I have been sober 10 days, doing meetings , reading about alcoholism. It's funny I knew I was an alcoholic for a very long time but I kept on fighting the disease . I am a classic functioning alcoholic if there is such a thing. I was living a lie and betraying my family, nothing mean just selfish alcoholic behaviour. Whatever , my question is I have been on line and came across alcoholic perception. I am confused on this topic , does it half to do with the alcoholic 's denial of his problem in the first place? Or is it the alcoholic when drunk sees thing differently, for example if I am drunk and someone says give me your keys, " your too drunk to drive"; and I respond " up yours I'm ok I am driving" I have been drunk many times and out of control and friends have helped me get home it happens to us all, but I have seen non alcoholic people in the same situation act the same as an alcoholic, however the next day they do not wake up and continue on, they usually hide from embarrassment. So can anyone explain to me alcoholic perception i saw it in the big book also.
hmmm....not really sure about that. All I know is that I know I am alcoholic and my perception about alcohol has been messed up over the years. I took me years of drinking to realize I had a problem and for quite a while I didn't believe in alcohol being a disease. My dad was an alcoholic and I always thought he could control his drinking if he really wanted to and when I was drinking I thought I was controlling my drinking even when I kept increasing the amount I drank. I thought I just chose to drink like that and there was nothing medically or mentally wrong with me. So my perception of alcohol, alcoholic and alcoholism were all messed up. Not sure if this helps answer anything for you....it is just my own perception.
We don't know what you were reading so we can't speak to what that particular article was trying to say. But there is a lot of good information in the Alcoholics Anonymous 'Big Book" about the kind of thinking that we alcoholics have been prone to engaging in, both while we were actually under the influence, and perhaps more important, the bizarre and baffling ways that we would tend to think about our drinking (and other things) even when we were temporarily not under the influence, between our drinking sessions.
Check out the information in Chapter 3: 'More About Alcoholism'. Some of the things to pay attention to are the descriptions of the kinds of irrational justifications and self-delusion that we can be prone to, preceding the 'first drink', in order to rationalize that it's a good idea for us to drink again and this time things will be different despite all evidence to the contrary. Look at the analogy of the 'problem jaywalker', who keeps trying to figure out ways to successfully jaywalk, over and over again, when all evidence shows that, for whatever reason, he's someone who simply can't do it successfully and predictably, and that IF HE WERE SANE and not obsessed with this idea, he would simply try to find ways to NOT jaywalk, instead of repeatedly trying to find ways to do something that he cannot do and deluding himself with rationalizations. For us, this type of mental twist which tended to happen to us again and again before we commenced real recovery from alcoholism is called "the insanity of the first drink'.
It describes how we often kept trying to figure out how to drink successfully when it should have been obvious that we should have been trying to figure out how NOT to drink.
"The idea that somehow, some day he will control and enjoy his drinking is the great obsession of every abnormal drinker. The persistence of this illusion is astonishing."
- Alcoholics Anonymous, chapter 3
-- Edited by davep12and12 on Monday 20th of June 2016 06:23:25 PM
and this below, which Dave quoted from the BB, is exactly how I felt everytime I kept drinking...I would get some sober time, feel really good about myself mentally and physically and then had this kind of crap thinking which would send me back to get more insane.... "descriptions of the kinds of irrational justifications and self-delusion that we can be prone to, preceding the 'first drink', in order to rationalize that it's a good idea for us to drink again and this time things will be different despite all evidence to the contrary. Look at the analogy of the 'problem jaywalker', who keeps trying to figure out ways to successfully jaywalk, over and over again, when all evidence shows that, for whatever reason, he's someone who simply can't do it successfully and predictably, and that IF HE WERE SANE and not obsessed with this idea, he would simply try to find ways to NOT jaywalk, instead of repeatedly trying to find ways to do something that he cannot do and deluding himself with rationalizations.
....and it is funny (not in a humorous--more like a strange kind of way....) that the last bottle I bought (and still ended up drinking) was the time I was actually jaywalking across a busy road and almost got hit by a turning car!
How ironic! However, now that I think about it maybe that was a meant to be and Someone was trying to help this crazy mind of mine make the connection to what I had "learned" versus what I was doing. Thanks so much for posting that, Dave! I had read that since that happened and it still didn't sink in.
At some point in our drink'n careers, we come to know it's a bad idea to drink like we were drink'n, we kinda want to stop, but we rationalize any frick'n way we can, to justify have'n another drink ... and after two or three or 20 drinks, we simply loose all 'common sense' of the situation and say the 'hell with it', I want to drink, and do so ... This is an example of 'insanity' at it's peak ...
No person in their 'right mind' would do what we have done for so long a peroid of time ... it's not stupid, it's just eff'n insane think'n ....
(We learn here, we must change the way we think, cause the way we had been think'n got us here to start with ...) ...
