NickOz21

1) A heavy drinker who enjoy alcohol but does not impair his physical/mental health or damage his relationships.
2) A drinker who NEEDS alcohol every 12-24 hours in order to remain functional.
3) Someone who drinks far too much and damage his/her own life and his/her own health/
3) ??????
4) ??????

Honestly ladies and gents, I want to know what you think DEFINES an alcoholic.

Anna

If alcohol is causing negative issues in your life, then it's a good idea to stop.

Alcoholic is simply a label, and you don't need to embrace it.

BBQBOY

When ones life becomes unmanageable after consuming alcohol. It is up to the individual to decide what the definition of "unmanageable " is! So #3 would be most accurate. Only the one with the problem can decide if they are an "alcoholic". IMHO

Fly N Buy

I'd go with number 3 - no maybe number 4, yea that's it!

The Book Alcoholics Anonymous talks in depth about the "types" of alcoholics in the Dr. Opinion. That author -- Dr. Silkworth describes examples of behavior in 5 different corkers.........He then states there are many more.

As Anna posted, if alcohol is a problem stop.

Welcome, glad you're here with us - many of us had questions just like this starting out!!
Ask away

ScottFromWI

I'm not much for semantics or categorization. Drinking became a problem for me and the best solution was to stop drinking. I've accepted that sobriety is the only possible solution with a good end result.

I've also accepted that I'll most likely never know "why" I am an alcoholic ( or problem drinker, or addict, or whatever you want to call it ) and that obsessing about the "why" is not productive.

Arbor

Your right Scott. The why isn't important. But when I think back on my drinking career I've always drank hard. Right out of the gate I did. I prefer to look at it as part of me, my personality, and the way I was born. I do not like walking around feeling like I have an affliction.

InTheEnd

Used to be when I thought "alcoholic or addict".....I didn't think that applied to me. The picture in my head is still one like when I was younger and how they were portrayed on TV or a movie.

I do think this is one of many things that kept me from getting sober. I would compare myself to "them" and I certainly wasn't "that bad".

But when drinking, I was miserable, ashamed, guilty, secretive and eventually shut the world out, so to speak, so I could continue drinking. My life was no longer manageable....well, I guess I was managing what little I had, but not living, just existing.

Now I understand. I can't drink "normally". I can't pretend to have "just one or two" anymore. And, I could not live another day hating myself for what I had become because of alcohol.

So, with that said....I am an alcoholic. I cannot drink at all. No matter how little or much I drank before.

IOAA2

Hi.
I’m a proven alcoholic by many standards although I prefer to say I’m a person who cannot drink alcohol in safety.
In AA: “Step 1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol - that our lives had become unmanageable.”
Step one is the foundation of recovery and healthy living without alcohol to escape behind.
It’s a process that work and changes hasten, like it or not. The result is often described as wonderful.

BE WELL

biminiblue

If someone has a drinking problem and does not quit, all of those choices will eventually become his/her life - plus many more bad consequences. There is no magical time when that happens. One day you'll just wake up and not be able to get through the morning without one.

I hope you'll quit before then. It's a terrible place to be, and exceedingly difficult to stop once there. Ask me how I know.

D122y

There are alcoholics then there are drug addicts. Why is that?

I am not sure if I am an alcoholic. But, I might be. So I am treating myself like one. No more poisen in this body.....

Soberwolf

Forget the label like Anna, Scott & IOAA2 said

Don't focus on the why focus on your acceptance that you can't drink in safety or responsibly

freshstart57

You are obviously asking this question for a perfectly good reason, Nick. It might be helpful for you to consider what that reason is - put it down in black and white, pen and paper, so it stares back up at you. Be honest with yourself, because you deserve some straight talk on this, and there is no better authority in the world than you.

Now, the next thing is to move forward from this sheet of paper in front of you. Real change begins when we move from the question, 'Am I a 'real alcoholic?' ' to this one: 'Am I ready to make my plan about continuing to use alcohol?'

That's when the good stuff happens, Nick. You can do what it takes. You can quit. Honest! People quit drinking every day, somewhere, and you can decide, you can choose, to be one of them.

PurpleKnight

I wouldn't worry about the definition Nick!!

If alcohol is causing you problems it's time reassess your relationship with alcohol, and to honest enquiring about the definition makes me think that you already have a few concerns in order to ask that question!!

Address the solution to the problem, not the definition of the problem!!

Hercules

Iam an alcoholic because I can not guarantee if I take a drink tonight what will happen or how much I'll drink, it could be police custody or worse...

A normal drinker could never understand that just like I could never understand drinking 1 drink and forgetting about it.

It's s hard thing to admit to oneself that when it comes to alcohol we are different but it's the cornerstone of recovery..

Dee74

Hi Nick

I notice in one of your recent posts you said That's fine if you don't want the label, but it's not fine when we deny we have a problem or deny the extent of it, or deny the need for action.

From previous posts, I think it's clear you do have a problem so...what are you going to do about it?

D