What is alcoholism?

[HighwayChild]

Wiki version - Alcoholism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is a term that I've noticed has been used quite loosely in the world. It seems many people have their own definition of what alcohol abuse is and when it's fitting to accuse someone of being an alcoholic.
I was listening to a radio talk show about it this morning and one caller said that it doesn't matter if you are functioning or nonfunctioning, that you are an alcoholic if you drink every day or use alcohol to lift your mood in social situations. The radio host seemed to agree. I have met others who think that way as well, including my mom. Everyone seems to have their own idea of what they consider alcoholism to be, kind of like religion.
I don't think it's so gray. To me, there are a few levels of alcohol use and it takes a lot to get to the point of dependence.

Feel free to add if you see other levels... but here are mine:
nondrinker
social drinker
moderate drinker
heavy drinker
a "drunk"
alcoholic.

The first two seem to have a definition that shouldn't be argued, should have a general consensus of what they are or mean with almost everyone. After that, things become drunkenly blurry. I personally think alcoholism is a disease, creates a nonfunctioning lifestyle, and creates an ironic mess that consists of the drinking causing the pain that you drink to to escape. (I'm unhappy because I drink, I drink because I'm unhappy -the vicious cycle). I think that many people seem to throw in heavy drinker and "a drunk" in with the alcoholism and I don't agree. I can explain, but I want to hear what some of you think about this.

 

[HighwayChild]

no one? what a lonely world.

 

[Ivy]

I hadn't seen this thread, but I agree with you that the term "alcoholic" is thrown about rather loosely. Under some definitions, everyone I knew between the ages of 17 and 23 was an alcoholic.

 

[Lady_X]

i think it's a pretty harsh word and wouldn't use it unless the person was non-functioning and it ruined their life...well i mean...i might...in a joking way...because i've had/do have a lot of friends who i'd call lushes...but when i think of the word alcoholic i think of meg ryan in when a man loves a woman digging through trash cans for stashed bottles.

 

[Xenon]

I think you can be a functioning alcoholic (hold a job, etc.) but I wouldn't agree with those definitions either. Drinking every day makes you an alcoholic? That would mean someone who has a single glass of wine a day is an "alcoholic". Using alcohol to lift your mood in social situations? Well, that's pretty much the reason people drink at social gatherings and on dates, etc., so what would be an acceptable reason to drink in that case?

I hadn't seen this thread, but I agree with you that the term "alcoholic" is thrown about rather loosely. Under some definitions, everyone I knew between the ages of 17 and 23 was an alcoholic.

Oh yeah. 'Binge drinking' as well. You hear reports about how binge drinking is rampant, and it turns out "binge drinking" is defined as four or more drinks on one occasion for women and five or more for men. Depending on how slowly you drink and your personal tolerance, that might not even get you buzzed. Course, four is the number I typically drink, so perhaps I'm in denial...

This sounds like a fair definition (from the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism):

[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Alcoholism, also known as alcohol dependence, is a disease that includes the following four symptoms:[/FONT]
​

• [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Craving--A strong need, or urge, to drink.[/FONT]
• [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Loss of control--Not being able to stop drinking once drinking has begun. [/FONT]
• [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Physical dependence[/FONT]--Withdrawal symptoms, such as nausea, sweating, shakiness, and anxiety after stopping drinking.
• [FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Tolerance--The need to drink greater amounts of alcohol to get "high." [/FONT]

They separate this from "problem drinking", which refers to drinking that causes problems in one's life, but doesn't meet the criteria for alcoholism.

 

[Lady_X]

totally agree with that definition yeah.

 

[HighwayChild]

Glad to see that so many people agree. Alcoholics are like crackheads or heroine addicts while being a drunk or problem drinker (I like that term by the way) is kind of like being a pothead. Although you enjoy it so much, a heavy drinker or drunk can put it down with barely even a pychological withdrawl symptom or dependence to it, and it may affect your outside life a little but not to the point of nonfunctioning or being too problematic. Alcohol to an abuser, "Hey man, got any booze, I will suck yo ****!"

 

[Tiltyred]

I dunno, I see a lot of people who drink every day (wine, because that's cultured, you know, and besides, red wine is good for your health blah blah pass the bottle) and say they could quit anytime, but ... they don't. The not drinking part stays in the hypothetical.

 

[lowtech redneck]

Oh yeah. 'Binge drinking' as well. You hear reports about how binge drinking is rampant, and it turns out "binge drinking" is defined as four or more drinks on one occasion for women and five or more for men. Depending on how slowly you drink and your personal tolerance, that might not even get you buzzed.

Yeah, that standard is just absurd. I think it was invented by somebody who finds it morally objectionable to get drunk (as opposed to just buzzed) for pleasure.

