Therapist pressuring me to quit

My therapist lectured me about my drinking for my entire last session. She was gentle, but firm. I get a little annoyed that she seems to think my problems will get dramatically better if I quit. I've had these problems long before I started drinking heavily so I don't really see it.

She has some good points, but I don't want my therapy to revolve around drinking. She seems to think we can't delve deep into the underlying issues until I deal with the drinking. She doesn't think cutting down will work.

Please allow me to share a little about my experience. I was a daily drinker for about 15 years.
I did quit drinking as it was causing me problems in my family life and work areas.
The problems that I had other than alcohol could not be effectively addressed and treated while I was still actively drinking. The therapists would not allow me anti-depressent/anti-anxiety medications while I was actively drinking. Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant. Meds may not work effectively with it in your system.
I needed to clear the fog of alcohol from my mind. Whether I was aware of it or not, I was always planning on my next drink. Most of the time it was already waiting for me.
Alcohol was causing about 90% of my problems in the end. When I was finally able to stop, it allowed us to work together on the other 10%.
When the alcohol was lifted, I was beset by panic attacks and PTSD. Life didn't get better right away, but I had chance of recovery that might have been my last chance.
It was life on life's terms. Life itself became 'real', good times and bad.
No one can make us quit drinking, that is a conclusion that we must reach for ourselves. Getting sober for someone else rarely works.
Best of luck to you in your decisions.

Hi Wally58. Thanks so much for sharing your experience. This echoes a lot of what my therapist says. She says it generally takes about six months to start seeing changes and a year to feel like your life has changed for the better. I know I'm numbing myself and not dealing with stuff by drinking. Interestingly, my psychiatrist has never been very concerned about my drinking.

Was drinking a big part of you social life? It is for me.

Thanks again for your feedback.

I thought that I was a social drinker at first and I had some really good times. That gradually changed as I 'needed' to drink.
I was finally drinking by myself towards the end. I was ashamed. I had lost myself. Alcohol made me into what I didn't want to be and I was alone. It had turned against me.
Setting the alcohol aside (even temporarily) allowed us to work on my issues. Be prepared for ups and downs. Panic and PTSD can send us scrambling for that comforting cool, long drink that doesn't work for me anymore.
In sobriety, events from my past were able to come to the surface to be looked at and worked on while they had lay dormant for decades. Things came back to me that I had either forgotten or repressed.
Both prescribed medications and my judgement became more effective. Therapy is expensive and I think that the therapists realize that alcohol can block or suppress the effectiveness of deeper therapy.
The past memories would have destroyed me if they weren't processed in the safe presence of a mental health professional or at least they would have sent me back out on a binge. Maybe worse.
I found a sponsor in AA who's life story was different than mine, but he watched over me, gave me good advice and a safe place to stay.
I became coffeemaker for my AA home-group. Home-groups are important as it not only brought me coming back for the meeting, but more importantly for the people at this meeting. We were all different, but we all wanted to get better...together.
I found it funny that probably none of us would have got along with each-other if we had met in a bar setting.
There were connections that we developed between us that made us very close. The Anonymity part of AA kept us safe from not wanting to share our inner secrets. The very secrets that could keep us internally sick and maybe send us back into the despair.
I got to know other people after hiding from them for so long. I mean really get to know them. I could laugh and cry without the numbing effect of alcohol. I found confidence. I made real friends. I found real love.
I would implore you to give it a try. You can always go back to the way it was if you don't notice a gradual improvement in life-things. I do wish you the very best.

Thanks Wally58. I really appreciate you sharing your story with me. You make a very compelling case for quitting.