Hello I am 23 years old,I have been drinking rather heavy since I was about 16, and have an issue when I start I have a hard time stopping, I have really bad health anxiety and that’s why I am seeking some kind of help, since quarantine I’ve been binge drinking on weekends and I get the worst anxiety that I am getting liver damage, I see so much stuff online and I have so many alcoholics in my family, I feel like I need to stop all together but it’s really hard since everyone says I’m young and it’s most likely I wont get damage from it but more and more people my age are starting to struggle with alcoholism.
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Hello! I am old, 45 yrs old…drank for over 2 decades. If I could go back in time and talk to the 23 yr old me…I would tell young me to put the booze down and do what ever I had to do to stay sober. I have been sober for 2.5 years, I wish I would have had this wonderful sober life as a young man.
Reach out if you need help!
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alcoholism is a progressive illness and the older you get the harder it will be to stop. it’s good that you are concerned now and it’s your decision not the people who you talk to, your liver can heal but only if you give it a rest. Looking back I doubt I thought I had a problem at your age but I know now that I must of done, all the things I could have done with all the money I could have saved are all still out there for you. So stop now before 20 years go by and you have a life of regret. Welcome BTW and I wish you well on your journey.
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When something causes more harm than good its worth removing it from your life. I was a problem drinker at your age charging down the path to full blown alcoholism. The scenery on that path isnt worth the journey. It’s good that you’re educating yourself at a young age with an open mind, i wish i would’ve.
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Getting sober at a young age is a gift.
I had a problem before I was even of legal drinking age. I didnt recognize and accept it until I was 23. I did not totally give it up until 29. I am now almost 32, and very grateful to have gotten sober as young as I did. My only regret is that I hadn’t done it even earlier!
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Hey max. I was your age when I realized I had a problem. Fast forward to age 28 I was told I had alcoholic hepatitis and was on verge of having liver cirrhosis. What did I do? Kept drinking. Fast forward six months and I had full blown liver cirrhosis-jaundiced face, eyes, skin, was puking up blood, gained 22 pounds due to an enlarged liver…age 28. Don’t be like me, you sound like you know the right steps to take…you’re on this forum and that’s a start. You have so much life left to live you’re doing yourself a favor by quitting now
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Hey, and welcome.
I think the main thing you have to understand here is there is no shame in not drinking!
You are allowed to be a non drinker.
There are no laws or rules that say we have to drink!
Don’t listen to other people. Your life is your life to live how you please.
Well done for thinking about this early. I’m 53 been sober for nearly two years out of a possible 30 odd.
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Although I did not have an obsession with alcohol when I was 23 I wish I had given up as soon as I thought I had a problem. I am now 55 and with all the money I would have saved I could have been retired on a beach sipping coconut and pineapple juices in the shade of a palm tree! 
I also would be much healthier both physically and mentally. I am fortunate not to have had permanent liver damage despite having liver disease and not to have suffered early onset dementia, pancreatitis, cancer or all the other things that that poison, alcohol can give you. But it is just luck and the sooner you give up the less risk you will have. Being your age and having the prospect of not having to drink is an incredible gift as many of us old codgers will tell you. I wish I had known before how quickly my life would become unmanageable.
Best wishes for a healthy and successful future. 
and keep coming to this forum for support.
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Welcome to the forum!
I think it’s great that you want to stop at a young age. As pretty much everyone who has replied has noted, alcoholism doesn’t get any better as we get older.
I made my first attempt at sobriety when I was 27. After a while, I decided I wasn’t that bad, because I hadn’t lost jobs, relationships, had it affect my health, been arrested, etc. Well after another 8 years of binge drinking, I did all of those things. It only got worse.
If you want to get sober that’s all that matters! Others don’t have to understand and they aren’t the ones who are living your life.
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Welcome! Glad you are understanding this now. It is not easy to stay sober. But the reward is amazing. A sober day can never be taken away. Be honest with yourself and learn from each misstep.
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