Am I An Alcoholic?

I was on the phone with my father recently and we almost came to blows over something he said to me.

We were talking about family stuff and out of no where he asks...

Have you had a drink today?

Me: Excuse me?

Father: Have you had a drink today?

Me: No, why?

Father: Just wondering. I know how you like to get it in.

Me: [Appauled] What do you mean?

Father: Well, every time I speak to you, you're always talking about how you were at this party or that party, drinking.

Me: Well, I haven't been out today. So no, I didn't have a drink. And for the record, that's what people do when they out. They drink.

Father: Not me. When I'm at my sober dances we have a good time without any sort of controlled substance.

Me: [Looks at phone] Duh! That's because y'all are addicts in recovery! You can't have alcohol!

Father: I'm aware of that. The point I'm trying to make is that you don't have to drink to have a good time.

Me: Wait. Are you trying to say you think I have a drinking problem? Because if you are, we are about to get into a serious argument right now.

[Pause]

Father: Okay. Then I won't say it then.

Me: [Not letting it go] Just because I drink when I go out and have the occasional glass of wine after a long day at work doesn't mean I have a problem. I do not have a drinking problem.

Father: You do, Shydel. You just don't know it yet. I just pray that you don't drink and drive and that you're safe out there.

Me: [Thisclose to hitting the "End Call" button] Let's just talk about something else, please.

So we did.

After I hung up and grumbled no that n***a did not call me an alcoholic a few times, I started to give his accusation some thought.

Do I drink too much?

I remember when I first started seeing my psychiatrist last year, we spoke briefly about my drinking habits.

Shrink: Do you drink alcohol?

Me: Yep!

Shrink: How often?

Me: About four or five times a week.

Shrink: When you're out with friends or alone at home?

Me: Both.

Shrink: [Jotting down notes on a pad] Oh, okay. So you're a habitual drinker then.

Me: What do you mean?

Shrink: Anyone who is comfortable drinking alone at home is a habitual drinker.

Me: Is that a bad thing?

Shrink: Maybe. Maybe not. I guess we'll see.

We never spoke about it again.

Sure, of course I drink socially when I'm out with friends...






Or at home alone after a long, hard day at work...





Or at home working on a story...





Or at work on Fridays...

Or when I need to offset the sweetness of a good cookie with the tartness of wine ...

And of course I always make room for a good cordial when out for a night of fine dining...






Sometimes I use more than one straw...

And other times, I take it to the head!




There was that time I drank from a fish tank...






And the time I almost got thrown out of Panera Bread for BYOB-ing it (stemware and all)...






A lot of folks take pictures of their food (myself included). Well, I like to take pictures of my drinks too...











And sometimes I do before and afters...

And don't get me started on my infamous "Sock It To Me" sangria recipe.




The "Sock It To Me" sangria waiting for me and mom on Christmas Eve...

And every now and then I wash down my pills with a pomegranate martini...

There's even a drink posted front and center in my banner picture...





And my apartment stays alcohol ready.  Here's the wine bar Mom bought me earlier this year...





Oh, and I caught a steal on this wine cooler at Home Depot during Black Friday last year...





And if you ever come to my crib for a drink, check your Dixie Cups at the door. There's a wine glass-only rule up in this piece.




Yes, I love to drink. It's no secret. But do I have a problem?

To help me answer that question, I visted alcoholicsanonymous.com to take the "Am I An Alcoholic" survey.

I decide this can't be right and that AA is being dramatic, so I take another survey on recoveryconnection.com.

Yikes!

And no lie. In the middle of writing this post, out of no where, Smirnoff starts following me on Twitter. And I didn't tweet one thing about booze. And no, I didn't follow back.

Is my father right? Do I have a problem that I don't know about? If anyone knows the early warning signs of addiction, it's him!

In my defense, I'm a young, urban professional. That's what we do. We drink.

My grandfather always said: Never trust a man who doesn't drink.

But do I drink too much? Should I reach out to a counselor?

While I sip on a glass of wine and mull that over, tell me about your drinking habits.

Do you drink more than you care to admit? Are you a social or habitual drinker? Would you pass the "Are You An Alcoholic?" assessment test?

I would love to hear your thoughts.