I accept that the consumption of alcohol is but a symptom of alcoholism. I came to AA to get help with my drinking, but I stayed to get help with my thinking.
Way back, well over forty years ago, when I was at school, I was studying for my o levels and spent half a day effectively on work experience with the lab technicians. Preparing set upsmfor experiments, helping to manage te equipment stocks etc,
And drinking pints of tea.
I've just made a pot of tea and was transported back to those days and I realise that I couldn't get enough tea. I made and maintained links with the lab techs purely so I could get an unfettered supply of tea. At 14 years old, the only refreshment available to me at school was water. But I liked tea.
Mary, the senior lab tech, eventually banned me from the lab techs workshop, because I was nipping in for a quick culpa before school started, between every lesson, at lunchtime and before going home. It got to the point where I'd skip lessons for the tea. I was obsessed with tea. Or was I obsessed with the company of working adults, who were so much more interesting than my schoolfriends, probably both.
Surely this was alcoholic behaviour before I got into drinking booze. It surely became a more important part of my life than learning was.
In common with many other people I still display obsessive behaviours around what I eat and drink. I dare not buy a jumbo pack of anything, because it get'seaten in one session. I still have a serious coffee and tea habit. I once bought 100lbs of ground coffee. I have 4 jars of douwe Egbert's instant coffee, 2 jars of carte noir decaf, a couple of pounds of douse Egbert's strength 4 ground coffee, two packs of Starbucks ground espresso blend, several packs of tea bags.... monkey tea, fruit tea, rooibos, a couple of pounds of loose leaf tea and on top of all this a tap full of water that I rarely drink.
Yes. I'm convinced that alcoholic behaviours don't need to be alcohol fuelled and can start way before the first drink.
My names Bill, I'm an alcoholic and caffeine addict
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It's not having what you want, it's wanting what you got. BB
Bill, we sound alot alike. I too am addicted to caffaine. One cup after another and I don't sip it, I gulp it much like I did alcohol.
Very interesting post.