 

[Tiltyred]

I think of binge drinking more like the every two or three months someone gets so drunk they have to be carried out of the restaurant and then they puke in the cab and all over their shoes a couple of times before you get them home.

 

[Totenkindly]

Well, to start with, while I see some merit various approaches in exploring this issue, I have trouble defining alcoholic with being "diseased" or just a "social/relational game" or some other similar construct.

Sorry, but my life was irrevocably changed by my father's alcoholism (which is still ongoing, 40-50 years in the making), and while I naturally detach from things, the issue is extremely personal to me and in many ways I cannot see my father as a victim... at least, except maybe as a victim of his own cowardice. It's hard when you want to feel sympathy for the trap someone is in... until you remember that they constructed the trap themselves, went inside, and locked themselves in it... and took others with them. I will be dealing with baggage from my father's alcoholism for the rest of my life, although the struggle to get past it has made me strong.

It takes courage (among other things) to beat an addiction, and cowardice to me is a moral failing if you choose to succumb to it and never be honest with yourself.

As far as "alcoholism" itself goes, I just see it as persistent out-of-control drinking. If you need to use it as a crutch in order to get through your life, despite how it's contributing negative things to your life or tearing apart your life, you're in a shitpit of trouble.

"Problem drinking"? Yeah, whatever. That just seems to be a copout on the road to alcoholism to me; if it's a problem now, it's only going to get worse. It just seems to be a phrase for people who aren't quite willing to face they might be an alcoholic, it sounds safe and more clinical. Put another way, what's the difference between a problem drinker and an alcoholic? Answer #1: five years. Answer #2: The person who's doing the talking.

If on occasion you get rip-roaring drunk just to have fun but otherwise you can go for months without the need to drink, I don't consider that alcoholism. It's not a lot different than snorting Pixie Stix or Pop Rocks for kicks. It's the compulsive nature of the drinking, or the sense that you can't make it without the drink, that to me defines the weakness of character. Yes, physical addiction can occur; but if you hate what your life has become and/or you are destroying people you love along with yourself, then you face that truth and climb out of the hole.

 

[Lady_X]

so...it's different than the addiction to other drugs tho right? like much harder to become addicted to isn't it? like your body isn't going to become addicted to it unless you psychologically need it in some way...right? i mean...unlike heroine or something...right?

and i guess...rather or not it runs in your family has something to do with as well.

haha...right? right? god i'm an awesome writer...right? haha

 

[kyuuei]

I've always thought it was the NEED for alcohol, and especially if you don't recognize that you need it the way your actions dictate that you do. I want to be careful not to use the words "cannot control", because you can control yourself. People who do not control themselves choose not to, or choose not to admit they cannot, which to me is the same thing.

A glass with dinner, or like Jennifer said the occasional "whoa, last night was crazy" are not, to me, considered alcoholics. Even if people did both of these things together, I would not consider them alcoholics. There's an extra element there that goes beyond mere indulgence.

To Lady X - Imo, it's worse. The psychological addictions are worse than the physical ones.. Withholding cigarettes from the body, it takes like a month or something silly like that to get the nicotine out of your system. It's the mental need and desire that keeps people from quitting.

 

[Totenkindly]

no, it operates as a drug. It can even be "self-medicating" to replace dopamine, i think, or some of the other brain chemicals.

Of course, when my father was "self-medicated," it didn't make him any better of a person; he remained isolated and incoherent and sometimes mean and even more depressed. Don't ask me. Sometimes people just don't want to feel things, and don't know how to fix their problems, so they choose numbness instead.

I want to be careful not to use the words "cannot control", because you can control yourself. People who do not control themselves choose not to, or choose not to admit they cannot, which to me is the same thing.

My tweak to this (as a general statement about control) is that sometimes the control has to be leveraged in not putting oneself into an uncontrollable situation in the first place. Volition typically does get expressed somewhere.

My dad had enough control to go out and buy countless bottles of cheap vodka, and enough control to stash them all over the property so he always had them wherever he was.

 

[Chaotic Harmony]

I truly believe my aunt and uncle are alcoholics. Here are my reasons....

Any time they go out to dinner they insist on drinking alcohol... Even if they have their two young children with them. And when I say drink I don't mean they have one alcoholic beverage...I mean they have at least three...

My aunt always uses the excuse that her job is stressful as an excuse as to why she drinks so much.

We've noticed that lately my aunt has been hiding alcohol when adding it to her glass. (No one else in the family really drinks, we might have one or two drinks a year)

My uncle throws an absolute fit if there isn't any alcohol at a function. (He'll be rather disappointed at my wedding... I will be interested to see how long they stay.)

On a long trip out of town on business he took a flask with him to drink on the road... My aunt (who is a police officer) saw absolutely nothing wrong with this...

