I am new to this forum today and also new to seeking help and advice with my drinking problem. I am an alcoholic and always thought I could control or manage my drinking....how wrong was I. I feel like I am 2 different people, and don''t the the one that drinks. I don't know what to do because I know if I continue like this then I am going to loose my family. My wife has stuck by me through every attempt to quit and through every broken promise. She doesn't trust leaving my daughter at home alone with me for fear that I will be passed out.....which has happened. I have not been honest with her about it and always have an excuse or found a way to hide my drinking. I need to stop and could use some advice or guidance.
Am I an alcoholic? If you repeatedly drink more than you intend or want to, if you get into trouble, or if you have memory lapses when you drink, you may be an alcoholic. Only you can decide. No one in A.A. will tell you whether you are or not.
What can I do if I am worried about my drinking? Seek help. Alcoholics Anonymous can help.
What is Alcoholics Anonymous? We are a Fellowship of men and women who have lost the ability to control our drinking and have found ourselves in various kinds of trouble as a result of drinking. We attemptmost of us successfullyto create a satisfying way of life without alcohol. For this we find we need the help and support of other alcoholics in A.A.
If I go to an A.A. meeting, does that commit me to anything? No. A.A. does not keep membership files, or attendance records. You do not have to reveal anything about yourself. No one will bother you if you dont want to come back.
What happens if I meet people I know? They will be there for the same reason you are there. They will not disclose your identity to outsiders. At A.A. you retain as much anonymity as you wish. That is one of the reasons we call ourselves Alcoholics Anonymous.
What happens at an A.A. meeting? An A.A. meeting may take one of several forms, but at any meeting you will find alcoholics talking about what drinking did to their lives and personalities, what actions they took to help themselves, and how they are living their lives today.
How can this help me with my drinking problem? We in A.A. know what it is like to be addicted to alcohol, and to be unable to keep promises made to others and ourselves that we will stop drinking. We are not professional therapists. Our only qualification for helping others to recover from alcoholism is that we have stopped drinking ourselves, but problem drinkers coming to us know that recovery is possible because they see people who have done it.
Why do A.A.s keep on going to meetings after they are cured? We in A.A. believe there is no such thing as a cure for alcoholism. We can never return to normal drinking, and our ability to stay away from alcohol depends on maintaining our physical, mental, and spiritual health. This we can achieve by going to meetings regularly and putting into practice what we learn there. In addition, we find it helps us to stay sober if we help other alcoholics.
How do I join A.A.? You are an A.A. member if and when you say so. The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking, and many of us were not very wholehearted about that when we first approached A.A.
How much does A.A. membership cost? There are no dues or fees for A.A. membership. An A.A. group will usually have a collection during the meeting to cover expenses, such as rent, coffee, etc., and to this all members are free to contribute as much or as little as they wish.
Is A.A. a religious organization? No. Nor is it allied with any religious organization.
Theres a lot of talk about God, though, isnt there? The majority of A.A. members believe that we have found the solution to our drinking problem not through individual willpower, but through a power greater than ourselves. However, everyone defines this power as he or she wishes. Many people call it God, others think it is the A.A. group, still others dont believe in it at all. There is room in A.A. for people of all shades of belief and nonbelief.
Can I bring my family to an A.A. meeting? Family members or close friends are welcome at Open A.A. meetings. Discuss this with your local contact.
What advice do you give new members? In our experience, the people who recover in A.A. are those who: (a) stay away from the first drink; (b) attend A.A. meetings regularly; (c) seek out the people in A.A. who have successfully stayed sober for some time; (d) try to put into practice the A.A. program of recovery.
How can I contact A.A.? Look for Alcoholics Anonymous in your local telephone directory. These telephones are answered by A.A. volunteers who will be happy to answer your questions, or put you in touch with those who can. If there is no A.A. telephone service close to you, write or phone the A.A. General Service Office.
Here is a list of A.A. pamphlets which may be particularly helpful to you: Is There an Alcoholic in Your Life? A.A. 44 Questions Is A.A. for You? Do You Think Youre Different? A.A. for the Woman Young People and A.A. Too Young?
Remember that alcoholism is a progressive disease. Take it seriously, even if you feel you are only in the early stages of the illness. Alcoholism kills people. If you are an alcoholic, and if you continue to drink, in time you will get worse.
The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. There are no dues or fees for A.A. membership; we are self-supporting through our own contributions.
A.A. is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organization or institution; does not wish to engage in any controversy; neither endorses nor opposes any causes.
Our primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety.
__________________
Live each day as if it were your last...because tomorrow?
It might be.
After many, many, many years of trying to quit and/or control my drinking, lieing to loved ones, hiding it, (the list goes on) I finally admitted I had a problem and called AA.
Your local chapter is listed in the white pages of your phone book. Give them a call and tell who ever answers the phone exactly what you posted here, ask when's the soonest meeting & get on over to it.
Praying for you and your family....
Please keep us posted, we care.
(((hugs)))
__________________
Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass... It's about learning to dance in the rain.
I try for yrs to manage my drinking, what i didnt know that i was trying to manage a illness. Today i know, if i dont take the first drink i will never get drunk again!!! The answers are at a AA meeting near u! Wagon (PS) Keep coming back.
Welcom We're glad you found us. Keep posting and reading. I'm no good at posting links but do go to AA.org from there you can chase links that will lead you meetings in your local area, an online version of the "AA BIG BOOK" , and a series of questions entitled "is it for you" that are designed to help you decide if you are an alcoholic.
Good luck
Bryan
__________________
Obsession with self in these matters is a dead end; attention to God leads us out into the open, into a spacious, free life. Romans 8:6 , The Message
I am new to this forum today and also new to seeking help and advice with my drinking problem. I am an alcoholic and always thought I could control or manage my drinking....how wrong was I.
Welcome. The good news is you just got AA Step One out of the way. Get thee to an AA meeting and start working on the rest! :)
Welcome...Your on the right road!!!!! The road to recovery!!! Its a beautiful thing and can be enjoyed by many IF you truly have the desire to quit!!!!
Good luck, hit a meeting!!!!
Lani
__________________
"We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have. "
Welcome to MIP. I do hope that you'll stay around.
'I feel like I am 2 different people, and don''t the the one that drinks.' That was exactly how I felt before I started going to AA meetings. Eventually I decided that I had to do something about my drinking as it was about to take everything away from me. I 'phoned my local AA help-line and took it from there. I just wish that I had done it sooner.
Please keep posting and letting us know how things are going for you, won't you?
Take care,
Carol
__________________
Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind. ~Dr. Seuss
gday mate u have just described what its like 4 most people who drink to much on a regular basis, as one of the other members said on this page AAwont tell you your an alcoholic but if u go to the meetings eventually you will hear some one tell your story, thats a good indication of what you may be ,or not, of coarse if you share your own story and you may do that even at the 1st meeting you go to, you will probably see people nodding their heads and agreeing with you. i can tell you 1 thing though ,and that is ,u need to do it 4 your self 1st. dont do it to please other people.after time goes by you will please other people in your life naturally,heavy drinkers and alcoholics , suffer illusions of granduer, every where. at home ,work ,and around friends.by the way theres even an AA meeting down at antarctica, im from adelaide so, PROBLEM DRINKERS ARE EVERYWHERE and so is AA cheers peter.
