Am I an alcoholic?

The OP thinks anyone with alcohol constantly running through their veins qualifies as an alcoholic... though I doubt you’re actually looking to land in that category on purpose.

redpilot37 said:Yeah, maybe it’s better to just focus on the positives. Like, hey, you were an attractive kid... When I talk this openly about past trauma, I feel like I'm just fishing for sympathy... but whatever, I want to be strong. Still, it's a reality you can't just run away from. There's power in us—we can either deal with it or just remain unknown. But honestly, the reality is that it left its mark.

It’s easy to lean on excuses. There really is only one path toward true strength, and that’s taking responsibility. It’s about training yourself so that your word actually carries weight—meaning if you say you're going to do something, you actually do it, and you always tell the truth because you never intentionally lie.
There isn't some magic potion that’s going to transform you overnight, and there’s no sudden "eureka" moment. It’s just the steady work of building integrity, which is what ultimately leads to genuine self-respect and confidence.

briskbison47 said:It’s easy to lean on excuses. There really is only one path toward true strength, and that’s taking responsibility. It’s about training yourself so that your word actually carries weight—meaning if you say you're going to do something, you actually do it, and you always tell the truth because you never intentionally lie.
There isn't some magic potion that’s going to transform you overnight, and there’s no sudden "eureka" moment. It’s just the steady work of building integrity, which is what ultimately leads to genuine self-respect and confidence.

I don't think we need to change. You can't really change your core character anyway. We should just accept who we are and live like that...
unknown...taking responsibility once a decision is made, no matter what follows, is what actually makes us strong.

redpilot37 said:I don't think we need to change. You can't really change your core character anyway. We should just accept who we are and live like that...
unknown...taking responsibility once a decision is made, no matter what follows, is what actually makes us strong.

Right, responsibility. And honestly, even if you consider yourself incredibly weak, you can learn from it if you actually have the willpower to stop moping after you've completely screwed up.

briskbison47 said:Right, responsibility. And honestly, even if you consider yourself incredibly weak, you can learn from it if you actually have the willpower to stop moping after you've completely screwed up.

No matter how much we mess up, somehow, at the end of the day, things usually work out...

redpilot37 said:The OP thinks anyone with alcohol constantly running through their veins qualifies as an alcoholic... though I doubt you’re actually looking to land in that category on purpose.

If there’s an actual issue on the table, I really think you have to make a conscious choice to categorize it as such—it’s about owning the reality of the situation. To me, failing to label a problem clearly isn't just being optimistic; it's essentially choosing to ignore that the problem exists in the first place.
There’s a massive difference between simply accepting where you stand in life—really owning your current situation—and just playing the victim because you refuse to look the truth in the eye. It’s one thing to acknowledge the reality of your circumstances, but it’s another thing entirely to stay stuck in the same cycle of problems just because you're too afraid to face what's right in front of you. Avoiding the issue doesn't solve anything; it just keeps you paralyzed.

redpilot37 said:I don't think we need to change. You can't really change your core character anyway. We should just accept who we are and live like that...
unknown...taking responsibility once a decision is made, no matter what follows, is what actually makes us strong.

It’s not like we’re required to change—I mean, nobody is forcing us to reinvent ourselves overnight—but I’ve been thinking that change isn't always a bad thing. In fact, sometimes it's exactly what's needed to move forward. Even just the act of finally taking responsibility for something we've been avoiding... well, that's a shift in itself. To me, that kind of internal pivot is a positive change, regardless of how much it disrupts the status quo.

redpilot37 said:No matter how much we mess up, somehow, at the end of the day, things usually work out...

It always seems to work out somehow... but that isn't necessarily a good thing. 🙄

Megan Wilson12 said:If there’s an actual issue on the table, I really think you have to make a conscious choice to categorize it as such—it’s about owning the reality of the situation. To me, failing to label a problem clearly isn't just being optimistic; it's essentially choosing to ignore that the problem exists in the first place.
There’s a massive difference between simply accepting where you stand in life—really owning your current situation—and just playing the victim because you refuse to look the truth in the eye. It’s one thing to acknowledge the reality of your circumstances, but it’s another thing entirely to stay stuck in the same cycle of problems just because you're too afraid to face what's right in front of you. Avoiding the issue doesn't solve anything; it just keeps you paralyzed.

