[greentires4me]

I am now 17 months and 12 days clean from alcohol. For all of you struggling out there you can really do it!!!
I still stuck with it even after my dad passed away from cancer September 29, 2015 and I stopped drinking July 12, 2015 even my addictions counselor was surprised. But I made a promise to myself this time I was doing it for me and no one else.

[emgreen]

Wow! Congrats, "other green!" I still have both parents & I have a particularly close relationship with both of them. There's a small voice in my head that sometimes wonders how I'd feel if one of them passed...Keeping sober in the face of something like that would be a challenge for anyone. Your story is an inspiration for me...Thanks for sharing & congrats again!

[Moogieotter]

Nicely done, tires!

[splitimage]

Way to go greentires. That's awesome.

splitimage

[b1ghr0ll3r]

Well done mate ! I love to hear a good success story about someone beating alcoholism. I hope I can beat it too one day.

[zijax]

What is the difference between a 'heavy drinker' and a 'functioning alcoholic?' To me, if I'm an alcoholic, a true alcoholic, and I am one, when I'm drinking, I'm not functioning. My life collapses around me, relationships shatter, car wrecks, detoxes... it's called 'unmanageability.' I've heard about the 'functioning' alcoholic but how can that exist? I'm thinking maybe they are heavy drinkers, but not actual alcoholics. I'm not trying to say you're not an alcoholic I just see the words 'functioning' and 'alcoholic' on opposite poles.

[laffer75]

It's sort of an immunity to alcohol....

[Sabrina]

Congrats! You quit a few days before me. Not drinking is the most freeing thing I ever did.

[leejosepho]

Originally Posted by zijax

What is the difference between a 'heavy drinker' and a 'functioning alcoholic?' ...when I'm drinking, I'm not functioning. My life collapses around me, relationships shatter, car wrecks, detoxes... it's called 'unmanageability.'

In A.A. parlance, the matter of "unable to manage our own lives" is related to our powerlessness to stay sober while sober and has nothing to do with how well we either do or do not function while drinking. Overall, two things here:

The difference between certain types of hard drinkers or heavy drinkers and the alcoholic is that the alcoholic has lost all control over how much s/he drinks while drinking. In contrast, the typical hard drinker or heavy drinker actually *can* control his or her consumption if/when s/he truly wants to do so and even if a little help might be needed to get there.

As to functioning: I used to be quite functional while drinking and there were people who never had any idea I was even drinking. In contrast, it is the non-alcoholic who typically cannot function well while drunk. Where the non-alcoholic might begin to feel a bit uneasy or out-of-control after having just a few drinks, at least some of us alcoholics are/were at that point beginning to feel quite good or confident and acting as if we are in complete control.

[Mygrandjourney]

“You hide behind the professional persona all day; then you leave the office and hide behind the drink.”
― Caroline Knapp, Drinking: A Love Story

[greentires4me]

Originally Posted by zijax

What is the difference between a 'heavy drinker' and a 'functioning alcoholic?' To me, if I'm an alcoholic, a true alcoholic, and I am one, when I'm drinking, I'm not functioning. My life collapses around me, relationships shatter, car wrecks, detoxes... it's called 'unmanageability.' I've heard about the 'functioning' alcoholic but how can that exist? I'm thinking maybe they are heavy drinkers, but not actual alcoholics. I'm not trying to say you're not an alcoholic I just see the words 'functioning' and 'alcoholic' on opposite poles.

Well functioning alcoholic just means that you can hide it well from others like your boss or certain coworkers unless you party with them. You act normal and that you can function under stress except for that flask in your pocket adding it to your pop can. You drink like a fish and almost never get a hangover but you do all your daily stuff without much thought, because it's routine. Basically you function in society where most others cannot.