My dad is an alcoholic, help. and am i going to become one?

Question

im pretty sure my dad has alcohol problems. he keeps stashes at work and every time i smell his breath it smells like vodka or alcohol. he doesnt really get abusive but he gets really crazy and like very hyper but really hes drunk. he is a car dealer so he has a flexible schedule. he comes home in the middle of the day and takes like a 2 hour nap. he is always exausted too. when we go out to dinner he gets about 5 to 6 martinis. then when we get home he says he needs to go somewhere really quick and comes back 30 min later smelling even more like alcohol and has it with him. he always wants me to bring him beers too. is he one? my grandfather, uncle, cousins, maybe brother are...? and also i am 14 and i started drinking when i was 13 and i really like it. i drink to get drunk mostly. my friends also like to too. but sometimes i feel like when i start i cant stop. anyways, do you think i might become one because of starting so young and the family history??thank you so much and please dont be mean

Answer 1

I would have to say yes your dad is an alcoholic . From every thing that you have described he sounds like he has started letting the alcohol control him instead of him controlling the alcohol .

Keeping " stashes " is one sign that he has a problem and it also seems like he can't go any where or do any thing with out a drink .

He really does need to start into AA ( alcoholics anonymous )

The only problem there is that if he does not want to quit , no one can make him . He has to want help in order to be helped .

You need to take a long hard look at your dad and ask yourself  if this is the way you want your life to turn out .

Alcoholism is a disease . And it can be inherited .

My ex husband was an alcoholic and I was at my wits ends as to what to do . I went to a counselor and tried to get as much information as possible . The counselor told me that alcoholism is a disease , it can be treated , but once an alcoholic , always an alcoholic . You can be an alcoholic with out ever touching another drop . A recovering alcoholic can go into relapse just from the smell of alcohol .

It is also inherited . The way that it was explained to me was that if the father passes the alcoholism on to his son , his son is most likely to become an alcoholic and would be a more severe case than if the father was to pass the disease to his daughter . Same is true with mothers . An alcoholic mother can pass it to her daughter and it will be more severe than if she passed it to her son .

While you have a fighting chance you need to give up the drinking all together . The sooner the better .

A good program to help you would be Al A Teen I think that is the name. It's a program that help teens who drink and for teens of an alcoholic parent . They can walk you through every thing .

Something else too . And I am not trying to scare you straight either . This is a fact .

Alcohol can and will cause cancer along with psyrosis of the liver .

My father died of alcoholism . He was only 52 years old .

There is not a day that goes by that I don't miss my dad .

With your family history you need to make up your mind to stop any and all drinking . Stop before it's too late .

It doesn't matter if your friends do it or not . You need to be the bigger and better person . Set the example .

Please , get some help now ! Don't become another statistic .

I wish you and your family all of the best .

Sorry so long , but this is a serious matter .

Answer 2

It could very well happen you being a drinker. You have to be strong for yourself to over come this kind of affliction. You can do it if need be.

Answer 3

from family experience with my mom, I would say your father is, and you are on your way to becoming one. When i first started drink at 16 (never got drunk) it didn't take long before i saw myself going that way. So, I went Straight Edge until recently where I started drinking, and found that I often still by root beer over beer. I don't care for the taste of a lot of drinks, so I don't force myself to get use to it. If you are drinking to get drunk, you need to understand why do you need to be drunk? if it's to have fun, you need to learn how to have fun without drinking or you could really get hurt or even die if you're not careful.

Answer 4

I certianly hope no one would be mean to a child of your age asking such a serious question.  I am an adult and I would think if you notice and are mature enough to ask this question, then probably there is a problem.  Go to your counselor @ your school or your Pastor @ church.  I married a man whose Father is an alcolholic and he has a lot of problems.  To the point that we had to divorce.  It is a terrible thing and is terrible on innocent people.  You are a child and should not have to worry with things such as this.  Pray, don't turn to alcohol yourself, please.  Talk to an adult you trust and they should help you.  If not, there are probably some phone #'s in your phone book.  I am so sorry for you.  That question breaks my heart.

Answer 5

You should stop drinking right away.  There is possibly a hereditary link.  You are too young to be drinking in any case.  I've known children of alcoholics who abstain completely.  That may be a good choice for you.  Seek out Alateen.  Good luck.

Answer 6

well you wont if you try to stay away from it its ok to drink once in a while but not all the time  

Answer 7

alcoholism is a disease and it said to be hereditary. Just because your father is an alcoholic, it doesn't mean you will become one, BUT i'm sorry to tell you this, you're headed on a long road to destruction if you continue drinking like you are.

For one, you are way too young to be drinking to get drunk. I admit that i had my first drink at 13 but I sipped and that's it.

your family curse can be broken and you can be the one to stop it!

good luck sweetie!

Answer 8

Well, when you are drinking just remember how you feel when your dad is drinking. When you do have children, do you really want your kids feeling that way?

Answer 9

No. It doesn't mean that your father is an alcoholic you will be one too. When you grow up, you'll have a choice. So it'll be your choice to drink or not.  

Answer 10

Be careful with your drinking. Yes are are more likely to become an alcoholic if your father is one and he sure sounds like one.

You are too young to drink now, yes I know you dont think you will be caught but if you are it can really mess up your life.

If it makes you feel better, my family is full of alcoholics, kinda a family tradition or something. I started drinking at 16, loved it, drank to get drunk and all of that but I stopped when it wasn't easy for me to get (i lived in Belgium for a while, drinking age is 16 there moved back to the states at 18).  Now I don't drink, I just dont care too. Once every 2-3 months I will buy a bottle of wine and drink all of it. And I tend to have a drink when I go out to dinner if Im not driving. So no, you are not destaned to become one, you just have a much higher chance.

Answer 11

family history and the whole gene thing could cause you to be one but i came from a long line of hard core drinkers and i can't let go of a diet coke long enough to hold a beer. it really is you that decides if you drink or not and how much,it's you choice.