Are you an alcoholic?

[MajestyJo]

Are You An Alcoholic?? Only you can decide, have a pen and paper handy and answer the following questions truthfully.


1. Do you lose time from work due to drinking?

2. Is drinking making your home life unhappy?

3. Do you drink because you are shy with other people?

4. Is drinking affecting your reputation?

5. Have you ever felt remorse after drinking?

6. Have you gotten into financial difficulties as a result of drinking?

7. Do you turn to lower companions and an inferior environment when drinking?

8. Does your drinking make you careless of your families welfare?

9. Has your ambition decreased since drinking?

10. Do you crave a drink at a definite time daily?

11. Do you want a drink the next morning?

12. Does drinking cause you to have difficulty sleeping?

13. Has your efficiency decreased since drinking?

14. Is drinking jeopardizing your job or business?

15. Do you drink alone?

16. Have you ever had a complete loss of memory as a result of drinking?

17. Do you drink to escape from worries or troubles?

18. Has your physician ever treated you for drinking?

19. Do you drink to build up your self-confidence?

20. Have you ever been to a hospital or institution on account of drinking?

If you have answered YES to any one of the questions, there is a definite warning that you may be an alcoholic.

If you have answered YES to any two, the chances are that you are definitely an alcoholic.

If you have answered YES to three or more, you are definitely an alcoholic.


Found written on the wall in Mother Teresa's home for children in Calcutta :

People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway.

What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.

Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway.

In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.

- Mother Teresa

[MajestyJo]

If you are in the center of AA, you won't fall off the edge.

Directions to AA: Just go straight to hell and make a U-turn.

AA: Being a part of something is more important than being the center of attention.

AA is the only place whre you can walk into a room full of strangers and reminisce.
A.A. Romance......The odds are good......but the goods are odd.

AA: Look for a way in; not for a way out.

AA: We are not reformed drunks, but informed alcoholics.

AA has no fixed address--you can take it with you.

AA: We're here for a reason, not for the season.

AA Groups: An AA group will be judged by the worst behavior of its members.

AA Groups: When you clean up after your group, you leave the signature of AA behind you.

AA is a check-up from the neck up.

Before I came into AA I was dead, but I did not know enough to lie down.

AA is not a sentence, it is a reprieve.

A.A. is a self-help program but you can't do it by yourself.

AA won't keep you from going to hell nor is it a ticket to heaven but it will keep you sober long enough for you to make up your mind which way you want to go!

AA won't open the gates of heaven to let you in, but it will open the gates of hell to let you out.

In AA, there are no losers--just slow winners.

Alcoholic (as defined by self): A piece of crap the universe revolves around.

Alcoholic: Someone who refuses to give up a life of failure without a fight.

Alcoholic: A person who, when s/he goes to a wedding, wants to be the bride; when s/he goes to a funeral, wants to be the corpse.

Alcoholic: An alcoholic is someone who wants to be held while isolating.

Alcoholic: I may not be much, but I'm all I think about.

Alcoholic: If I could drink like a normal drinker, I'd drink all the time!

Alcoholic: If you drank enough to get to AA, you drank enough.

Alcohol: It provokes the desire but takes away the performance.

Only an alcoholic would believe that the solution to loneliness was isolation.

Alcoholics burn their bridges in front of them.

Alcohol: An alcoholic is someone who finds something that works and then stops doing it.

Alcohol: It's not what or how much you drank, it's what it did to you.

Alcohol: What you thought was the solution became the problem.

Alcoholic: Terminal uniqueness!

Alcoholic: They didn't make a glass big enough for me to have one drink.

Alcohol: You will be rich when you know you have enough.

Alcoholic drinking's three stages: impulsive ... compulsive ... repulsive.

Each and every alcoholic ---sober or not--- teaches us some valuable lessons about ourselves and recovery.

An alcoholic alone is slumming.

An alcoholic is not a guy who thinks he's had one too many.

He's usually the guy who thinks he's had one too few.

Every alcoholic's favorite brand: More!

If you think you are an alcoholic, chances are, you are.

Alcoholics heal from the outside in...but feel from the inside out.

The destiny of every alcoholic is to be locked up ... covered up ... or ... sobered up.

An alcoholic is a man with two feet firmly planted in mid-air.

You can carry the message, but not the alcoholic.

You're probably an alcoholic if: You think spilling beer is alcohol abuse.

