Alcoholic or temporal description of alcohol consumption?
Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: The Great White North, eh? Beauty.
Posts: 159
Originally Posted by artsoul 
AA suggests that if you doubt you're an alcoholic/alcohol abuser, try stopping for a period of time, like 3-6 months.
Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: New England
Posts: 5,285
Hi Pablo and welcome!
For me I don't care whether a person falls under the label "alcoholc" or not. Will not drinking improve your life quality? Can you quit for 6 months no problem? If the answer to the first is yes and the second is no then you have a problem and who the heck cares for labels.
I also have had no reprecussions due to my drinking (thank God!)...I wish like hell I had quit 10 years ago though.
For me I don't care whether a person falls under the label "alcoholc" or not. Will not drinking improve your life quality? Can you quit for 6 months no problem? If the answer to the first is yes and the second is no then you have a problem and who the heck cares for labels.
I also have had no reprecussions due to my drinking (thank God!)...I wish like hell I had quit 10 years ago though.
Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Posts: 889
IMO an alcoholic is someone who has an abnormal reaction to alcohol. The BB calls it an allergy. When we alcoholics drink we get a very "in control", "stimulating" feeling. Regular drinkers don't get that reaction. When my wife drinks (she's not an alcoholic), she gets progressively more delayed in her reactions. When I drink, my body comes alive. I see things better, I focus better, I have more energy, etc... This is not a normal reaction to a depressent. There also exist a physical craving in me. When I drink, I actually want more and more while drinking.
So, what starts out as a very "good feeling" ultimately ends up in very high BAC (blood alcohol content) which leads to many many negative results.
I'm sure someone has, or will, say it. But if you feel you are a normal drinker, try some controlled drinking. Try and drink and not have over 2 drinks in an evening.
If you say I can control my drinking until a binge really think about it. That's like an obese person saying they diet except for those nights when the binge eat. It just doesn't make sense...
So, what starts out as a very "good feeling" ultimately ends up in very high BAC (blood alcohol content) which leads to many many negative results.
I'm sure someone has, or will, say it. But if you feel you are a normal drinker, try some controlled drinking. Try and drink and not have over 2 drinks in an evening.
If you say I can control my drinking until a binge really think about it. That's like an obese person saying they diet except for those nights when the binge eat. It just doesn't make sense...
Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Massachusetts
Posts: 284
Dee is right. Read Under the Influence.
About 10% of the population are prone to addiction (alcohol and/or drugs.) More than 10% (studies vary) of medical doctors are prone to addiction. So you're in good company
Many doctors fail to diagnose alcoholism in their patients despite obvious symptoms. It simply isn't on their radar or properly covered in medical schools.
Maybe if you can come to terms with your own alcoholism, you'll be a better doctor because you'll recognize it in your patients.
Also, many patients listen to their doctor telling them to deal with their alcoholism, instead of their spouse/family. So you will save more lives.
Read Under the Influence.
About 10% of the population are prone to addiction (alcohol and/or drugs.) More than 10% (studies vary) of medical doctors are prone to addiction. So you're in good company
Many doctors fail to diagnose alcoholism in their patients despite obvious symptoms. It simply isn't on their radar or properly covered in medical schools.
Maybe if you can come to terms with your own alcoholism, you'll be a better doctor because you'll recognize it in your patients.
Also, many patients listen to their doctor telling them to deal with their alcoholism, instead of their spouse/family. So you will save more lives.
Read Under the Influence.
Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: SoCal CA
Posts: 1,319
Hi Pablo,
You say you are a 3rd year Med student, and you don't see black outs or vomiting/purging as any type of problem? I'm just a salesman, and I am pretty sure I would disagree.....and I'm guessing I'd be right.
As far as functionality, I was pretty darn functional, paid the bills own a nice house earn a good living, married with children, basically the picture of success, and I would have no problem drinking a Litre of Vodka and a 12 pack of beer, without many major reprecussions. But after doing that for an extended amount of time I realized I was damaging my body. So I tried to quit, then realized I couldn't for any good amount of time. I would have never considered myself an alcoholic....until I realized, oh sh#t!! I'm an alcoholic.
Also I'm guessing if you are on an alcoholic forum asking a bunch of alcoholics if you are an alcoholic, yet you are going to med school, you probably already have a clue to the answer. People who aren't alcoholics don't come here to ask if they are one of us.
Their lifes don't revolve around alcohol.
You say you are a 3rd year Med student, and you don't see black outs or vomiting/purging as any type of problem? I'm just a salesman, and I am pretty sure I would disagree.....and I'm guessing I'd be right.
