Slipped up on my alcohol quit...need answers.

[jake860]

Hi, I'm a 19 year old male that has a question about alcohol. Let me give you some background- I started drinking at 15 and began drinking what I would consider regularly and heavily at 17. I was drinking 2-3 nights a week my senior year of high school and averaging 25-40 drinks per week. My freshman year at college I cut back the drinking to two nights a week. I noticed that this didn't really help my acquired alcohol problem because I would start earlier in the day and drink more on the days I was drinking. In short, I was still drinking 25-40 drinks per week.

I checked up on some online alcoholism tests, and while I don't think I met the criteria for alcohol dependence, it was all still becoming a little too "real" for me. I decided to go cold turkey last January. Things went well for me from there. My grades started improving; I had less anxiety day to day; and I started to really enjoy life sober once again. I had read about the dopamine and neural restructuring that quitting alcohol brings about.

However, this evening I had my first drink in over 200 days. I had just one beer, but am still a little worried about the implications. I don't plan on having another beer any time soon.

I was wondering if anyone out there knew if this means that I have to start all over with my "progress"? Will it still take a year for my brain and body's reconfiguration to sobriety to take place? Or is this just an unfortunate slip up that hurts my ego more than anything else?

Anything helps here guys.

Thanks so much!

[122 Tactical Fighter Group]

It probably really does hurt your ego more than anything else right now.  But its a tricky position to be in. So easy to lose track.....................and go back...

[GA Guy]

One drink will just mess with your mind more than mess with you physically. I hope it's a wake up call for you, however. Have you ever considered AA meetings? I live in a rather large College town, and the youth AA movement here is wonderful. It would be great to surround yourself with sober young people that share your goal of sobriety.