I’m not an alcoholic, but I might have a little drinking problem.
My name is Bob Crow. I’m a behavioral therapist that is board certified in both clinical and medical hypnotherapy. I work with individuals for a wide variety of presenting issues including alcoholism.
My 9:00 appointment that Monday morning was a woman that immediately after sitting down said “I don’t want you to think that I’m a drunk or an alcoholic or anything like that but I might have a little drinking problem.” Next, I had a weight loss patient that had lost sixty one and a half pounds so far, but my 11:00 was like my 9:00. She started with “I’m not an alcoholic, but I feel that I might drink a little too much.” After my 1:00 marriage counseling patient, another individual sat down and she said “I’m not an alcoholic, but I can’t seem to stop drinking and I’m thinking that I might have a little drinking problem.”
Do you see a trend here? These people did not want to admit to being an alcoholic, probably because they thought that I might think less of them. I won’t. Part of the reason is, that almost all of the individuals that come in for a drinking issue, believe that an alcoholic is someone that is a falling down drunk or can’t hold down a job. Not true. Most alcoholics are functional alcoholics and perform reasonably well on their job every day! An alcoholic is an individual that pure and simple, can’t stop drinking! That in and of itself does not make them a bad person, but if they do have a bad problem, that problem needs to be dealt with.
Of the three women that presented that morning, all drank at least a bottle of wine every night, some more. Drinking to excess is a symptom that something is going on in their life that’s making them feel badly. They all insisted that they weren’t alcoholics. Many confided that they don’t play tennis with their friends, without a significant amount of alcohol in them.
Remember the first time that you had a drink? You didn’t even like the taste. You had to acquire it! You found that if you drank, maybe life felt a little better. You also found that when life wasn’t going the way you desired, alcohol might have made it seem bearable. You don’t need that… trust me!
I’m often asked “how do you know when you’re drinking too much?” My reply is “if you are drinking in order to change the way you feel, you’re drinking too much…”
My wife and I occasionally will have a five ounce glass of wine with a meal. We use it almost as a seasoning to bring out the flavor of the entrée. We take about 45 minutes to consume it. We will not finish the last quarter inch in the glass, and may not have another glass for a month or more.
If you suspect that you’re drinking too much, even though you have periods when you are able stop for a period of time, but then start up again, or you binge drink, why not give me a call and schedule a complimentary consultation. If it’s something that you would like to overcome, we can do that together. Call me!