Am I an alcoholic?

i was told a few times by a few people that i was turning into alcoholic, i just laughed. I just enjoy going out and getting drunk and having a laugh and can do the same without a drink as well. Being at uni has increased my intake some what though. More of a binge drinker i think, not that thats a good thing..
 
Unless you have the shakes when not drinking then you are not an aloholic.

If often you feel like moderate amounts of alcohol would be nice and in doing so you drink frequently, then you are not an aloholic but may have an alcoho, dependency.

Alcohol dependenices are common, and mostly harmless depending on your state of mental and physical health.


Feeling guilty about drinking or thiking of cutting down are pointless questions. For one thing they merely represent social fads and pressures not natural internal states. Alcoholic drinks can also be high in calories, if you have a weight concern then it is natural to want to cut down or feel guilty for having 4 pints of beer. But if you did lots of exercies and ate healthilly then those 4 pints of beer would be meaningless, or indeed benefitial to your health.
 
I used to be like you! I used to be drunk, Every Friday and Saturday night! Also i would try my hardest to be drunk Sunday night! However that was only if other people were out! Since passing my driving test, i have only been drunk twice in the past 3 months! However it is cheaper to binge than drive! So i think im back to binging a lot more in the coming weeks! Maybe! I've never been alcoholic, i had no problem with not drinking, however i found events such as meals or party's, you just seem to fit in more if your drinking and then your confidence SOARS when you start getting drunk. Your 27 anyway, if you've got this far without dying from an alcoholic cause, then there is no reason to stop :)
 
D.P. said:
Unless you have the shakes when not drinking then you are not an aloholic.

If often you feel like moderate amounts of alcohol would be nice and in doing so you drink frequently, then you are not an aloholic but may have an alcoho, dependency.

Alcohol dependenices are common, and mostly harmless depending on your state of mental and physical health.


Feeling guilty about drinking or thiking of cutting down are pointless questions. For one thing they merely represent social fads and pressures not natural internal states. Alcoholic drinks can also be high in calories, if you have a weight concern then it is natural to want to cut down or feel guilty for having 4 pints of beer. But if you did lots of exercies and ate healthilly then those 4 pints of beer would be meaningless, or indeed benefitial to your health.
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No. You do not have to get to the stage of having the shakes to be an alcoholic. You are also incorrect in defining that having the shakes after not drinking = alcoholic, yet alcohol dependence is 'mostly harmless'? The very definition of dependence relies on the result of feeling like rubbish upon withdrawal.

Also, the questions you may find pointless in your opinion; I didn't make them up off the top of my head. The 4 questions I asked are the CAGE questionnaire which is an internationally validated screening tool for alcoholism.
 
Dangerous said:
haha everyone says I am ( http://www.dangly.co.uk/nlp/beer.shtml )

But I don't need to have a drink each day - Its fun when I do though
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rip6.jpg


:confused::(
 
i dont think the shakes are a good indicator, i shake when i dont drink, but then again im a student. i get ridiculously drunk at least 3 times a week. but i can easily go for any amount of time without drink. i only drink to socialise. i think if youre drinking on your own and feel like rubbish without drink thats when you should seek help.
 
elitetrick said:
i dont think the shakes are a good indicator, i shake when i dont drink, but then again im a student. i get ridiculously drunk at least 3 times a week. but i can easily go for any amount of time without drink. i only drink to socialise. i think if youre drinking on your own and feel like rubbish without drink thats when you should seek help.
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If your shaking when your not drinking that means your body is already well on the way to physical addiction, and your nervous system is stepping up to try and counteract the fact that it is being repressed all the time by alcohol.

Might want to think bout reducing the amount you drink, as shaking is not common even if you are a student.
 
Dreadi said:
So going out with the intention to get drunk makes you an alchy ?
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No, feeling an irrepressible need to get drink suggests alcoholism, the two are not the same.

OP, google "alcoholism" and you'll quickly get a very good idea of whether you have anything you need to deal with. From what you've said I suspect not.
 
I think getting drunk 3 times a week while out with mates is fine. Its when you are getting drunk at home 3 or more times a week its time to think. Unfortunately my family are right in the midst of a big alcohol fuelled problem at the moment, not really willing to share much info but an alcoholic can destroy a family (luckily so far we are all coping). I hope we are passed the worst of the issue with my problem (upto 7 times per week), but its going to be a very slow road to recovery.

