A day in the life....

I haven't posted much but wanted to get opinions about substance abuse vs. ...well...substance use.
I'm 55 and have arthritis, (which for those younger than me that don't have it...simply you wake up almost every day with dull pain in practically your whole body).
It's manageable but I take pain relievers (some stronger than others) on a regular basis and it goes away.
I do try to go a couple days a week without them but that's about all I do.
Then as the day comes to an end I usually have some wine or beer or mixed drink...almost every day...2-3...never to the point of getting drunk...but it is daily.
What can I say? I really enjoy a drink at the end of the day.
To cap it off, most nights I take a sleeping pill to get a solid 7-8 hours sleep...otherwise I wake up 2-3 times or more with a restless sleep.
So, I do not feel like I am headed towards increasing any of these substance "uses" but the daily useage concerns me.
Partly because of my physical makeup (I'm actually in good physical condition but have the damn arthritis), maybe my age,...
i don't know...but I can NOT see ever going without any or all of these "helpers".
What do you think?

journeyman, I truly believe it is up to each person to decide if they are an addict or are just using/abusing drugs and alcohol.

My mom takes pain meds and sleeping pills. She is physically addicted to them, but she does have medical reasons to take them. A while back, I was really upset at how many pills she was taking and really got on her case about it--I referred to her as an addict. Now, I realize, she needs the meds. Also, I have no right to call her an addict. Yes, she is physically addicted to the meds (morphine and others) but she lacks the...I don't know...addictive drive of an addict. For one, she takes them as prescribed--something I would never be able to do. I think there is a difference between being physically addicted and psychologically addicted--I am not saying you are physically addicted--I got off on a bit of a tangent.

If I could limit myself to 2-3 drinks a night, I would probably still be drinking.

I think it all comes down to what you think about your drug/alcohol usage. Do you feel out of control? Do you abuse them or take them the way you are suppose to in order to treat your medical problems? Are the meds and alcohol causing problems in your life?

Keep thinking about it and writing about it--it is something only you can answer.

Hi there journeyman

Its impossible for me to pronounce anyone as having a substance abuse issue. From what I see from your post though, it doesn't seem to me like extravagant use, but I only have my old use as a comparison lol. And I can say I never stopped at 2 or 3....EVER. I knew I had an addictive personality, so I was always afraid of pain pills aside from over the counter ones, so I never got hooked on those or anything. But it doesn't sound like you're abusing them, it sounds like you take them as prescribed to help with pain? I'm in the early stages of arthritis, and I have multiple sclerosis. For now, Advil and Tylenol help, but I know down the road there's a possibility I'll need something stronger. I take a Tylenol PM every night to help me sleep, but I've never taken anything stronger.

So, from my vantage point, it doesn't look like you've crossed a line. Its good that you're aware of your usage though, my mom was the same way. She caught it in time so it didn't turn into full fledged alcoholism/addiction. She could still stop at 2 or 3. I crossed that line, and once I had one, I drank till I slept, and that was daily. I would just say continue to keep an eye on it, and if you notice the usage increasing, take a look at that. It sounds like you've got it under control, something I sometimes wish I had done so I didn't have to completely abstain lol. I love my sobriety though, so I'm not complaining these days.

and good for you for taking a look at things.

~Rayna

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I think it all comes down to what you think about your drug/alcohol usage. Do you feel out of control? Do you abuse them or take them the way you are suppose to in order to treat your medical problems? Are the meds and alcohol causing problems in your life?

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ummm....yes i do feel out of control because i can't get through a day without this regimen of painkillers, alcohol and sleeping pills
no i don't abuse them, if by that you mean take more than i should to get a buzz
and no they don't cause any problems

i guess part of my question is: can this sneak up on me and I find myself addicted or is this a legitimate (justifiable)use of these three type of "substances"?

Its a really tough question. When you're sick, or have chronic pain, and the doctor prescribes something to help, then its something you need. Like De said about her mom, she may have become dependant on it, but that was because she needed it to get through the day. If you can't sleep, well, you need to sleep, so if you're taking something the doctor gave you, as prescribed, then you're taking it to help you get some sleep.

