Posted by medlib on February 19, 2000, at 22:02:15
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-
Congratulations on beginning to confront your problems with alcohol--being willing to seek information and consider help is a very self-affirming, health-seeking stance! Please persist in your efforts.
Binge drinking is a VERY common pattern in women alcoholics, and it often progresses to everyday abuse. (I have a binge-drinking alcoholic daughter who acknowledges her problem but is not yet willing to seek treatment.) However, you do not need to BE an alcoholic to have a problem with alcohol which requires treatment.
You might be interested in what Dr. Bob's colleagues have to say on this topic. If so,
go to his homepage, scroll (way)down the right-hand frame to "substance use", check the box, and hit "search" (further down). In the left-hand frame which comes up click on "Alcoholism Tests".
You can find other unbiased information on the subject on big consumer health sites such as Mayo Clinic's Health Oasis or Dr.Koop.
BTW, alcohol is a CNS (central nervous system) depressant, so alcohol on top of untreated depression and anxiety may temporarily relieve the anxiety, but will definitely worsen the depression.
Finally, it is very dangerous to mix large amounts of alcohol and most psych meds, so it's best either to deal with the alcohol problem first, or to make sure your pdoc knows about your pattern of drinking.
Hope some of this helps. Best wishes,
medlib
poster:medlib
thread:22480
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000209/msgs/22591.html