Dear Cary,
It seems like every other letter you answer has implications of alcoholism. The common theme that I see in your letters is that people can get by just fine day to day, but have trouble achieving anything in the long run. I'm deathly afraid of that and I realize it's time to get sober.
My social network is built around drinking. Everything I do involves happy hour or beer. I ended a yearlong relationship because I didn't know how to have sober fun with my significant other. I like the thought of becoming sober, but I don't like the thought of being the bitter guy who insists that he's having fun when everyone else is drinking. Ideally I would still like to drink once a week.
Do you have tips for someone that wants to cut out alcohol? I don't want to start going to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings for many petty reasons not worth listing here. Is it possible to maintain the same group of friends and stay sober? Is it possible to still go bowling and stay sober? Can I get drunk once a week and still declare sobriety? Running and weightlifting take up a decent amount of my time, but I'm still presented with ample drinking opportunities. I love my job and do it well. I love my city. Do I need to give them up and move away?
Ambivalent Alcoholic
P.S. I don't really need advice. I really just wanted to ask you if you think a lot of the people that write to you have alcohol problems.
Dear Ambivalent Alcoholic,
You can quit drinking today if you want to. Don't worry what your drinking buddies think. It's your damned life. You know what's best for you.
If want to quit drinking but don't want to go to Alcoholics Anonymous, I would suggest you first try to quit on your own. See how that goes. If you can quit on your own, then what do you need A.A. for?
Quitting means quitting, though. Say you quit playing golf. And somebody asks you, "You play golf?"
You say, "No, I gave it up."
"But weren't you playing Sunday?"
"Yeah, I play every Sunday."
"But you don't play golf?"
"No, I gave it up. Except for every Sunday."
That kind of thing doesn't make sense to people. If you drink every Sunday, you are a drinker. That doesn't mean you're an alcoholic. But you're a drinker. A sober person doesn't drink.
If you try to quit on your own and find you do need help, there are many approaches other than A.A. There is Rational Recovery, for instance. You might try that. It has had some notable success. They use a method called addictive voice recognition technique. There are rehabs, there is therapy, there are drugs. You're the consumer. You're the patient. You're in charge. Go see if there's something out there that will work for you. Don't sell yourself short.
As to not being that bitter guy: You don't have to be that bitter guy. But let's be frank: When you stop drinking, your drunk friends do get stupider. Weird but true. They don't make as much sense as they used to. They get in your face with their big wet eyes and it's just annoying. The danger is that there is a solution: Get drunk again! That's the danger of hanging around the bar trying to have as much fun as you used to.
Do a lot of people who write to me have alcohol problems? I would say that alcohol is often among the complex of interrelated problems people write to me about. That is not surprising. Alcohol is a good problem-solver. It can solve the problem of shyness, for instance. You're shy, you have a few drinks, you're not shy. It can solve the problem of not being able to express feelings. You feel cold and distant, have a few drinks, you're feeling expansive and emotional. Problem solved.
People with problems aren't stupid. When they find something that works, they like to take advantage of it. The problem behind the solution is, of course, that the solution becomes the problem. I assume that's why you're writing -- you've realized that although alcohol helps solve certain problems, it's also starting to hurt you.
So yes, you can quit, you don't need to go to A.A. if you don't want to, and if you think you can do it on your own, I urge you to try. If you can't do it on your own, there is lots of help out there. You don't have to drink ever again if you don't want to.
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