i quit drinking.

[dinanm3atl]

Personally, I found it hard to justify not drinking with out trying it.

But at the same time I don't ever want to smoke weed, although I understand that can seen as a pretty provincial statement to some it's just something I don't want to do. Simply because I'm sure I'd like it and I don't want something else on my plate that I can waste my time with.

I have tried just about everything. It taste so bad and the alchohol taste just rips through every drink I have tried. So I never fully consume any of the drinks, beers etc. To this point I have tried so much that I stopped tasting them to try and find someone I want haha

I'll stick with water and a soda once every couple days. And I love sweet tea :) Working out so far.

[87e30]

I don't think I am better than anyone else. I don't drink and that is my choice. It doesn't make me better, or stronger or able to avoid temptations. It is a personal choice and one that I like to live with. I believe it personally has been a good decision and while I do have other problems and I am not perfect it simply works for me.

Personally, I found it hard to justify not drinking with out trying it.

But at the same time I don't ever want to smoke weed, although I understand that can seen as a pretty provincial statement to some it's just something I don't want to do. Simply because I'm sure I'd like it and I don't want something else on my plate that I can waste my time with.

[ben312]

This is where I have to ask the question as I have to others in this 'situation'. Ok so you have a multiple generation alcholish problem in the family. Why are you even pushing the envelope? Why are you having a beer at dinner? Why are you getting drunk? Human nature seems to be to abuse things and something in the genetics for some reason seem to be linked to easy addiction so people want to tempt fate.

It just doesn't make any sense to me. I have had 2 or 3 friends in this same situation and both have gotten into bad situations because of this exact thing. Tempting fate and 'testing' the waters when in my opinion they shouldn't be doing it at all because they obviously cannot handle it.

because I have the said self control. I can have one beer or i can get trashed. as much as I know that it is a genetic problem and that it could lead to problems, I also know that I have the control to stop at any time. I have a bottle of jager with me right now, and have had for about a month. doesn't mean I'm drinking it, in fact I don't ever drink alone and can very easily the thought of drinking by myself. if i ever got the point where i drank alone or couldn't stop then yes i would stop drinking all together.

[dinanm3atl]

I don't think I am better than anyone else. I don't drink and that is my choice. It doesn't make me better, or stronger or able to avoid temptations. It is a personal choice and one that I like to live with. I believe it personally has been a good decision and while I do have other problems and I am not perfect it simply works for me.

[87e30]

This is where I have to ask the question as I have to others in this 'situation'. Ok so you have a multiple generation alcholish problem in the family. Why are you even pushing the envelope? Why are you having a beer at dinner? Why are you getting drunk? Human nature seems to be to abuse things and something in the genetics for some reason seem to be linked to easy addiction so people want to tempt fate.

It just doesn't make any sense to me. I have had 2 or 3 friends in this same situation and both have gotten into bad situations because of this exact thing. Tempting fate and 'testing' the waters when in my opinion they shouldn't be doing it at all because they obviously cannot handle it.

Hey, that's me! I went freshman year of college year not drinking. I showed myself that I could easily resist temptation (I live in a frat...) and that I could restrain myself if desired and have fun not drinking.

However, I wanted to drink at some point in my life, simply because having a beer with friends can be enjoyable. After 3 months I can reflect and see where I've abused alcohol (That one night I don't remember...) and where I've had 3 beers with some friends and watched a movie and gotten to know people and have a nice night.

For myself, I wanted these experiences simply because I didn't want to be 50 years old and say that I've never had a drop of alcohol. I think people say I don't drink and they believe it makes them better than other people, I didn't want to do that.

[87e30]

My family has a long line of alcoholics leading to me, but that doesn't mean that I'm instantly an alcoholic. I simply have to be aware and responsible with this information.

I'm not saying that choosing not to drink is a bad thing, but I am saying that it's not the only or best solution for everyone.

I'm fully aware that some people believe that can limit when they can't. As I child I have memories of my dad absolutely trashed yelling at me while holding a scotch saying "I'm an adult if I think I can have another one I can limit myself and enjoy some scotch." And since he's gone stone cold sober, I think this is amazing for him.

For myself, if a bunch of guys are sitting around hanging out drinking some beer I wouldn't feel bad about joining them, but using alcohol as an excuse to do stupid things or suppress emotions is absolutely uncalled for.

[dinanm3atl]

My bad for being positive. I didn't really recognize I was until a friend mentioned I always saw the good sides of things instead of distressing over the bad no matter what. I certainly wasn't always this way, and sure bad things still happen. But half the battle of accomplishing things is believing you can, and I would not have done a lot of the things I am proud of if I didn't think they were possible - even if people had their doubts sometimes.

Society today looks for things to blame for the way they or their kids are, or reasons why things didn't go their way instead of making their life the way they want or seeing it in a positive light instead of being mad about it.

Look at the e30 judge judy video. No body wants to take responsibility for their actions. They don't want to admit that they are just plain fat and stupid and too damn lazy to work out so McDonald's is to blame for making the food so cheap and delicious.

