If I open a bottle of wine at home on my own there is this feeling I must not be coping. Did I pick that up from my childhood, that reaching for a drink was a sign of a bad day, or not coping? I don't remember parents coming in from a stressful day and drinking the pain away?!? Too much telly maybe, I did watch far too many soaps! But as a grown up (ha ha) I come in from a long day, and a long cool chablis can help the stress just melt away. I can sit with friends in a pub or restaurant for hours and not bother once with a drink, or look longingly at the bottle on the table, so I know drinking for me isn't about losing inhibitions, or social self consciousness.

God bill, how brave of you to stop. Why did you - I mean, not just the obvious reasons, mate, but what was the breaking point. I assume there was one, if you feel okay talking about it here?

Hi Bill, looks like you and I have a lot in common. I'm not sure  that I have a problem with drink, well not now anyway, but there was a time when I could not face work on Monday unless I got smashed on Sunday evening. But that was because I had made a bad career move and felt I had screwed up big time. Then there was smoking, I started when I was 16 and managed to give up at 55, couldn't get through a stressful time without a smoke or 10. Do I think alcohol or tobacco controlled me? If I did I'd never admit it, apart from to myself. I still enjoy a few beers at the weekend, or if I've had a particularly heavy day but I no longer feel a dependancy. I do look back though and wonder just how close I got to becoming an alcoholic.

Take care.