Alcoholics are in a class by themselves. Everyone else has graduated.

Alcoholics are life-long loners who cannot stand to be alone.

Non-alcoholics change their behavior to meet their goals and alcoholics change their goals to meet their behavior.

Alcoholics aren't afraid to die. They're afraid to live.

Alcoholism: Alcohol went from being my best friend to my worst enemy.

Alcoholism: An alcoholic can be in the gutter, yet still look down on people.

Alcoholism: Guilt of yesterday, fear of tomorrow, shame of today.

Alcoholism: High bottoms have trap doors.

Alcoholism: If the cure works, chances are, you have the disease.

Alcoholism: If you drank long enough to get to an A.A. meeting, you drank long enough.

Alcoholism: Name it, Claim it, Tame it!!!

Alcoholism: Once you are a pickle, you can't be a cucumber. But once you are a pickle, you can be a newcomer.

Alcoholism is an equal opportunity destroyer.

Remember that alcoholism is .. incurable, progressive, and fatal.

Alcoholism: The three most dangerous words for an alcoholic -"I've been thinking"

Alcoholism: We are not bad people becoming good, but sick people becoming well.

Alcoholism: Your bottom just may be six feet under.

Alcoholism: Your disease progresses even when you are not drinking.

Alcoholism doesn't come in bottles; it comes in people.

Alcoholism is a self-diagnosed disease.

Some people think alcoholism is a two-fold disease -- more and right now.

[MajestyJo]

From "How It Works:"

"Our description of the alcoholic, the chapter to
the agnostic, and our personal adventures before
and after make clear three pertinent ideas:

(a) That we were alcoholic and could not
manage our own lives.
(b) That probably no human power could have
relieved our alcoholism.
(c) That God could and would if He were sought."

c. 1976, Alcoholics Anonymous, page 60

I came the last door on the block, I came to realize I had a problem, I came to believe that the program would work for me.

[MajestyJo]

A reading from the April issue of the Grapevine. On page 21 there is a awesome quote that I just had to share with you. Here it is----

"I THOUGHT GOD WOULD OPEN UP THE GATES OF HEAVEN AND LET ME IN. HE DIDN'T. HE OPENED UP THE GATES OF HELL AND LET ME OUT"

This is the CA version of the same quote:

I'm not certain in mind or heart if our Good Lord through His mercy love and wisdom will open up the Gates of Heaven and allow ME in. But from what I realize of my horrid past, through the 12 steps and the adorned fellowship, He certainly opened up the gates of Hell and let me out.

CA uses the Big Book of AA.

It certainly was a truth for me. I didn't need bars to keep me in a cage, I was a prisoner of my own mind.

It isn't the substance that is the problem, it is the thinking behind the drinking and drugging, be it alcohol, drugs, food, work, gambling, etc.

[MajestyJo]

IMPORTANT HEALTH ADVICE FOR WOMEN

Do you have feelings of inadequacy?
Do you suffer from shyness?
Do you sometimes wish you were more assertive?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist about Chardonnay.

Chardonnay is the safe, natural way to feel better and more confident about yourself and your actions. Chardonnay can help ease you out of your shyness and let you tell the world that you're ready and willing to do just about anything.


You will notice the benefits of Chardonnay almost immediately and with a regimen of regular doses you can overcome any obstacles that prevent you from living the life you want to live.

Shyness and awkwardness will be a thing of the past and you will discover many talents you never knew you had.Stop hiding and start living, with Chardonnay.

Chardonnay may not be right for everyone. Women who are pregnant or nursing should not use Chardonnay. However, women who wouldn't mind nursing or becoming pregnant are encouraged to try it.

Side effects may include dizziness, nausea, vomiting, incarceration, erotic lustfulness, loss of
motor control, loss of clothing, loss of money, loss of virginity, delusions of grandeur, table dancing, headache, dehydration, dry mouth, and a desire to
sing Karaoke and play all-night rounds of Strip Poker, Truth Or Dare, and Naked Twister.

* The consumption of Chardonnay may make you think you are whispering when you are not.
* The consumption of Chardonnay may cause you to tell your friends over and over again that you love them.
* The consumption=20 of Chardonnay may cause you to think you can sing.
* The consumption of Chardonnay may lead you to believe that ex-lovers are really dying for you to
telephone them at four in the morning.
* The consumption of Chardonnay may make you think you can logically converse with members of the opposite sex without spitting.
* The consumption of Chardonnay may create the illusion that you are tougher, smarter, faster and better looking than most people.

