Aniol

Hi im new here and have recently experienced minor withdrawl ( hands shaking a little bit, sweating, anxiety, Insomnia) stuff like that. And was wondering what is considered a severe alcoholic? Iv been reading alot and doing alot of research and it says you are more likely to have DT's and seizures if you are a severe alcoholic. I want to know because of my past ( i was drinking beer a day for a month (around a 12 pack then stopped for a month and then started then stopped) is this considered severe alcoholism? I just want your guys input or opinion. Im just curious thats all.

Thanks for answering

Dee74

Hi Aniol

Would I be right in guessing you're looking at Google at lot, worrying about this? I'd stop it.

Google is not exactly incorrect but you'll always find the worst case scenario there.

I have no idea what a 'serious alcoholic' might be.

If you're really worried, please go see a Dr. I know thats been suggested in one of your other threads - but it's really the only way to get peace of mind.

Even if we could give medical advice here (and we can't) noone can give you any guarantees over the internet about what might or might not happen, Aniol.

If you've stopped drinking and you feel ok, and you don;t feel you need a Dr, thats good.

If you are worried or you haven't stopped yet, consider seeing that Dr, OK?

D

August252015

I believe in the progressive nature of our disease, so in this sense there are indeed "stages." However, whether you stop by the point you are a heavy drinker, as the Big Book of AA describes the last stop before full blown alcoholism, or you indeed cross "that line" like me....you're still someone whose life's damaged by your drinking.

Ultimately, that is what matters. Being curious or worried about your drinking is a sign that those of us real alcoholics typically remember from our process of getting to a done point with our drinking.

ChloeRose63

An alcoholic is an alcoholic. It is progressive and could be an everyday activity or in my case a binge. I could go for months without but as soon as I picked up that first drink I was headed for days or weeks of nothing but drinking until my body had had way too much.
Alcoholics cannot drink normally.

ScottFromWI

Lots of good responses here Aniol, and I'd echo them. An alcoholic is an alcoholic. Certainly some people progress with their drinking to the point of severe damage to their bodies and minds, but it's very possible to quit drinking before that happens.

The amount and frequency that you drink is not always a direct correlation to how bad withdrawals might be, nor how long your body might take to start showing signs of abuse. If you have fears that you might have severe withdrawals, seeing a doctor or a detox center is the best/safest step. Googling it won't help, and it will probably make it worse. The Severe WD symptoms like DT's, Seizures, Strokes, etc are definitely not the norm....but they are technically possible so that's why you see people mentioning them.

Bottom line for me was that I knew drinking was bad for me, so quitting completely was the best solution - and I'm very glad I made the decision to do so. I hope you do too!

FBL

If you think you're an alcoholic, then you probably are one. I fought off the notion for years and years and it almost cost me my life.

Doesn't really matter what anybody else thinks, if you think you have a problem, then it's wise to take action, sooner rather than later.

HTown

Why the label? I could tell you yes, that is a severe alcoholic vs a moderate alcoholic, but the label stays.

Does alcohol cause you problems?
Are you worried about your drinking?
Then yes you have an alcohol problem.

Would knowing I think you are “severe” make a difference, like yeah now I better quit?
Or are you hoping to hear dry heaves are normal?

Andante

No matter what your level of "severity," if you're showing any of the signs of alcoholism (and yes, I would say you do, since you asked for opinions), the best time to quit drinking is right now, today.

Stayingsassy

From very early on I did not stop at one or two. I tried drinking at 14 and got drunk the very first time, and every time afterward from 14 to 48 I would say 90% of the time I did not stop at 2.

The only time I drank moderately was if I ate a lot of food at the same time. If I knew I had to keep my drinking at 3-4 I would eat a big meal at the same time.

Otherwise, something in my brain would prevent me from eating to chase the high. Or I would intentionally not eat for days at a time and I could drink. The drinking was always the point.

I did not drink during pregnancy. I did not drink while pursuing important goals or during important events like tests or interviews. I became successful in life in my own way and I still have all that in my life. I avoided drinking and abstained completely when I needed to. I even kept to my own moderation programs as long as when I had drinking days there was free reign because I couldn't stop at 2-4.

