Alcoholism Support Group

Alcoholism is the continued consumption of alcoholic beverages, even when it is negatively affecting your health, work, relationships and life. If you think alcohol is causing you to lose control, it's time to seek help. Our group is a safe place to vent, check in, get back up if you fall, and reach sobriety.

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buckstag 07/15/2015

I am currently reading a book titled "Empowering Your Sober Self" and I just read the following passage and thought it was enlightening for me:

"A small proportion of the heaviest drinkers drink the bulk of the beverage alcohol sold in the United States. It has been estimated that 5 percent of the drinkers drink half the total alcohol consumed. This means that the alcoholic industry can't do without the small minority of people who drink to excess. If you get the heavy drinker sober and remove them from the market, the alcoholic beverage industry collapses to half it's size, or less. All the ads that promote "responsible drinking" are window dressing. What makes the alcoholic beverage industry tick is the customer who drinks to get drunk and does it practically every night. Customers like I used to be."

While I would maintain that virtually everyone who drinks does so to get drunk to some level, I certainly am amazed by these percentages and the obvious stake the alcoholic beverage industry has in maintaining their loyal legion of heavy drinkers.

I am on day 7 of my second quest for sobriety now and continue to immerse myself in everything I can find related to alcohol consumption. I believe I am getting a clearer picture of how I managed to make alcohol ingestion such a major component of my lifestyle for so many years, and it seems to be helping me develop what I believe will be an effective personal plan for eliminating the ingestion of alcoholic beverages from my lifestyle going forward.

ExJerseyGirl2 07/15/2015

I think you will like the book "The Easy Way to Stop Drinking" by Allen Carr. His view is similar to yours. He thinks that there aren't "normal" drinkers versus alcoholics, but that alcohol is poison to everyone. Some people are further down the hell hole than others.

I can't wait for you to read it to hear what you think!

Also I think I will take a look at "Empowering Your Sober Self." Sounds interesting.

buckstag 07/15/2015

Yes, I will be reading Alan Carr's book soon. I do believe that we need to consider the ingestion of alcohol as both unnatural and harmful in any amount. I am also going to look harder at how the alcoholic beverage industry has supported the notion that there is a "disease" called alcoholism and those who drink too much are sick, while those who drink "responsibly" are normal. It seems to me that this would be like the tobacco industry claiming that there is a disease related to the overuse of tobacco and that a "responsible" level of smoking is normal and acceptable.

buckstag 07/15/2015

I guess the question becomes, if someone uses even a small amount of alcohol to "escape" every night, is that a healthy habit? Is that person dependent on alcohol? Seems like a very hazy line between the "responsible" regular drinker and the drinker who continues ingesting alcohol until they get "really drunk". A bit like the person who smokes a couple cigarettes on a daily basis and the person who smokes 3 packs a day. The heavy smoker may have a better chance of dying from lung cancer, but they both are using a substance that is proven to be harmful to everyone who uses it. Maybe the daily calming (escape) effect of one drink that your mother experiences is worth the possible negative side effects. I wonder if she feels as though she cannot "escape" without that drink? That sounds a bit like an addictive habit to me.

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