[waves]

i used to abuse alcohol.

in the past year, i've actually had an unexplained aversion to it. no idea why... not on any drugs that would cause such an aversion. also very averse to feeling its effects at all - barely tipsy, or drowsy. i'd at most have a glass of wine with dinner, and feel annoyed if i felt it.

lately i've been having beer in the afternoon. one 16 ounce beer, tops. on my birthday, i went to the bar, and i had 2 of them, but it was an exception. anyway... i still don't enjoy being tipsy but it doesn't seem to bother me as much. also, i am appreciating the slight numbing effect it has on me. i am a little concerned, but not terribly.

on the one hand, i know i need to keep an eye on things and not abuse alcohol. when you start appreciating the pharmacological effects, it is very easy to move into abuse. some might even say, it is abuse (self-medication, as opposed to recreational).

on the other hand, i know that i am not an alcoholic. and so appreciating a good weissbeer for the way it tastes, or a glass of rose with dinner, is ok.

i guess i wanted a place where i could share the good and the bad about it, and sort of keep track. and if anyone else wants to share and/or keep track of any aspects of alcohol... use... concerns... enjoyment... whatever... so much the better. concerns about others are welcome too.

thanks for listening

~ waves ~

[bizi]

I love to drink and like the effects. I have a decrease in my social anxiety issues so I use it to feel more at ease with strangers in social settings.
Is this abuse????
There are some really great tasting beers out there and I like the dark high alcohol content of them I also like the blue berry beer that is high alcohol content. but also high caloire.
I had a better handle of my drinking when I was following a strict diet.
now I am not so I am already drinking more and more often.
great topic of conversation.
bizi

[waves]

Hi Bizi, thank you for joining me.

drinking to feel less anxious is a form of self-medicating. i would call that 'using' because it is a means to an end but i don't consider it 'abuse' unless it is excessive. 'Excessive' is somewhat subjective too. some people consider all self-medication abuse but if you go by the DSM, there have to be other aspects to consider it abuse.

i have used it that way, too, btw... for social anxiety. and i believe it is quite common in our society. "aww, c'mon, relax, have a drink..." it's everywhere, really.

i 'used' alcohol in lots of other ways too. at various times, when depressed, when manic, when angry, for pain, and for euphoria. lately i'm not sure what it is but i am appreciating the effect as well as the taste.

i would love to taste you blueberry beer... maybe someday i've had raspberry beer before - that was gooooooooood. i'm not too crazy about dark beers in general, but i have had a few that i did like... used to go to a place called The Mill, that brewed their own... had some awesome stuff there.

~ waves ~

[mymorgy]

i think my father was bipolar ii and self medicated with alcohol...he was an alcoholic so i have a different view. i recently within the past year stopped seeing somebody i had been seeing for almost four years because he kept on telling me wine was good for me and he kept on encouraging me to drink. his son is bipolar and his son's doctor told his son not todrink while on his medications, my doctor told me not to drink while on these medications, so i stopped seeing the guy because i felt he didn't really care about me
bobby

[waves]

Dear Bobby

i am so sorry about your friend trying to push alcohol on you Bobby, that is not right at all. it is no different than trying to persuade someone to smoke cigarettes or do street drugs.

and even if you weren't on the medications, i agree it would be unadvisable for you to drink, because of the diabetes.

i understand about alcohol and meds... all of them have warnings... i'm sure bizi is aware too... i know my body and my reactions to the meds, and meds plus alcohol, and it is a choice i make with open eyes. but technically you are right, it would be better not to drink with meds - certainly it is not right to suggest to others who are on meds to drink on top of the meds.

~ waves ~

[mymorgy]

thanks...i do have my father's chemistry and when i drink, my depression goes away so it is an awful temptation....thank you for reminding me of the diabetes ....i forgot about that
love
bobby

[Mari]

Originally Posted by mymorgy

thanks...i do have my father's chemistry and when i drink, my depression goes away so it is an awful temptation....thank you for reminding me of the diabetes ....i forgot about that
love
bobby

Hi,

I'm sorry ladies.
I wish you could enjoy what you want without trying to second (and third) guess yourself.

