Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I know one alcoholic who was sober for six years. He had one drink, the day of his father's funeral, and in less than a month was back to being drunk 24 hours of the day and drinking one to two liters of alcohol each and every day.
The ordained drunks have a saying, "One is too many, and never enough."
You weren't an alcoholic then. You were just a heavy drinker in your youth.
So in your opinion the difference between a heavy drinker and an alcoholic is that the heavy drinker just gets drunk on weekends,and the alcoholic drinks every day?
That's wrong. When somebody spends several years or decades getting drunk every saturday night, they develop the same mindset than an alcoholic.On weekdays they are "dry alcoholics", and then unleash on weekends.
So in your opinion the difference between a heavy drinker and an alcoholic is that the heavy drinker just gets drunk on weekends,and the alcoholic drinks every day?
That's wrong. When somebody spends several years or decades getting drunk every saturday night, they develop the same mindset than an alcoholic.On weekdays they are "dry alcoholics", and then unleash on weekends.
Yes, binge drinking is a form of alcoholism. Sometimes, it's a form of functional alcoholism, where one's drinking is limited to getting on a low-level buzz or to times when it won't interfere (so you think) with work or family, etc. Such alcoholics tend to be self-medicating for some flavor of anxiety, and thus drink when they aren't sufficiently occupied by work or social obligations ... when they are alone and the anxiety comes to the fore.
I have often wondered if people who need to have high-decibel music playing all the time, talk incessantly, are always on the go, or have other compulsions -- anything to avoid stillness -- aren't just avoiding being alone with their own thoughts in another way. They just lack the gene that puts drinkers over the top, and resort to other methods.
Addiction issues are not the substance that the person is putting in their body. Its a mental/psycological problem. I would think that alcoholics should not try and drink. It too easy to go back into old patterns.
That being said I disagree with some of the 12 step dogma... I think many people get stuck in the addict mind-set no matter how long they are sober. They just replace the addiction. Look at the nicotine cloud over AA meetings
I keep wondering if people at AA meetings tell each other you better keep chain-smoking or you might have an alcohol relapse? Do they tell them it's better to quit 1 addiction at a time?
Yes, binge drinking is a form of alcoholism. Sometimes, it's a form of functional alcoholism, where one's drinking is limited to getting on a low-level buzz or to times when it won't interfere (so you think) with work or family, etc. Such alcoholics tend to be self-medicating for some flavor of anxiety, and thus drink when they aren't sufficiently occupied by work or social obligations ... when they are alone and the anxiety comes to the fore.
I have often wondered if people who need to have high-decibel music playing all the time, talk incessantly, are always on the go, or have other compulsions -- anything to avoid stillness -- aren't just avoiding being alone with their own thoughts in another way. They just lack the gene that puts drinkers over the top, and resort to other methods.
Yes, anxiety makes me feel I must drink a couple beers. Happens everyday 2-3 hours after breakfast. And now with winter preventing me from getting adequate exercise (outdoors), I often feel like I need 1 beer before bedtime. No work (disabled) & don't have much social obligations.
Some use high decibel music to drown out the voices, but I don't have that problem.
So in your opinion the difference between a heavy drinker and an alcoholic is that the heavy drinker just gets drunk on weekends,and the alcoholic drinks every day?
That's wrong. When somebody spends several years or decades getting drunk every saturday night, they develop the same mindset than an alcoholic.On weekdays they are "dry alcoholics", and then unleash on weekends.
I guess they're not into immediate gratification, which some would claim is what the addicted are about.
Do they get through the week just spending lots of time thinking about drinking?
A few years ago (I was 30), I felt fustrated and angry at the world, for a series of bad moves and mistakes. So I went to a supermarket, bought a beer, sat down on a bench, opened it and thought "I am gonna drink this beer, I am gonna enjoy it feeling no shame and no guilt, and then I'll go home and carry on with my life". I did, and I've been a regular, light drinker since then. (jut getting drunk once or twice a year, compared to once of twice weekly, during my 20 somethings)
So if I could, I am sure many others could.
Even social workers acknowledge this. They'd say you're not an alcoholic, just an abuser. I keep wondering if abuse is a contraction for abnormal use (ab'use)? They seem to think that even moderate or light drinking isn't normal, even if it might not be harmful. Of course, they get paid for their opinion.
I can't think of a single moment that anything good came from drinking alcohol... once you have crossed the line there is no going back...the brain changes at the cellular level and you can never repair that damage.
If you think you have a problem you you should try to find support to quit...the people who can walk away from a bad thing are the strong members of society not the weak.
Your 1st part sounds like I think you have a problem if you drink at all, that it is damaging. Your 2nd part sounds like you can decide for yourself if you have a problem. I might not feel sure what is unbiased. There are so many ways of thinking about this.
So in your opinion the difference between a heavy drinker and an alcoholic is that the heavy drinker just gets drunk on weekends,and the alcoholic drinks every day?
That's wrong. When somebody spends several years or decades getting drunk every saturday night, they develop the same mindset than an alcoholic.On weekdays they are "dry alcoholics", and then unleash on weekends.
You're confusing alcoholism with alcohol abuse. If one can go days without craving it, or resist cravings, that's not alcoholism.
You cannot just put people into "categories." One problem with AA is their almost "cult like personality." Now, there are some persons who cannot and SHOULD not drink alcohol at all. And a program such as AA is wonderful for them. It works perfect. For others, its a total disaster.
So, to answer you question, yes. It is possible for a person who is drunk to "rehabilitate" to a moderate or less drinker. Although, it is extremely rare and is not the best way to do it. My point is, its possible.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
