Posted by Cam W. on February 19, 2000, at 11:40:16
In reply to I need feed-back about alcohol, posted by Leah on February 19, 2000, at 11:13:25
> Hi everyone,
>
> I'm trying to figure out whether or not I need to get treatment or support for alcohol abuse. On the down side, there are things that indicate to me that it is a problem for me, and on the up side, things that tell me I don't have a problem at all. I'll start with the down side. When I drink, I often overindulge. On two occasions, I drank to the point of possible alcohol poisoning. I felt like my heart briefly stopped beating. I fell down. In a split second, I began to pray for my life. It was enornmously frightening, but, ironically, I often feel very self-destructive when I overindulge. A part of me is wishing something drastic would happen and wipe me out. (I don't drive drunk, though. I don't want the bad karma of having hurt anyone.)
> On the upside, I often go a month or so without drinking or craving it at all. When I do drink, I don't always overindulge. I don't black out when I get drunk. I haven't had any major repercussions from drinking, for instance, with the law or with relationships.
> I have tried posting a similar message in an AA type forum, but regreted it because I did not feel they were unbiased.
> I suffer from depression and anxiety which I do not feel are related to the use of alcohol.Leah - Drinking to excess, and other forms of drug abuse, are in reality self-medication to try to treat something that is bothering you (perhaps relating to your depression). People drink alcohol for many reasons: escape from the rat race, tension release, coping with stressful situations, etc. Even if the depression and anxiety are not related to the alcohol, they may be exacerbated or increased by the alcohol. Another thing, if you have to ask strangers if they think you should seek help, I think you already know the answer. Binge drinking can be just as destructive as someone who drinks every day. These are just my opinions, use them as suggestions, not absolute guidelines. Others in this room will have greater insight. Sincerely - Cam W.
poster:Cam W.
thread:22480
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000209/msgs/22489.html