Alcohol withdrawals....how long do they last? A question about alcoholism

+1 for me. Although its given my OCD one fantastic playground...so thats a bit of an issue...

I havent been running. but I do lift.

No cravings at all, but I drink a ton of non diet soda and eat sweets. I still have lost weight though.

Before I quit drinking and when I was an "elite" athlete I pretty much ate whatever I wanted and was still ripped.

I am no longer ripped but I eat a lot of junk but healthy looking because I do not drink.

I am reading all these posts and they have hit a nerve.

I am 27 years of age. I am not a alcoholic per se. I can go a few weeks/couple of months without drinking.

The problem is (you've guessed it!!!), once I start I cannot stop. I can't get the stuff into me quick enough once I go by a certain point. i have all the intentions in the world to take it easy, but I get the warm buzz and I head straight for oblivion. I can consume absolutely copious amounts.

It would be great if I just passed out and was put to bed. Once I am in black out mode, another person comes out. I cause trouble, make a complete and utter fool of myself. I've been arrested 2 or 3 times. I am not violent, but I tend to make a scene.

I am just a holy disgrace. Knocking things over, being unbelievably inappropriate, being a creep (making passes at girls), being rude, pissing myself in bed, petty stealing etc. I have lost my job before over what I did during a blackout

In college, I was seen as being a mess but I was kinda popular because I was seen as the guy who was up for anything and there were always hilarious stories to come out of a night with me.

Prior to being a drinker I was a normal guy. A little shy, but popular. Very mannerly too. I am still like this when I am not drinking but I just change once I start downing the poison.

I've known for a long time that I have a bit of a problem. The fact that I cannot control it. (I have stolen drinks at the end of the night when the bar stopped serving).

Most people would not see the problem. Only my closest friends have said that they think I might have a problem.

So here's the thing. I haven't drank for a couple of months (I am actually a good runner and have been focused on that but my season is over now).

I know what is coming. I am going on holiday and won't be training for next while. I have also promised my "drinking buddies" that I will be cutting loose with them soon. I am seen as the spark that gets a good session going. I like that role. I feel confident in that role. But I also hate the fear and anxiety it causes me.

Can/will I ever change?? I really can't imagine fully hitting the alcohol on the head. I always have that desire in me to just get absolutely smashed.

Would I be classed as an alcoholic?

I am the guy who started this thread so you know a little bit about me. I really do not know much except for what I have experienced.

Firstly, to me the term "alcoholic" is stupid. Everyone defines it differently. What I say is I just have lot of problems with booze and because of that I stay away. Screw the label.

At first I drank because it was fun. Very fun. I gained some confidence when I drank, banging girls was way easier, and i had a blast. Then after a while I got depressed. I think depression is normal, a lot of people go through periods like that, but I drank more to make myself feel happy. Obviously this caused a spiral. Drank all day and night and felt like shit in the morning. repeat.

Its only been 4 weeks but I do not intend on drinking ever again. The reason is because I have found other ways to fulfill the reasons i drank. I am gaining confidence. I have been meeting girls during the day. I haven't gotten laid much but its been exciting to approach girls. ALso I can have a ton of fun at bars and with friends without drinking. I can people watch, laugh at the drunks, and just kick it and have a blast. And instead I drink diet coke in a glass so its not like I look like a square at the bar drinking water.

But really i think the term alcoholic sucks. Fvuck that term. Just do what you need to be healthy and happy.

I'm an all or nothing kind of guy myself, including a short (6ish month) bout of 3-5x a week of heavy drinking before cold turkey. When it was an online chess addiction, I quit that and replaced it with a video game addiction.

I've now discovered that my short-lived addictions aren't addictions, but coping methods for other problems going on, and when things in my life are good, I don't overuse/abuse anything.

Good luck.

Wow, I am reading this thread and it is turning out to be very positive.

Everyone needs to think about why we do the things we do and whether we should or not.

I definitely agree with the OP that it doesn't actually matter what the definition of alcoholism is or how much or how often you drink. If it is causing problems, it needs to be addressed. You also need to address the reason WHY you are doing it.

There are many kinds of addictions and as runners, I think we all have addictive personalities to some point. But we also have discipline. There is also a fine line between addiction and habit. There are good habits and bad habits. Running is a good habit, if it is used as a habit and not an addiction.

I wonder what the correlation between being ADD and alcoholism is.

I am pretty ADD. it helps because I am somewhat of an serial entrepreneur. I'll start an online business, make money, then 3 months later do it again. I think alcohol was another one of my addictions. It was like for 2 years I could only focus on it.

Today is a month and a day since my last drink. I really need to start getting more active, but I just have no desire. Maybe because is 105 right now where I live, but even if it was 70 I doubt I'd wanna run.

I use to skateboard a ton. I'm gonna try it again.

