who have gone to AA (blokes in their 30s). It is difficult for some people to either turn it off or get by managing other things in their life without it.
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A bottle of Johnny Red a night would leave me dead.

The tradie thing is true.......I drive past the pub at 5pm and most are well sauced but that is more a reflection of their work times. How is a tradie who starts at 6am and strats at 3pm any different from the suit who starts at 9am and starts at 7pm?
 
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