???????

[d drums]

Are we the norm. ? Not sure at this point. :eek:

[MajestyJo]

Norm for what? Normal for an alcoholic? Normal for an addict?

I was told that 'normal' was a cycle on the washing machine. What was normal for others may not be for me. I was told to identify, not compare. We may use different substance, but we used for the same reasons and had a lot of the same feelings.

[LeanaJo]

For a long time, I thought I was a normal drinker. Because I only drank on the weekend and only 1 time a week (very rarely 2 times a week).

But 5 years ago, I found out that you don't have to be an everyday drinker to be an alcoholic. You can be a 1-2 time a week drinker (like I was) and go on long binges (then blackout, be called crazy and mean when you drink, and etc. Because every time I did get a chance to drink, all this would happen to me)...Then I found out no I'm not "normal" and I'm not a "normal drinker" either. It's a problem too. I HAVE a problem...

[MajestyJo]

You are right my friend, it isn't how much you drink but what it does to you when you do drink. I have a friend who allows herself 3 cigarettes a day, but she can't give up those 3 cigarettes. Like all addictions, control doesn't work. I drank what was available.

I went to a meeting and said, I only had 8 rum and coke and I could walk a straight line, I was happy-go-lucky and enjoying myself. They said, "That is not social drinking." I said, "It is compared to what I drank later as my disease progressed." They said, "Social drinking is one or two." I never had that concept.

I did not want to be normal. I just wanted to be right for me. I had to learn to identify and not compare. I had to take the thinking behind the drinking to my Higher Power, He was the only one who could change it. I asked for the obsession to be lifted from me.

[LeanaJo]

You are right my friend, it isn't how much you drink but what it does to you when you do drink. I have a friend who allows herself 3 cigarettes a day, but she can't give up those 3 cigarettes. Like all addictions, control doesn't work. I drank what was available.

I went to a meeting and said, I only had 8 rum and coke and I could walk a straight line, I was happy-go-lucky and enjoying myself. They said, "That is not social drinking." I said, "It is compared to what I drank later as my disease progressed." They said, "Social drinking is one or two." I never had that concept.

I did not want to be normal. I just wanted to be right for me. I had to learn to identify and not compare. I had to take the thinking behind the drinking to my Higher Power, He was the only one who could change it. I asked for the obsession to be lifted from me.

AMEN, SISTAH!!

Even with just 3 cigarettes, your friend is still running the risk of lung cancer, heart disease, and/or emphysema. It's just like us, even though I binged drink once a week, I still ran the risk of liver disease (cirrhosis), heart problems (yes! excessive drinking does cause heart disease), and poisoning death (the whole body shuts off).

A "normal" drinker has just 1-2 and most likely will not drink another 1-2 for months or even a year again. I wished I could have been like that, but I never was.

[MajestyJo]

I know, that was her denial and unwillingness to let go. I never even thought one or two unless it was bottles or I counted my pills to see if I had enough to get me through the weekend.

I was told not to think of having to quit for ever and ever amen. Just for today, I choose not to use. This 24 hours, I am not going to drink, abuse my medications or pick up a cigarette. It gives me a hope for a better tomorrow, but doesn't make any promises. So each day, I search for my God, connect with Him, and ask for help. I know that when I do that, I will stay clean and sober, just for today.