first heard of this here: The Irrationality of Alcoholics Anonymous - The Atlantic
glad it seems to be growing in its use and acceptance.
3 Likes
Interesting read, includes references to a few books I may read.
Nice article. I was surprised (negatively) by the qualifications and number of addiction specialists.
Many people have their own special relationship with alcohol. I have my own history which has evolved into a place where I can have 0, 1, or 2 drinks and be content. AA sounds like a great place to disclose the details perhaps because it is the only place to disclose this, but this information probably doesnât go anywhere from a research perspective. A lot could have been learned.
I was thinking about that article a bit more, and part of itâs premise that some drinking can still be ok for some people with alcohol use disorder.
For people drinking heavily unwilling to stop completely itâs a useful concept.
But, for what other drug would we tell people some use is still ok? Nicotine? Cocaine? Opioids? Cannabis?
I think Iâm mostly at peace with the concept that for me, none is much easier to manage than some. But at the same time that some is fine for most people. We all work differently.
Yep. As Iâve posted before, I tried it, got nothing. Puffed a bit harder and it made me nauseous so I just went to bed. Friends keep telling me about all the benefits, and Iâm interested in the benefits, but not at the tradeoff of being sick.
I feel fortunate I have no need for alcohol or drugs. Theyâre fine, just donât care if theyâre there or not. If theyâre not there, it means nothing. If theyâre there, Iâll imbibe.
Smoking is the one that kills me. Off and on my entire life. Even when I havenât smoked in years I still miss coffee+smoking and smoking+driving. My spouse is the same, they havenât smoked in many many decades but they have mentioned that once in a while, a smoke with a tea would be nice. Fekkin low IQ rural poverty upbringing habits are hard to break.
The worst part about smoking is the smell. Walking around wafting stank like youâre pigpen.
1 Like
I fell off the wagon a bit. Not catastrophic but building an undesirable trendline. Fell into the moderation trap, or at least went in too early, if thatâs a world I can ever live in.
Definitely have been leaning more on cannabis. I aim to decrease that, but it really helps with my IBD and general anxiety, and itâs mostly just before bed.
1 Like
I wonât pretend to know what youâre dealing with. But I have never been able to do moderation with drinking. It just isnât something I can consider, it always leads me back to drinking. Itâs not just alcohol, I also canât do moderation with sugar, or Coke Zero, or bread.
I hope you find your footing in a way thatâs best for you, and I wish you well.
1 Like
I donât think it was matter of being unwilling. The key takeaway for me was that the estimate for success of AA is between 5-8%. So for the other 92-95% who find the craving unbearable, taking a dose of naltrexone will reduce the desire so that instead of going on a binge, the person will stop after one or two drinks.
Itâs a fair point.
And I suppose methadone is the corollary for opioids, just a bit odd that for most drugs none is usually seen as optimal
this is getting worse before its getting better.
my main trigger is stress. which leads to poor sleep or no sleep over long periods of time. which leads to more stress⌠which leads to desperately looking for any fix to help in the moment.
I am dealing with a large life event that has been an enormous amount of emotional stress lately. I am struggling at work and at home as this weighs on me. Drinking is a problem, but its not my biggest problem right now.
If lack of sleep is a source of some of these problems, have you considered getting a sleep prescription?
It was quite some time ago, but I got a prescription for Ambien for 3 days that seemed to have helped to at least break the insomnia-stress cycle.
I found that alcohol could help me go to sleep, but in the quantities needed for it to help it wouldnât help me stay asleep. Iâd get up and chug water, then be restless. YMMV.
I donât have any magic bullets for stress. I just know that for me I was a lot more stressed when drinking a lot.
Sorry to hear about the stress event. Is there a chance to take time off to try and rest? Is there an EAP program at work you can talk through the stresses with someone?
drinking sucks for quality sleep.
6 Likes
It may come to the point where I cannot continue this job. I have considered changing jobs or taking extended time off.
unrelated story was I talked to the bosses about my desperate need to decrease my workload and stress level. I mentioned i had personal issues, but did not elaborate at all. They must have thought I wanted a raise, because my next check was +++.
as for an EAP, I thought this forum was my EAP.
3 Likes
âŚand how does that make you feel?
not mocking - iâm more of the same I think. had a very stressful week a couple months back and had a terrible drinking episode in the immediate aftermath that was embarrassing (although those present said it was funny - it wasnât funny for me). So i get the triggers and bad behaviors and outcomes that I want to avoid.
if i thought my work was causing it, well that would be tough.
1 Like
extended time off is valuable and a worthy option. there was a time when I was just under so much shit pressure that I couldnât continue. i took a year completely off. Well, about 9 months, then I started looking for work again as the $$ were running out and I had several financial obligations.
Thereâs too much pressure in the US to always have a job! always be âsuccessfulâ! always be improving your life! yeah, well, if you end up killing yourself for the job, whatâs the point?
I also looked at it as âIâll work the same # of years throughout my career, if I take a year now which means I have to delay âretirementâ later to save for another year, so be it, at least iâll get there.â
2 Likes
where I come from, men dont talk about feelings. we just drink until we dont feel them anymore.
I say something like âoof, xyz is toughâ to my brother and he says âya, thats sucksâ and hands me his flask.
I took 3 weeks off between jobs in 2019 and it was wonderful.
but other than that I have worked continuously for 12 years.
1 Like