Pappy
__________________
'Those who leave everything in God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything.'
My brother always said "we inherited the insanity gene" he however did something about a long time ago, I have to get there, like I told you yesterday git goosebumps walking by a bar, when will they go away, should I get some medicine that stops cravings, I hear there is some of that out there.
Bunchie
It's not a bad idea to go see your doctor and just let him know that you have had a serious drinking problem until very recently and that you are now newly sober, but that's mostly just to check your blood pressure etc. and make sure your general health is okay. You are already sober eleven days so it's highly unlikely that you are still physically detoxing and in need of any medical help specifically for that. You should not be expecting, or trying to find, some drug to fix all the feelings of early sobriety. That is exactly the kind of thinking that got us where we were in the first place. Our collective experience as sober alcoholics has shown that it is not the answer. In fact, it is the problem.
For people like us, once we are past the first few days of physical detox, the very best chance for sobriety and the end to those cravings and feelings of discomfort and all the other horrible crap that went along with our drinking is to get very involved in Alcoholics Anonymous, and stay involved, consistently, one day at a time.
What is your involvement with AA currently? How often are you going to AA meetings? Do you have a copy of the AA 'Big Book'? Are you getting to know people in AA meetings and trading phone numbers with them so you have sober people to contact?
You mentioned that your brother did something about his drinking a long time ago - what is the story with that, and have you talked with your brother about you getting sober?
-- Edited by davep12and12 on Tuesday 21st of June 2016 05:06:17 PM
Yeah, there a few things out there that helps with the cravings and crazyness, and like Dave said, it's a great idea to see a doctor ... Only ... if you're 'totally honest' with him or her ...
I carried hard candy in my pocket for nearly a year, cause sweets curb the cravings ... and well, ... I like sweets, LOL ... (alcohol is mostly sugar, so the candy helps) ...
But by all means, go to a doctor and get a check-up ... long term alcohol use causes a ton of health issues ... and if you don't die 1st, they may be able to restore you to good health ...
__________________
'Those who leave everything in God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything.'
I drink herbal tea everyday....there are lots of good all natural ones which help calm and relax me. The cabinet was stocked with the stuff when I picked up (and up and up...) again. Don't know what the heck was wrong with me...oh yes, that's right.....I was insane. (Oh, and I avoided going by any place where I frequented/bought my booze....even the wine aisles at Kroger's---I avoided going anywhere near them. The craziness is still not over. This last go-round I went to a wine store for my crap. So 7-11's I haven't had any problem going to get my cigs because I don't relate it to wine like I did back in 2013 when I got sober before....until today right before the meeting....I was standing in line and not too far from the register they had a display of wine. Well, that didn't make my mind go crazy just seeing the bottles....until I saw the sign....2 bottles for $8.00. I love sales. My mind quickly thought "Damn! I can get two of them for the price I was paying for one! Wonder how long the sale goes on?" Now, that is just plain stupid! I just reached 30 days today. I have felt really good that I made it this far (again). So....I am so grateful that my meeting was within just a few minutes of when that ludicrous thought went in my head. Now I need to find another place to get my cigs or force myself not to look around when I am standing in line there.
(oh, and that wine store I mentioned......before I sprained my ankle and was walking everyday, I wouldn't even walk up the same street as it. Now I can walk up the street, however, I have to cross to the other side of where it is....it just is too hard for me to walk by it. Not that I am worried about buying anything, it kind of repulses me to go by it for some reason and my guy friend would bash the bottle over my head if I tried to buy that crap as he walks with me!)
-- Edited by leavetherest on Tuesday 21st of June 2016 07:27:09 PM
To Summitbhc
Hi this is Bunchie, if your inquiry was to me , the answer is no I did not go to rehab, I have only been sober 13 days now my cravings were just the other day, I talked to people at meetings that said with time they will be gone. I don't know if goosebumps qualify as cravings anyway. I'm all good I hope you are s well
Goosebumps?, ... LMAO ... are those a little bigger than Duckbumps??? ... ... ...
IF you work this program with the same 'conviction' you did in find'n another drink, then the very 'desire' to drink will be removed ... oh, there'll be times and certain circumstances that will catch you 'off guard', BUT stick with us long enough and you'll have ALL the tools necessary to learn to live and enjoy life without alcohol ... in fact, you'll rarely even think about it ...
Love ya man and God Bless, Pappy
__________________
'Those who leave everything in God's hand will eventually see God's hand in everything.'
Pappy your sense of humor will carry you through your surgery, I am going to say my prayers for you just the same. Take care I will be in touch with you on this board before and after your surgery.
God bless you
Bunchie
However, now that I think about it maybe that was a meant to be and Someone was trying to help this crazy mind of mine make the connection to what I had "learned" versus what I was doing. Thanks so much for posting that, Dave! I had read that since that happened and it still didn't sink in.