Originally Posted by DriGuy

Advanced alcoholics physical make up has been altered by alcohol so that their cells have come to rely on it and don't function "properly" without it.

Cells get energy from simple sugars. Carbohydrates and even foods high in proteins often have chemicals that can be broken down into simple sugars. The chemical composition of alcohol is similar to the complex sugars we eat in raw form, and our bodies can change alcohol into the sugars it needs, even easier than the sugar you put on your cereal, I've heard. After many years of drinking, alcohol becomes the body's first choice, and even requires it to function.

This is part of what we call built up tolerance. Your cells just don't tolerate alcohol, they come to depend on it. I remember a recovering alcoholic at a speakers meeting who talked about being sober for three days, and wanted to find an AA meeting. He had a list of meetings in his pocket, but before he could read the list, he had to drink enough beers to get his eyes to focus.

This is the maintenance drinking alcoholics often use to get through the day. They drink just enough alcohol for their bodies to function normally so they can do their jobs and maintain a sweet spot. It's a later stage condition of alcoholism. If they drink too much, however, they get drunk, and it can happen really fast.