Alcohol

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I stopped drinking alcohol about 3 months ago.

Prior to that I was drinking alcohol regularly, often daily and certainly in quantities that went quite a bit beyond a relaxing few drinks to unwind.
- I have since learned that this was just a convenient way for me to manage my lifelong anxiety.

I have always been a very willing drinker; born in a country with a VERY strong alcohol culture.

But what has always surprised me is my ability to literally stop drinking alcohol on the spot.
- I have never needed to gradually reduce my alcohol intake, I just stop drinking it completely.

Was discussing this with my Clinical Psychologist last week.

Despite having a fairly addictive personality as well as periods when I drink far more than is sensible, I have never felt addicted to alcohol.
- I experience NONE of the withdrawal symptoms of alcohol when I stop drinking either

Seems that alcohol addiction has 2 components
- Psychological (habit) addiction
- Physical addiction

An addictive/obsessive personality can be applied in a positive way, by effectively making 'not drinking alcohol' my new addiction/special interest!

It is also clear that, when it comes to alcohol at least, factors that predispose people to physical addiction with alcohol are either missing in me or at the very least, not well formed - for which I am very grateful.

What is your experience, if any, with alcohol?

I think Alcohol can be a trap in some ways. Especially for people socially frustrated who figure they'll go to the bar and get blitzed.

I kind of did that for a while until I got totally hammered and my roommate had to drag me up the stairs to the apartment. I can't say it helped me be more social but was only good at forgetting about my job which I didn't care for much .

Following that episode I was embarrassed and made myself walk across town to pickup my Chevy and drive home. Then I also flat out dropped alcohol for about 8 months.

Now I drink again but with a much different attitude about it all. I'm all about Quality over Quantity. I love to have maybe 1 or 2 premium stout beers or 1 really good pint. Or a glass of good wine. Or at a gathering 2 Jack and Cokes on the rocks spread out over several hours. I prefer to not ever go past a lite buzz at most and don't ever want to get close to having hangovers again.

I guess the only other thing to add is I wouldn't say I felt addicted exactly but there was an occasional craving. Mostly just when I was in the store going by the liquor and wine aisle.

I stopped drinking after I wound up in jail for a few days earlier this year. I had used booze for various reasons over the years -- because I hated where I was living, because it helps me sleep, or on the night I went to jail, to deal with panic attacks and meltdowns.

The circumstances of me going to jail were pretty f**ked up, though. I had a panic attack, got drunk to deal with it, tried to leave the house, and my dad, for reasons I'll never understand, thought it would be appropriate to tackle me to the ground and put bruises all over my body, and the cops were called and I'm the one who went to jail. I was drunk and trying to go outside and avoid a confrontation, and he was drunk and assaulting me, and who goes to jail? Don't spend too much time trying to figure that one out or your head will explode.

Anyway, ever since then, my parents have been keeping an eye on their booze so I can't steal it anymore, but I doubt that I would drink any even if it was just sitting out. I was never addicted to it and craving it. I just drank impulsively. But even before the little "incident," I was already getting sick of it. Sick of hangovers, sick of it not really accomplishing anything. It was a distraction and an escape, but it's not worth it.

I always had a preference for the premium craft beers/microbrews. So yeah I am definately a quality over quantity person, and I think it mostly has to do with how I was raised to be honest. Some people do however give me amusing responses when I tell them my favorite brews, some of which go by the names of Blithering Idiot, Arrogant Bastard and Mad Elf.

I was a binge drunk for years and I think compulsion was a major factor. I've been told that I do not have the classic personality of an alcoholic but nonetheless I cannot drink. Alcohol triggers that compulsion. I am so lucky that once it was completely out of my system, I no longer craved it. If I am around it and can smell it strongly, I can start feeling nostalgic for it, so I avoid those situations. You are lucky Blindspot149, I needed rehab to stop and even that has a 1% success rate. December 21st will be 12 years sober for me!

- Apart from the usual destructive effects of alcohol, I also found that my appetite got out of control
- One additional benefit to being alcohol free is weight reduction down to a very healthy level



- I have completely lost interest in alcohol



Congratulations! 12 years WTG

I did cut down on drinking.......In the past there have been times when I'm drinking every day, though for me it usually does not seem that hard to just cut down or stop if I want to though. But yeah now I mostly drink beer and will drink hard alcohol on occasion.