Isn't it time you asked YOUR doctor about Chardonnay?

For many years, I denied my alcoholism. I didn't like red wine, champagne, or the rose. I didn't like beer, gin, or vodka. Didn't like scotch or brandy and sweet laquers, so I couldn't be an alcoholic. Alcoholics will drink anything. They drink it straight. I always drank mine with coca-cola. Cola was my first addiction, so I could justify that but still had trouble with the thinking. That is the part of my disease I learned to identify. It isn't how much you drink or what you drink or use, it is how it affects you when you drink it.

Daffy Duck

1 oz of Vodka
3 oz of Baby Duck white wine

When I drink alcohol, I take flight of another kind. It certainly isn't spiritual.

[MajestyJo]

I'm the type of alcoholic that when I stop drinking, for all practical purposes, that's where my alcoholism begins. - Bob D.

- Alkiespeaks

This struck a cord with me. I stole a glass of communion wine at 10 years old. There was only about an inch in the bottom of a goblet. I have told the story many times. I will always remember the feeling when it hit bottom. It was the feeling that I was searching for all my life. The only problem was it took more and more to reach the feeling and then it stopped working and all I got was pain.

That aaaaahhhhhhhh!!!! feeling when it hits bottom and you know everything is going to be alright. I never had another drink of alcohol until I was married at the age of 21. My second drink I didn't like, it was Cherry Brandy and it was gross and I vowed I would never drink again. Famous last words. It wasn't 10 years later when I met my scond husband, it was at 10 years old that I think was when I became an alcoholic. It is the thinking behind the substance we use, that is the cause of our dis-ease. The substance is but a symbol of it and the real problem is me.

I can't metabolize alcohol like normal folk. Some is good, more is better, or so I thought. I would drink until I overflowed and there was no more left. Then I realized, it wasn't me talking, it was my dis-ease. When I was using (people, places and things), it was not me who governed my actions, with no thought of being accountable or responsible.

[MajestyJo]

I put this in the Coffee Shop because it was a discussion between an alcoholic and a non-alcoholic. Yet the topic is drinking so I have moved it.

Perhaps you should read this from the bottom up. A friend sent me an e-mail and this is our exchange on the topic of drinking wine.

Wasn't appalling to me. I wrote that before I saw your e-mail. I love white wine. I just can't drink it safely. I got into my most trouble when I drank it. I did all the things it says in the e-mail. It led to some very unhappy circumstances. Not drinking does't bother me in today and I have no problem with others doing it if it doesn't affect their health.


Your e-mail made me laugh too. It was a real remember when. i.e. Going to a Legion Conference with my hubby. Went to a wine and cheese party. The waitress brought my friend and I a bottle of rose for her and white for me. We went back to the Legion for dinner and I continued the wine with dinner then switched to rye because I was full. At 3 a.m. I was sitting on the knee of the Membership Chairman for all of Canada and telling him that Coldwater was the best Legion in Ontario if not in Canada. If I remember rightly, all the old guys were wearing undershirts and boxers and I was in a red nightgown, my husband was there as drunk as a skunk and we were celebrating the District Manager's Humanitarian Award. I was so sick from alcohol poisoning the next day that I had to let him drive. We had to stop at the side of the road every 15-30 minutes on the way home for me to upchuck. When I got home I called the doctor. It was a Sunday. My husband left and went drinking with a buddy. I had a resentment that he was drinking without me. I had to wait four hours for the doctor to come and give me a shot in the ass to stop the nausea because all there was left was bile. My husband arrived home the same time as the doctor. I resented that he didn't stay home like a loving husband and give me the TLC that I felt I deserved and how dare he get drunk all over again when I felt so bad.

Yes a real remember when! No need to apologies my friend. It is my problem not yours. I am just glad that I can laugh at myself in today.

Luv...JO

I am so sorry for sending you something that is very appalling to you.... Please accept my apology... I receive things like this from a good friend.. not that I do them but they just kind of make me laugh.. but I shouldn't laugh because for some it is not a laughable situation...
I apologize,
Maureen

It was because I found false courage and love in a little white wine that I wrote the post. The problem was I added rye, prescription pills (pain), and food to the mix.

