Alcoholism?

[hmc]

How much and how frequently would someone have to drink to be deemed an alcoholic?

[kazzianne]

I dont think its the amount you drink - but the need for it to cope with day to day life.

[cliffsdoll]

when someone drinks every single day and doe's nt have just 1-2 drinks but carries on drinking untill they can hardly stand, that is in my opinipn an alcpoholic.

[cliffsdoll]

oops bad spelling there, alcoholic, thats better

[nursecarla]

yep its not the amount its how much you feel you need it

[kazzianne]

Have you had a drink Cliff?? lol

[Buenchico]

There are various definitions as to what makes someone an 'alcoholic'. One which is commonly used by health professionals is that a person has an 'alcohol problem' (and, therefore might be said to suffer from alcoholism) when either the presence or absence of alcohol in their life has an influence on their life beyond the immediate intoxicating effects of the drink.

Based upon this, the following would be regarded as examples of signs of alcoholism:
1. When someone finds difficulty relating to other people after consuming alcohol. (e.g. the person who is regularly grumpy the morning after consuming alchol) OR
2. When someone says, for example, 'I don't need to have a drink every night but I find that I can't get to sleep so easily without it'. (This might only be a small whiskey but, if the presence or absence of the drink affects the person's life, it's still 'officially' an alcohol problem).

Other people would say that someone has an alcohol problem (and could therefore be called an 'alcoholic') if they regularly exceed the maximum guideline figures for the consumption of alcohol by more than 50%. As the guidelines (for a man) quote a maximum of under a couple of pints of mid-strength lager per day or about 10 pints per week this would mean that anyone regularly drinking more than 3 pints per day or 15 pints per week would be regarded as (possibly) having an alcohol problem.

Chris

[*Zeus*]

My mate is an alcoholic...at least we say he is ...he denies it.


he likes to drink every day ...to excess not just a cupple

[cliffsdoll]

nope just water, this thread has got me thinking, people who love to have a drink, how do they know when to stop? when i was 15 i regulary went to pubs with mates for half a cider, as i got older i was'nt bothered anymore, so what i'm really asking is how come some people get so heavily hooked ( alcoholics) while other people ar'nt bothered about drink? dont mean to take over your thread hmc just curious.

[kazzianne]

hmc - how much do you think sumbody wud have to drink to be an alcoholic then?

[hmc]

Well I was thinking that a bottle of wine (minimum) per evening without fail would probably mean you're an alcoholic. If you also go on a bender once a week and say 'I can't sleep without having a drink' and find every occassion for alcohol you're pretty far gone! Wouldn't you say? Also if the person is very 'jowelly' with a very red complection, broken capillaries, purple tinge to the ears, bowel problems....is all that some sign of chrosis?

[hmc]

cliffsdoll - I think some people have an addictive personality, maybe its a genetic thing. Or they have problems which they can forget about when they drink so they just keep drinking.

Personally I find it pretty hard to know when enoughs enough if I'm out and having a good time. I'm hoping restraint will come with age! After time I'm bound to realise that the extra drinks won't mean a better time - just a worse hang-over in the morning!

p.s. just like to add that the question isn't about my drinking habits!!

[noxlumos]

hi cliffsdoll, I had an "alcohol problem" along with a drug problem, a smoking problem, a fighting problem, a too much sex problem, a driving too fast problem and a gambling problem ( don't think I've missed anything. Lol) and it was all just symptomatic of problems that I hadn't addressed.I was using alcohol etc as a prop and a crutch to manage everyday life so I went along in a state of perpetual high/low anger/release to block out the real problems.

As sson as I decided to face these problems head on my need for the dependencies went remarkably easily and I believe this is true for many people with "addictions", they were just symptoms of something deeply wrong and it was up to me to address them. I did that eight years ago and I can now drink merely socially or not at all, it really doesn't bother me either way but I never feel I need alcohol for any reason.

[jno]

there's a quiz here:

http://alcoholism.about.com/od/problem/a/blquiz1.htm

But really it's an illness that affects some people and not others (like most illnesses). You may have a drink problem that is not alcoholism (like noxlumos). You may be an alcoholic who doesn't drink, like those who've given up. Personally I usually have some wine with my dinner, and a nightcap too, which might suggest I'm alcoholic - but as I can also go without for weeks, I'm clearly not.

I suspect the real issue isn't how much you drink, but how much your drinking limits your ability to lead a normal life; that's when it becomes a problem.

[flipflop104]

I think it's more to do with someone's relationship with alcohol than how much they consume.

[seaborn]

Personally, I find that i don't need alcohol, but if its there i'll drink it

- sorry, that didn't really answer your question did it!!