I love going out every so often with friends/family to drink, but it has been a long time since I've even had alcohol in my apartment. Right now I'm cutting back because I'm trying to lose inches off my waist. I'm pretty much the same way towards soda. I'll drink it every so often, but I will try to avoid it when I can.

I tried my first drink when I was with my parents on vacation---many years ago---yes I was of legal age. I got a Pinacolade (spelling???). I liked it. But to taste something like a beer that I tried with my grandfather once---ughhhhhhhh. I just don't have the taste for it. But mixed drinks---not bad. At the most, I probably had three a year. Being on Coumadin, I felt like I shouldn't even have an occasional drink, but I believe on rare occasion it is ok??? So I tried a beer again a few months ago and ughhhhhhhh. I will pass on beer---just can't get used to the taste of it. And wine---about the same way.

Most forms of alcohol (wine, beer, rum, etc.) either make me ill, or I can't stand the taste of them. The only exceptions I've found are really good bourbons and scotches, which I'll very rarely drink, and only to be socialable when someone else is buying.

Very, very rarely, when I want to get drunk, I indulge in really good tequila. I typically plan those times to be surrounded by people I trust, as I don't like giving up control of my mind or body. I'm happy to report that I'm a very pleasant person when drunk, out of my shell and apparently very entertaining.

Alright! congratulations on that almost 12 years

I also have had a history of binge drinking, mostly in my teen years, but again in my late 30's. It got really bad in 2007 where it became pretty much daily, all day. I was to the point of getting the shakes. Then I went to a rehab in Jan of 2008. I have managed to stay mostly sober since then, with only a few "slips". Now I'm almost 2 months clean & sober.

I mostly had an addiction problem with pot, going on and off "the wagon" 10 times since 1988. But anytime I drank alcohol I did it specifically for the purpose of getting drunk as hell. Mostly at times to manage social anxiety.
The pot was mainly to enhance periods of isolation, not social reasons.

I was a binge drinker in my teen years. I believe that my depression was the cause.
However I no longer touch alcohol due to two reasons...

1. The last time I drank, I ended up with alcohol poisoning and could have died.
2. I can't drink alcohol with the medication I'm taking.

I drink alcohol on occasion, never going over five drinks (if it's a big party or celebration). I have a seizure disorder which really gets worse if I drink a lot. I only really drink beer and every time I've had wine my body has exploded in pain. Once I blacked out for 1 second after just 5 glasses of wine. Once I had cider and almost stopped breathing.

For ages I stopped drinking and I did it cold turkey and didn't even notice it. I wasn't going out so I didn't get any anxiety.

I always tell people that I could never get addicted to smoking cigarettes too. I'll have one and then can't be bothered having a second. I'd probably smoke more when drinking, but again, the seizure disorder stops me.

I wouldn't consider myself a binge drinker, but I am a very heavy social drinker. Really, it's the only (legal) thing I can do to get over my anxiety when I'm around a lot of people. I've been told that I'm a lot more fun to be around when I'm drunk, and I'm much more sociable/talkative. The only issue is, though I lose my social inhibitions, I tend to babble excessively about my "obsessive" interests, ie, going around the bar trying to draw people into conversations about physics, philosophy, etc, lol.

Oddly enough, I'm also a very "huggy" drunk

It's not uncommon to over drink when you're young and still actively socializing. It doesn't mean you're an alcoholic necessarily. Years later when it starts to screw up your life and you try to moderate or quit and you can't, when you start to have blackouts, when you get the shakes in the morning, when you hate it but you still can't stop, then you need to worry. The thing about alcoholism is by the time you realize you're an alcoholic, you're an alcoholic. Few of us have the presence of mind to recognize the warning signs before it's too late. Forget rationale-doesn't apply.

I've almost developed an alcohol problem when I was in my early 20s. I would have 2 ginger ales with Gin before bedtime every night. I didn't like my job and I was a very lonely kid. All that came to an end when I was diagnosed with Depression, Psychosis and Anxiety at the age of 23. I'm not supposed to drink with my medication. I guess that my shrinks and my doctor caught onto what I was doing. They knew that I was starting to develop a poor appetite and a drinking problem.