[MajestyJo]

Pocket Sponsor - Book - Quote

Which 'isms' affect you? Alcoholism: Incredibly Short Memory. Egoism: I, Self, and Me. Recidivism: I Sponsor Myself. Narcissism: InSide Me. Pessimism: I Sabotage Myself. Optimism: Incredibly Spiritual Moments.

Which 'ism' do I adopt for my life?


Can see all of them in part over the years. My sponsor leaves for California and Arizona tomorrow and won't be back until April.

I have to make sure I don't get caught in ISMS and reach out and share with others.

[jullian]

I don't think like in order to know whether you are an alcoholic or not you don't need to answer this much of questions. Just if you can't sit for a moment with out thinking your favorite brand then no doubt you are an alcoholic. I am a addiction counselor for 3 year and most of my friends who came to my clinic are having this problem.

[MajestyJo]

Welcome to the site Jullian. Are you a recovering alcoholic or addict yourself, or a counsellor through studies.

I knew I was an addict but was in complete denial about being an alcoholic, even though I went to AA, I wanted what they had. I didn't want to wear a label that I put on my dad and ex-husband. As my son said, "I am an alcoholic, I don't care." He has been in treatment 5 times and each times goes back out. His disease took him to beer, weed, cocaine and crack. The beer has been a constant, and he says, even if he gave up beer, he is not willing to give up weed. Don't care if parts of the country makes it legal, it is still a mind altering drug. Most times people who use it get that I don't care and lose all inhibitions.

I just remembered a time when I met this guy who was tall dark and handsome. He had on a black T-shirt, jeans, leather jacket and boots. He joined me for coffee and he informed me he didn't drink but there was nothing better than sitting down in his easy boy chair and having a great big joint to take away all his cares and stress. I would rather go to my Higher Power.

My dream guy I thought I had met became a nightmare.

[MajestyJo]

Dried-up alcohol

If I was at your house, I'd ask to use the bathroom and I'd go through the medicine cabinet and take whatever there. I don't need to know what it is. Sometimes I'd be up for days, saying the same thing over and over, chewing my tongue. Other times I'd be falling down, bouncing off the walls. Sometimes I'd get real 'regular'. And I probably took enough pills out of those wheels that there's no chance I'm going to get pregnant this century. - Bob D. (Alkie speaks)

Because I was raised to be a good little Christian girl, stealing didn't come easy for me, even when I was using. I would often try to justify it or talk you out of it but generally did it to your face.

I didn't think I was an alcoholic because I didn't have black outs, I could walk a straight line and had people tell me they never saw me drunk. All things that affirmed that I didn't have a problem.

When I got sober, I didn't realize how stoned I really was, especially when I drank and took the pills too. I would say, "Well I only had 5 drinks, that is nothing, I can't be drunk forgetting that I had a belly full of pills prior to drinking.

Even in my 'drinking' days, before I tried ti quit my way (substituting pills), I took two 222s before going to bed to prevent a hang over or so I said, not sure if I believed it.

I had black outs with the pills. Things I didn't remember doing or saying. I was taking medication that had a street name so it couldn't have been good. I heard people tell there drinking stories and I would think I didn't do that. Then when I got honest, I realized I had those same symptoms when taking the pills. As my drinking decreased, my pill intake increased. I had never heard about AA. When I got there, I found the solution. Don't drink and don't drug! Substitution doesn't work.

[Denzov]

I used to drink alot. But after recovery I decided to be coded. Because every one who had relapsed were drunk. When people after centers back to the normal life, they are feeling lost in this world, they need to learn how to be in social again. And some of them relapse, because they redirect their drug addiction to the alcohol. When you are drunk your mind isn't clear, and you could make a huge mistake at this moment.

[MajestyJo]

Like your picture. When I was going to NA, I saw so many young people take a drink and justified it as not their drug of choice, only to find themselves doing both or back to where they come from, often worse off than they were before.

The same with AA, some had pill and pot maintenance.

Thanks for sharing.

[AWalton789]

I can say that I am an alcoholic, well one in recovery anyways. I have been sober 479 days and AA and a complete lifestyle change has helped me in my recovery. When you are a recovering alcoholic you cannot put yourself around people who drink, this is very dangerous. Addiction Therapy and AA both helped me a lot to determine what I needed to do to maintain my sobriety.

[MajestyJo]

Welcome and thanks for sharing. Many more days, one day at a time.