My life still crumbled. I became a crazy person. I ate very little. I ran on acetate and adrenaline. I was paranoid and volatile. I never fully recovered on my sober days because I drank a full big bottle of whiskey or gin on drinking days. Withdrawal lasted 3 days and then I was off to the races.

so I drank 3 days a week. Yet: I consider myself around a stage 3 alcoholic. We come in all forms. It's not the same for all of us. But that lack of control is there universally. If you can't control your drinking to the point where it affects what's important to you, you are an alcoholic.

Aniol

Ya i was just asking your guys honest opinion because google has the weirdest answers from ( if you drink for a month you will die from withdrawls) to (you will only have minor withdrawls if you havent drank everyday for more than 3 months) SO im like wtf idk what is right and what is wrong and vice versa on the severity thing so I thought I would ask you guys what you thought on the matter haha. Me personally I have some weird drinking habits from ill drink 1 beer then dont drink for a week to ill drink 3 days straight with friends partying so im damn confused on the whole issue. Tho I did do that binge where I drank for a month and that was bad (throwing up, shakes, dizziness, anxiety) scared to death haha so I decided its best if I just keep my drinking to the least minimum and never ever do that again. I havent sense

Sobriety is the best thing you can do for your body tho <3 I understand that <3

MesaMan

.
I like the simple, analytical nature of this Test...

- Johns Hopkins University Test For Alcoholism -
.

Aniol

Thanks for putting this on here! It said im middle stage so I guess im bad then haha. I never even knew that they had this test. Iv seen other tests as well on websites but idk if they are accurate.

August252015

It's hard to tell if haha and lol really mean people are joking....the progression of my drinking career wasn't funny at all. ......

WaterOx

I understand your question and concern- I think we've all asked it- but ask yourself something more important: does it matter what an alcoholic is?

If I have more than one cup of coffee, my sleep suffers. Will 2 cups of coffee make me a coffee-aholic? Who cares. I need my sleep

soberlicious

Hi Aniol,
It isn't necessary to decide the severity of your problem, or even to call yourself an alcoholic to quit drinking. Sometimes people will take online tests, or read stories of others who consumed alcohol way more heavily and frequently, and decide based on that that they aren't a "real alcoholic", or decide they just aren't "that bad" and keep on drinking, despite knowing somewhere deep down inside that something just isn't right.

The bottom line is if your relationship with alcohol is problematic, now is the time to quit. No label necessary. You sound like you are pretty young from your posts. You can quit now and save yourself years of damage to your body and untold negative consequences.

Gottalife

It comes down to two things. If, when you honestly want to you can't stop entirely, or if when you drink you cannot control the amount you drink, you are probably an alcholic.

It is about control and choice and nothing else. The first thing to do is try and exercise your power of choice, like don't drink any alcohol for a year and see how that goes. If you find yourself unable to do that, you might have crossed a line. The further down the road you go, the more limted are your options.

Stayingsassy

Yes, the further down you go, the more limited your options, and with each drink you become a little bit less *able* to quit. the pain of quitting gets greater and greater with each drink. If you get to end stage, quitting will feel like being drawn and quartered and psychologically you are completely hooked.

It never gets better. It always gets worse. If you show any loss of control now, you can't imagine what you are in for later.

Just make it happen now. It's not something to take lightly.

FBL

I'd also advise that you stay away from Dr. Google. If you have health concerns, always best to consult a REAL doctor.

Tynesider22

Many thanks for putting this on here. I answered the questions as I was a couple of months ago and I was in end stage.

I am so so glad I was admitted to hospital when I was. I was diagnosed with alcoholic hepatitis, but it could have been so much worse.

Stayingsassy

Maybe the wake-up call you needed. Consider it a gift from the universe that you had only liver inflammation, not scarring.

Although for those of us who went too hard for too long, there probably is some scarring, it's just not showing symptoms, and it's no longer progressing because we are sober: the single most important thing you can do to arrest liver damage is quit drinking.