I like drinking but I'm afraid of becoming an alcoholic cause all 4 of my grandparents were alcoholics. Which is why neither of my parents drink all too much. I'm also a light weight which idk if that helps or hurts me. I want to keep up with my friends in number of drinks but just end up druk when they aren't drunk yet.
thelizzerd, May 16, 2021, 06:05:00 pm
So I can at least speak a little to the alcoholism thing, as a lot of people in my family are, and my dad is a shit head alcoholic. So there are people who can drink every day and live normal lives, and those who can drink very infrequently and be fucked up, so I'm not going to focus on amount.
Like all mental illnesses, it becomes a problem when it affects aspects of your life: are you still talking with friends, getting out to do things, getting to work and through the day okay? Can you go a day without and not feel bad? A big thing for me was drawing a line, so if I did those things, I was cutting myself off. The biggest was lashing out and hurting the ones I loved, but included small things like did I do it to feel better/self-medicate, was I drinking alone more often than not, was it making my depression worse. Find those lines and write them down, or tell a very VERY trusted friend. If you cross them multiple times, and find yourself moving goalposts, that's when you know things are getting bad.
The best suggestion I can offer right now is go a month only drinking with friends (virtually or in person), and see if you can hold off. Plus it's just more fun to get drunk with others. If you're the lightweight, you can drink lighter beers, alternate between water and alcohol, or as my pro drinking friend pointed out, just never stop eating.
Good luck friend!