when is someone an alcoholic?

Question

they cant remember the terrible things they said and when told what was said deny that its true

Answer 1

As a recovering drunk for 20+years, there are many a black for alcoholics where they absolutely do not recall what happened the night before, I've met people who have committed crimes, adultery, abuse, and I my self drove countless times in a blackout.

Denial is a small part of the symptoms of the dis-ease of alcoholism. It's easier for a practicing drunk to deny something happened then to develop a quality of humility that matters and admit you have a problem.

Yes, the denial can be blackout driven or behavioral. After a while the two kind of mold together. and the family becomes disfunctional.

When asked "What happened?" the common answer is "I don't remember.." Lies build on lies. drunks built on drunks. Hiding from the truth give the alcoholic the impedice to keep practicing.

Intervention of an alcoholic is flooding them with the truth of their condition.

A.. It is a terminal condition (They will have the condition UNTIL they die, they can choose to live a sober life or die drunk..)
B. Their life through the actions of alcohol and the desire for it has made their life totally unmanageable.
C. It is a hopeless condition of body mind and spirit and can RARELY be resolved without help. (Through the "unaided will")
D. The best avenue for one to recover (to some degree) from their addiction is through lifelong association in Alcoholic's Anonymous, no other program can provide the support required to keep a drunk from going back to the bottle as good as AA.
E. The disease is progressive, over any period of time it get worse.. The disease progresses in people are not drinking but not treating the disease as well.

I recently have met a couple people who had been "on the wagon" for 10-20+ years, that went back to drinking, They picked up exactly where they left off and went downhill fast. One acquantance, had a thriving business family and children, she lost it all in less then 6 months of active alcoholism.
Alcoholism can manefest as well by people who quit drinking but keep acting in the same old fashion. This is termed "Dry Drunk Syndrone". (untreated alcoholism) manefests the lying, stealing cheating, b&llsh&t without the chemical. Again the answer is active recover. Not passive. In order to keep "sobriety" those of us in AA believe we have to "give it away" to keep it. This means working intensively with newcomers and other members..

In AA there is a saying, We are men that lose their legs, we can never grow new ones, one cannot turn an alcoholic into a normal drinker.. It is impossible.

To not go into the details of neuropsychology (which I could) neurotranmission channels are fundamentally altered by the extended use of chemical in the body system..

The psychology of alcoholism imprints behavior patterns that are difficult to break through normal psycho-therapy. This is the how and why AA works. It is intensive work with others that aids in keeping addiction at bay, "Getting out of Self" is the key to meaningful recovery.

Answer 2

There is no legal definition for alcoholism. The medical definition of alcoholism is: the extreme dependence on excessive amounts of alcohol, associated with a cumulative pattern of deviant behaviors.

When someone is dependent on alcohol, physically, psychologically or both, that person is an alcoholic.

And Kimmer K never even answered the question.

Answer 3

Someone is an alcoholic when they cannot control their ability to drink or stop drinking. Some people are born with a propensity for addiction. This can manifest itself in eating, drinking, drugs, compulsive obsessive behavior. The difference is the genetic make up and the chemical make up of the individual. Usually addiction follows through generations. Also when a person gives up one addiction they often substitute it with another. Denial is very common in addicts so your statement is NOT surprising. Good luck with this person!

Answer 4

Long term alcoholics also have brain damage that affects their short term and long term memory.

One eventual death of alcoholism besides cirrhosis is encephalitis (water on the brain) and they act like a severe Alzheimer's patient.

I know it's difficult. At the Kimkins.com diet site we talk about addiction. People who are addicted to food most like have other addictions, too -- alcohol, smoking, gambling, internet, shopping.

Answer 5

there is no specific time,but that is one of the signs.i remember when my husband use to say awful things about me,doubt me,say that i'm making it up,but when you refresh his memory he will probably look and be very quiet,1-he feel guilty,2-he does not believe he actually said that. 3-he is at that black-out stage,where he can't & does'nt remember. good luck & hang in there you got alot in store.

Answer 6

The legal definition of an alcoholic is anyone who has more than two drinks more than once a week.

Answer 7

Usually it's considered when they have "black-outs" when they place the "bottle"over family and friends etc, etc and of course the violence, the brutality of their spouse and family, etc.

Answer 8

when they have to have alcohol to function on a daily basis.

Answer 9

its an addiction. there is no why.
If you mean how do they start to get addicted it is because alcohol frees your senses.

Answer 10

Yes. That is true.