[dinanm3atl]

Its a genetic problem as well as a self control problem. People, such as myself, who have alcoholics as parents, grandparents etc are more likely to become alcoholics themselves. This is however no excuse for them to go out and get wasted every night. Just because you have more of a chance of developing alcoholism does not mean you will become one. As long as you manage and control yourself there is no problem. Its like people who have a family history of cancer, as long as you work out, stay healthy, eat right and so on your risk of also getting cancer goes down (not saying I'm a doctor or anything and I don't have much of a knowedge of cancer.) But my grandfather and cousin both had cancer, my grandfather died from his and my cousin had to have a small part of his brain and spinal cord removed. So I also try to aviod the life style that would raise my chance of cancer. And we can all laugh and crack jokes when I say "loading another bullet in the gun" but its a very real situation. Alcoholism can cause many health problems, mental and physical. It can tear families apart, get people very sick or killed, and cause mental health issues as well. I think the OP was very smart to see something going down hill in his life and to stop and fix the issue. Its very respectable and if he wishes not to drink at all then more power to him.

This is where I have to ask the question as I have to others in this 'situation'. Ok so you have a multiple generation alcholish problem in the family. Why are you even pushing the envelope? Why are you having a beer at dinner? Why are you getting drunk? Human nature seems to be to abuse things and something in the genetics for some reason seem to be linked to easy addiction so people want to tempt fate.

It just doesn't make any sense to me. I have had 2 or 3 friends in this same situation and both have gotten into bad situations because of this exact thing. Tempting fate and 'testing' the waters when in my opinion they shouldn't be doing it at all because they obviously cannot handle it.

[rwh11385]

Heeter always babbles about how in control of his life he is and that if everyone just manned up and lived like him the world would be perfect.
Either he is
1. Full of himself
2. Delusional
3. Life hasn't hit him hard enough to make him understand that bad things happen, no matter how smart or purdue you are.

My bad for being positive. I didn't really recognize I was until a friend mentioned I always saw the good sides of things instead of distressing over the bad no matter what. I certainly wasn't always this way, and sure bad things still happen. But half the battle of accomplishing things is believing you can, and I would not have done a lot of the things I am proud of if I didn't think they were possible - even if people had their doubts sometimes.

Society today looks for things to blame for the way they or their kids are, or reasons why things didn't go their way instead of making their life the way they want or seeing it in a positive light instead of being mad about it.

The world would be a better place is people took a more active hold of their lives, and believed that they can accomplish what they really want to. Sure, not everything is going to turn out the way one expects, but it's okay if you learn to roll with it. Winners are the people who get back up instead of complaining about being knocked down. Giving up certainly will not help improve the world.

[bimmerboy08]

learn to snowboard

if you know how to snowboard already, learn to ski

if you can do that, learn to telemark.

Good luck on sobriety.

[ben312]

Its a genetic problem as well as a self control problem. People, such as myself, who have alcoholics as parents, grandparents etc are more likely to become alcoholics themselves. This is however no excuse for them to go out and get wasted every night. Just because you have more of a chance of developing alcoholism does not mean you will become one. As long as you manage and control yourself there is no problem. Its like people who have a family history of cancer, as long as you work out, stay healthy, eat right and so on your risk of also getting cancer goes down (not saying I'm a doctor or anything and I don't have much of a knowedge of cancer.) But my grandfather and cousin both had cancer, my grandfather died from his and my cousin had to have a small part of his brain and spinal cord removed. So I also try to aviod the life style that would raise my chance of cancer. And we can all laugh and crack jokes when I say "loading another bullet in the gun" but its a very real situation. Alcoholism can cause many health problems, mental and physical. It can tear families apart, get people very sick or killed, and cause mental health issues as well. I think the OP was very smart to see something going down hill in his life and to stop and fix the issue. Its very respectable and if he wishes not to drink at all then more power to him.

[rwh11385]

i know i cant handle it. thats why i quit and i wouldnt call that a poor decision. you get your facts from south park and try to justify your drinking every night by claiming others are weak and make "poor decisions". i never said "everyone" has a problem. i can only speak for myself and what ive done. ive been around addiction for 40 years heeter and i can tell you ive seen hundred and hundreds of guys with your mindset come and go. guess where i always see them coming back to??

I don't get facts from, but I agreed whole-heartedly with the creator's beliefs which include other viewpoints from various other episodes as well. They are clever and funny guys, the fact that it's a cartoon doesn't mean it isn't a creative way to present a legitimate belief / idea.

Blunt, you perceive me to be something I'm not - which is why internet diagnosis is so laughable. Every night? Haha. I'll rarely have a beer outside of Friday or Saturday these days.

People with your mindset help insure self-fulfilling prophecies. I believe I have no control of my own actions so therefore if I stumble I will lose all control in order to prove my beliefs correct. (How is that healthy?)

[PeaveyBassist]

In case anyone has not noticed, heeter is the PERFECT person! I commend you Mr. Heeter.

[Julien]

i know i cant handle it. thats why i quit and i wouldnt call that a poor decision. you get your facts from south park and try to justify your drinking every night by claiming others are weak and make "poor decisions". i never said "everyone" has a problem. i can only speak for myself and what ive done. ive been around addiction for 40 years heeter and i can tell you ive seen hundred and hundreds of guys with your mindset come and go. guess where i always see them coming back to??

Heeter always babbles about how in control of his life he is and that if everyone just manned up and lived like him the world would be perfect.
Either he is
1. Full of himself
2. Delusional
3. Life hasn't hit him hard enough to make him understand that bad things happen, no matter how smart or purdue you are.

[LBJefferies]

spoken like a true alcoholic in the making. youre a good guy heeter but your knowledge on addiction is equivalent to andre's on wheel fitment. its a scientific fact its got nothing to do with "self control". its genetic and some have it while others dont.
i know youll come back and argue to the death but you are wrong.

It is both genetics as well as self control. Nature and nurture.