skid650

just got home from meeting hubby for lunch (not at work today -- sick tweenager).

i could have stopped at the grocery store and bought the wine i like.

i didn't because i didn't crave it.

however; in the evening beginning around 4:00 or 5:00 i begin craving the wine i like. and if i have it in the house, i will drink it until the room spins around, and would continue if i didn't have to work the next day or take care of home/family responsibilities.

so am i an alcoholic or do i have a "simple" bad habit, like the bedtime snack habit that started 12 years ago when i was pregnant and had to eat before bed to prevent feeling sick? i still eat a bedtime snack most nights, especially if i stay up late.

i guess i'm wondering what the difference is between alcoholism and "bad habit."

least

I would say the difference is that a bad habit can be broken by will power. Alcoholism is when you might want to stop but cannot. When I first realized I had a serious problem with alcohol I wanted to stop drinking but could not do it. I had to have help to stop drinking.

Someone should be along shortly with a better explanation than I can manage.

Welcome to SR!

skid650

thanks for the feedback. it makes sense.
just for laughs . . . it appears i am addicted to biting my nails! anybody got a forum for that?

least

If you go to the Alcoholism forum there are 'stickies' at the top of the page with lots of info about alcoholism. Read those for more info than I can give you.

mariechi

Well, quit drinking for a year or two. That should clear up the question of are you or aren't you.

How does the thought of not drinking for a couple of years make you feel? How does the thought of never having another drink make you feel?

I'm not trying to be flip or make light. I am an alcoholic who felt the same way about the wine I like(d). The thought of never having another glass caused some grief and takes some getting used to.

Be well

mariechi

Me again.

A friend of mine recently said to me maybe I just had a bad habit because I don't seem to have much problem with recovery. I love him for his loyalty and support! But no, I have an addiction and I cannot forget that or tempt fate again. It only gets worse the longer and more often you drink.

Anyway, that's just me.

Mark75

Habit....

Obsession with alcohol and a compulsion to drink it...

??

Only the individual pondering that question for themselves can answer. I know that obsession and the compulsive drinking.... To someone else observing... hmmm.... bad habit?

Mark

sailorjohn

I used to bite my fingernails down to the quick, what I would call a 'bad habit'. Never once got thrown in jail for it though. Alcoholism is classified as a mental illness, bad habits are not.

xenodamus

Alcohol is a chemical....a drug. I think anything that involves cravings (which I get as well) is more than a habit.

But ditto on reading more information on Alcoholism. If you do enough research you're likely to find the answer to your question. I know I did.

Zencat

Call it what what you will. If its causing problems or I can say if one is aware of a problem with alcohol then maybe its time to do something about it.

yeahgr8

If it's a bad habit then stop doing it, if it's alcoholism stop doing it then when you find you can't get help;-)

Sikkisirus

Welcome to SR

To me alcoholism is when you can't see life without the sauce. A bad habit is when you can but too lazy to take control

joedris

Alcoholism is a physical and mental dependency on the drug alcohol. Alcoholics cannot not drink. If you think you may be or are becoming an alcoholic, then read the stickies as Least suggested. But you gotta be honest in your answers now. It seems that once you start drinking, then you can't stop. This indicates a powerlessness over alcohol. Cravings aren't good, either. Remember one important thing about this disease. It's progressive. It will take more and more of your favorite wine to attain the same buzz as time goes on. Oh, and it'll kill you eventually. I suggest you quit drinking, at least for a year. See how this goes, how difficult it was, were you actually able to do it. Then you'll have an answer to your question.

Anna

Hi and Welcome,

The way to know if it is a bad habit or an addiction, is to stop for a specified person. Don't drink for say, three months, and see how you feel. That should give you your answer.

smacked

What's it matter? Would stopping be a better idea than continuing what you're doing?

watsonc

Welcome, I'm 13 days having spent years and years trying to control theamount of wine I'd drink each day...every day. All the games thinking I'm not an alcoholic or an addict & that its just a bad habit. I realized that I was drinking more, and when I tried not to buy wine or have a beer instead, it never worked out. I'd be ok for a day or two at most, but then I'd go back to buying wine and drinking a lot of it. It has control over me. I couldn't picture (and still can't) going without it in life. Its the same dependence I had years ago with cigarettes. I'm trying now to stop lying to myself and realize that I'm pretty powerless against the stuff if its near me. If it were in the house now, there's *no* way I wouldn't have opened the bottle. If you can't stop and be comfortable and stay stopped for a decent spell, then I think you have to reconsider the "bad habit" idea. If you stick around w/this site there's so much help and support.
Best to you . . .

skid650

read the "stickies" when i first signed up.
still felt vague.
took an "am i an alcoholic?" quiz before that.
didn't like the answers.

i think it's pretty clear now that i'm looking for someone or something to tell me it's ok to get drunk on friday and saturday night. that as long as i can control the desire to drink every night, then i'm not an alcoholic.

my friends are social drinkers. i mean when we go on motorcycle weekends, they get drunk on beer in the evening. No one drives drunk. no one would respect a motorcyclist who did. i enjoy getting drunk with them . . . or i enjoy getting drunk. i can do that with or without my friends.

never drink again? not interested.

can i keep my drinking to weekends only? not according to what happened the past few months.

am i an alcoholic? if it means NEVER drinking again . . . i'm not ready to say "yes."

sitting back and listening to what you have to say. . . counseling appt on Friday next week. . . .

day 5 without drinking . . . i want one.

Dee74

I'm not going to tell you to do anything LOL.

I know that I came here not wanting to quit but knowing I needed to do something.

I took it a day at a time.
Thats all any of us can really commit to.

D

Boleo

If the problems stop 24 hours after the drinking stops it's a bad habit.

If the problems morph into something else after the drinking stops it's an "ism".

CarolD

As you are intending to keep drinking....what difference does it make
if it's a habit or alcoholism?

You might have missed this article

How We Get Addicted - TIME

Take care...