So answer me this ATOT: which behavior is more representative of alcoholism?

[XZeroII]

If you try to stop for any reason and can't, then you're an alcky.

 

[Tiamat]

alcoholism is not represented by simply just one or two things. Your friend needs to get a clue.

 

[Nik]

Originally posted by: Fenixgoon
Rum and coke is my favorite drink. There will be nights where it'll be just me around the house and I'll fix myself one or two. After all, it's my favorite drink, and I enjoy the taste.

My friend thinks this is more alcoholic-like because I'm drinking alone, not socially. I think it's bullshit, because I *enjoy* the drink and am not drinking to get drunk. What does it matter whether I'm out with people or at home? I don't get it. And I do drink socially too, fwiw.

I, on the other hand, think it's worse to drink excessively (to the point of blacking out and such). I've never understood why people will go *so overboard* that they can't remember what they did the night before, and never will understand. Plus, I like my liver functioning properly.

So, who's more right, ATOT?

Who cares? Tell your friend to go blow himself. Have yourself a drink if you like. Enjoy life. You only get one. If sitting at home having a drink with nobody else around is what you like to do, then by all means enjoy it!

Sounds to me like your friend has a problem judging other people's actions and projecting his own problems onto others.

I've always thought that about those who point fingers about alcoholism. An alcoholic will let alcohol ruin his life. That's about the closest wording I can find to describe how I feel about it.

Oh, and cheers mate :beer::beer:

 

[JMapleton]

If you drink for the taste you're okay.

Alcoholics drink for the buzz.

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: JMapleton
If you drink for the taste you're okay.

Alcoholics drink for the buzz.

That is FAR from the definition of addiction.

NEEDING the buzz and getting it at the expense of your quality of life. THAT is addiction.

People can and do drink for the buzz and are still able to moderate their intake. Addiction is the inability to moderate.

 

[aircooled]

Originally posted by: JMapleton
If you drink for the taste you're okay.

Alcoholics drink for the buzz.

That's not accurate. You get to a point that you drink because you have to. It like asking you to stop breathing.

 

[skace]

I don't think the people who go to parties and drink excessively are necessarily alcoholics. In a lot of scenarios these are simply people who never drink, don't have any tolerance and don't know their limit. They get smashed and just go with it. While I don't think this behavior itself defines alcoholics, I think that these people often have to come to terms with a different problem that I wouldn't consider alcoholism. They come to terms with responsibility, that everyone doesn't enjoy them piss drunk, and that they can have a good time without getting that smashed. I think alcoholics are the ones that take it to the next level, to where their life functionality relies on alcohol, calming down, relaxing, etc. The ones that require that almost constant buzz that starts them down the path of systematically ramping up how much alcohol they need to consume.

 

[DangerAardvark]

This is a fucked up world we live in where getting fucked up 2 nights a week is normal and moderation is considered alcoholism.

 

[DangerAardvark]

Originally posted by: Descartes
I always thought that it was the motivation behind drinking that was the real issue. If you drink because you otherwise feel you have to, can't response socially without it, you drink to get drunk, etc. that's the slippery slope to avoid.

I drink wine, beer and Scotch at home on a fairly regular basis. By regular, I mean a glass or wine, one beer and maybe 1-2oz of Scotch. I actually avoid getting intoxicated as I enjoy the taste. I don't think I've ever actually been drunk while alone.

Thinking about this again, I would think that anyone that drinks to get drunk by themselves likely has some problems.

We all have problems.

BTW, has anyone noticed that whenever someone draws an arbitrary line in the sand that demarcates where alcoholism begins, it's always, coincidentally, slightly more than they themselves drink?

 

[TallBill]

A shit load of misinformation going around in here. Alcoholism is when your body is physically dependent on alcohol, simple as that. If you have a physical reaction to not drinking, then you are addicted.

When you drink, how much you drink, why you drink, and who it's with have nothing to do with being an alcoholic. They certainly lead to other problems, but are not determining factors in being an alcoholic.

 

[skace]

Originally posted by: TallBill
A shit load of misinformation going around in here. Alcoholism is when your body is physically dependent on alcohol, simple as that. If you have a physical reaction to not drinking, then you are addicted.

When you drink, how much you drink, why you drink, and who it's with have nothing to do with being an alcoholic. They certainly lead to other problems, but are not determining factors in being an alcoholic.

I agree with that more than what I put as an answer. It's what I was trying to hint at but never really nailed it.

 

[vi edit]

Since when did 1 or 2 typical sized drinks equal "drinking"?

 

[wheresmybacon]

Alcoholism isn't how much you drink. It's what happens when you do drink.

In this alcoholic's experience, the biggest red flags are:

- not being able to stop once you start
- blacking out

<---alcoholic

 

[TallBill]

Originally posted by: hungfarover
Alcoholism isn't how much you drink. It's what happens when you do drink.

In this alcoholic's experience, the biggest red flags are:

- not being able to stop once you start
- blacking out

<---alcoholic

See my post above, neither of those is a sign of alcoholism.

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: TallBill

Originally posted by: hungfarover
Alcoholism isn't how much you drink. It's what happens when you do drink.