It’s not like we’re required to change—I mean, nobody is forcing us to reinvent ourselves overnight—but I’ve been thinking that change isn't always a bad thing. In fact, sometimes it's exactly what's needed to move forward. Even just the act of finally taking responsibility for something we've been avoiding... well, that's a shift in itself. To me, that kind of internal pivot is a positive change, regardless of how much it disrupts the status quo.

It always seems to work out somehow... but that isn't necessarily a good thing. 🙄

Whatever we choose to accept... whatever decisions we make or how we live our lives... we're all just learning about responsibility one way or another.

redpilot37 said:Whatever we choose to accept... whatever decisions we make or how we live our lives... we're all just learning about responsibility one way or another.

And the foundation of any kind of responsibility is the truth. Don't forget that.

briskbison47 said:And the foundation of any kind of responsibility is the truth. Don't forget that.

At least being honest isn't that hard.

For anyone out there feeling like they're struggling right now, I really think you should check out this community:

https://www.reddit.com/r/stopdrinking/

Melissa Wilson38 said:For anyone out there feeling like they're struggling right now, I really think you should check out this community:

https://www.reddit.com/r/stopdrinking/

I've actually been following them for a little while now... 👍

The thing is, I can go days, weeks, or even a whole month without touching a drop, but my real issue is that I tend to drink all by myself, mostly just because I'm bored or maybe it's just become one of those mindless habits, and once I actually get started, I just don't know how to pull the brakes, so almost every single time I end up drinking until I'm completely wasted...

Emily Barrett9 said:I've actually been following them for a little while now... 👍

The thing is, I can go days, weeks, or even a whole month without touching a drop, but my real issue is that I tend to drink all by myself, mostly just because I'm bored or maybe it's just become one of those mindless habits, and once I actually get started, I just don't know how to pull the brakes, so almost every single time I end up drinking until I'm completely wasted...

What you’ve described there is pretty much a textbook case of binge drinking. Now, whether it’s just occasional intoxication or if you’ve already crossed into actual alcoholism—well, you aren't going to get that answer from a forum. But, honestly, the mere fact that you're worried about how much you're drinking, how often, and why you're doing it... in my opinion, that's enough reason to go ahead and talk to your family doctor about it.

Sent from my PRA-LX1 using Reddit

Emily Barrett9 said:I've actually been following them for a little while now... 👍

The thing is, I can go days, weeks, or even a whole month without touching a drop, but my real issue is that I tend to drink all by myself, mostly just because I'm bored or maybe it's just become one of those mindless habits, and once I actually get started, I just don't know how to pull the brakes, so almost every single time I end up drinking until I'm completely wasted...

Look, Emily Barrett9, trust me on this: anyone who isn't a drinker isn't going to be sitting there wondering if they're an alcoholic. That’s just my two cents, anyway...

briskbison47 said:Look, Emily Barrett9, trust me on this: anyone who isn't a drinker isn't going to be sitting there wondering if they're an alcoholic. That’s just my two cents, anyway...

But honestly? I've second-guessed myself about a million different things at some point—so I wouldn't say it's all just black and white.

silentcanyon83 said:Hello everyone! 🙂 I think I might be facing a problem that I don't quite know how to tackle. Alcohol... it seems to be a very frequent presence in my life. On most days, I'll have at least three or four drinks—meaning at least half a bottle of wine. On the weekends, it’s always a full bottle for me. During the week, I'm usually having one, two, or three glasses quite often. I'm starting to worry because that buzzed feeling creates this sense of happiness where I can just "disconnect" from the world, and it feels wonderful...