If it works for you and you have it under control, what difference does it make whether you "use" it?

We use lots of things. . . ok . . . can't think of any good ones at the moment.. . . . they will come to me around 4:00 am when I should be sleeping.
Don't we use other things to change mood or improve a situation? And don't we try to make sure that we use them in a way that implies moderation?

I guess I am trying to say that you know your own limits and can be reasonable. . . . you don't have to look for problems if you don't have any.


M.

[waves]

Originally Posted by Mari

We use lots of things

you know your own limits and can be reasonable. . . . you don't have to look for problems if you don't have any.

very true, we do use lots of things... caffeine for instance. heck, i even 'use' food. comfort-eating is 'using' food.

but problems with alcohol can be very subtle. knowing one's one limits is not as easy as it might seem - we tend to rationalize. often, we do not know our own limits until we exceed them.

it is strongly addictive, physically as well as psychologically. it produces euphoria, reduces inhibitions, reduces anxiety, reduces pain, induces sleep, disturbs sleep architecture, changes food metabolism, changes stomach acidity... and long term lots of other things. alcohol is a drug, and a whether or not it is 'used' for its pharmacological effects, it must be regarded with the same caution. the fact that it is also used recreationally or for taste, complicates this. we who take benzodiazepines need to be even more mindful, because benzos and alcohol cause cross-tolerance as well as additive effects.

i have had problems with abusing alcohol before, and very serious ones... it is important for me to monitor myself. self-awareness and even some second-guessing is helpful as it is best to keep the situation from becoming problematic, and if it is, to keep it from spinning out of control.

once there is a problem, even if one sees it, it is very hard to fix. in my case it was fixed by circumstance, not by willpower. i only recently had "proof" that i am not an alcoholic because i experienced aversion - which alcoholics do not.

~ waves ~

[OhKay]

I've abused alcohol in the past and have self-medicated with illegal drugs. I haven't used any illegal substances for 10 years, with the exception of occasional pot when I can't sleep due to neurological pain (NONE of my docs have a problem with that).

Drinking does decrease my anxiety and loosen me up in social situations. I'm also a smoker, and rely heavily on coffee to make me alert. I'm not willing to stop drinking coffee though because it has less side effects than the other meds they've given me for fatigue and alertness.

I grew up in bar rooms because both of my parents were alcoholics (dad still is, mom passed away 13 years ago). Also 2 uncles, a grandmother, a grandfather, and my husband. I grew up thinking that's what adults did.

A few months ago I quit drinking all together- and it was really easy. I quit because it's not good for me and I know it- risk of falling, medications, MH problems, increased risk of becoming an alcoholic due to extensive family hx. Also, I feel like crap after I drink a lot. I already feel like crap, and I don't need to add to it.
My husband was very unsupportive during that, offering me beers, taking two out of the fridge instead of one....
So, I started drinking non-alcoholic beer after about a month and enjoyed it. If I asked my husband to bring me a "near beer" when he was up, he'd bring me a regular beer. BTW, he was not supportive when I quit smoking either (he also smokes).

Usually, I will have 1-3 beers on the weekend, but my drinking almost always comes into play when I'm manic. I will drink to excess, and to the point that I don't know how much I've had to drink. I hate this.

I think it would be a lot easier for me to stay away from alcohol, even during mania, if I didn't live with an alcoholic who encourages me to drink.

So, that's my 2 cents. This is a good discussion.
-Kay

[Pamster]

I drink about three or so times a year, like last year around Christmas I got a bottle of butterscotch schnappes and did go a little overboard, would have about four shots of it a night for a week until the bottle was gone. I don't think it's a problem though because I drank that and went til New year's and had a bottle of champagne Jack and I split, then nothing to this day. Not to say I don't think about it. I worry about becoming an alcoholic so I won't overdo it, when I say four shots I mean I stopped at the fourth. I like liquors though, so I plan on getting some Amaretto soon. Probably next month. I don't drink to get wasted anymore I think I was borderline alcoholic in my twenties. But I just up and stopped without any trouble. Good topic waves!