[J.A.Mee]

How do you if your an alcoholic? My therapist is highly recommending me to go to AA. I've done some pretty **** last month. I've been drinking more. Because stress at college and my social anxiety is worse. I've become dependent on alcohol. Everything I've worked hard for seems to be falling apart. I'm feeling overwhelmed about everything. I feel like quitting school. I used to not drink so much. But I hate the anxiety that builds up inside me when I'm around people and when I have to focus on school. Its gotten so bad. All I want is to feel calm. I feel like I've been driving myself crazy.

[Moogieotter]

It's a self-diagnosis, but it sounds like you know the answer. Try a meeting - focus on the similarities you hear, not the differences. Good Luck.

[Mygrandjourney]

Originally Posted by J.A.Mee

How do you if your an alcoholic? My therapist is highly recommending me to go to AA. I've done some pretty **** last month. I've been drinking more. Because stress at college and my social anxiety is worse. I've become dependent on alcohol. Everything I've worked hard for seems to be falling apart. I'm feeling overwhelmed about everything. I feel like quitting school. I used to not drink so much. But I hate the anxiety that builds up inside me when I'm around people and when I have to focus on school. Its gotten so bad. All I want is to feel calm. I feel like I've been driving myself crazy.

You should be able to find the official diagnosis by doing a search with "Alcohol Dependence" and "DSM-IV" as search words and see if you match the diagnosis. The symptoms have to be present for at least one year or more.

Originally Posted by J.A.Mee

How do you if your an alcoholic? My therapist is highly recommending me to go to AA. I've done some pretty **** last month. I've been drinking more. Because stress at college and my social anxiety is worse. I've become dependent on alcohol. Everything I've worked hard for seems to be falling apart. I'm feeling overwhelmed about everything. I feel like quitting school. I used to not drink so much. But I hate the anxiety that builds up inside me when I'm around people and when I have to focus on school. Its gotten so bad. All I want is to feel calm. I feel like I've been driving myself crazy.

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It sounds like you self medicate when you're anxious. Do you take any anti anxiety or depression meds? You might just need the anti anxiety medication if you're just socially anxious. Stay the hell away from valium though as it's addicting.

You can get it from your family Dr. I take paxil and valium when I need it. I don't take it unless I go out. Paxil isn't addicting. I have not really noticed any negative side effects from taking paxil. That might help you out with your anxiety so that you won't rely on alcohol to much anymore.

[Altered Moment]

You could just be self medicating and not an alcoholic. Or like me it could be both. I self medicated for depression and I am for sure an alcoholic. Drinking when depressed didn't help but drinking to cope with life prevented depression for a long time until it didn't work anymore.

The AA definition is a mental obsession coupled with a physical craving.

There are different types of alcoholics but the most common symptom is that once you get three or four beers or drinks in you it is game on. Once the pump is primed you can't stop. Everyone else is passed out and you are looking for more. Just this overwhelming craving to keep drinking. It doesn't happen every time but often enough. It has to do with how alcoholics metabolize alcohol.

If you have that symptom your a dead ringer.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[tipper1492]

I think you are in real danger falling under the spell of alcohol. It's a dark place down there, and many end up dead.

[angelicgoldfish05]

zinco, that's a great definition and for me it definitely fits. I also agree with shy introvert about the anxiety piece and you say yourself that you are self medicating for this reason. I have found that taking an antianxiety med has helped immensely. I take 300 mg gabapentin 3 times a day (every 4 hours). Once I started getting used to the side effect of it making me sleepy, which has since gone away, I find it to be very helpful with social anxiety and it is supposedly non addicting. There are several options for antianxiety meds that are non addicting. Good luck.

[angelicgoldfish05]

Also I will add in reply to your original question, because I have had the same difficulty coming to terms with this part. I went to AA in 2012 after some things were getting out of hand. I always knew in the back of my mind that I'd be going to AA some day. I probably began to realise this in college where drinking to the point of injury (to my own body) became a pretty regular occurrence. Still, the times this happened were still spread out far enough, I didn't feel I was dependent on alcohol. Plus, isn't it just the norm to drink a ton in college? Well possibly but that set me up for continuing to drink like a fish once I was out. Now I am in my thirties. I relapsed last year after losing my job and someone I loved very much (my ex t). I had been sober a year and a half, but did not really accept that I was an alcoholic. I also had stopped going to AA meetings because of my job and not wanting to show up at the same place clients were at and have it affect my job. I know it is alcoholics *anonymous* but it was a small town and I just saw it causing problems for me. I have never really trusted others, and that is also why I never completed all the steps with AA. I only made it to step 4 because I didn't trust my sponsor. I lost trust in her the night she made fun of me that I wasn't doing the steps fast enough. We were leaving an AA meeting and you have to walk up the stairs to get out to the parking lot. She started counting the steps as we walked up them like I was a small child. See, she said, one, two, three, four. I felt about this tall (very small). So I lost my faith and trust in her as a sponsor and began to distance myself. It also affected my relationship with AA for some reason. What I should have done is found another sponsor. However, I don't think I would have trusted them either. I don't know if I will ever trust anyone ever again, and especially not with my deepest wounds. I have shared a little bit here on pc, and a little with my therapist. The most promising person for sharing everything with eventually is my current therapist. But that will take time. I know I will need to eventually find a new sponsor though if I want to stay sober.
As for knowing if I'm an alcoholic, I have an easier time with saying I'm an addict, since it isn't just alcohol. I obsess over things and I need it. I love alcohol and would have it all the time if I could- breakfast lunch dinner and dessert. There are drinks for very occasion, and everyday I can find something to celebrate. Life is a big party all the time. Life is good. Until is comes crashing down. And I know alcohol has caused me enough pain hurt and trouble in my life that i need to quit drinking. I don't want to but history is only going to keep repeating itself in my life unless I do something about it and stop drinking. I've almost lost my life and I think alcohol played a big part in this. I'm not a drinker to the point of shaking and going through withdrawal symptoms if I don't have it, however I suppose I am prone to addiction, so who knows maybe I could be one day. I don't want to ever find out. Best I stop now.