Dear Guest,

I don't get on the Mudcat often, so I'll consider it fortuitous that I found your posting. Trust me, I know quite a bit about alcoholism.

If you decide you want to stop drinking, there are many ways to do it. There is no one way and steer clear of those who say there is only one way. Most people who stop drinking, do so on their own, without AA and without treatment. If you've tried that several times before, without success, then you probably should try something else.

Some people use AA only. Some people use treatment only. I would suggest that a combination of treatment and AA maxmizes your chances of success. If you aren't successful the first time, try again. The more often you try, the greater your chances of success become.

Sometimes the hardest part is deciding that drinking is a problem for you. If you don't think you have a problem, you aren't likely to do the hard work to stop. Personally, I trust my doctor and the literature I've read that my high blood pressure (which I don't feel) is a problem, so I take my medicine daily.

You might consider taking pencil to paper and drawing four quadrants on the paper. In the first quadrant, put all the good things that come from your drinking. Some of these have been posted above by others. Believe me, if there weren't some good things, you probably wouldn't be drinking at all. In the second, write down all the reasons you are less happy about your drinking. In the third quadrant, put in all the bad things you think will happen if you stop drinking And finally, in the fourth quadrant, put in all the good things you think could happen if you stopped drinking. If you do this honestly, it will give you some idea of what keeps you drinking and what keeps you avoiding stopping.

There are many places to look for additional reasons to stop. You can go to your physician and tell him or her that you are concerned about your drinking. Ask him or her to assess what impact drinking is having on your health. A good physician can review your medical history and take some blood tests and give you some concrete information about alcohol's effect on YOU.

Ask some close friends whom you trust what impact they think drinking has on your life. Listen to those pros and cons.

In the US there are many free or cheap treatment services available and you can ask them for an assessment. Unfortunately, they may be biased, so ask them for a written report with their justifications.

If you join the Mudcat, you can the send Personal Messages (similar to e-mail) to others. Feel free to PM me with any questions you may have. You can also PM many of those who posted above.

Roger in Baltimore