Happy at Last!

An alcoholic doesn't have to try to not be an alcoholic by drinking only 3.5% alcohol beer instead of 80 or 100 proof hard liquor every day. That's essentially what a food addict has to do.

But apparently we're just going to have to agree to disagree. I'm not going to convince you, and you're not going to convince me. :)

I agree, except for the word "fatty" foods. Too many translate that to high dietary fat, which is almost never the problem.

If we cut out all high calorie carb items -- essentially all of the white foods -- obesity would be nearly nonexistent. Sure, we could theoretically eat enough bacon, steak, or sausages to be obese. But no one, not even me, eats enough of those things, in real life. Because the satisfy us long before it reaches that point. But chips, or sweets, french fries, etc etc etc. We could eat them forever.

White foods are to food addicts what alcohol is to alcoholics.

Bad choice of words on my part. I eat a fair amount of healthy, full fat, foods and maintain my weight. I should have said fried foods. That was where my head was at. Thanks for pointing that out.

>>>I personally found trying to be sober and abstinent from binging to be incredibly depressing and very non-conducive to making efforts at work and at improving my life.

So drinking makes you better at work? Is that your work as a "Certified Personal Trainer" or as a model considering a revision to be a size zero (if I remember correctly last year) and lose like 20-something pounds?

It sounds like you're reaching to validate your bad practices, and we're not buying it.

http://www.cthreefoundation.org

I like a drink every now and again. You seem to be unhealthy in your obsession with it, though. I don't drink to make me happy, and I'm not depressed or unhappy when I don't drink for months at a time. Alcohol should not be needed to be happy.

Since you're determined not to stay sober, please consider the info from the C3 organization, watch some of the videos, and try to find ways to be happy without the alcohol.

I'm not obsessed with drinking rather just wish for a better quality of life through more self-acceptance.

"I didn't want to give up drinking though- I tried living sober for eleven excruciating months and discovered it truly wasn't for me. I found having no relaxation outlet profoundly depressing not work and productivity conducive and just not joyful."

This is not a better quality of life through self-acceptance. It's self-medicating behavior. I don't think I'm happier when I drink, nor do I need to drink as my only means of relaxation. I have many things I do to relax myself, and I find joy in many things other than drinking. You have stated here that you have to have alcohol to relax and to be joyful. That's obsessive and addictive behaviour from an objective view.

I'd suggest therapy, honestly. But from what I've seen in the time I've been here, you're not interested in objective advice, you're only interested in people who will agree that you're doing awesome. And you may be, but this post doesn't show someone who's doing awesome.

Wonderful organization, from my somewhat limited knowledge. Thank you for sharing the link

Please consider the symptoms of alcohol use disorder. I suspect you will match MANY of the criteria.

https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/overview-alcohol-co nsumption/alcohol-use-disorders