2007-06-04 12:33:06 · 31 answers · asked by CJ 1 in Food & Drink ➔ Beer, Wine & Spirits
Good lord... these answers are so contradicting and frustrating.
The term "alcoholic" is subjective. Some people consider it to be over a certain threshold of frequency and/or quantity. By that standard, a lot of people are "alcoholics" during their younger years. Many of these people can and often do use alcohol in moderation without problem for the rest of their lives.
Others use alcohol to cope. Some would call them alcoholics, while others would call them people with drinking problems. My impression is that many of these people are also often able to determine the role of alcohol in their lives and be able to drink in moderation later.
Others still form dependence on alcohol. For many of these people, they are neurochemically predisposed to developing an extremely high dependence on alcohol after minimal exposure to it. These alcoholics cannot be expected to ever drink in moderation without slipping back into their cycle.
The answer to this question:
A "recovering alcoholic" may or may not be able to ever drink in moderation without relapse. It all depends on the type of alcoholism with which the person struggled. What I mean by type is frequency, quantity, severity of dependence and family history.
2007-06-04 13:54:40 · answer #1 · answered by Buying is Voting 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes. I know several people who have done this.
Many people who have been considered alcoholics have learned to moderate. However, the risk of falling back into the same pattern of drinking is greater once your brain's reward system has learned its response to alcohol.
Many people who have been in treatment or a program have been taught that they can't and it becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy. Most people (80% according to Harvard) who realize they have a problem quit or learn to moderate on their own. Those who have never been exposed to 12step programs or treatment seem to have an easier time at moderation.
You could check out Moderation Management if you're interested:
http://www.moderation.org/
To me, a former alcoholic, the idea of counting drinks and other moderation techniques seems like too much work, I find it easier just not to drink at all.
2007-06-04 16:28:52 · answer #2 · answered by raysny 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Statistically, the chances aren't good, but then again, statistically, alcoholics don't recover. They relapse over and over again until they die.
The key to defeating alcoholism is filling the emptiness inside that causes you to drink so much. Improve your life. Get a good job. Break up with the girlfriend who is always on your case or the boyfriend who cheats on you. Move out of your abusive parents' house. Change your life for the better. When the void is no longer there, you will have no need to fill it.
My brother was an alcoholic for a while. He drinks on special occasions with family members. Although he did go on a binge when he and his girlfriend broke up, he didn't relapse.
2007-06-04 13:30:36 · answer #3 · answered by Karoline M 3 · 1⤊ 2⤋
I've read a lot of research on this, and while it is possible, it is very unlikely. Most professionals agree that alcoholism is a disease. Better worded, it is a threshold that the individual has to not be able to let rational decisions overtake the negative outcomes associated with excessive drinking. So probably not.
2007-06-04 12:44:49 · answer #4 · answered by stevenhendon 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No. Being a recovering alcoholic lasts a lifetime. It's not a step in the process. Every drink a recovering alcoholic takes is one drink closer to their old habits and is one drink closer to sliding back down the spiral.
2007-06-04 12:36:39 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
According to a lot of people no. Many people and "rehab" programs teach that you must abstain yourself from alcohol. That means completely. They believe once an addict always an addict. I however think it is fine. If you are sure you can handle it, and have a buddy or someone who you can talk with honestly about your drinking so they can tell you if they think it's getting out of hand again.
2007-06-04 12:42:57 · answer #6 · answered by Ambo 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
NO< if you are a recovering alcoholic that intends to stay sober you can never drink alcohol.
2007-06-04 14:14:35 · answer #7 · answered by Ellie 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The simple answer is no, only because once the alcoholic has sobered up, the taste and feeling of alcohol will return him to his old state. It's too much power. Think of it, in a sense, as getting a "taste of blood".
2007-06-04 12:36:06 · answer #8 · answered by Philly 1 · 0⤊ 2⤋
No. If you think the answer is yes, then the person in question wasn't really an alcoholic in the first place.
2007-06-04 12:38:02 · answer #9 · answered by Stiggy 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
I think so u first gotta find out why you drank like a fish in the first place
Then fix ur life up and get your sh*t together
If you still wanna drink socially do it
2007-06-04 12:35:04 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