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What is alcoholism?

miss fortune

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yeah... I don't think that getting wasted once a month makes one an alcoholic really :laugh:

I think that motivation for drinking should have some weight as well in the argument- are you drinking to cover something else up or are you just drinking for the fun of it? :huh:
 

miss fortune

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awesomeness! :holy:

I'll admit that I used to have a drinking problem, though I never fit the definition of being an alcoholic... falling into the "some drink to forget" part of the song Hotel California and such. I didn't NEED to drink, but it was a releif to occasionally just wipe my memory clean for a bit... something like a temporary Eternal Sunshine or something. I always had the self control that if I decided to stop drinking I could though... that's a dividing line between the two in the end. An alcoholic has no control when it comes to stopping and a problem drinker does :)
 

miss fortune

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I'm glad of that... I'd be quite sad if you weren't around ms chickens :hug:
 

prplchknz

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me too, well glad i'm still around. I don't think I could be sad if I was dead, I'd be dead.
 

miss fortune

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yeah, but think of all the delicious food and fun sex you would miss out on if dead! :horor:
 

lowtech redneck

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If you're more than a moderate drinker, you're an alcoholic.

The definition of moderate drinking is between 2 and 4 drinks a day for a man and 1 to 2 drinks a day for a woman.

Bullshit; by that standard, you mght as well just label anyone who likes to be drunk occasionally as an alcoholic. An alcoholic is someone who is addicted to alcohol, period.
 

Mole

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Another way to look at it is that it is a loop, a never ending loop. But when we look at it closely,it is two loops, and when we leave the first loop, we are directed to the second loop. and when we leave the second loop, we are directed to the first loop. And round and round we go.

If we are in one loop, the way out is to intoduce a small extraneous element and the loop will dissipate. But if we are in two dependent loops, this doesn't work and we are addicted.
 

Magic Poriferan

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it's prevented me from committing suicide a few times.

I recall a figure to the effect of a quarter or a third of all suicides in the US are committed by an intoxicated person. So, odd case you got there.
 

prplchknz

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I also have less violent thoughts when I drink, and if I hated you before i was drunk after we're friends again.
 

burymecloser

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FWIW, the United States government recommends an average of no more than one drink a day for women, and two drinks a day for men.

Women who have more than 80 drinks a month, and men who have 100 or more drinks a month, show the same symptoms as hospitalised alcholics. That includes impaired function on memory, balance, and processing speed. Brain cells you kill with alcohol do not regenerate. Damage to your liver or stomach can be permanent. Alcohol abuse is a major risk factor for heart disease, which is the leading cause of death in most countries with broad access to modern medicine.

Liberal definitions of alcoholic -- the ones that apply to 90% of kids at uni -- are counter-productive, because they trivialise the significance of true alcoholism, addiction and loss of control.
 

freeeekyyy

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Bullshit; by that standard, you mght as well just label anyone who likes to be drunk occasionally as an alcoholic. An alcoholic is someone who is addicted to alcohol, period.

I think there's a pretty big difference between getting drunk by accident and choosing to get drunk. And yes, I stand by the statement that if you're intentionally making yourself drunk, you have a problem with alcohol. You may not be a clinical alcoholic, but you're in some way dependent on the substance and should therefore avoid it.
 
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