I began drinking at age 20 in college. After a couple of years it progressed so rapidly that I was getting drunk every day. After age 25 I tried to cut down on my consumption and tried to quit many times, but the longest time I stayed sober was five days-until I was 33 and crashed my car drunk and ended up in the hospital with fractures and a concussion. I went straight to rehab. The reason I could not control my drinking is that I am an alcoholic. I cannot stop with just one drink. It's not a moral failing on my part, it's how my brain chemistry reacts to alcohol. I go to AA because it's group therapy, plus I get the pleasure of helping newcomers that desperately need a way to stop drinking and turn their lives around. AA is not for everyone-I don't believe in God-but at least reach out to a medical professional for help. I've been sober 20 years but if I pick up just one drink, the disease progresses as such that it will be as though I had never stopped drinking.

I like what aloha warrior had to say. They say alcoholism is an elevator that you can take down but never goes up. You can choose where to get off. I come from a well credited family of alcoholics, and yes you can decide what definition you apply. Most in my family have been able to keep good jobs, but have had those crazy events in their lives that alcoholics learn to wake up to, shake off, and drink away as if they never happened. I do think aerobic exercise is a great way to re-channel one's extra time. OP: I would not worry about running per se, if you decide to skate board, whatever, just do it. Just having a passion that keeps your mind away from alcohol helps you redefine who you are and how you spend your time. 1 month is a long time, but keep it up, eventually it will become rare to even think of it. It is a matter of retraining your thoughts and habits. Unfortunatley there are many people who find it acceptable to do stupid shit, wake up and wish they had not and go about their business without changing a thing for decades. You have realised you do not want to continue with that and are moving on. Thank God, move on and don't look back. Dream a dream of the person you wish to be and become it.

Thanks for the kind words and motivation.

Letsrun usually is full of hate and bashing (myself included in this). but this thread has been all positive. Literally 100 responses and all positive. This is great.

I really do reread this entire thread a lot. I have thought about blogging it

I take my sobriety one day at a time. What that means is that I don't tell myself that "I'm never going to drink again." Hell, I don't even know what's in store for me next week. But if I just concentrate on living today, getting my run in & not taking a drink, I've succeeded. I never tell anyone that they are an alcoholic. That's just a label and it's up to that person to decide if booze has caused enough problems in their life that it's time to quit. If I take one drink, I will not stop until I black out & pass out. Virtually every major problem in my life was directly related to my drinking. Nearly every day I read or hear about someone that died or killed someone because of a drunken fight, shooting, motor vehicle accident, etc. That's why I'm glad I don't drink.

I need this thread so bump. I'm what people would call a functional alcoholic. I'm a graduate student who has always been successful with everything I want to do. I make good grades, I pass my board exams, my girlfriend is hot but this is my dirty little secret and I know it is killing me. I recognize that it's a problem but I can't bring myself to tell my teachers or my family. Frankly, I'm embarrassed. Once I start, even one beer I can't stop until there is no more booze or I'm passed out. I've been drinking everyday for the past year or so (4-10+ drinks a night) and I know it doesn't benefit my life in any way. Reading this thread allowed me to cut down to just a couple drinks a night to zero for one day (yesterday). The support on this thread is great and I'm going to make another push for sobriety tom.

Your story is just like mine several years ago. I was a grad student winning awards and getting multiple first author publications in excellent journals. One day I decided to ask my supervisor for help. I went to his office but he wasn't there that day. I got drunk that night and lost my nerve. I still went on to do great things, marry an amazing woman, run pretty well. But my drinking got worse and worse. I'm sober now but I wasted so much time and did some really stupid things. And I felt physically sick for years.

You can ask for help and quit now, or later, or never. From experience, now is the best time. Don't waste years and then look back with regret. For me telling my wife and doctor were the start. But I know my graduate supervisor would have helped me all those years ago.

Good luck.

My father is a functional alcoholic, currently 2 years sober. He never told anyone about it and was dealing with it himself. I wish to God he would have talked to me or someone about it because it makes me extremely sad he was so alone during that period. For those of you who are keeping it to yourself, please tell someone you trust. I wish he would have talked to me.

How long do they last? Only until the next drink!

Anti wrote:I'm sober now but I wasted so much time and did some really stupid things. And I felt physically sick for years.

the guilt piles up - the longer you wait to do something, the more you feel like a f@#kup, and that you have wasted time and opportunities.

Most people have it within themselves to take action. It is daunting however. You are in an addicted state and the potential embarassment of failure can be overwhelming. Most people say, "I'll just cut down. Its more sensible". But this is to avoid the possibility of failure.

I'd tell anybody that there are resources to help you deal w/ the emotions. Society at large still punishes and stigmatizes the addict, no matter what you might read. Shame and fear of failure are extraordinarily burdensome.

This is an astonishingly sober and direct thread. Keep it up! And keep after it, OP.

The withdrawal part is the easy part. It is the addiction that really gets you and it is never really gone. You have pretty much permanently altered your reward pathways so be over responsive to cues you associate with drinking. You will never really be lacking cravings or wantings.

illogical logic wrote:

You will never really be lacking cravings or wantings.

That's not entirely true as written. Yes, those cravings and desires are there--but latent. I go days, weeks, and sometimes months without thinking about it (after +8 years sober).