For example, quite a few UK/US TV shows have a central character who has a drink problem. Why can't they have ONE drink, or would this render them back to square one? Do they have to say dry forever?
2006-09-02 11:27:17 · 38 answers · asked by gerbiltamer 4 in Food & Drink ➔ Beer, Wine & Spirits
They can and many do. But people who have been through treatment or groups are taught they can't. If a person believes that a sip of alcohol will turn them back into a raging alcoholic, it will.
It all has to do with expectations, it's what causes cravings. When a person is presented with a situation or thing that spurs a memory of drinking, it sets off chemical responses in the brain in anticipation of the drink.
Once a person has set up chemical reward system, it becomes very easy to fall back into the same pattern, but it's not impossible to break it.
I know several former alcoholics who now drink moderately. I choose not to test myself, I see no benefit in it. I've been working with people who have a dual diagnosis and a single drink would ruin my credibility with many in the field. I also have a lovely wife who doesn't drink, and most of our friends don't drink, so the issue rarely comes up.
2006-09-05 03:28:09 · answer #1 · answered by raysny 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You first have to find out if you are a medical version of an alcoholic, or just a social version of one.
Apparently, alcoholism is a disease. and can only be cured by total abstention.
This is because it is believed that an alcoholic with the disease is unable to stop drinking once he or she has tasted the first glass.
It is probably true for a high percentage of such people, and because they let their disease do terrible things to their lives, they are afraid to even find out if just one drop is o.k. or not. And that is fair enough.
The problem is with statistics. By the way the media and mass info, systems focus on alcohol. They really want you to believe you are an alcoholic! (Compare with all the latest scares the media fabricates)
Everyone has a different tolerance level. If your drinking is not hurting you, nor anyone around you, it is not a problem.
2006-09-06 05:30:48 · answer #2 · answered by kiteeze 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Addiction is a horrible demon you have to fight with. The problem is this demon also has things that really appeal to you, so you don't want to fight it sometimes. Most addicts have no concept of moderation, or self control. Having another drink is like having another bite of a rich delicious dessert. Once you taste it, you remember why it looked so good, because it is, so you have another, and another. By this time you have forgotten that you said 'I will take just one bite', and finish it off.
Same idea with drugs or alcohol. Another misconception is that once they quit for a while (6 or more months), they think well I can control it now. And they do for a little while, but mind altering substances have a way of taking over in a sneaky manner (probably because your mind has an altered perception).
"The chains of a habit are too weak to be felt until they are too strong to break." -Samuel Johnson
2006-09-02 11:53:41 · answer #3 · answered by girlnoladrea 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If an alcoholic were to take one drink it places them back in the same place they were before. What I mean is that the disease of alcoholism is progressive and just because they stopped at one time does not mean that they are better or will ever get better. In fact they get worse, and by taking that one drink they progress just as if they had never stopped drinking at all. And like some of your other answers suggest, they can't stop at just one, in fact they do not know when to stop. They could even drink them self to death.
2006-09-02 11:38:59 · answer #4 · answered by robin_johnson94 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The answer to that question would be an alcoholic that becomes sober can not even have one drink because they will go back to the drinking everyday. And its a lot hard to stop once you get started again. There body craves it even worse then before and a relapse can be fatal for an alcoholic.
2006-09-02 11:31:40 · answer #5 · answered by College Student 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋
I suppose it the 'leppord will not change it spots' syndrome and they could get the taste for it again and fall in to that trap time and time again.. AKA Geroge Best.. Read his Auto Bio... its very good he desgribes that sort of thing in his book.. where he would be dry for 6 7 8 months then he would have one... and then next time he goes out its 2 then 3, 4 5 and so on God Bless GB R.I.P lovely man but such a waste
2006-09-04 11:21:24 · answer #6 · answered by godhatesusall87 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Yes, it is a very bad idea for a recovering alcoholic to get a drink ever again. They would have had to fight hard for every bit of control they've gotten, and once they taste the alcohol again that control will go flying out the window. Compare it to a car sliding back down into a ditch that they've already spun their wheels trying to get out of: The bank would be slick and slippery. And therefor nearly impossible to grab a hold on to get out again.
2006-09-02 11:32:54 · answer #7 · answered by Tigger 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
if your a true alcoholic, you can never drink again, because that one drink MAY push you to have another and another and another..........
BTW a dry drunk is someone that gets clean and doesn't really want to be clean, those are usually the ones that fail when it comes to alcohol temptation. EX: someone that gets in trouble for drinking and has to go to meetings because they are ordered by the court.
2006-09-06 10:44:14 · answer #8 · answered by bobbie21brady 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
an alcoholic has something different in him, when he drinks he gets a euphoric buzz that a normal person doesn't get. it feels wonderful to him while another just feels good. a true alcoholic can not even drink one beer. he might do it for a short while but eventually he will be right back where he was. you can't ever start fresh.
2006-09-02 15:16:27 · answer #9 · answered by vick 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
they have to stay dry because the trail they blazed with alcohol to alcoholic land is too easy to travel again once they taste just one drop of alcohol. Most people get casual enjoyment out of alcohol. Alcoholics get so much more. Their experience is different. It's like people with food addictions. They have to stay away from certain foods forever.
2006-09-02 11:32:39 · answer #10 · answered by me. 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