As far as the alcohol goes, thats the really tough call for me. I can't fathom stopping at 2 or 3.....so to me thats not a problem. But its for you to decide....if you feel like you can't get through the night without those 2 or 3, and if you feel like its not ok, then perhaps its a problem. Its a really tough call though, for us on the outside to make. It can sneak up, it did for me. I started drinking socially and then it was 2 or 3 and then it was needed to sleep and then I needed a buzz and then I needed to get drunk and then I needed to black out and then I got sober. So.....again, I think its really great that you're taking a look at it. Maybe try going a night or two without and see how you feel. If you go nuts and find yourself white knuckling it, perhaps you might need some help. If you want to cut it out completely that is. Keep talking about it and keep getting feedback, and see where it takes you.


Rayna

I think there is a legitimate and justifiable use of the meds. But, heck yes, the addiction could sneak up on you. Its good that you are thinking about this and being careful.

As for feeling a bit out of control...I guess that could be two different things--one maybe you are addicted to them. But also, maybe it is because you really need them. I feel like I can't make it through my day without my psychiatric meds--they are not even addictive, but mentally, I am dependent on them. Which is a good thing--I do need to take them.

This is going to be tough for you to sort out....maybe the question should be "can you live life without them?" If you need them because of medical reasons then keep an eye on your use of them and be cautious. If you don't really need them, then maybe you should try to back off of them and see what happens.

Whatever you decide, please be careful. Sorry if this sounds like I am giving advice--all this is just my opinion, so take it all with a grain of salt--I am not a professional--just a recovering addict/alcoholic.

Oh my my.... What to say....... where to begin????

It has already been said very well here that no one can call any of us an alcoholic or addict, that it is up to each of us to make that determination. Where is the line between "use" and "abuse"? (I personally think this entire country is way heavily over medicated but that is another subject).

As for the arthritis comment...... I am 53 and have diagnosed arthritis in several places, especially my feet. I take a good many powdered BC's and I have no idea if they help or not but if someone took them away from me, I think I would surely die. (I use to feel that way about Bud Lite). I had a grandmother that dealt with rumatoid arthritis from age 50 - 84 and all she ever took was Bufferin (10 a day). I guess what I am trying to say is that we each have to find our on way through the days of our life.

Seems like I have heard that if you are concerned about your behavior, then you may have a problem. I have no idea if that has any truth to it or not but it makes some sense to me. The Big Book has some helpful suggestions to help us out of this jam (which every early member to AA I have ever known has always gone through this question phase). You say your have 2 or 3 drinks a night. Can you fix one drink, have half of it and then walk away from alcohol without thinking about it for 3 days? (I don't think the BB spells it out exactly like that but it is along those lines.... Heck, it was 1935 so maybe I fine tuned it some). You could carry the same analogy with the other items.

You mentioned that you can not sleep well without the sleeping pills. So, I thought I would mention my personal experience on this. Today I LOVE to sleep! I sleep GREAT! I love to go to sleep early and I love to sleep until I have to get up. I enjoy bed but it was not always like that.

The first year without drinking, I could not sleep at all. I was fortunate to be at my moms farm. I would walk through large hayfields very late at night. I marveled at how beautiful the land is at 1, 2, 3 in the morning. I had never seen that sober in my life but I could not sleep. Not more than an hour or two.

But then as the months and finally years passed and the chemicals began to fade from my body, I began to sleep. After about 10,000 AA meetings, I got to sleeping pretty good. Once I had worked some of the steps, I got to sleeping much better. Today I am very guarded about any chemical in my system and I argue with doctors that even try to put me on things. I don't want a chemical in me (except the BC's).

This FYI also....... We overlook the power and damage drugs and alcohol does to us. We think a few days of "clean" will take care of 30 years of using..... Mine was alcohol but it took 2 years for alcohol to get out of me and you want belive this but I could tell a HUGE difference in 5 years! My brain seemed so alive the summer I became 5 years sober......

So yes...... it takes us a long time to get back to sleeping "NATURALLY" but the point is....... We can!

Take care and God Bless, best of luck with whatever and please remember one thing.... No matter what happens...... NEVER QUIT... NEVER GIVE UP.... Crawl into AA if you have to but their is a SOLUTION if you need one...
Tony

Thank you all.....some good replies.
I guess it's the repetition and daily use of these three substances and the fact that I derive so much benefit/pleasure from them that makes me think I may have a problem.
It really seems almost unthinkable to give up pain meds, .....why should I suffer through the day when there is help?.......but I am acutely aware that many people have a painkiller addiction.
And when I couple that with the drinks (which I enjoy so much with dinner!) and then a sleeping pill to avoid a restless night, it seems somewhat questionable.
I guess I will keep an eye on it and try to cut back on one or the other every now and then....just to see if I can do it?