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.
I just finished reading Stop Drinking Now by Allen Carr. I was impressed by his simple, common sense approach to dealing with an alcohol addiction. Carr's main theme is that we have been brainwashed to believe that alcohol ingestion in "moderate" amounts is not harmful and part of a "normal" adult lifestyle. He makes the case that all alcohol consumption is harmful and alcohol itself is a fundamentally toxic substance that nobody should ingest, for any reason. He also makes the case that to eliminate alcohol addiction from your life you must first be convinced that you will actually feel better overall being sober than you feel while constantly feeding your addiction. I believe that is true.
As I continue on my quest to stop drinking booze, it helps me to believe that alcohol is a toxic substance that I should not be introducing into my body in any amount. I am also convinced that there is no such thing as healthy or even beneficial social drinking. I am convinced that anyone who learns to tolerate alcohol ingestion and then continues to use alcohol on a regular basis is addicted to alcohol at some level. Regular alcohol users that say they can "take it or leave it" are lying.
As I continue on my quest to stop drinking booze, it helps me to believe that alcohol is a toxic substance that I should not be introducing into my body in any amount. I am also convinced that there is no such thing as healthy or even beneficial social drinking. I am convinced that anyone who learns to tolerate alcohol ingestion and then continues to use alcohol on a regular basis is addicted to alcohol at some level. Regular alcohol users that say they can "take it or leave it" are lying.
I couldn't get my father to stop drinking. It took a strong woman who was a teacher and accomplished horseback rider to do it. Alcohol slows people down to sitting in a chair - alcohol takes away the desire to be an active part of everyday life. Neither my brother or I drink alcohol. We were too afraid we would become like our father.
I believe that is a valuable legacy that your father left you and your brother. Both my daughters drink a bit sometimes, but they have not (yet?) made alcohol use a significant and regular routine the way I did. Maybe they too saw the destruction that alcohol wreaked upon their father and better understand the damage it can do once it becomes a serious addiction.