Alcoholics

[Disir]

Why do you drink to be drunk? I asked Mr Gracie that years ago and he said he started drinking at 18 years old to impress his brothers...who were all drunks as well. He is the youngest son...and has 6 older brothers. 3 are still alive. The other 3 are dead. All are sober now, including Mr Gracie. So for him..it was peer pressure. He was never a sloppy drunk, either. He drank enough to keep a steady buzz. One of those drunks that nobody knows is drunk unless they knew the signs. He didn't go to AA. He said "sitting around a table listening to everyone's sob stories makes me want to go get drunk" so he went to two and said no more. After 42 years of being a daily drunk, he got sober by drinking shitloads of hot tea which he STILL drinks daily. And candy. Lots of candy. This year it will be 7 years of sobriety.

Watching tv shows, like Jail, Cops, etc....even going to kareoke with my SIL a few times and being doomed to sit there as she sang while drunk people wobbled all over the place making asses of themselves, I just wondered if anyone has seen what they say and do when drunk and if they saw what WE see, would it make them NOT drink any more or to NOT WANT to drink any more? Is it pain that makes you drink til you are drunk? Mental pain? Physical pain? Or you just don't remember any more and just do it because you are addicted?

It's been a long time since I have been to an Alanon meeting. I am no longer around drunks...except when I come here to usmb. At least I don't have to live with it in my own home any more, which is a blessing.

So..I thought I would ask the guys (and gals) here that talk about "yes, I'm drunk right now" or "I'm gonna be drunk in a little while" or some such...WHY they do it. And if their families drink too...or are ok with it..or are slowly dying along with you as you kill yourself. And if you are ever embarrassed the next day reading what you posted.

If you hear me say that I have decided to buy a six pack it simply means that I have made the executive decision to buy one. It doesn't mean that I will actually drink it. I have developed a plan of action. I still have to go through the process and open one and drink more than a couple of sips. I drink maybe 3 or 4 times a year- if that.

I was married to an alcoholic. I watched him destroy every relationship around him after I left-including the one with his own son. Well, every relationship except those bar ones. He made an attempt to remain sober but he was a dry drunk. He knows he is an alcoholic. I think he has been court ordered to take alcohol classes some three or four times. He suffered a major brain injury (what's a little frontal lobe damage?) before I met him and I think that over time he has just kind of devolved. He became increasingly more violent/verbally abusive with some paranoia for flavor. I don't know where or if the brain injury ends and the alcoholism kicks in.

....and it is not my problem.

Alcoholics/addicts are very selfish people. Some of them must have a good reason to use so everything is a crisis. I won't deal with a bunch of drama queening or shifting from crisis to crisis.