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Being a problem drinker

38 replies

littledrummerboy · 28/09/2012 12:56

So I've had an ultimatum from my DW. she's going if I don't stop drinking. Over the last 3 weeks I've stopped during the week and have negotiated drinking on only 2 days a week. I'm not craving the booze but I don't want to stop completely. I want to be able to drink without having it every night. So far so good but I can't help thinking that this is not enough for her. Before people start saying an u abusive when I'm drunk. No I don't get physical I may although not for a long time talk loudly and shit most of the time. I am currently out of work as the profession I am in has been screwed by the government. DW has rightly given me a boot up the arse for this and I'm looking harder for any job than I've been before. I have issues clearly but don't know how to make her see I don't want her to go and take DC with her. Obviously if she did go I wouldn't even fight for custody of the kids as she's probably a better mother than I am a father. Some advice please.

OP posts:
NCforthisreply · 28/09/2012 14:32

Had to NC. I used to drink loads. I always wanted to be able to have just one, maybe once a week. What I found was that I needed to stop completely to get used to the idea of life without alcohol. It's hard letting go, very hard. If you don't stop it completely it will creep up and up till you're drinking as much or more than you were.

Seriously, what's the worst thing that can happen if you stop drinking? I discovered the answer is 'nothing', and the benefits are enormous. It takes months, no years, to get used to none, it was about 2.6 yrs for me. The idea was to have one drink occassionally, but I've found I can't stand the feeling of being out of control anymore. And yes, that happens from the first drink.

Please try and decide if alcohol matters more to you, or your family. Some people will inevitably choose the alcohol, but some won't. Which are you?

Very best of luck.

HandHolding · 28/09/2012 14:36

Well I would say that if your wife has given you this ultimatum, then the way you behave when drunk isn't acceptable and must be much worse than just 'talking rubbish and too loudly'. To start with, spending every evening with a guy who 'talks rubbish loudly' must be a drain tbh.

At the moment, I actually don't think you have really faced the reality of things. Your wife IS GOING TO LEAVE YOU if you don't stop. She WILL.
Are you ready to take that risk? Or would rather put your head in the sand and hope she will back down one more time?

HandHolding · 28/09/2012 14:38

Listen to all the people on here who have been there.
Listen to them and their stories.
Listen to what steps they have taken, what has worked for them and what hasn't.

They know.

lizbee156 · 28/09/2012 14:39

littledrummer drinking 2 nights a week is normal but drinking consistently for 20 years beforehand is not.

I think you should stop drinking for now - until Christmas Day would seem like a good suggestion - and focus and finding a job and working on your marriage.
If your drinking is under control stopping for a few months shouldn't be a problem. If it is a problem then you will know you need to seek help with this.

You do need to go to your gp for a check up - liver function, cholesterol, blood pressure and all that. 20 years of drinking takes a toll, if the gp suggests lifestyle changes then listen and act accordingly.

You need to talk to your wife and listen to her in order to get through this.

NoNoNoMYDoIt · 28/09/2012 14:52

come and see us over here Brave Babes

we won't mind that you're not a babe, and you will find LOTS of support from people who have been / are where you are right now

you can ask questions to your heart's content. no-one will judge you.

EldritchCleavage · 28/09/2012 15:11

Do you see how this thread is going, though, OP?

It's you saying 'But WHY can't I drink?' or 'Yes, but it'll be fine if I just drink a bit, honest, even though I haven't managed to restrict my intake in 20 years.'

I feel as though we may just be helping you to refine the arguments you are going to use with your wife when you tell her you're not giving up drink, and that makes me feel very uncomfortable.

Ultimately, you have to make a judgment about alcohol's relative importance or lack of importance in your life and act accordingly. Oh, and take the consequences, too.

littledrummerboy · 28/09/2012 16:26

So I briefly spoke to AA this aft. Nice bloke. I'll speak to the them again about going to a meeting soon. Although sobriety is a scary prospect tbh. But I still want to have a drink socially if I please. I don't want to stop altogether. Just want to control it.
I appreciate concerns, but I am a stubborn bugger and equally will not let drink beat me. Family first yes, goes without question. But I will have when I want. Just not every night. Done that for too long. I will not fail at this. Even cutting down as much as I have has made a difference.

I am better than that. I know it.

OP posts:
Pancakeflipper · 28/09/2012 16:36

If you are willing to lose your family because you are a stubborn bugger then you are a fool.

It sounds like your wife is putting the kids first. You probably don't realise how tedious and also how scary it is to have a drunken loud ranting person in the same house night after night.

Even twice a week is no fun, or once a month, she will end up dreading whatever nights you pick for your 'social' drinking.

Start thinking about what matters. If its the booze then let your wife get on with protecting the kids and have a happier life than pussyfooting around a drunk.

LRDtheFeministDragon · 28/09/2012 17:03

Well done on speaking to AA.

It is totally understandable you still want to drink socially - everyone does. Especially alcholics. But, you know, you wouldn't be letting drink beat you if you stopped. Don't think that! Admitting you're struggling, as you have, is already beginning to beat it. So don't do yourself down ... you are beating it and you can beat it completely. If you're the one in a million for whom cutting down works - great! If not, then you have already made the first step by cutting down. So you should not feel bad, you should stay strong.

Best of luck!

UnexpectedItemInShaggingArea · 28/09/2012 17:05

Good first steps :)

Go to a meeting, keep an open mind. Try to go to at least 6 - 10 before making your mind up whether they are helping or not.

What does your wife say about AA?

littledrummerboy · 28/09/2012 17:26

She's happy and a little surprised I think. Only told her on the phone so not had a chance to speak properly yet.

OP posts:
LRDtheFeministDragon · 28/09/2012 17:27

Great stuff! Keep it up.

Snorbs · 29/09/2012 10:53

There is so much double-speak in your message. A bystander can see the cognitive dissonance plain as day but I know that, from your point of view, it all seems coherent. It reminds me very strongly of the verbal linguistics my ex would engage in to justify continuing to drink despite the fall-out. Let me highlight some of the things that stood out to me:

Although sobriety is a scary prospect tbh. - Why is it scary? If someone told you "you can never eat custard again", would you find that equally scary? Isn't it actually a scarier prospect that you are so dependent on a chemical that the mere thought of never using it again scares you?

But I still want to have a drink socially if I please. - in other words, regardless of the damage alcohol has caused to you, your marriage and your family in the past, you still feel entitled to drink in the future whenever you want. On the two days a week you're drinking now, are you actually drinking socially? Or are you drinking at home on your own?

I don't want to stop altogether. Just want to control it. - In twenty-odd years you never learned the ability to reliably control it. Why is it so important to you that you are willing to risk so much in yet another experiment?

I am a stubborn bugger and equally will not let drink beat me. - you are indeed very stubborn. You are so stubborn that despite the deep damage alcohol has caused to your relationship and the imminent risk that your marriage may fall apart entirely because of your drinking, you are insistent that you must retain the right to drink whenever you want. Is it you that is stubborn or your alcohol problem?

Family first yes, goes without question. - Sorry, but that's a lie you are telling to yourself. You may believe it but I'm not sure anyone else does. Not least because you you immediately undermine it with a "but...". You may say it's family first, but your actions are very clearly saying it's "family first, unless that threatens my entitlement to drink".

Why is alcohol so important to you?

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