am i problem drinker or a drunk or what?

[mk123xx]

Hey I'm 15, I drink about 2-4 times a week usually I drink about 2-5 drinks, usually alone at home. I have been drinking since January and have made about 4 or 5 attempts to stop, because my friends and family have expressed concern. I have a history of alcoholism and problem drinking in my family. I drink because it relieves depression and anxiety and stress for me, anxiety and depression I suffer from and take medication for and am in therapy in for (I have talked to my therapist about drinking and we talk about it). Since I'm so young and started drinking so recently I don't think I'm a full blown alcoholic (yet), and I think I'm at the stage where I can stop drinking if I want to but just don't want to. What do you think?

[ibizan]

thank u for clarifying....agree!

[Flying45]

I agree completely Ibizan - no I do not advocate 15 year olds drinking - at all. I do not allow my own sons to drink. However I work with troubled teens and am shocked and saddened every day by what I see and hear. The reason I said cut down is that I did not want to undermine the work that the therapist is doing. Of course 15 years olds shouldnt be drinking but they shouldnt be depressed either - it is so sad.

[ibizan]

you say u r a teacher?do teachers advocate that a 15 year old should cut down on their drinking if it is causing problems?15 yr.olds shouldn't be drinking at all!

[Flying45]

Lots of typos sorry - root not route LOL
Just try to cut down the amount you drink xx

[Flying45]

Hiya
I teach teenagers (science) who have been kicked out of school, been in youth offenders, etc
You are NOT an alcoholic BUT at your age alcohol can impede your development and can cause more harm to your body than it does for people over the age of 21. What is much more important is why you are feeling depressed/stressed and learning methods to cope with this. Do not focus on the alcohol or "label" yourself - instead get to te route of your negative feelings. I am so glad you are under the care of a professional - just rely on their advice and judgement - they are great at what they do. Many of my students see a therapist and it has really helped them. xx

[johnskie]

Based on how regularly you drink and how much you drink, I would not define you as an alcoholic, unless you're going by a narcissist like Dr. Phil's criteria. That said, I would consider myself to have been a chronic alcoholic and therefore may have higher standards.

If people in your family suffer from alcoholism, and given that you are both physically and mentally undeveloped at a premature age of 15, I'd suggest you stop drinking now. I started at 15 and was a full blown alcoholic by 18, and it destroyed my life. Alcoholism may be glorified to you, as it is for most youngsters, but trust me when I say this - it's not something anybody ever wants to deal with.

The physical and mental repercussions often develop beyond repair, and any anguish you feel now due to anxiety and depression will only get far, far worse as you age and develop physical and mental dependencies.

Drink in moderation, otherwise you're doing nothing but preparing yourself for an early, drawn out, exhausting death.

[bbq33]

If there is a history of Alcoholism somewhere in your family then you might have the disease. I have it as millions of americans do. Some don't get help and die. Others get help and live a healthy happy life. I think your in the healthy happy life group as I am. I was using alcohol as a medicine for anxiety and depression. That's when things went wierd and I could not stop. If I was a diabetic, would I stop taking my medicine? I don't think so. AA is my medicine for my disease. I like the meetings because I find out I'm not alone and there are a lot of friendly happy people there. You have to shop around for a meeting that suits you though. It took me about 7 different meetings to find one that I liked. I found out I was not alone. Millions of people have this disease. The good thing about AA is it only costs a dollar a meeting instead of $400 for a shrink. AA people know more about the disease too because they have had a lot of experience with it. Another nice think is it's like a smorgasborg. Take what you like and leave the rest. Use what works for you. If you drink again it's okay. Just stop and try another part of the program that works for you. Nobody cares who you are at the meetings and what is said and who was there stays in the room. Nip it in the butt before it progresses into real bad problems.
Good luck,
bbq33

[Delusion]

At first glance kid i would have said there was no problem there because i foolishly think back to when i was using and what i considered to be a lot. Alcoholism isnt so much the amount you drink its more the reasons behind it and the habits themselves. I would say drinking 10 pints a night 3 days a week wouldnt constitute a alcoholic if the person was partying and actually having a good time with friends socially. However when it is solitary and done as a form of self medication then i would class it as alcoholism.

Alcoholism in my experience is chronic and unless it is stopped it gets progressively and exponentially worse and harder and harder to stop. I used to laugh at AA advocates and doctors who would float the line ''recognising your have a problem is the first step towards recovery'' in my mind i just thought ''lol what ever''. But it is very true if you recognise you have a problem it is a step, i know i was in denial for a great many years.

Recognising you have a problem and doing something about it however are very different and the latter is always harder. Booze is a evil vicious circle you get a great buzz but then it amplifies your depression and anxiety afterwards so you simple have another drink so it goes away, it comes back another drink and so on.

What ever the reasons you drink are; and i also guarrante some of them you dont know yourself yet perhaps talking about them on here will help. These forums have helped me through alcoholism, depression and psychosis listening to other peoples stories and experiences is something you can never get from a doctor or therapist.

[rod44]

Determining whether someone is an actual alcoholic or not is really not all that important. If someone's drinking has advanced to the point to where it has become a problem for them and those around them, then it is a problem, period. Your depression and anxiety is treatable but drinking is not helping matters.
When you walk down the street and see a person who is down on her luck, homeless and begging for there next drink keep in mind that this could be you. There is a fine line….

[sograteful828]

i really feel for you, i started at your age, and really continued down the wrong road my whole life, it ruined my life, school, jobs everything. thats when youknow you have crossed over into an alcoholic. when you are powerless, meaning, you cannot stop on your own, or your life becomes unmanageable......i have to say you have alot of courage and strength to reach out, you should be proud of yourself for taking that step.
i understand what you are saying about being depressed and using alcohol to combat that, what i found out the hard way is it does make you MORE depressed. you just dont know it yet. also, mixing alcohol and antidepressants can be so very dangerous, please understand that.
we are not here to judge, most of us have been there, and i know especially at your age you do not want a lecture, you want answers. if you are using alcohol, especially alone to help you overcome depression you are self-medicating. perhaps your meds arent working for you?? maybe the alcohol is interfereing with your meds being able to work...make sense????  i would talk to your therapist about that.

please, continue reaching out, you are so strong you dont even know it, keep talking and looking for the answers, i wasted my life on drugs and alcohol and would give anything to get that time back

we are here for you...good luck

[ibizan]

Since u r under 18 is this therapist engaging ur parents in ur therapy?He/she should be....if not a sin and if ur parents r being kept in the dark or u r not being truthful about ur drinking u r hurting no one but urself!

[Brokenbutglued]

I'm not a professional but based on what I read I'd say you're an alcoholic and you need help. Alcoholism doesn't go by age, it's a condition and a disease. I think you're heading in the right direction by acknowledging the fact that you know you have a problem, you know your reasons for wanting to drink but I think for whatever reason or excuse you've not been given the appropriate tools to handle this. Please please don't take this as me being a jerk, I'm only saying what I would do if you were my son/daughter...I'd fire the therapist for starters and enlist more proactive help. You are young but based solely on your above post I'd guess that you are fairly mature for your age and very capable of making tough choices.

Deep down you know what you need to do, you know it's wrong and if you feel like you cannot overcome this then be more proactive for yourself and seek out the help yourself. No ammount of therapy, no ammount of pushing from your parents, no ammount of pushing from anyone can force you to stop. This has to be YOUR choice. You CAN do this, you ARE strong enough.