Hi Dragongirl,

Have you ever heard this quote: "It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society."

Ha! Lot of truth to it.

I, too, drank to simply eliminate clear comprehension of my state of stress--to shut out the world for a portion of time. But I also found as time went on that my non-drinking portion of the day, which was VERY minimal, was more stressful simply because I WASN'T drinking. In other words, I think alcohol both contributed to my stress AND eliminated my stress. Does that make sense?

You mentioned no-one knew you had a problem? Here's one for the record: no one realized I was having more than three or four beers a WEEK! I hid it that well. And the rationalizations...whew! Not only is my ability to "lie" to others unparalleled, but I'm a master at lying to myself.

For the longest time I actually believed I could incorporate heavy drinking into a normal life. Now, to be free of that cycle is sooooooo liberating.

Here's another strange occurrence: Yesterday, I had an incredibly stressful day regarding several things that went terribly wrong. And you know what? I had the emotional reserves to deal with it. I truly believe a natural healthy state of mind, with plenty of undiminished serotonin and other feel-good chemicals, can actually handle the hassles of life. But the alcohol pushes our body so far out of whack that our non-drinking time is FAR more stressful than it would have to be.

Then again, if you've read Seven Weeks, you already know this. And...so did I, during the entire time I was drinking! Simply knowing the truth, however, is not enough to do it.

When you're ready, you'll find a way to quit. Statistically speaking, very few "alcoholics" ever quit. That's scary. And that's why I'm fasting. I want to be among that tiny number. And you can too, Dragongirl!

You sound very in-control and successful. Quitting alcohol, eventually, will be another notch in your chain of accomplishments!

Dave

How's it going?

Haven't heard from you in a while.

Dave