How long does it take to become an alcoholic?
I read in a scientific book that it takes at least 20 years of drinking to become an alcoholic. I was kind of skeptical when I first read that, but whenever I hear someone in their early 20's say their name and that they are an alcoholic I always kind of laugh to myself because I know the roller coaster ride for them has really just begun.
I mean my hope for them is that they do recover early, for their sake, but a lot of the youngsters I have met that say they are an alcoholic just haven't really deteriorated enough to really even be an alcoholic. I am probably wrong about this. But I don't even like to call myself an alcoholic, I think that the label "alcoholic" is too much of a stereotype and doesn't really do much to describe the true person.