What defines alcoholic?!
What defines alcoholic?
What defines alcoholic to you? How much to drink is too much? How many nights a week would you say its ok to kick back and drink? Im not asking for me (seeing that Im pregnant..lol) Im just wondering what everyone thinks.
Answers:
My ex-husband was an alcoholic and he went to AA and private substance abuse counseling and I went to Al-Anon. Part of what hung me up on accepting he was an alcoholic in the beginning was that he didn't drink every night. He didn't even drink every MONTH, but when he did drink, he couldn't stop and it would usually go on for a couple of days. He also became mean and abusive and sometimes ended up in jail. The many counselors we spoke to told me it's not how often a person drinks that makes him/her an alcoholic, it's how the drinking affects them. We've been divorced now for nearly 20 years and my new husband, whom I've been married to for nearly 15 years, has a couple of beers every night after work ... but I have never seen him drunk except for the night we lost a baby five years ago.
So you really have to look at how the alcohol affects the person and their life and whether or not they can stop themselves once they get started.
maybe 3 outta 7 nights, and an alcoholic is someone who becomes dependent on alcohol to live or to feel good/ function in life.
I think you're an alcoholic when you wake up in the morning and need a drink to get going.
if ya go to a meeting youre an alcoholic, if ya dont go then youre just a drunk
Here are some things that could indicate a problem.
1. Have you ever felt you should cut down on your drinking?
2. Have people annoyed you by criticizing your drinking?
3. Have you ever felt bad or guilty about your drinking?
4. Have you ever had a drink first thing in the morning to steady your nerves or to get rid of a hangover?
One "yes" answer suggests the sign of alcoholism. More than one "yes" answer is a sign and it is highly likely that a problem exists. Even if all the answers were “no” to the above questions it may not necessarily mean there is not a problem. If the person has encountered drinking-related problems with:
* job
* relationships
* health
* the law
Then there could possibly be a problem.
It's when you can not relax without having a drink. U don't have to get drunk to be an alcoholic just dependent.
I think an alcoholic is someone who not only drinks constantly, but is constantly allowing alcohol to effect there ability to function in their every day life. Someone who physically can not bring themselves to stop drinking even when they are hurting themselves and those around them.
an alcoholic is someone who depends on alcohol to function.
this dependence can be psychological and/or physiological.
i dont think how much you drink is as crucial as why you drink - im sure theres lots of people who aren't alcoholics but who drink more than alcoholics, eg people who get drunk at weekends possibly drink more than someone who drinks just enough each day to calm the shakes.
im guessing you know someone who you suspect may be drinking too much. they need to be honest with themselves - if he/she is alcoholic, they will never recover without admitting theyre alcoholic.
If you have more then 3 drinks every night.Need to drink just to cope with life.1 OR 2 after work I think is ok.If you have to get drunk on the weekend and not drink all week it is a weekend alcoholic
An alcoholic is someone who cannot go without it, like an addiction, And is extremely life altered while drinking,or drinking alters there life.
I know some people who are alcoholics who must drink every night, and some who might only drink once a month. I really think the behavior is most important sign, not the frequency or amount. (Of course every single night or drink til dropping are behavior issues) Think user versus addict.
Most importantly and foremost over everything else, a person who hurts those they claim to love either physically, emotionally, or spiritually while "under the influence" or to get a supply, definately need help and so does the person/people being hurt.
Most of them drink daily but never seem drunk
Alcoholism is best defined as not being able to stop drinking. that;s obviously open to a lot of interpretation but for each person, there are different limits.
Oh, and anyone who's in college
Some of the answers here are dead wrong.There are plenty of alcoholics that do not drink everyday.It's not the frequency as much as what the alcohol does to them when they drink.
drinking in the morning
drinking every day/almost every day
if you're pregnant and couldnt quit drinking to save your baby, you're probably an alcoholic, if you cant stop on your own you have to get to AA asap because your baby will not be ok
My experiences with a lady that now belongs to A.A. enlightened me on alcoholism. She didn't drink every day, maybe twice a week or so. She is one of the shiest and quiet people I have ever met when sober. After say, 4-5 drinks her personality would really change. She would become very flirtatious and would even flash her breasts to men. She said that she would "black out" at a certain point and not remember what she did or who she was with. She was still functioning but had no memory of what she had done. She was told by A.A. that this is a sure sign of alcoholism.