My mother had an alcoholic period prior to being diagnosed with manic depression. Therefore I think I have a ticket to speak ...

I do not think that society really discourages it. In my town, in the evening it is mostly shops selling alocohol and cigarettes which are open - big choice there then ! Alcohol is on sale at nearly every venue for night entertainment e.g. cinema, theatre, live music, bowling and a lot of places seem geared to getting you to drink more. To me, this indicates that it must be important for economic turnover.

I get fairly depressed at times and notice that I drink alcohol to give me some sort of feeling as I live on my own and get bored. I am not against alcohol as a partial therapy. I find I enjoy drinking more when I feel that I have earned the drink e.g. I have done some exercise, so that there is bit of balance. I can get very bored with alcohol too and long for other ways to fill my time.I hear on the tv that it is better to drink a little each night than to binge drink. I have become bored with going out and prefer to stay in and drink on my own - cheaper, nicer beer and no offensive company - I can drink at my own rate that way.

My sister has become openly concerned about her alcohol habit recently so she went along to an AA meeting and reported that it was helpful.

If you have reached the point where it sounds like there is no return then seek help at once. It appears that you have actually lost control of your life and things are getting worse by the day. Your self esteem is probably low and you'll have to work on finding ways of bringing it back up - you may have to find a positive way to look at yourself despite any shame or helplessness you feel. Maybe your job, and way of life have not been sufficient to support your personality. Look for new ways of getting support - it may mean being brave. Don't be cruel to yourself, if life isn't going your way it may not actually be your fault. IMHO our society does not appear to be based on giving individual hapiness, it is more concerned with economic turnover - at any cost.

I hope this helps

Jiggers