In this alcoholic's experience, the biggest red flags are:

- not being able to stop once you start
- blacking out

<---alcoholic

See my post above, neither of those is a sign of alcoholism.

A mental dependency on it is what leads to a physical one. Not the other way around.

 

[torpid]

The drinking alone option is complete and utter horse shit. I wonder if the idiot friend would say the same thing if OP replaced rum and coke with glass of red wine? Soon enough we'll have a thread where someone's friend claims that eating out alone is a sign of some sort of psychological condition.

 

[wheresmybacon]

Originally posted by: TallBill

Originally posted by: hungfarover
Alcoholism isn't how much you drink. It's what happens when you do drink.

In this alcoholic's experience, the biggest red flags are:

- not being able to stop once you start
- blacking out

<---alcoholic

See my post above, neither of those is a sign of alcoholism.

Well god forbid if I find myself in another rehab, but if I do maybe you can come to group and tell us all about alcoholism, because it seems my counselors and the resident addictionologists are all wrong.

Looks like the Mayo Clinic is wrong too...

 

[Xavier434]

Neither are guaranteed to be alcoholism or stronger signs of it imo. It is really simple. Do you "need" to drink or do you just "want" to drink?

This question is based on the honor system and sometimes it is even a good idea to test yourself if you tend to find yourself drinking often. Cut out alcohol cold turkey for a month. See how it effects you. If you notices changes in your behavior and emotions that are somewhat difficult to control out of a desire to drink then you are experiencing alcoholism in some dose. Otherwise, if you get through the month just fine then whatever it was you were doing is perfectly alright.

 

[TallBill]

Originally posted by: hungfarover

Originally posted by: TallBill

Originally posted by: hungfarover
Alcoholism isn't how much you drink. It's what happens when you do drink.

In this alcoholic's experience, the biggest red flags are:

- not being able to stop once you start
- blacking out

<---alcoholic

See my post above, neither of those is a sign of alcoholism.

Well god forbid if I find myself in another rehab, but if I do maybe you can come to group and tell us all about alcoholism, because it seems my counselors and the resident addictionologists are all wrong.

Looks like the Mayo Clinic is wrong too...

Ok, that's a link to a bunch of signs of alcohol abuse, which after a prolonged period will lead to alcoholism.

Drinking in all of those ways carry their own sets of problems, but it's the actual addiction to alcohol that makes you an alcoholic.

Addiction is being abnormally tolerant to and dependent on something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming

 

[rudeguy]

Originally posted by: TallBill

Originally posted by: hungfarover

Originally posted by: TallBill

Originally posted by: hungfarover
Alcoholism isn't how much you drink. It's what happens when you do drink.

In this alcoholic's experience, the biggest red flags are:

- not being able to stop once you start
- blacking out

<---alcoholic

See my post above, neither of those is a sign of alcoholism.

Well god forbid if I find myself in another rehab, but if I do maybe you can come to group and tell us all about alcoholism, because it seems my counselors and the resident addictionologists are all wrong.

Looks like the Mayo Clinic is wrong too...

Ok, that's a link to a bunch of signs of alcohol abuse, which after a prolonged period will lead to alcoholism.

Drinking in all of those ways carry their own sets of problems, but it's the actual addiction to alcohol that makes you an alcoholic.

Addiction is being abnormally tolerant to and dependent on something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming

Bill

It is very VERY rare for an alcoholic to be physically addicted to alcohol. I am not saying I know everything there is to know about alcohol, but you are wrong.

 

[JohnCU]

Originally posted by: NSFW
Bill

It is very VERY rare for an alcoholic to be physically addicted to alcohol. I am not saying I know everything there is to know about alcohol, but you are wrong.

physically addicted or physically dependent?

 

[Farang]

You're all getting it wrong. I am definitely an alcoholic and there is only one symptom that matters and that is a severe love of alcohol.

I :heart: U Alcohol.

 

[rudeguy]

Originally posted by: JohnCU

Originally posted by: NSFW
Bill

It is very VERY rare for an alcoholic to be physically addicted to alcohol. I am not saying I know everything there is to know about alcohol, but you are wrong.

physically addicted or physically dependent?

dependent was his wording.

Please note that for someone to have hit this level, their liver would already be toast. Alcoholics that far progressed can usually only drink one or two drinks before blacking out. Their body cannot process the alcohol anymore.

 

[JohnCU]

Originally posted by: NSFW

Originally posted by: JohnCU

Originally posted by: NSFW
Bill

It is very VERY rare for an alcoholic to be physically addicted to alcohol. I am not saying I know everything there is to know about alcohol, but you are wrong.

physically addicted or physically dependent?

dependent was his wording.

Please note that for someone to have hit this level, their liver would already be toast. Alcoholics that far progressed can usually only drink one or two drinks before blacking out. Their body cannot process the alcohol anymore.

liver problems =/= DTs, i've seen several stories of people who went through the withdrawal and saw spiders and stuff

 

[rudeguy]

Originally posted by: JohnCU


liver problems =/= DTs, i've seen several stories of people who went through the withdrawal and saw spiders and stuff

And they were very far along in their alcoholism. Tallbill was saying that being dependent like that was the only sign of alcoholism.


I guess we need to break out the old school stuff