wot makes an alcoholic? i.e. how much on average do u have to drink to be classed as an alcoholic?

Question

good points up2 now! i have at least 1 can of lager per nite, and get pissed at weekends, does it make me an alcoholic?

Answer 1

Alcoholism is based on being dependent on the drug, rather than on a quantity of use. An alcoholic will have a drink and crave more. Due to this , they are not able to stop at One or two drinks. Most alcoholics do drink a lot. A lot has to do with physical craving, and then there's psychological dependence. The illusion that one is more social drinking, drinking to feel better, to forget problems. Then there is physical dependence, back to the craving, and withdrawal symptoms--hangovers, shakes, delirium tremens, seizures, high blood pressure, etc.

Some alcoholics drink every day, others are binge drinkers. Actually binge drinking is harder on the body than maintaining continual use.

Iwould advise against becoming an alcoholic, it's a miserable life.

Answer 2

It's not how much alone you drink but how you drink it. You not only drink with other people,but you hide how much you drink.

If you get up in the morning and reach for a drink, you know you have gone too far and are an alcoholic.

If you start feeling nervous and shakey, and a drink calms you down, you are an alcoholic.

If you wake up in the night and slip a drink without anybody around or you thik someone will see you, then it's too late
Please seek help from AA or get medical help

Wikipedia
Alcoholism is the consumption of, or preoccupation with, alcoholic beverages to the extent that this behavior interferes with the drinker's normal personal, family, social, or work life, and may lead to physical or mental harm. The resulting chronic use can result in many psychological and physiological disorders. Alcoholism is one of the world's most costly drug use problems; with the exception of nicotine addiction, alcoholism is more costly to most countries than all other drug use problems combined.

Answer 3

Some people mention that drinking first thing in the morning is a good sign of being an alcoloic- and I used to agree -until I started working shifts.

If you work shifts its a little different as technically after working all night - first thing in the morning is like your end of day - and peoples way of unwinding at the end of the day is sometimes to have a beer -so things arent always as they seem.

Would agree with most of the comments though that if you become dependent upon it, and cant live without it -then you should seek help as chances are you are an alcoholic.

Answer 4

Alcoholism is a disease. Usually there is a family history of it, but not always. Being a child of an alcoholic parent or parents does serious damage emotionally. Compounding this emotional void in your life is the genetic predisposition to alcohol dependency. It is the "why" to drinking, not how much or what you are drinking, that matters. Why do alcoholics drink? To erase that black hole, that void in your emotional development. Alcoholics look for that quick fix that a drink supplies to fill the emotional black hole. The problem is that as alcoholics, it never is just one drink. And not until the emotional issues are addressed, does an alcoholic have a chance to stop drinking and start living.

Answer 5

simple. stop drinking for a week or two and see how do you feel.

if you can live without drinking for a few months, you aren't addicted to it and you are not alcoholics. but you shouldn't drink on daily basic when you resume drinking though.

if you found out that you can't get your day pass by without a drink, then you are in serious trouble. that's what an alcoholics is about.

for the amount, if you are drinking about 1/2 litre per day then you are sure to become one after a few months. it's addictive, you should know. but 1 can of larger won't be too much but if you are doing it as daily then it'll become a habit and you'll find yourself you are longing for something if you don't have THAT one can of larger.

Answer 6

It varies according to your genes, weight, gender, tolerance (how much you drink before losing control).

Genes: Some peoples have lower tolerance than others, e.g. well-documented Japanese intolerance for red wine: a single glass will make many, but not all, Japanese lose control. Julius Caesar remarked on the British Celts' inability to take their booze.

Weight: Heavier body mass=more tolerance
Gender: Males tolerate more, in general.
Tolerance: This is not really a satisfactory test- alcoholics frequently don't get drunk from much alcohol, then next time are inebriated from one drink!

One very simple test is to look at your house key: is it twisted? -then you have been severely affected by alcohol.

There are online tests: e.g http://alcoholism.about.com/od/tests/a/quiz_alcoholic.htm

If you do discover you're an alcoholic, I recommend the www.rational.org website if you are an individualist, or alcoholics anonymous if you are not.

Answer 7

I drink like five or six beers a day, but never during the day, and I don't spend all day thinking about the beer or any other alcoholic beverage, I just like beer, I don't need it to get through the day or to overcome a problem, but that's when alcohol usually becomes a problem and you could wind up being an alcoholic. Basically it's when you feel that you need alcohol to live your life.

Answer 8

i was married to an alcoholic for 21 years. it's not what you drink or how much you drink. you can only drink once a year say on new years eve and still be an alcoholic. once you start to drink and you can't stop until you pass out. but if you are having blackouts, if you Have to have that drink or if you are getting in trouble when you drink. ie family troubles, trouble with the law etc. that causes you to be an alcoholic. my ex, had to choose between his family and his beer, guess what he chose........ i truely hope and pray you are not, but if you have to ask, try going to an AA meeting and ask them there. alcoholism is an illness, if you have it seek help before it ruins your life and the lives of your love ones. oops, sorry end of sermon. good luck.

Answer 9

I think the word alcoholic, became out a long time & it explained one who would drink to the extent where there body says they need more alcohol in there ,than I,m to believe they are truly an alcholic,
good luck on your quest to find the true answer to that one, because everyone will tell you a different story to the point you don,t know what to believe.

Answer 10

It's not about how much you drink, it's about not being able to stop thinking about having a drink. It's about always wanting a drink. But if you are trying to spot alcoholism in another person, that is where you try and spot how much a day. Put it this way, if they put alcohol in their coffee, or they're morning drink if alcohol, or even if they carry a flask, THAT's when you know that they're an alcoholic.