Hello
I'm not sure if anyone can answer this, but since I feel it may be an issue, I'm probably in the right place to ask...
I'm currently on Sertraline (100mg) for anxiety, as well as various other meds including sleeping pills (zopiclone 7.5mg), but my drinking habits are the same as they have ever been, without any reaction to my meds (been on them for about 5 months). I'm also now seeing a counsellor who is telling me that my drinking habit is "dangerous" and that if I carry on the way I'm going, I will "most likely be a fully-fledged alcoholic" by the time I'm in my fifties (I'm 32 now).
To paint the picture, I usually drink at least 5 nights out of 7; sometimes only one glass of red wine, but often (and mainly at weekends) as much as 2-3 bottles of wine along with numerous glasses of whisky or brandy to follow. I admit that I have taken occasional days off work because I've been hungover, but only because my work is flexible, so I make sure I do my contracted hours each week, regardless of how I might be feeling. If I know I absolutely have to go to work the following day, I won't mess around with booze. And if I ever do - it's my own fault if I feel bad at work.
The main thing is that I drink because I enjoy it, not because I NEED to. I rarely drink alone (although I happily can and occasionally do), but the reason I drink to the extent that I do is because of my tolerance level, which has always been very high. I'm not an aggressive, tearful, unbalanced or nasty drunk. I tend to stay the same, just a little more animated. I am never, ever sick and I never lose control.
My counsellor thinks I am in danger of becoming alcohol dependent, but to me drinking has always been my family culture. I would never dream of drinking in the morning - the thought of that is horrific (apart from on Christmas Day), but anything past midday has always been acceptable in my family (of course NOT on a work day).
Am I right to be defending myself and telling my counsellor that this is normal for me and that I am in control of it? Or am I severely in denial? I'm certainly not naïve enough to think this is good for my health (and that's something I do need to work on, since I eat very healthily), but I'm not prepared to admit that I am "verging on alcoholism".
If anyone has any comments, advice or observations, I would be very grateful indeed.
Bella
No, it doesn't take one drink to become drunk with reverse tolerance; I was in the US Navy and drank HEAVILY so where a case of 6% beer got me loaded, it takes roughly half. Symptoms of withdrawal outside of a "hangover" do not act as a hangover. Agitation is expected when "hung over". However, the biological ramifications of over-indulgence can be rated without the use of a doctor on this scale. 1) Mild: 1-4 hrs after the last drink. Restlessness, cold sweats, overly-anxious. Headache, usually symptoms of a casual hangover after a binge 2) Moderate: Migraine-like symptoms, palm sweat and paranoia or feelings of persecution/judgment. Normal hangover symptoms become worse and only with alcohol reintroduced into the body subsides the body's "anxiety". 3) Severe: Heart palpitations, irregular heartbeat or a pulse rate at or above 100/minute. Involuntary eye movement, general unawareness of time/date, seizures, potential stroke or heart attack. 4) Death. If you achieve anything past step 1) and then "taper" or lessen your use then go back to a greater amount, each time will increase the likelihood of the withdrawals becoming more severe or life-threatening. Diazepam or Lorazepam (Valium, Ativan) will greatly decrease the possibility of death (Alcohol over-actives the GABA receptors in the brain and those drugs act in the same manner). Yeah, it's not fun, it's not a guarantee for every drinker or heavy drinker. Genetic gamble if you hit the sauce as we do
