My brother called to ask me if it is ok that he self-medicates with 2 beers a few ni
 

Hi,

My brother just called to ask me if it is ok that he self-medicates with 2 beers a few nights a week.

Who put me in charge of these kinds of questions?????!!!:mad:
So I listened mostly.

He is a serious athelete -- rode his bike 22 miles today.

He stays in shape to row competitively and won some recent races.
He also coaches a rowing team.
He is very careful about diet because he has to stay at a low weight in order to be in the competitions.

Some nights he likes beer.

I told him the usual stuff about alcohol.
Then I told him as long as he is very careful with the beer, his is probably ok.

I also reminded him that he is probably fighting the family genetics from our mother's side that make people wound a little too tight and was drinking to come down.

He thought he was drinking to come up.
HA HA HA HA HA
Not even close. He is wound up as tight as a top (anxiety, agitation, anger, . . .. ).

Mari

would he think about seeing a therapist?
?????
bizi

Mari,

The guy I had seen over the summer gets like that, wound up tight. It took me a long time to see it because he would already have several drinks by time I saw him.

befuddled2

Bizi,
He wouldn't see a therapist. (Maybe he wants to do things the hard way.)
He thinks he is enlightened and the truth from my perspective is that he does have a great deal of self-awareness.

Befuddled,
My brother has been self-medicating since he was in his late teens -- went to jail at least once. . . had a few motorcycle accidents in his 20s . . .



We family members are relieved that he is avoiding street drugs.
Now he is legal.
He's not always uptight. He also has a fun hypo side that draws people to him.

My mother has been able to keep herself more or less ok most of the time lately with
-extreme exercise program
-strict sleep schedule
-very careful diet

My brother is sort of following her model it seems.

Mari

I really don't know what to say. I think beer is better than klonopin. I can't believe all that exercise wouldn't knock him out. I don't think two beers are bad unless it escalates. Does he have self control?
Bobby