Had to quit drinking. 30 days sober today. Just recently got out of my second rehab. Been going to AA meetings and started working the steps. I really hope this works. I feel like i cant drink ever again. Any other recovering alcoholics in here?

The misc is full of alcoholics. Most pre rehab though.

Good luck OP, stick with it and stay out of that rabbit hole. Find a hobby to keep you busy.

yeah. been there. one day at a time.

I have never been able to find the exact meaning of an alcoholic…..6 years before marriage I was drinking once every 2 or 3 days but I was fully functional and living a normal life…as in I would do my stuff during the day and drink at nights…I didn't consider myself to be an alcoholic…but regular drinker yeah….

After marriage, I cut down my drinking…now I drink twice a month….so I wait an average of 30 days before I start drinking again….

I don't know where to draw the line of an alcoholic and a non-alcoholic…

in my opinion:

functional alcoholic: drinks everyday after work

alcoholic: from the second they wake up they must have a drink (mainly due to shakes etc) to the second they pass out

Being a full blown alcoholic would be very scary….usually people who indulge in alcohol abuse tend to become that way….but really nothing in it….left all alone to suffer in misery…

Nah when I have 2 beers I don't feel like drinking for a week. Addcition to that must be chitty.

Recovering drug addict. Havn't touched a drug, other than weed, in over 14 years. Definitely still an addict though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2VN9cgWYZg


last drink was 4/20/22 at the Primus A Farewell To Kings tribute here in KC. That video told me some stuff I needed to hear.

yeaaa not exactly fun. the only way to get rid of the awful feeling is to drink more. luckily i somehow found a way to balance not feeling awful while cutting down and eventually stopping without bad withdrawals

Marriage or being in a relationship helps…I mean it would automatically mean you will cut down alcohol…

What i was told is: 1. You cant stop thinking about drinking or 2. Once u have that first drink, u cant stop until u black out. I want to drink until i black out. FeelsAwfulMayne

…or want to drink even more.

Thinking about your next drink until you have it…can cause serious anxiety and irritation to the point you will eventually drink again.

I only blacked out once in my life..when I had 10 bottles of heineken….but that's all….I don't like getting wasted….I pre-plan how much I wanna drink and how much I can drink..which is usually lots..but not to the point of being blacked out or wasted…..also I pre-plan what to eat after the drinks…

Only if your partner is also into drinking….but not necessarily alcoholics….(takes a lot of money right?).

Yes, definitely several. There's a stickied thread for sobriety/recovery bros and you are more than welcome to post!

https://forum.bodybuilding.com/showt...hp?t=181347513

The DSM 5 lists the 11 criteria of alcohol use disorder.

DSM-5 Alcohol Use Disorder

A problematic pattern of alcohol use leading to clinically significant impairment or distress, as manifested by at least two of the following, occurring within a 12-month period:

1. Craving, or a strong desire or urge to use alcohol.

2. There is a persistent desire or unsuccessful efforts to cut down or control alcohol use.

3. Alcohol is often taken in larger amounts or over a longer period than was intended.

4. Recurrent alcohol use resulting in a failure to fulfill major role obligations at work, school, or home.

5. A great deal of time is spent in activities necessary to obtain alcohol, use alcohol, or recover from its effects.

6. Alcohol use is continued despite knowledge of having a persistent or recurrent physical or psychological problem that is likely to have been caused or exacerbated by alcohol.

7. Continued alcohol use despite having persistent or recurrent social or interpersonal problems caused or exacerbated by the effects of alcohol.

8. Important social, occupational, or recreational activities are given up or reduced because of alcohol use.

9. Tolerance, as defined by either of the following:

A need for markedly increased amounts of alcohol to achieve intoxication or desired effect.
A markedly diminished effect with continued use of the same amount of alcohol.

10. Withdrawal, as manifested by either of the following:

The characteristic withdrawal syndrome for alcohol.
Alcohol (or a closely related substance) is taken to relieve or avoid withdrawal symptoms.

11. Recurrent alcohol use in situations in which it is physically hazardous.

https://alcoholtreatmentguidelines.c...hol-dependence

In order to reach that level, one has to be living a life of complete isolation with lots of funds to waste…..which is nearly impossible…

Functional alcoholics are common. “Functional enough” might be the more apt term though.

Most regular alcoholics have this opinion that as long as they are working hard and taking care of other responsibilities…they are ok to drink everyday or regularly….but still it dimishes their quality of life….(they might not know it soon)….

Functional- used to have like 5 shooters of fireball in my garag and drink beer after on weekdays. Was totally fine.

My kids have helped I turned it down more, my grandpa was An alcoholic after Korea and was terrible to my mother and grandma. Great grandpa was bad after WW1, most of my aunts and uncles have a problem and had to quit.

So yeah.. trying

Bruce Springsteen, who’s father was a big drinker and had family problems once asked himself, “will I defined by my dna or will i define me?”

Why not drink when family is not around?

I still do, I’m just trying to minimize it or when everyone is bed.

All my grandparents are gone. I remember my grandma was a big drunk and told my mom she didn’t have “time for this” when my mom asked why she won’t come around her grandkids anymore.

She got up and walked back into the local drunk legion at 11 am on a Saturday.

. my mom’s a friggin saint. Never drank

About to hit the one year mark here, my main struggle was opiods/benzos but I like everything and I can drink more than most and I was drinking allot

The trick is to start becoming addicted to socializing, activities, gym, self care, being healthy, going out, building relationships, get high off doing good/making people feel good, but most importantly treat yourself like you would your own child so you're peak physical / mental performance

It becomes the opposite of difficult when you follow through everything for months with a healthy routine / schedule full of the things that are good for you (it took me about 6 months to feel good sometimes)(8 months to feel great again)

So in the end instead of being in a social situation craving alcohol…You're craving socializing like you would alcohol(and the thought of alcohol or any other drug never once crosses ur mind)…As weird as that sounds…You're reprogramming your brain to get dopamine responses from natural stimuli instead of something exogenous

I'm actually afraid of using anything now because that sets back your brain chemistry so much even just once and then you have to recover again which can take months from what I've experienced and the info I've gathered

Drugs/alcohol are 100% a facade and its the perfect analogy for selling your soul to the devil imo (when you're using every day)