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Some people can overdrink and black out at times of too much alcohol but are not considered alcoholics.
Some people can drink one drink and never be able to stop. Is this an actual disease or is it a really bad habit? Seems to me that most of the people I know that overdrink would be considered alcoholic but they like the way alcohol makes them feel. So they do it and do it. When do they become an alcoholic? What differentiates an alcoholic from an over-drinker that can go months without drinking?
Some people can overdrink and black out at times of too much alcohol but are not considered alcoholics.
Some people can drink one drink and never be able to stop. Is this an actual disease or is it a really bad habit? Seems to me that most of the people I know that overdrink would be considered alcoholic but they like the way alcohol makes them feel. So they do it and do it. When do they become an alcoholic? What differentiates an alcoholic from an over-drinker that can go months without drinking?
1: That date differs for different people.
2: Primary difference, they are recognized as either "maintenance" or "binge" alcoholics.
As I understand it, it was classified as "disease" so money could be made - rehab companies could then be reimbursed by insurance companies. I think that was what was behind this notion that it's a "disease."
I do think that it is a mental health disorder - and I think the language has been updated to reflect that (i.e., "alcohol use disorder").
The proof that it is not a "disease," per se is in the people who voluntarily recover through their own efforts not to drink poison anymore.
My mom is a recovering Alcoholic. This month 3 years sober. Very tough for her. it started in 2008 after after brother died. Before this she drank casually. She quit once before but it only last a year and a half. She would buy a 1 gallon jug of tito's vodka every week and drink it over ice. She never drank and drove. She would have 2 drinks when she got home from work but on weekends she would go on a bender and drink from 7am until she went to bed at 10 pm. if she was off from work for a week vacation she would drink from sun up to sun down. It made her forget her problems and helped her deal with the death of her brother and my dad who died in 2004. as an adult child it was very difficult to deal with. In 2012 she fell at home and broke her leg because she was drinking and in 2018 fell and broke her shoulder because she was drinking. Thankfully her shoulder healed well on it's own without surgery. This last injury finally woke my mom up and she quit drinking the next day.
Alcoholism is a disease. It can run in families. My aunt is one also.
As I understand it, it was classified as "disease" so money could be made - rehab companies could then be reimbursed by insurance companies. I think that was what was behind this notion that it's a "disease."
I do think that it is a mental health disorder - and I think the language has been updated to reflect that (i.e., "alcohol use disorder").
The proof that it is not a "disease," per se is in the people who voluntarily recover through their own efforts not to drink poison anymore.
Ah disorder. The popular weasel word for "disease"
My mom is a recovering Alcoholic. This month 3 years sober. Very tough for her. it started in 2008 after after brother died. Before this she drank casually. She quit once before but it only last a year and a half. She would buy a 1 gallon jug of tito's vodka every week and drink it over ice. She never drank and drove. She would have 2 drinks when she got home from work but on weekends she would go on a bender and drink from 7am until she went to bed at 10 pm. if she was off from work for a week vacation she would drink from sun up to sun down. It made her forget her problems and helped her deal with the death of her brother and my dad who died in 2004. as an adult child it was very difficult to deal with. In 2012 she fell at home and broke her leg because she was drinking and in 2018 fell and broke her shoulder because she was drinking. Thankfully her shoulder healed well on it's own without surgery. This last injury finally woke my mom up and she quit drinking the next day. Alcoholism is a disease. It can run in families. My aunt is one also.
You didn't give any explanation as to why you think that.
It is an addiction,I have heard that some folks lack the enzyme to digest the whatever in alcohol,say the Irish and the American Indians and Asian as well,so they get drunk easily,but that does not explain why they crave drinking?
It could start out as a relief,like you have ****ty day in the office,or hectic day or you hate your boss or you are just bored,then it becomes a customs/hobby.
They said your cells have memory,once it becomes fond of certain substance,it wants more-chocolate,caffeine,opium,alcohol,ice cream.wine>
I am not a drinker,but there was a time I would come home from work and have a glass of wine,after a week or so,I start craving for it,so it is addictive.
It is also a form of escape,if you are Irish Catholic in Ireland,where else do you go and socialise if not a bar,you have companion,music,alcohol,snack,and you stay out late enough so by the time you come home,brats are asleep and wifey too tired to nag you.
just my 2 cents.
I think someone is an alcoholic when they depend on it. Someone who blacks out when they drink isn’t necessarily an alcoholic. I guess if they do that every time they drink it’s most likely a problem in their lives…but to me an alcoholic is someone who has to drink every day or every other.
Is it a disease, genetics, a weak-will or are you just plain f-up. I suspect genetics plays a role but for me it doesn't matter. I'll cop to them all. What matters is I don't pick up that first drink.
What surprised me after getting sober was realizing most people drink responsibly. I can only think of two individuals over the past 25 years who regularly came to work hungover. Personally, I found it easy to bounce back after a heavy night of drinking up until my mid-20's.
By the time I reached 33-34... forget it. I couldn't do it. I was losing work, could barely pay the bills and my wife had walked out.
Got sober at the age of 35.
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