As far as functionality, I was pretty darn functional, paid the bills own a nice house earn a good living, married with children, basically the picture of success, and I would have no problem drinking a Litre of Vodka and a 12 pack of beer, without many major reprecussions. But after doing that for an extended amount of time I realized I was damaging my body. So I tried to quit, then realized I couldn't for any good amount of time. I would have never considered myself an alcoholic....until I realized, oh sh#t!! I'm an alcoholic.
Also I'm guessing if you are on an alcoholic forum asking a bunch of alcoholics if you are an alcoholic, yet you are going to med school, you probably already have a clue to the answer. People who aren't alcoholics don't come here to ask if they are one of us.
Their lifes don't revolve around alcohol.
Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 3,677
Similar oxycodone reaction in opiate addicts
Originally Posted by reggiewayne
IMO an alcoholic is someone who has an abnormal reaction to alcohol. The BB calls it an allergy. When we alcoholics drink we get a very "in control", "stimulating" feeling. Regular drinkers don't get that reaction. When my wife drinks (she's not an alcoholic), she gets progressively more delayed in her reactions. When I drink, my body comes alive. I see things better, I focus better, I have more energy, etc... This is not a normal reaction to a depressent. There also exist a physical craving in me. When I drink, I actually want more and more while drinking.
So, what starts out as a very "good feeling" ultimately ends up in very high BAC (blood alcohol content) which leads to many many negative results.
I'm sure someone has, or will, say it. But if you feel you are a normal drinker, try some controlled drinking. Try and drink and not have over 2 drinks in an evening.
If you say I can control my drinking until a binge really think about it. That's like an obese person saying they diet except for those nights when the binge eat. It just doesn't make sense...
So, what starts out as a very "good feeling" ultimately ends up in very high BAC (blood alcohol content) which leads to many many negative results.
I'm sure someone has, or will, say it. But if you feel you are a normal drinker, try some controlled drinking. Try and drink and not have over 2 drinks in an evening.
If you say I can control my drinking until a binge really think about it. That's like an obese person saying they diet except for those nights when the binge eat. It just doesn't make sense...
Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Midwest
Posts: 471
I think everyone has done an excellent of job of responding so far! I just wanted to say from my own experience, I've never had any kind of legal problems...nothing horrible has happened to me. That does not mean that I'm not an alcoholic. I was not able to stop drinking when I really wanted to, and when I was drinking, I could never limit it to one or two drinks. The label "alcoholic" was an extremely tough thing for me to admit, but once I did it was amazing how great it felt to release that. Sounds cliche, I know, but I think I knew it all along and now that it's out in the open, I feel relieved.
Good luck to you!
Good luck to you!
Member
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 270
A few years ago, before anything bad happened, I was told by more than one person in my family that if I continued drinking, I was going to become an alcoholic, if I was not in fact one already.
Since nothing bad had happened yet, I did not listen. In hindsight, I sincerely wish that I had.
That said, alcoholism/alcohol dependence, or any drug dependence, is not contingent on consequences. Read "Under the Influence" by James Milam.
Then, try quitting for three months, which is not an extreme length of time. If your mind reels, and you can't stop thinking about drinking, you will have some idea of just how attached to it, or not, you have become.
- JBC
Since nothing bad had happened yet, I did not listen. In hindsight, I sincerely wish that I had.
That said, alcoholism/alcohol dependence, or any drug dependence, is not contingent on consequences. Read "Under the Influence" by James Milam.
Then, try quitting for three months, which is not an extreme length of time. If your mind reels, and you can't stop thinking about drinking, you will have some idea of just how attached to it, or not, you have become.
- JBC
Member
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: The Sunny South
Posts: 1,666
I too searched for answers to the question,"am I or am I not an alcoholic"?
In hindsight, I now realize people that do not have a problem with alcohol don't search on the internet for answers to that question.
There, was my answer
In hindsight, I now realize people that do not have a problem with alcohol don't search on the internet for answers to that question.
There, was my answer
Member
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 14,921
You are a third year medical student which suggests to me that you are under 30. I don't know if your an alcoholic. However, your alcohol consumption at your age is greater than mine was, and I'm now an alcoholic. Alcoholism is a progressive disease, intellectually you may "know" that. But if you keep drinking at the level you currently do, when your drinking progresses (and it will) you will really understand this concept. Years of daily and sometimes heavy drinking caught up with me in my mid 40's. Now that I've passed 50 I'm thankful I don't drink because I don't know how many more "recoveries" my body has left in it (and yes, the hangover effects also progress).
I don't think there are many life-long heavy drinkers in nursing homes, years of abuse are just too hard in the body.
I don't think there are many life-long heavy drinkers in nursing homes, years of abuse are just too hard in the body.
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