Am I an alcoholic? What are the physical symptoms of alcoholism?

I'm guessing you ARE. a) because your asking b) because of your symptoms.....I'm sorry, I don't know about the drugs, but I do know that if I didn't go to rehab, I would have ended up dead or in jail. Doing a 28-day stint in rehab seems impossible, but it's ONLY 28 days. It is absolutely MIND BLOWING how much better your life is after you get out. have you ever been to an AA meeting? This is mentioned several times. What you have to do is decide to go, call, request a bed, then GO. Rent, your job, etc takes care of itself. I did it 3 years ago & my ex-husband did it (crack cocaine) 2 years ago. Life just takes care of itself. i know its scary, but you can do it.

Yes you are an alcoholic, just by what you have written here I can tell you are. What you've described are all signs of alcoholism. Yes, there are meds that are given to help you quit. They are given to stop you having 'the shakes', withdrawal symptoms. One med I know was given in the USA, for this was a benzodiazepine called Librium.These type of meds are sedatives. Librium was specifically used to help with alcohol withdrawal, when I was in the USA (10 years ago). Xanax is also a sedative, as you probably know because you take it for your anxiety. However, the benzodiazepines are considered 'safer' and less addictive, than Xanax. You will need to have a doctor, review your meds, prescribe you meds, and adjust your meds, because you are already taking Xanax. Your doctor may consider an anti-depressant to help with your moods, like your anger, and edginess. It depends on what the doctor feels will help you specifically. Anti-depressants often help with anxiety. Your doctor may refer you to a psychiatrist to review your meds, health, and prescribe meds, continue visits with. You may also want to go to counseling. There are groups for alcoholics. Or you could go to see a therapist, counselor by yourself. You are more likely to succeed if you have a therapist or group to go to. Right now, you can go to AA. Find your local AA group, and go.

yes you need aa and counsling before some one calls 911 on you and you end in jail or mentel hospital i am not kidding you.

I would suggest a trip not only to your doctor, but to AA as well. Contact MAD and find out how alcoholism affects others. Believe it or not, if you drink and drive at all, you are not sober, and are kidding yourself that nothing will happen. Try following the link below. Maybe the first step is to realize it's more serious than you think. You will be in my thoughts. Alcoholism is a disease and alcoholism symptoms are indicators that the disease is present in the mind and body. Other physical symptoms may include: increased tolerance continued use despite physical problems abdominal pain nausea vomiting red eyes, puffy face numbness in the arms or legs swelling of the liver blackouts, not remembering drinking episodes Psychological Damage Alcoholism is a disease of the mind. Alcohol is often abused to self medicate anxiety, depression, irritability and sleep disorders but these conditions are worsened by drinking. This vicious cycle increases the amount of drinking as the psychological problems become increasingly traumatic and drinking is continued to numb the pain. Alcoholics will often deny having alcoholism symptoms and may drink in secret to cover-up the problem. Dramatic mood swings and aggression also accompany alcoholic drinking. Work Environment The job is usually one of the last things to go in the progression of alcoholism. The alcohol abuser tries very hard to not drink at work but as the disease of alcoholism increases, the morning drinks to calm the shakes and the couple of drinks for lunch start to grow in number. It may start with an afternoon off here and there but pretty soon major work obligations become difficult or go unfulfilled. Ultimately, the alcohol abuser may be disciplined or fired

The symptoms and behavior you are describing are characteristic of alcoholism. Only you can truly make that determination, but if you are not certain, you can go to your doctor and take an assesment. There is also alcoholism literature that discribes a lot of what you discribed. Not remembering what you have done and being ashamed of your behavior can be one of the main symptoms. I did a lot of the same things. I didn't believe I had a problem, but knew I was on a bad road. I kept it up and almost died one night, not from the alcohol in my system, but from the way alcoholism affected my thinking and emotions. There is also free assesments and information numbers in the phone book. Look under alcoholism. I'm now over 7 years sober and life still has its problems, but I am happier than I've ever been.

Your actions alone speak volumes. Rum has a very high alcohol level and is worse for women than men. You are drinking way too much and on a downhill ride. Seek medical attention before you loose your motivation to do anything but drink I'm sure there is help without rehab.

mayb u dont need rehab..but stop drinking ..or try to.and start going to aa meetings.which should be able to fit it into your schedule.also talk 2 a doctor.

You've written a good question and I am sympathizing with you as I write this. I'm coming up on 5 year's sobriety in August. I had a similar drinking pattern to what you describe.I rationalized all kinds of reasons to drink. I wanted tio drink alone so that I could drink the way I wanted to. I drank to get drunk. I isolated myself from my family. Many people would term me a "high bottom" drunk because I didn't lose my wife, jobs, kids, or experience serious illness. I was, however, depressed. I felt run down. I was edgey and I snapped at my wife. It took me a long time, about 13 years, to come to a point where I decidced to commit myself to doing something aobut my drinking. I had tried a few times to moderate. I quit once for a year and was very much the stereotypical "dry drunk." I found help in AA. Now to your question, am I an alcoholic? I decided after about 6 months working the AA twelve step program that it didn't matter. I felt better and my life was better. (Not perfect - but certainly an improvement on the life I was leading.) If occured to me that what was important was not the label, but how I felt. If I felt better and my life was improving, I would keep doing what I was doing, which was attending AA meetings, working with my sponsor and making AA friends. At that that point, it was convenient for me to consider myself an alcoholic. I quitr drinking and worked my program as an alcoholic treating himself. You sound like you have concerns about your drinking patterns and how your alcohol con\sumption my be negatively impacitng your life. Just consider not driking. Try this for a day or two, you can always start again. Try several AA meetings. See if you enjoy them. AA friends are easy to make and people will be forthcoming with you. See waht they have to say. You're young and you have a great life ahead of you. Tryu some different behaviors, ie sober behaviors and AA, abd see if this works for you. Regarding the meds; most labels warn against drinking and taking medication. The doctor prescribing the medication is relying on you to follow the prescription. If you choose not to, the medication is likely not to work as intended. The only way for you to truly know if the medications work for you is to stop drinking while you are taking the meds. My experience was that my first 30 days were the worst. I started feeling better after about 4 months. I really gained traction in sobriety and the impulse to drink lessened at about a year and a half. My point is yhou can always start drinking again and/or gto back to the lifestyle you currently have. Therefore, you have nothing to loose by some days or a month of sobriety and taking your prescribed medications in accordance with the prescription instructions. In the AA program, you will find many smart, caring people who will be willing and able to help you. Good luck.

red eyes, puffy face, liver problems, such as swelling, ulcers, shaking, delirium tremens ,nausea, Pain in the side or back from kidney problems, stomach and intestinal problems poor diet and weight loss,Unexplained mood swings ...just to name a few