I'm not fat, but I'm about 25 pounds over my ideal weight. On average, it's where I've been my adult life. I've lost all the way down to below my ideal weight, but I keep ending up here.
My bp is currently 140/85 or around there.
Sorry about being a bit misleading on the amount consumed. I would say that if I'm drinking "regular" beers, I on average would put away 4-6 a night, but with high gravity beers it'd be between 3 and 4.
I'd love to try something that would take away the desire, but I'm very concerned that something like this would go on my medical record and taint me for life. I don't know where the doctor/patient confidentiality thing starts and ends here in the States. I know if they diagnose you with high blood pressure, that can be a stain for life and impact your insurance premiums, etc. I would fear that talking to them about substance abuse could lead to the same thing.
Not anymore since the health care law was passed. Pre-existing conditions aren't grounds for jack anything anymore come 2013, and aren't going to lock you out of insurance now. A little high blood pressure? Please that's a totally minor problem anyhow. However years of high blood pressure left untreated can severely damage your body or you might even stroke out!
Go to the doctor for your problems. Medical problems are best solved early. Then you often have non-medical solutions available too.
The law can still be repealed. Incoming Speaker John Boehner said (yesterday or today) it's a priority of his, and most, if not all, of the new Republican congressmembers promised to repeal the bill or parts of it.
OT, but I can't help myself. It's a priority of the GOP to bring health care repeal to a vote. That way they all get their Obamacare creds without having to actually fix anything.
If they want to actually repeal health care, they are going to have to wait until they have a Republican president, or a veto-proof majority, which won't happen until 2012 at the earliest. There may not be repeal momentum left at that point.
Slightly more on-topic, having things like this on your medical record is a concern, but I think keeping one's good health should always be more important than insurance details that may or may not make any difference.
That's a real shame as it's likely to be the catalyst for your issues (that or your family). I managed to change a high stress job in to a walk in the park by reading Peopleware and finally understanding how work... works. You might want to [re]read that.
It's not going to help though if work isn't the catalyst. Maybe you expect too much of yourself and crumble under your own pressure, maybe you fear failure and alcohol is a convenient excuse, maybe you are heading toward a mental break down. Who knows?
This is gonna sound a bit silly but keeping a mood diary with data about alcohol consumption, mood swings etc might help you step away from the problem far enough to see it in all it's glory.
Finding a mechanism to step back and see the bigger picture often helps. If your family isn't the problem they could be your biggest help in this.
Contrary to what dazzawazza says "taking the edge off life" is not what you are doing my friend. Even though you say that you have no problem going without for periods at a time realistically what that "feeling" is is you satisfying the craving your body has for alcohol - that unfortunately what an addiction is all about. The monkey on your back. Whether the amount of alcohol you consume is a problem for you depends on whether it is an on balance positive or negative in your life. If you've gotten as far as posting here it shows you have serious issues with your habit but if your life is not coming apart at the seems because of it then you are in control and not the substance. I would recommend going to AA meetings as corny as that may sound. You will quickly find out more about your relationship with alcohol from people who have gone further down a road you can imagine.
Since you have done it for four weeks, would you consider trying it for six months or even a year?
It sounds like we have similar work responsibilities. I too am married. Up until June of this year I would drink a few glasses of wine and/or cranberry and vodka each night “to relax”. In June I was asking myself why am I drinking several nights a week. I wondered what it would be like to never drink alcohol again. So I quit. The only exception was during a Caribbean cruise. I don’t regret drinking it then and may consider it for future vacations.
For me, I find myself as a leader at the office, at home and at church. Not having alcohol is also consistent with my new minimalist lifestyle and consistent with my mindset that I don’t need everything I want.
The part I miss drinking the most, I my lack of variety on beverages while eating dinner.
Best of luck to you, hopefully you will find out you are not addicted.
You seem to have the will power if you can hold off for 4 weeks.
Have you tried using a reward strategy like I would only drink and chill out after a couple of days when task X is finished? Gradually you can then reduce your drinking days from 4 per week to 1 (or zero).
IMO, it is very difficult to get off alcohol or any other addiction suddenly. It is more effective to tone it down gradually.
Hmm, perhaps it could. The strategy I was trying to suggest is to try and get progressively elongated stretches of time when the person would not have alcohol. It slowly can help wean off the addiction.
But at the end of the day, if it is not working for someone, (s)he would have to find another way.
is the sliding back due to the need to do "something to wind down" or to get some buzz. If former, cooking and gardening have proven to be therapeutic to me, if later, then it is addiction.
Exercising after alcohol consumption (during hangover phase) is flat-out dangerous. Not sure whether that is affected by tolerance, but chances are you are not getting the most out of your workout routine.
