I've never tried to get support on line, but think it might be helpful. I don't like the AA format, personally. I've spent a boatload with a shrink and have become more functional, but I'd like to have a fuller life and stop wasting so much time sneeking around. I try to get out of myself by helping others and being responsible, but what I really want is relief and wine does that instantly and so far has not resulted in any physical problems....and I've been drinking for 30 years...
Hello Scooz .
Good to have you here. My name is Lionel I am a recovering alcoholic. I also spent a little on shrinks to find out what I already knew.
What I have found out about alcoholism is that its cunning baffling an powerful. It is a disease that tells you, you dont have it. We can always find someone who drinks more.
Its also a disease of the mind, body and soul .It affects us mentally spiritually, emotionally and physically. I was told if alcohol is costing you more than money that you could be alcoholic. Eg. People are stating to talk about your drinking, its affecting the work your doing, relationships with family, and friends are being affected. Youre lying about the amounts you drink so on....Its no wonder they call this a disease of denial.
If you havent been affected physically by alcohol how are you travelling mentally and emotionally like I said this is a three fold disease.
The wine is only a temporary solution...But there is a permanent one .Its only a matter of changing the spirits. And a bit of action.
You said you dont like the AA format. Does that mean you have been to an AA meeting or meetings. The thing with meetings and AA is half measures avail us nothing.
I like you get out of myself by helping others and trying to be responsible. Though being responsible has been a big one for me. Ive found you cant give away what you havent got. So I have had to take a lot of action to do that.
There I go talking about me again my favourite subject these days. lol.
Its good to have you here maybe we can help each other. God bless. Lionel
Good to have you here. My name is Lionel I am a recovering alcoholic. I also spent a little on shrinks to find out what I already knew.
What I have found out about alcoholism is that its cunning baffling an powerful. It is a disease that tells you, you dont have it. We can always find someone who drinks more.
Its also a disease of the mind, body and soul .It affects us mentally spiritually, emotionally and physically. I was told if alcohol is costing you more than money that you could be alcoholic. Eg. People are stating to talk about your drinking, its affecting the work your doing, relationships with family, and friends are being affected. Youre lying about the amounts you drink so on....Its no wonder they call this a disease of denial.
If you havent been affected physically by alcohol how are you travelling mentally and emotionally like I said this is a three fold disease.
The wine is only a temporary solution...But there is a permanent one .Its only a matter of changing the spirits. And a bit of action.
You said you dont like the AA format. Does that mean you have been to an AA meeting or meetings. The thing with meetings and AA is half measures avail us nothing.
I like you get out of myself by helping others and trying to be responsible. Though being responsible has been a big one for me. Ive found you cant give away what you havent got. So I have had to take a lot of action to do that.
There I go talking about me again my favourite subject these days. lol.
Its good to have you here maybe we can help each other. God bless. Lionel
Thanks, Lionel.
Yes, you are quite right about the spiritual and mental costs. I pray for discipline and have had periods of abstinence, but it is very difficult for me to abstain in social situations...ie. wine dinners where each wine is carefully chosen to go with the course or when a friend gets a new kind of wine that they want to share.
For the longest time my husband and close friends, who do not have the relationship with alcohol that I do, would tell me that I was inflating the magnitude of the problem. I always knew they were wrong and that it had a bigger place in my heart than they were aware of. My husband now agrees with me since I overdid it for about 4 years after beloved Dad died. I'm back to my bottle a routine, though and "manage"...ha...not laughing-out-loud....my intake at holding at the 1 bottle mark.
I know that I can be sharper, mentally, and that is upsetting, too. I know that my life can be more fruitful. I just wish I could be more committed to sobriety. It's as if my mind just won't let me get off the fence. I'm not a slacker. I get all my work done. I go the extra mile often. I am grateful for all that has come my way and for all that I've brought my way, too. It's not enough.
The funny thing is when I was with a friend on a trip to NY and shared a split of champagne with her in our room and she didn't finish her glass, I asked her if she was going to finish her glass. She said "no, I've had enough." I cut my self off at a bottle each day, but it's never really enough. Therein lies the problem and the difference. It makes me more functional to have this limit, but fully functional ought to be my goal. I know this, but can't embrace it.
I did go to an AA meeting. I even told the whole group about my problem and history...alcoholic Mom, Irish Catholic "culture of drinking." I think it seemed repetitious and boring. I don't mean to sound like a snob, but it didn't engage my heart, mind or spirit. I do try to feed the spirit at church, in a meditation group and in Bible studies. I taught Sunday school for the last 3 years, too. That has all been great. I can't seem to make Satan stand behind me. I'm sure it's because I'm blocking his way back...holding a seat for him.
Today I'm feeling a bit discouraged and for all of the God-given intelligence I possess, quite unintelligent.
Thanks for your encouragement, though.
Yes, you are quite right about the spiritual and mental costs. I pray for discipline and have had periods of abstinence, but it is very difficult for me to abstain in social situations...ie. wine dinners where each wine is carefully chosen to go with the course or when a friend gets a new kind of wine that they want to share.
For the longest time my husband and close friends, who do not have the relationship with alcohol that I do, would tell me that I was inflating the magnitude of the problem. I always knew they were wrong and that it had a bigger place in my heart than they were aware of. My husband now agrees with me since I overdid it for about 4 years after beloved Dad died. I'm back to my bottle a routine, though and "manage"...ha...not laughing-out-loud....my intake at holding at the 1 bottle mark.
