Thank you @hopeful33250. Let's see. There was hardly any alcohol in our home growing up. A glass of wine at Thanksgiving, maybe. Mom didn't drink at all. I never drank until I was in college; overdid it some weekends, like most of my friends. After college, I would go out for happy hour with co-workers on Fridays. I started drinking nightly after I was first married. Stopped during my two pregnancies, but gradually, for the last 18 years have been drinking several glasses of wine a night; sometimes (often) a whole bottle. Scared myself yesterday--started drinking bloody marys after doing some yardwork, and lost the whole afternoon. I have had counseling, although not for this. There is some alcohol use on my dad's side, and once he gave up smoking began drinking--starting with cocktail hours and up until bedtime. This wasn't until his 60's, but my mom mentioned concerns about my grandfather. My dad is now ill with lung cancer; i've been divorced 5 years (not related to the alcohol--I think the alcohol helped the feelings of inadequacy I experienced for the whole of my marriage). I think that's it for now. Thanks again for the response.