utopia

I have binge drunk in the past and an alkie friend said there are problem drinkers and alkies. what is the difference?

I went to aa in the past and related a lot but not to the bit about wanting to stop, i often have gotten drunk in the past because i wanted to but i want to be open and honest and figure out what god would have me do.

trying to figure out if im lying to myself or if its my history (being an adult child)

Dee74

I think they're bandied about so much that one persons problem drinker or binge drinker can very definitely be someone's alcoholic.

You've been a member here longer than I have - I think that probably means something.

I'm assuming you identified a problem at least as far back as 2004 - a decade on and the fact you're still not sure if you want to stop probably means something too?

D

OklaBH

I dont need a label. i know it exacerbates whatever problem I "think" I am dealing with. To me a problem drinker just hasnt become physically dependent on it. Just my opinion. If they continue, they will and thats when the scary stuff starts.

Youve been on this forum along time. Why not just surrender? Let go and have a happy life. No one drinks themselves happy.

silentrun

I think people with a drinking problem run a high risk of crossing the line into addiction. I used to think as long as I didn't check off enough boxes for alcoholic I would be OK. Deep down I knew something wasn't right but I never thought "alcoholic". I once had an off switch. Does that mean I am not an alcoholic or does the fact that I kept bumping up against it until it broke means that I am? I know this much, I can't regulate it. The more I get the more I want. I can have a few and appear normal but it is much harder to do that then to just make the decision to never touch it again and be done with it.
Something interesting I found is that 60% of adults either don't drink at all or drink so rarely that is almost like they don't. Most of those people could moderate beautifully but they chose not to drink at all. Whhhaaatttt? If that seems odd to you it is time to let this go no matter what you call it.
The are things in AA I wouldn't identify with like having no mental defense against the first drink. If you still have that keep it. Don't wait until it gets that bad. There was a time I wouldn't have identified with a single comment on this website, now I get about 90% of what others are saying.

doggonecarl

I have heard it said that if you quit drinking and the problems stop, you are a problem drinker. But when an alcoholic quits, the problems beging.

Problem drinking doesn't make it any less easier to quit and stay quit. That's one of the "problems" so to speak. Like Dee said, you have been here a while. If you haven't stayed quit, that's a problem.

The solution is simple.

alaina742

Eh, semantics. Was I a problem drinker or a binge drinker? Does it matter? If I crossed the yellow line while driving drunk, do you think the cop would want clarification?

To me, the whole problem drinker thing is addiction talking- it kind of puts you in a gray area where maybe it would be okay to drink again.

Fluffer

I find the term "alcoholic" not to be useful for the most part as it is too imprecise, as well as being laden with shame. It has been dropped from medical jargon in the US if favor of alcohol dependence (physical and psychological). Even AA won't tell you if you are an alcoholic. I am not physically dependent but have an AV that tries to get me to drink and if I do I suffer personal adverse consequences that I wish to avoid. I rationally know that I lose and risk more from drinking that I get from it. But there are probably tens of millions of people like me in the US alone. Am I an alcoholic? Maybe. Does it matter? No. If I stay abstinent I will be better off, if not I will pay the price. The label is not really important.

PurpleKnight

Not sure there is much of a difference, if drinking is causing problems, then it's still a problem.

No matter what label is used, the solution is still the same!!

Stoogy

For me problem drinkers and alcoholism are two of the same, but then again if we are too believe what are regarded as "safe levels of consumption" then I think most of the people I work with etc must be regarded as problem drinkers, binge drinking is a big thing in the west of Scotland where I live.

FeenixxRising

Labels are mostly meaningless IMO. I believe it's more important to decide if your drinking is causing you serious problems. If so, proceed from there.

Soberwolf

Exactly what D said im tired of labels

Boleo

Problem Drinker = Me when I liked drinking too much.

Alcoholic = Me when I hated drinking too much.

endlesspatience

I can think of a lot of problems that have disappeared since I stopped drinking. That means I was a problem drinker, I suppose. And I'm using AA regularly and working the steps so I say I'm an alcoholic every meeting. That seems to work for me.

Gottalife

A problem drinker could stop if he would.
An alcoholic would stop if he could.

A problem drinker can choose whether to drink or not. An alcoholic of my type has lost the power of choice in drink. I never got it back.

Venecia

I'm going to be something of a contrarian here.

By its very nature, the term "label" has taken on a connotation that suggests overuse, misapplication or a needlessly pejorative slam.

It doesn't matter all that much if it is a label, a diagnosis or a whatever.

For me, acknowledging I'm an alcoholic has been both unpleasant and liberating. It's not fun to know that about yourself; it's something I'd rather not be. But it also has been, frankly, a relief to stop living in The Big Lie, just admit it and move forward.

It's not the final verdict on me as a person. There are non-alcoholics who are great people, horrible people and every kind of person in between. Same for alcoholics. Same for alcoholics in recovery.

Nor is it all I am. There is a lot more to me than alcoholism. A lot more. But it was held at bay until I stopped drinking and started working on getting better.

Acknowledging my alcoholism helps keep me honest. I am one of those people for whom one is too many and 100 is never enough. As long as I don't drink again, I have a fighting chance at building a good life.

Which is what I am doing.

advbike

This hits the nail on the head for me. It wasn't that hard for me to quit drinking (thanks SR), but my problems have only gotten worse since then. A year and a half in I'm still struggling in my relationships and my ego is still in charge. You take away the booze and you're left with.. yourself.. haha.

NYCDoglvr

First of all, alcoholism is progressive. I called myself a problem drinker before I progressed to drinking a magnum of wine per day. But for me, what makes me an alcoholic is that if I decide to have one or two drinks, I can't stop. A non-alcoholic can do that but I can't.

ru12

If drinking alcohol is messing up your life it is probably best to stop drinking it. I call myself someone who doesn't drink. That is label enough for me.

markz

A problem drinker, or hard drinker will look like he/she is an alcoholic, but when a medical scare, or first criminal charge, or family issue - they have no problem stopping.

On the other side, an alcoholic does not stop, can not stop. They keep on drinking, making things worse and worse.

DarkDespair

I don't think it's very helpful to distinguish between the two, as it could lead someone who identifies as a problem drinker to thinking: "Well, at least I'm not an alcoholic, so it can't be that bad, I might as well continue drinking..." and so on.

What's more, as this is a progressive condition, most problem drinkers who don't stop will reach the alcoholism stage sooner or later. I don't know if I'm an alcoholic or a problem drinker, if you really want to use those labels, but I certainly do know that once I start it always ends when I'm drunk to hell and that alcohol was causing a lot of misery and pain in my life and those close to me.