Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Oxnard (The Nard), CA, USA.
Posts: 13,955
What is alcoholism?
Alcoholism, also known as alcohol dependence, is a disease that includes the following four symptoms:
* Craving--A strong need, or urge, to drink.
* Loss of control--Not being able to stop drinking once drinking has begun.
* Physical dependence--Withdrawal symptoms, such as nausea, sweating, shakiness, and anxiety after stopping drinking.
* Tolerance--The need to drink greater amounts of alcohol to get "high."
I use the NIAAA definition of alcoholism to define the term of 'alcoholic'.
For me craving is a compulsion to use regardless of ones desire not to. At one point in my addiction I quit fighting the cravings and just drank no matter what. I finally entered addiction treatment to address my alcoholism and drug addiction. As long as I maintain my treatment ( abstinence, peer support, counseling, strategies to combat urges...ect.) my symptoms of alcoholism remain in check.
I also see the same symptoms I had with alcoholism as I did with my drug addiction. If anything the drug cravings were more intensive. The things I did to get more Meth wile I was withdrawing from my last Meth use was far more outrageous than just pan-handling for booze when I was broke and needed a fix.