When The Bottle Is Your Best Friend

 
You started with a sip, the next time you drowned a whole glass, now you are drinking directly from bottle. Maybe you have not reached that point yet, where the shame begins to creep in and you desperately try to hide the vice. You see, it is not quite easy to notice when your behaviour has moved from moderate to problem drinking. At some point a friend points it out and defensively, you respond, ‘Ah, It is just a glass or two of wine. And wine is not bad like beer’. That is where the problem starts, when we are already giving ourselves lame reasons as to why our poor drinking habits are just okay.
 
I have heard people say that they can stop drinking anytime they want to, so it should not be an issue. This isn’t entirely true. You only tell yourself this to feel that you are in control of the situation but truth is, you will not really stop anytime you want to. You actually don’t want to stop.
 
Others say because they drink on weekends only, then they are less likely to become alcoholics. It doesn’t matter which days of the week you choose to drink or what brand of liquor you prefer, the point is you have  remained faithfully to your drink dates. You seldom disappoint the bottle like you do real people. The drink is your baby. And that is the problem.
 
‘Drinking is better than…’ This is another line people use to excuse their impending alcoholism. Drinking is a form of intoxication, and just like any other drug, alcohol impairs your judgment. How then is it better than bhang or cocaine? There is liver disease, heart problems, cancer, to name just a few, and you still certify it?
 
Telling yourself that your drinking is your problem and the rest of us should just shut up does not better your situation. Your addiction is not just your problem. Your loved ones are either directly or indirectly affected by what you do. This way of thinking shows pure selfishnes and irresponsibility.
 
Instead of finding reasons to validate your alcoholism, you ought to find ways to save yourself. One way to assess whether your drinking is moderate or has evolved to an addiction is to ask yourself; why do I drink?
 
Be honest with the answer.