Posted by Caper on May 21, 2004, at 22:27:05
In reply to Alcoholism runs in the family, posted by Wildflower on May 5, 2004, at 15:21:54
Hi Wildflower,
The following post is just my own opinions, combined with a little bit of info learned in college- I was a psychology major.
There definitely seems to be a proven genetic link regarding alcoholism. If a close relative was/is one, you are more likely than the average person to develop alcoholism yourself. Study after study has shown this. This does not mean you are destined to become an alcoholic, but it means you need to be extra careful. No matter how long you may have been just a "social drinker", you could still develop a problem.
I'm an alcoholic myself. My maternal grandfather was one and died from it. My mother will not touch alcohol because of that. Since I never knew my grandfather, I didn't really associate his alcoholism with myself. I thought I was safe because I drank occasionally, socially for years with no problem at all. A bottle of wine in my house would usually go bad because I'd have one glass and then lose interest- if I even had a bottle in the house at all.
Anyway, about a year ago, at the age of 30, I had a number of incredibly stressful things to deal with. I bought a bottle of wine one night to calm down and that was the beginning of hell. At first it was great- it made me less tense, it was fairly cheap, it was legal, I could get as much as I wanted- but soon it wasn't a want it was a physical NEED. One bottle a night turned into 6 bottles throughout the day and night, then a liter of vodka a day. My withdrawals are terrible: shaking, sweating, agitation, nausea, vomiting, muscle cramps so bad I have to use the fingers of one hand to straighten the fingers of the other!
My point is not to scare you, or to try to make it seem I have no personal responsibility for becoming addicted, but I just felt I had to warn you to be careful. I think warning signs that your alcohol use is getting out of hand are things like drinking every day, drinking alone, not being able to relax unless you have some alcohol within reach, not being able to limit your intake (saying, "I'll have two glasses and stop"- then drinking much more anyway), and having uncomfortable physical symptoms that are only relieved by drinking.
So please be careful- you are not doomed to become an alcoholic but you are at a higher risk. If you're unsure of your ability to control your intake, my advice is just don't drink at all. Alcoholism is truly hell. It wrecks your health, your work, your relationships with friends, your self-esteem, and most importantly costs you the trust and respect of your family and friends. Addicts lie. We lie about whether we're using, how much, how we got it, etc. In short, it makes you become a person you do not want to be, and it is so hard to get back to the person you used to be.
I hope this helps a little. Good luck.
Caper
> I've been very afraid to confront this topic but I feel it's time I face the demon...
>
> Alcoholism runs in my family. My maternal grandfather was one and my mother is one but she hides it. I'm just worried that I'm predisposed to it especially in a depressed state.
>
> Does anyone have any personal stories they can share or a website that may help give me some statistics on this? I do not want to become one too but from what I understand, this may not be enough to keep me from falling into the family trap.
poster:Caper
thread:343722
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/subs/20040409/msgs/349431.html