I am curious and interested in other people's feedback... how would YOU personally define "an alcoholic?"

Question

It seems that almost everyone I have ever talked to about this issue has different ideas of what "an alcoholic" is... What's your definition?

Answer 1

Please look at AA's 20 Questions.
They are certainly qualified to answer your question ::

Answer 2

well there can be different variations. I believe someone to be an alcoholic is when they cannot control or unable to control how much alcohol they consume whether on a daily or weekly basis. Some people drink excessively in one sitting others a few drinks every night. Just as bad I believe. I do believe if you have drinks with your friends on occasion or on the weekends your probably not an alcoholic but when it continues say into the work week and just becomes a daily habit then you may have a problem. It all depends if that person can go say a few weeks without a drink. If they cant then maybe they might have a problem. too much alcohol can have devastating health problems and should only be used in moderation.

Answer 3

I think there are many ways to define this term.

It is certainly not ONLY about the sheer amount of alcohol that a person consumes, though this is a very very good indicator much of the time.

Rather it is about how much alcohol interferes in your life. If you're drinking has a negative impact on your work, relationships, general health, etc, then I would say you have a problem with alcohol, and the term 'alcoholic' applies pretty well there.

But its also about your ability to control your drinking. If you can't stop, even though you want to sometimes, then you probably have a problem. Its like smoking. Most of the smokers I know wish they could quit.

I think many people do drink considerably more than the moderate amount (14 drinks per week) and they are still NOT alcoholics. But they to might want to keep an eye on their overall consumption and drinking habits.

Gotta run for now. I'm gonna have a night cap!

Answer 4

When you cannot control it. How out of control an individual becomes varies, but I had a friend who knocked on my door at 6 AM and asked if I had anything to drink. When l told him no, he asked if I had any mouthwash, which he drank. A few months later, that friend went on a 2 day bender and was asked to retire by his employer (since he had enough years to retire) or they would take action to terminate his employment. He retired and continued drinking for another 5 years. Finally, after 55 years on this planet, my friend admitted he had a drinking problem, was an alcoholic and quit drinking. That was 10 years ago. It is too bad that his drinking brought to an early end a promising career. He was also lucky that his employer held him in such high esteem to let him retire instead of firing him. Other issues included his refusing to acknowledge that he had a problem, rationalizing his problem to the point where he told me that he was down to 2 drinks a day. What he left out was that the 2 drinks consisted of 2 16 ounce water glasses full of vodka. This is the truth. When he quit drinking, my friend became a hermit and refuses to even talk to any of his old friends. He told me that he is worried that they'll start back to drinking.

Answer 5

Alcoholism is the consumption of or preoccupation with alcoholic beverages to the extent that this behavior interferes with the alcoholic's normal personal, family, social, or work life. The chronic alcohol consumption caused by alcoholism can result in 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.

While alcohol use is required to trigger alcoholism, the biological mechanism of alcoholism is uncertain. For most people, moderate alcohol consumption poses little danger of addiction. Other factors must exist for alcohol use to develop into alcoholism. These factors may include a person's social environment, emotional health and genetic predisposition. In addition, an alcoholic can develop multiple forms of addiction to alcohol simultaneously such as psychological, metabolic, and neurochemical. Each type of addiction must be treated individually for an alcoholic to fully recover.

Answer 6

Yup, everyone's version is different. They're describing how
it happened with themselves
There are high-bottom drinkers, low-bottom drinkers, binge
drinkers, every day drinkers, etc, etc, etc. But we're ALL
alcoholics.
There's a saying "if you have to ask, you might be one."

AA has some great phamplets that can shed more light
for you (or) get more answers in their "Big Book".
There's a chapter called "The Doctor's Opinion".
Good reading! Or go to an "open" AA meeting, they
welcome, family, friends, and other interested people.

http://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org

Answer 7

There are different types of alcoholism. One type is completely co-dependent on alcohol, and cannot complete day to day tasks without it. Their body actually becomes dependent on it, and it is a disease.

Another type, which I've had to deal with concerning my hubby, is called "binge drinking." A binge drinker my not even drink every day, but once they start, they cannot control themselves and continue on and on. This can go on for days. They can go for days, even weeks without a drink before going on a binge. It's a difficult thing to deal with.

My uncle had 2-3 drinks every night after work and is on his 3rd LIVER.

It all needs treatment, and not many can recover on their own. It takes a lot of love, patience, and support to overcome.

Answer 8

Accoring to the state of Florida, if you consume more than one drink per month, you're an alcoholic. That allows you to go to party or dinner type functions and be considered a "social" drinker.I am sure it must apply to other states due to the .08 BAC limit.

Answer 9

I personally would define it as anyone who begins questioning the definition of "alcoholic"

Answer 10

i think anyone who can get up in the morning and have a couple before work,come home and drink while they do things like clean, cook, feed the family pet bathe the kids etc all the things sober people do every day except they are drunk everyday all day until they pass out at night and insist to people they are just tired.

Answer 11

When someone drinks too much alcohol too often