Alcoholics are defined by their inability to stop drinking alcohol. You may not have to drink every day but you find that you surpass your own limitations or rules for drinking. In an effort to control and manage your drinking, you have likely set up different rules and restrictions to limit your drinking. Increasingly, you are unable to control it. Caught up in delusion and denial, you are convinced there is another way to control your drinking, not realizing, you are already out of control.
My drinking doesn’t affect anyone else
This is a deep misconception. Alcoholism is something that happens to you. It is true, you drink, you get drunk, you are affected. When you are under the influence of alcohol, however, your behaviors and actions affect others. Alcoholism is called a family disease because it affects everyone around you- your friends, your family, your relationships, and the world.
I’m not really an alcoholic because ________
There are a million reasons you can come up with to justify your drinking. You aren’t an alcoholic because you don’t drink every day. You aren’t an alcoholic because you don’t drink that much even when you do drink. You aren’t an alcoholic, because you know alcoholics, and you aren’t like them. You have a job. You make your payments on time. You’re in decently good health. You aren’t homeless. Alcoholism isn’t defined by how much you drink, how often you drink, or why you drink. Alcoholism is defined by what happens to you when you drink and whether or not you are able to stop drinking.
It’s not that bad
The hard truth about alcoholism is, it can only get worse. For alcoholics there is always a “lower bottom” and a delusion that things haven’t “really gotten that bad yet.” There is a harsh philosophy in recovery from alcoholism, that an alcoholic will be in denial until jail, institution, or death. Alcoholism is a progressive disease and can be fatal. It can always be worse, but it doesn’t have to be. Alcoholism doesn’t have to become a literal matter of life or death for it to be taken seriously as a life or death situation. If you have found you are justifying your drinking because you are becoming aware your drinking is a problem, you are already on the problem side of the equation. Thankfully, there is hope. You can recover.
You are not alone in your journey to recovery from alcoholism. Millions are recovering every year. If you are in need of intervention, recovery, and assistance, Hired Power is here to help. We want to empower your experience of recovery every step of the way. For more information, call us today at 800-910-9299.