To give you a little bit of my history... I'm 31, and on paper, everything seems perfectly normal. I finished school, went through college, and have a steady job. But ever since I was a teenager, maybe 15 or 16, when weekend parties and going out first started, I always felt the need to drink until I was completely hammered. Always until I didn't feel so great. Back then, though, it was strictly a weekend thing. That changed about three years ago when I finally moved out of my parents' house into my own apartment. That's when I realized how lovely it is to get drunk all by myself. You don't have to talk to anyone; you just relax and sip away. The trouble is, slowly but surely, this has become more appealing than actually socializing with people. And once I start, it's so difficult to stop, so I often end up drinking alone...

Though, I suppose I am still somewhat "responsible," since I don't overdo it during the work week, mostly because I know I have to be able to function at my job.

People... what should I do? Should I look into Alcoholics Anonymous or something similar? Are there others out there dealing with the same thing? 😵😵

Honestly, don't sweat it too much! A huge percentage of Americans fall into the category of notorious heavy drinkers; in fact, about ten years ago, Forbes.com confirmed this by placing us right at the top of the global rankings for alcohol consumption. We actually outpaced even the famous Russian binge drinkers, and even the Mexicans are far behind us on that list. If you're knocking back a bottle of wine over a weekend, the average American is polishing off at least two or three 🙏

Most of the people on these forums giving you advice in your daily life are just your run-of-the-mill alcoholics themselves. Seriously, who can give a drunk person sensible advice if they aren't a drunk too? Think about that. A sober person has nothing to criticize a drinker for, but they also have nothing to advise, because the state of being drunk is completely foreign to them.

I have a friend—a strictly family-oriented guy—who used to knock back 12 to 14 ounces of whiskey in the morning, follow that up with 5 or 6 beers around lunchtime, and then wash the whole thing down with a massive amount of wine in the evening (maybe a liter or even a liter and a half). He did that for years until his nose started bleeding uncontrollably. He narrowly escaped a stroke. Since then, he's switched exclusively to tea and Coca-Cola, and now he's basically become a slave to his grandmother, who spent years nagging him about being a drunk.

If he was pulling those kinds of numbers on a daily basis as a senior, you're basically a junior by comparison.

Carl Brown152 said:But honestly? I've second-guessed myself about a million different things at some point—so I wouldn't say it's all just black and white.

That logic definitely applies to alcoholism.

briskbison47 said:That logic definitely applies to alcoholism.

I don't know—I wouldn't really agree with that. There’s just way too much to consider, right? Plus, everyone seems to have their own definition of what alcoholism actually is... I mean, some people act like basically everything counts.

Carl Brown152 said:I don't know—I wouldn't really agree with that. There’s just way too much to consider, right? Plus, everyone seems to have their own definition of what alcoholism actually is... I mean, some people act like basically everything counts.

It’s always the guy drinking the most who gets labeled the alcoholic. It reminds me of this one guy I knew—a total regular at the local pub—who tried to convince me he wasn't an alcoholic just because he drinks water alongside his whiskey.
Alcoholism is a tough pill to swallow.

briskbison47 said:It’s always the guy drinking the most who gets labeled the alcoholic. It reminds me of this one guy I knew—a total regular at the local pub—who tried to convince me he wasn't an alcoholic just because he drinks water alongside his whiskey.
Alcoholism is a tough pill to swallow.

So, what’s your definition then? Is it someone who actually stops to wonder if they have a problem? Or is it about hitting some specific limit? Does it have to mess up your life first? Just curious...

briskbison47 said:You’re an alcoholic.
Look, you’re still functioning, I get it—your eyes aren't yellow from liver failure and you haven't completely lost all your inhibitions—but you’re a drinker. Period. If I took some lonely, drunk old woman wandering the streets of Chicago, someone who hasn't showered in a year, and played her life in reverse, she’d sound exactly like you.
I’m sorry, but it’s just the truth.

You can't just quit drinking until you actually turn your life around, start building healthier habits, and deal with whatever it is that makes you run away into a cycle of excuses and booze.

I feel terrible for the OP, I'm actually dying over here 🤣

And as for answering the question—yeah, you've got an alcohol problem. Honestly, you don't even need a survey or a test to figure that out; just reach out to those anonymous AA groups. I hear there are people from every walk of life in there, so you'll get the support and the roadmap you need to pull through. Taking this first step by making this post is already a huge move. Just keep moving forward... 🙂