New here...need to talk

[Mile High]

Hi everyone...swim just recently came to the conclusion that swim has an alcohol problem.
Swim has drank everyday for the past year. Swim usually comes home from work and drinks 3 beers and a couple glasses of wine. Recently swim has noticed when she is really hungover her heart will race and have a panic attack. The only thing that will calm swim down is a drink. Swims career is very important to her, but it seems like ever since she got into a supervisor role she drinks more due to the stress. Swim used to have issues with Anxiety 8 years ago, and conquered that. She feels like the alcohol she has been consuming lately is bringing those Anxiety/panic attack feeling back. Swim feels like she cannot talk to her family about this so she is here...

What can swim do to help herself?

Peace & Love

Mile High added 204 Minutes and 3 Seconds later...

Just opened a can of beer and a bottle of wine. Anyone out there?

[Mile High]

swim gets off work at 4pm and starts drinking by 5pm...

[chillinwill]

Are you having any negative consequences due to drinking? Have you ever tried to stop drinking before and failed? One of the biggest signs of a problem developing is thinking that you might have a drinking problem

[Mile High]

Swims negative consequence is that she used to be very into Hiking and Biking...afterall I do live in the mountains. Lately Swim has been doing less and less of that because she is too hungover in the mornings. That has been the worst consequence. Swim does find that if she plans an early day hike the night before she will only drink two glasses of wine to avoid missing out on nature.
Maybe that could be my motivator? Hmmm.....

[Hippie Philosopher]

Hi, Swim gave up pot and has substituded it with homemade wine. The home made wine seems to be stronger than store bought. Swim has never liked how alcohol affected his body but likes to have something to get a relaxing buzz from. Now he has an acidic situation alot of times in his digestive track and stomach. Plus wine makes swim wake up at about 3:00 A.M. so he has to get up and take kava kava to get back to sleep. So he is trying to get back to drinking only a glass or glass and a half with dinner. Swin is lucky though because he has studied nutrition and alternative health all his adult life so he has lots of options. He knows that magnesium is important and that drinking takes it out of the body so he takes some daily. He also is getting back into green drinks twice a day to try to stay less acidic. Also swim studies about energized water and makes Prill water and drinks it after his alcohol to aoid dehydration which is part of the hangover problem. He also has the option to make Willard Water which will help get rid of a hangover. Swim takes a high grade kava kava to relax. He also has a light and sound machine which can entrain his brain to alpha or theta waves to relieve tension. Swim is obviosly some kind of nutty collector of alternative stuff because that is not all he has. He also has good quality subliminal tapes with groovy titles like happiness and laughter and total relaxation. And some of Steve Halperns cd's such as effortless relaxation, a music tape with a subliminal message. Besides being a collector swim must be one uptight dude to be constanly seeking out gadgets to relax. And as if that weren't enough he has Lambrou and Pratts book Instant Emotional Healing Which in some ways is better than even the gadgets because the technique that it teaches "erases" from your meridian points all the body stored trauma that folks plug into when they get upset.As I said earlier, Swim has studied alternative health and is also aware that B vitamins are lost from drinking. Even real groovy ones like B6 which is neccessary for making the relaxation neurotransmitters, promoting dreaming which in itself is a issue resolving process, and many other important functions. So swim takes a food form vitamin mineral supplement. It's a wonder that Swim even has time to drink. If only his wife didn't make that delicious home made wine. But alas humans will always figure out ways to try to get transcendant. It does sound like the swim you know is consuming more than just a relaxing amount of alcohol. Using alcohol in excess to relax is a losing venture. And anyone who has ever know a chronic drinker for long enough will eventually experiece the classic alcoholic temper. This happens for some of the already mentioned vitamin and mineral deficiencies and because many drinkers forget to eat enough nutritious food. There are scads of herbal mixtures out there that can promote relaxation better than alcohol. Deep breathing techniques and yoga can also do the same. Friendship is good, as drinking is somewhat of a very passive activity. Swim gets short term intoxication but almost no other benefits, and as the amount increases the cons outweigh any suppossed pros. Let me know if Swim wants any more details of some of the resources mentioned.Hippie fill los of fur

[Richard_smoker]

Here's how doctors are trained to assess if someone has a problem with alcohol.

It's called the "CAGE" Questionaire. You answer 4 simple questions HONESTLY!

1. C (cutting back). Have you ever felt like you should cut back on your drinking? or Have you ever tried to cut back on your drinking.

2. A (annoyed). Have you ever been ANNOYED by other people who suggest you might drink too much, or by people who suggest you should drink less?

3. G (guilt). Have you ever felt GUILTY about your drinking?

4. E (eye-opener). Do you ever wake up to an "Eye-Opener?" Translation: Do you ever have a drink first thing in the morning to make you feel better?

An answer of yes to 1 of these questions can indicate problematic drinking--a behavior that could easily escalate to true, physical alcohol addiction.

A YES answer to 2 or more of the 4 questions indicates that you probably have a problem with alcohol addiction. If you're not currently 'physically addicted' to alcohol (shakes, tremors, sweats, even seizures after 2-3 days of not drinking), then you will likely BECOME physically addicted in the future.

[dadrone]

SWIM has been binge drinking since college. Definitely do not drink everyday but he answers yes to 2 of the 4 questions above. Does SWIM need to cut back? Yes, and he has significantly. Has he ever had an "eye-opener". Definitely, Blood Mary's are the best drink on the planet.

In the end, SWIM would like it if he could control his binges a little better. Every time SWIM drinks, the entire next day is down the drain because he drinks so much. SWIM has considered AA before but it's back and forth. Sure, he has hangovers but in all reality, he still kicks a ton of ass at work all the time and is a good friend and companion (in his humble opinion). So is it a problem because he binges? Some would say yes. It it less of a problem since it doesn't negatively affect SWIM's personal or professional relationships? SWIM leans towards yes on this one.

It's confusing and SWIM is rambling... but SWIM definitely thinks drinking to relieve stress is a problem indicator. SWIM usually drinks to celebrate and can only remember one situation ever where he drank because of a problem, when his brother nearly died several years ago.

[thebige]

Hello, this is Shanghi gal under bige's account.
SWIM thinks because you are under a lot of stress at work,That trigered Drinking. You had said that around 8 years ago you had anxiety and panic attacks. My question to you is, were you on anything at that time in your life for anxiety.Because swim knows all about anxiety and panic attacks, because swim gets them herself and has recently been seeing a shrink for it and is on anxiety meds that do help for it. But also trying Breathing tecniques and putting your head between your legs might help, Does for some not for swim. but doesn't mean it could not work for other people. To get back to your question ,You are doing the right thing asking for help, its a great start. SWIM thinks that you can get the help you need by staying strong and thinking positive your already on your way there. Swim wishes you the very best.

[nutta]

if swiy thinks she has a problem developing then she should put every effort into stopping while she can. i know its easier said than done, but swiy can do anything she puts her mind to.
swim had a very bad alcohol problem for many years and it got worse to the point where he nearly ruined his life for good. swim also had a very close friend who died due to drinking problems which spiral'd out of control.
swiy should quit while she is ahead. swim was very lucky to get through this. if it wasnt for his wife he would be still in the pan now.
quit while swiy is ahead. once she has quit for a while there should be no harm in the occational drink. but for drinkers who have gone too far, they should quit completely

[Alfa]

Please see our addiction calculator. You can find it in the forum header of each forum that relates to an addictive drug.

[rokman nash]

What's the earliest swim takes a drink daily? Normal day no bullshit(honesty is important).