I’ve been drinking too much all my adult life

I can empathise with where you feel you currently are and may I say well done for recognising that you may have an issue which is something I (yes I admit it) I had a problem with and I thought I was in control but it was in control of me. In honesty you don't sound to have a alcohol addiction but the binge drinking could give you a long term problem. I was lucky enough to have a solid loving partner who helped me through and the support of my GP who was just amazing. I found myself on Antabuse which worked for me and I haven't touched ANY alcohol in over 20 years but like a smoker, I'm not cured but now I have the willpower to say no thanks.
Don't overthink it but please, speak to your GP or health visitor, there is wonderful support out there when you feel you need it

You have to be honest with yourself. Do you want to stop? Is it a habit or an addiction? Only you can decide. It's your life so your decision as to what is best for you. Just ask yourself why you posted? Was it for help? Was it for grans to say don't worry about it?. You will find the answer will come from within. Good luck with your dilemma

I understand your desire to stop and concerns about health. I started smoking at 13 and finally stopped at age 42....not wanting to smoke for 30 years, that was the hardest thing I have ever done. I think once I was smoke free for 2 years I knew I would never smoke again. When living in France our drinking increased, all the Brits we knew were retired and drank every evening if not lunchtime too. A few months of that and I could see the writing on the wall, I came back to the UK, got a job and it was October, so decided to do a dry October, it wasn't so tough. I am someone who finds it easier to stop altogether rather than reduce....so at the end of the month, after no bad mornings, no hangovers, no feeling yuk for a whole month, I continued to not drink. It wasn't difficult, yet I had been a lifelong drinker...and I drank more than you are drinking now. That was seven years ago. Ive never been tempted back. Love my alcohol free beers. Try dry October and just see if you can do it....and take it from there. You know you want to!!!!

I hope my story can help. I started drinking from an early age(bottles of cider with friends before youth club) this was around the age of 16 back in 1970. I lost my dad in a road accident when I was 15 and found it hard to cope at the time. Most of my teens were spent drinking and going clubbing. I met my hubby and initially he wasn't a drinker so I amazingly stopped drinking to excess myself. But a few year later having 3 children and stressful jobs we began drinking at home in the evenings. His father had been an alcoholic, but hubby never accepted that he himself was getting a problem. How we held our jobs down and looked after our children was nothing short of a miracle. Years of drinking every other night of brandy or rum eventually took it's toll. We had actually enjoyed the buzz from drinking and found it relaxing, and that was one of the main problems. Slowly though, I wasn't enjoying it anymore and begged him to cut down for his health. He was also a heavy smoker and 10 years older than me. Then came a diagnosis in his sixties of an aggressive cancer which was treated and he was very lucky (although he is now back to 3 monthly monitoring after 5 years) The day he was due to have his 8 hour operation he smoked his last cigarette. After he went into remission he started having a few too many glasses of spirits again at weekends only. I wasn't drinking much at all by now as I didn't want him to get ill again and I was trying to set a good example. Two years later due to a bout of pancreatitis, he was admitted into hospital and then came the diagnosis of liver cirrhosis. At first they thought it was decompensated but it is compensated. Since the day he was admitted, he has never touched a drop since and neither have I. That was 5 years ago. It took both illnesses to make us stop, first smoking and then drinking. We were lucky, as there was no struggle involved to stop, but two life threatening illnesses brought us to our senses. We were just creatures of habit, coming home after a day at work and pouring those drinks to relax and wind down when the children were in bed. I enjoy my life so much more now that I don't drink and I value each day more now than I ever have. If you are concerned Maggie that you are drinking too much then you probably are. I still find it quite difficult to socialise when everybody is having a drink but I am always pleased with myself the next day. We have had many stressful situations to deal with since becoming tee total but we just seem able, touch wood, to deal with them without resorting to a drink. I hope I haven't rambled on too much, but I hope my story will help others that may be struggling with alcohol, to know that they too can do it. I just wish we had stopped drinking a lot sooner than we did. The British Liver trust website is very good and informative, also with an online community for people with liver problems, be it alcohol or non alcohol related issues. They are always there for you, and are non judgemental. Good luck Maggie, you can do it.

Well the fact of the matter is no one is perfect I think everyone of us has our vices mine def isn’t drink as I’m tea total, but sadly I have a rare liver condition so I couldn’t if I wanted to: but I have a choc addiction

Maggie, only you know how much you REALLY DRINK. If alcohol is costing you more than money. Meaning, Your family and friends being concerned with your drinking and with the worry with your health. AA does work if you really want to stop and is very supportive. Please give it another go, I have been sober now for 21 years and have a fulfilled life and certainly would not like to go back to those horrible dark days.

Hello my dear l think you have begun the transformation of your body and mind. I recently read overcoming addiction by Russell Brand although a young guy his book is wonderfully helpful. Murina

Sorry, have only just come back to this thread and am very grateful for all your comments. I know two bottles of wine a week doesn’t seem like much but I’m concerned at HOW I drink rather than how much. The whole bottle is consumed in one sitting and I have a very strong craving for a drink, so find it hard to take it or leave it.

Today I have a bad hangover because I drank last night and couldn’t do what I was supposed to do. I know this is a red flag. I do like the idea of just buying half bottles of wine but haven’t found them anywhere.

Maggie you are so brave to open up to us on GN.

Most supermarkets sell quarter bottles, this could be a start for you on cutting down.

If it wasn't that 2 glasses of wine make me feel physically ill, I can easily see how I could have slipped down the slippery path of drinking too much. I often think late afternoon ‘wouldn’t it be nice to have a glass of wine whilst getting the supper?’. Then the next day I would think the same and so it goes on. I’m lucky my body stops me over indulging.

Also drinking too much alcohol can make dementia more likely so that scares me off big time. Is there anything you can do to scare yourself into reducing your drinking?

Best of luck.

Thank you Nan. I think I might try just buying a couple of 1/4 bottles at a time so I can’t drink more than 1/2 bottle. I know 1/2 bottle is a bit too much but it’s a start.

I also water down white wine Maggie so I get the taste but not the quantity.