Do I have an alcohol abuse problem?

General health and lifestyle
1

I am really struggling to identify if i have a problem, or if this is in the realm of normal. I don't like fishing for medical terms and self diagnosis, but I just don't know what to do anymore. 

I am mid twenties, I definitely can say for sure I am not dependant on alcohol, but alcohol is causing a problem in my life. I will regularly have a glass of wine after work at home with my dinner, this is fine and I limit it to only 1 glass, perhaps once or twice a week. I do not crave or need alcohol to function. The problem is when I go out with friends or my partner at the weekend, the chances are i will get drunk, I don't know when to stop and when I do get drunk 9/10 occasions I will act out like a different person. I have done this several times over the years, had arguments with friends and partners and nothing seems to change. I don't know what happens, one minute I am fine having a good time. the next I am grumpy, moody, become argumentative, confrontational, stressy causing blazing rows and insulting people i care about.  On occasions, I have even frightened myself, not knowing how I got home, or just generally acting in an atrocious manner. 

The next day is always the same, I am humiliated, embarrassed & apologetic. 

I guess the reason I have come here is because after my most recent stunt, it has occured to me my apologies have zero value now and that really affects me. 

I have done so much reading and I just cant understand If I fall into a category of alcohol abuse or not and I am helpless as to what to do. Do I need to be someone who has to totally abstain from drinking, or is there a way I can control it?

2

Hi hummtasty

Sorry to hear that you have been having problems with drink. I am not a doctor but have gone through the same as you. After years of being like you, I now am seeking help from a support group. Because alcohol is causing you to notice that there may be a problem then there probably is one. Alcoholics do not wake up one day and become one. They get there progressively by not identifying the problem. If I could change my love I certainly would. Like you, I started off occassionaly having a drink at parties only but got drunk everytime. Over Christmas last year I was drink before I even got there. It was just after new year I started to do something about it. Good luck.

3

Yup, You are abusing the Alcohol at the Weekends. It is already become a huge Problem, and you even said it yourself "The next day is always the same, I am humiliated", I would wanna fix that, simple way is to control the Drink before it gets you. x

4

Hello and great that you are honest with us. Yes, you have problems and best to try and control it before it gets even more out of control.

5

You have a problem drinking in social settings and need a way to fix this.

One simple way would be to stop drinking alcohol when you are socialising. Easier said than done for most people.

​If you can't do that then you'll need to find a way to control your drinking when you are in social settings. Do you have any ideas how you could do this?

​If not, then you might want to consider that feeling humiliated and embarrassed is too big a price to pay and that you should limit your drinking to meal times.

​All the best!