I know that I can be sharper, mentally, and that is upsetting, too. I know that my life can be more fruitful. I just wish I could be more committed to sobriety. It's as if my mind just won't let me get off the fence. I'm not a slacker. I get all my work done. I go the extra mile often. I am grateful for all that has come my way and for all that I've brought my way, too. It's not enough.
The funny thing is when I was with a friend on a trip to NY and shared a split of champagne with her in our room and she didn't finish her glass, I asked her if she was going to finish her glass. She said "no, I've had enough." I cut my self off at a bottle each day, but it's never really enough. Therein lies the problem and the difference. It makes me more functional to have this limit, but fully functional ought to be my goal. I know this, but can't embrace it.
I did go to an AA meeting. I even told the whole group about my problem and history...alcoholic Mom, Irish Catholic "culture of drinking." I think it seemed repetitious and boring. I don't mean to sound like a snob, but it didn't engage my heart, mind or spirit. I do try to feed the spirit at church, in a meditation group and in Bible studies. I taught Sunday school for the last 3 years, too. That has all been great. I can't seem to make Satan stand behind me. I'm sure it's because I'm blocking his way back...holding a seat for him.
Today I'm feeling a bit discouraged and for all of the God-given intelligence I possess, quite unintelligent.
Thanks for your encouragement, though.
Hi Scooz
.
Its good to hear from you and you sound like a very caring and loving person. The thing is though if you are alcoholic and only you can make that decision. This disease doesnt discriminate it doesnt care if you are caring and loving whether your male or female if you are black or white or yellow it doesnt care what nationality or of what belief or religion you are. It just wants to destroy your life and make it as miserable as it can along the way.
While telling you everything is going alright and one or two drinks wont do any harm. I think the first signs of sanity in and alcoholics life is when they stop believing the lies alcohol is telling them.
I am only talking about alcoholics not social drinkers or moderate drinkers. A couple of differences between Social drinkers and alcoholics are. Well one is I believe my wife is a social drinker and when my wife has a drink she may have one or two glasses of beer or spirits mixed with soda if you ask her would you like another drink after that she will say no because shes feeling tipsy or its making her a little sick or tied. {Alcohol is a poison.} She gets an out of control feeling.
But with me the alcoholic if I have one or two drinks I get an in control feeling and I want to go out and party and get more alcohol. Another example is .That the difference between social drinkers and alcoholics is that social drinkers go to a party to Socialize and may have a drink or two. Alcoholics go to a party to drink and might incidentally socialize as long as they are there.
When you said its as if my mind just won't let me get off the fence. The thing is alcoholism centres in the mind rather than the body .Thats one reason I go to A.A. meetings to get a check up from the neck up. This disease centres in my mind but the solution centres in my heart. Thats why some say the longest journey anyone may take is from their head to their heart. And that can help to climb down of that fence.
We say in AA meetings if you are new or near new to come along to a few meetings before you decide if AA is for you or not dont leave before the miracle happens. And if AA has nothing on offer for you all your misery and suffering will be gladly refunded.
It took some of us a while to get sick and we may not get well overnight..
When I first came to AA I used to think you had to be a member of the C.I A. to be alcoholic.
Catholic. Irish. Alcoholic. CIA .LOL but like I said this disease doesnt discriminate.
A couple of things I have learnt in AA are.If youre going through hell, keep on going.
And that the Power behind me is a lot more powerful than what ever troubles may lye ahead.
Have a great day .
Youre Wanted ,Needed and Loved God Bless Lionel
.
Its good to hear from you and you sound like a very caring and loving person. The thing is though if you are alcoholic and only you can make that decision. This disease doesnt discriminate it doesnt care if you are caring and loving whether your male or female if you are black or white or yellow it doesnt care what nationality or of what belief or religion you are. It just wants to destroy your life and make it as miserable as it can along the way.
While telling you everything is going alright and one or two drinks wont do any harm. I think the first signs of sanity in and alcoholics life is when they stop believing the lies alcohol is telling them.
I am only talking about alcoholics not social drinkers or moderate drinkers. A couple of differences between Social drinkers and alcoholics are. Well one is I believe my wife is a social drinker and when my wife has a drink she may have one or two glasses of beer or spirits mixed with soda if you ask her would you like another drink after that she will say no because shes feeling tipsy or its making her a little sick or tied. {Alcohol is a poison.} She gets an out of control feeling.
But with me the alcoholic if I have one or two drinks I get an in control feeling and I want to go out and party and get more alcohol. Another example is .That the difference between social drinkers and alcoholics is that social drinkers go to a party to Socialize and may have a drink or two. Alcoholics go to a party to drink and might incidentally socialize as long as they are there.
When you said its as if my mind just won't let me get off the fence. The thing is alcoholism centres in the mind rather than the body .Thats one reason I go to A.A. meetings to get a check up from the neck up. This disease centres in my mind but the solution centres in my heart. Thats why some say the longest journey anyone may take is from their head to their heart. And that can help to climb down of that fence.
We say in AA meetings if you are new or near new to come along to a few meetings before you decide if AA is for you or not dont leave before the miracle happens. And if AA has nothing on offer for you all your misery and suffering will be gladly refunded.
It took some of us a while to get sick and we may not get well overnight..
When I first came to AA I used to think you had to be a member of the C.I A. to be alcoholic.
Catholic. Irish. Alcoholic. CIA .LOL but like I said this disease doesnt discriminate.
A couple of things I have learnt in AA are.If youre going through hell, keep on going.
And that the Power behind me is a lot more powerful than what ever troubles may lye ahead.
Have a great day .
Youre Wanted ,Needed and Loved God Bless Lionel
Maybe I will check it out, again. Thanks for your encouragement....a miracle would be greatly appreciated.