I can still remember a few Christmas's back that my dad had to put my cousin's new toy together because my uncle was too drunk to do it. All he could do was curse and say how he's just not as good at putting things together as my dad...

I wonder if their cars would be in better shape if they stopped drinking too.... It seems like there is always a dent or ding or even an entire bumper falling off their car...

Oh... And I forgot... My uncle made the comment that he gets up in the morning and starts drinking, because otherwise his head hurts...

 

[Lady_X]

yikes...

 

[lowtech redneck]

I truly believe my aunt and uncle are alcoholics. Here are my reasons....

Those are some good reasons.

 

[Tiltyred]

My friend takes a suitcase full of wine with her when she has to travel for work, because it's so expensive to order from hotel room service. This would not occur to me in my wildest dreams.

 

[prplchknz]

people abuse the word, and its like no I'm not an alcoholic, I'm not in denial about being an alcoholic I don't drink on nights I ahve classes I'm not drunk 24/7. yeah I've spent 3 days drunk before but those 3 days guess what i had to do? nothing!!!

 

[HighwayChild]

so...it's different than the addiction to other drugs tho right? like much harder to become addicted to isn't it? like your body isn't going to become addicted to it unless you psychologically need it in some way...right? i mean...unlike heroine or something...right?

and i guess...rather or not it runs in your family has something to do with as well.

haha...right? right? god i'm an awesome writer...right? haha

Yeah, I would say that unlike heroine or crack, it would take multiple use on an everyday basis to reach the point of alcoholism. It starts off psychologically but if you don't control it and reach rock bottom, it will become physical on top of that and reach the point of being a brain disease.

Well, to start with, while I see some merit various approaches in exploring this issue, I have trouble defining alcoholic with being "diseased" or just a "social/relational game" or some other similar construct.

Sorry, but my life was irrevocably changed by my father's alcoholism (which is still ongoing, 40-50 years in the making), and while I naturally detach from things, the issue is extremely personal to me and in many ways I cannot see my father as a victim... at least, except maybe as a victim of his own cowardice. It's hard when you want to feel sympathy for the trap someone is in... until you remember that they constructed the trap themselves, went inside, and locked themselves in it... and took others with them. I will be dealing with baggage from my father's alcoholism for the rest of my life, although the struggle to get past it has made me strong.

It takes courage (among other things) to beat an addiction, and cowardice to me is a moral failing if you choose to succumb to it and never be honest with yourself.

As far as "alcoholism" itself goes, I just see it as persistent out-of-control drinking. If you need to use it as a crutch in order to get through your life, despite how it's contributing negative things to your life or tearing apart your life, you're in a shitpit of trouble.

I think that like any drug, you eventually reach the point to were you are a slave to the drug and need help outside of yourself to find the right solution. I think it does make you a victim in a way. That doesn't mean you have to take pity on these "victims", they are the ones who slowly created their world of dispair, and may have been aware at some point but became a "coward" or wanted to feel numb and just quit caring or gave up.
My heart does not bleed for them one ounce, UNLESS they themselves put up and show a strong effort to beat it and truly want help. You won't convince me to quit smoking right now and I don't want your help or else you're just nagging. When I do decide I want to quit for real, I would hope I have some support somewhere.

I truly believe my aunt and uncle are alcoholics. Here are my reasons....

Any time they go out to dinner they insist on drinking alcohol... Even if they have their two young children with them. And when I say drink I don't mean they have one alcoholic beverage...I mean they have at least three...

My aunt always uses the excuse that her job is stressful as an excuse as to why she drinks so much.

We've noticed that lately my aunt has been hiding alcohol when adding it to her glass. (No one else in the family really drinks, we might have one or two drinks a year)

My uncle throws an absolute fit if there isn't any alcohol at a function. (He'll be rather disappointed at my wedding... I will be interested to see how long they stay.)

On a long trip out of town on business he took a flask with him to drink on the road... My aunt (who is a police officer) saw absolutely nothing wrong with this...

I can still remember a few Christmas's back that my dad had to put my cousin's new toy together because my uncle was too drunk to do it. All he could do was curse and say how he's just not as good at putting things together as my dad...

I wonder if their cars would be in better shape if they stopped drinking too.... It seems like there is always a dent or ding or even an entire bumper falling off their car...

Oh... And I forgot... My uncle made the comment that he gets up in the morning and starts drinking, because otherwise his head hurts...

Sounds like they have crossed that line into being dependent on it. Life doesn't seem as joyful without it. It has made them wreckless (well, they have made themselves wreckless, really). They know it's a problem but don't want to quit and make excuses. Sounds damaging and sounds like alcoholism, or at least on the verge of it. Maybe someone should talk to them, have an intervention, before it's too late. Might not help, but never know until you know.