Oops kinda hijacked thread a little.
 
Hmm i generally like to drink at home on my own once or more a week, not to the point of getting plastered but just a nice drink or two, drink more when out.
 
i actually think i am becoming an alcoholic

ive never sat alone and drank and only ever drink when out with mates etc

but i seriously cant even go a week without a drink :/

last time i tried i only lasted 6 days , i did go clubbing without a drink which i was pretty proud of (even had quite a good time to be fair)
 
Hxc said:
Getting properly drunk more than once a week is slightly concerning, I think.
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What a ridiculous generalisation to make.
Comments like this always annoy me and usually come from tee-totallers or people who rarely drink and shows a complete lack of understanding of the effects of alcohol and the fact that different people react differently to alcohol consumption.

Some people have addictive personalities and some don't. Some people who get drunk more than once a week are likely to become alcoholics but the majority are not.

The UK is a binge drinking society, it's not unusual for young men and women to get drunk 2-3 times a week and lead perfectly normal lives the rest of the time. Alcoholism is a dependance on alcohol, if you don't need or crave alcohol, you're not an alcoholic. Being a party animal does not make you an alcoholic - waking up in the morning and downing a half bottle of cheap vodka makes you an alcoholic.

IIRC, my alcohol intake whilst I'm home is roughly the same as our Dangerous friend, neither of us are alcoholics, even though we both drink more than double the recommended intake. I can't speak for him but I drink because I enjoy the taste of what I drink and I like the sensation of being tipsy now and then. The quantity of alcohol I drink may well be doing me harm but it doesn't make me an alcoholic. I drink most nights when I'm off the rig, not because I need it but because I enjoy it. I wake up in the morning and have a pint mug of Twinings English breakfast and a bacon roll and drink tea all through the day like most people. I rarely have a drink before 7 or 8 at night and usually just a couple of whiskies but occasionally more. I do this most nights for the 4 weeks I'm home and then I go onto the rig and don't even think about alcohol until I get off again 4 weeks later. I used to be a very heavy drinker in my youth with a weekly intake well in excess of 100 units, I wasn't an alcoholic, I was a party animal. I had a full time job and alcohol never affected my ability to do my job, I never felt the need to drink at my work, ever. Applying generalisations to alcoholism is foolish and potentially harmful. I find it amazing that attitudes towards alcohol and what constitutes alcoholism are so skewed in a country where binge-drinking is prevalent accross the generations.

What concerns me more is the fact that there are many many more people who suffer from caffeine withdrawl. How many people in this thread have said, at some point, "I can't do anything in the morning until I've had at least two cups of coffee"? I'd be willing to wager a months wages that it's a damn sight more than the number of people in here who have said "I can't do anything in the morning until I've had at least two cans of Special Brew". It seems ridiculous that caffeine addiction is perfectly acceptable in most people's eyes (even boasted about) and yet alcohol addiction is (rightly) considered totally unacceptable.
Before anybody says it, I realise that caffeine is less harmful than alcohol but the consequences of withdrawl can be equally harmful. I would prefer not to be on the same road as a guy driving a 40 tonne artic suffering from caffeine withdrawl. Just think how many people are on the roads every morning who have woken up late and not had their caffeine fix and as a result of being late, are driving too fast whilst distracted due to caffeine withdrawl. Addiction to any substance is potentially harmful to both the person affected and the general public.

In summary, alcoholism is a dependance on alcohol. Being a party animal or drinking every night or drinking more than the recommended intake does not make one an alcoholic, waking up every morning and reaching for the Strongbow does. Don't be too quick to make generalisations - we're all different and alcohol affects different people in different ways.

To the OP. If YOU think you have a problem then do something about it. If you reach for an alcoholic drink in the mornings or alcohol is affecting your work or family life, do something about it.
If you're getting drunk 3 times a week, you're probably doing yourself some harm (like me) but at the end of the day, that's you're choice and if your drinking habits aren't causing problems, party on while you can :D Sooner or later you'll need to calm down for one reason or another.
 
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