Would i be considered an alcoholic?
I am a recovered alcoholic. What you described was me before I went into a downward spiral. I drank out of boredom and low self esteem. I started out like you, a lightweight. But I slowly, over the course of a year, progressed into drinking a fifth of hard liquor a day. I had backouts and short term memory loss. You are treating yourself badly by drinking so frequently. Others will also see you as a drinker and treat you accordingly. They will take advantage of your drinking. They may even start to disrespect you because you disrespect yourself. I was fortunate to have a good friend who helped me stop. If you cannot get help through a friend, I suggest you stop by an AA meeting to get info. As for health, I have acid reflux and will have that for the rest of my life. I had an irretable bowel that comes back once in a while. I recovered from the bumps and bruizes in short time, but the memories of the trouble I got into, ( those of which I can remember) still haunt me to this day. Its a
An alcoholic is defined not by the amount you drink, but by the “need” to drink. If you come home everyday and feel that you need “a couple of beers” to unwind, you are an alcoholic! There are degrees of alcoholism, this would be mild. If you need to get “smashed” when you “party” and especially if it’s more than once or twice a year, you’re probably in the severe range. By the way, every alcoholic says “I could quit anytime I want to!” Many alcoholics drink to cover up a more serious emotional problem. Drinking any amount of alcohol on a “regular basis”, especially daily, is an indicator. Also, contrary to popular opinion, coffee and caffeine do not sober up a drunk person. Alcoholism is considered an “Illness” by the medical community, but the legal community treats it strictly as a crime! There is currently a push in the legal community to order Breathalyzer lockouts on vehicles of 1st time offenders.
Well, the term “alcoholic” is outmoded, largely because the term itself (and the idea of “alcoholism” being a “disease”) suggests that there is some sort of definitive line where your drinking is just fine on one side but addictive on the other. This isn’t true. Drinking problems, like most other behavioral issues, occur along a continuum. This is why the American Psychiatric Association doesn’t even have a definition for alcoholism. Instead, it has categories for alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence: http://www.fpnotebook.com/Psych/Exam/Alc… You might want to look at these definitions and see where your behavior fits within them. Another suggestion. I had a very severe drinking problem at one point in my life, but I quit drinking 11 years ago–completely. I don’t use a support group, but I am familiar with the SMART Recovery program which provides a useful tool for analyzing your drinking and whether it adds to or
