Where is the line between enjoyment versus addiction?
I enjoy alcohol and marijuana. After a hard day or week at work, I look forward to drinking and/or getting high. Sometimes with friends, sometimes with my wife, sometimes by myself. It helps my brain relax and let loose. It recharges me. It makes everything more enjoyable, albeit only temporary. In my roughly 20 years of drinking and consuming marijuana, I’ve had two instances where I’ve done things that are terrible and uncharacteristic of me. Both of them happened within the last 6 months. The first one was an attempt to cheat on my wife, the second one was actually cheating on my wife. And I love my wife, so this doesn’t make any sense. I’m trying to figure out if my problem is an addiction to alcohol and/or marijuana. I drink/vape maybe 2 to 3 days out of the week, usually in small to moderate amounts. I’ll do it in higher amounts if I’m with friends and we’re together for a longer time. But that’s also when I cheated. I’m very disgusted in myself and hate myself. I’m trying to figure out how to fix my destructive behavior. The last 6 months of my life also coincide with two other emotionally traumatic experiences for me. I’m just trying to consider all possibilities right now, so let me start with the potential for substance abuse/addiction. Alcohol and marijuana are the two substances I use.
@redLake6389 Welcome red! We are happy to have you here with us, and I appreciate you opening up to us. Determining if one is addicted or not is tricky. Addiction is different for each person. Feel free to check out this link for further support here.
If you ever need to talk to someone, the listeners are here for you. Feel free to keep us updated on how you are doing whenever you wish. If you have any concerns or questions, let us know. Best wishes! :)
I do not think there is a simple answer to your question. I know for me personal that line would be when it started to affect me negative and/or changed me as a person.
I'd say that this might be my answer to your question:
Appreciation or healthy use of a substance can become addiction when:
It is impacting your physical or mental health in such a way that you feel guilty or others notice and worry for you. (When legitimate, of course).
I've read online that people actually live longer if they have three to four servings of alcohol a week. But most people's families might consider them an alcoholic at that point. So I'd say that it's important to look at if something is really unhealthy from an outside view too to understand if the concern is legitimate.
@redLake6389
Have you taken a moment to consider how the difficulties of the past few months have changed you? Is it possible that you've used weed/alcohol to cope with these things? If so, are there any better things you could do to help you cope?
Please remember that one of the signs of addiction is doing things that are uncharacteristic. Understanding this should lead you to forgive yourself while also considering if you're addicted.