How do you define alcoholism?

[savagewind]

Alcoholism is the mind telling the body it needs a drink. The body doesn't respond much to one drink so two or three drinks is needed. Then, when the body is satisfied, the mind tells it to have more to keep the feeling. Because the mind is stupid.

 

[sandy whitelinger]

Is it how much you drink or how alcohol effects you in your life (negatively)? I've heard various definitions. A friend even suspected a sign of me being an alcoholic is because I tend to drink alone.

I'm not sure, myself. I've read that binge drinking is more than 5 drinks within 2 hours, for men. I do that amount or more when I drink. I mostly do drink to get drunk. I enjoy being drunk. Even when it aggravates my depression, I'd rather be drunk than sober. But I haven't really suffered from it, imo. I'm not destitute from it and it doesn't really effect my day to day life. I get that hungover. Never blacked out or threw up from it. I do have a history of alcoholism on both sides of my family so that might help with my tolerance for it.

I don't know. To many people, I would be an alcoholic. I told my case worker (she's a social worker, too) yesterday about my binge drinking and how I enjoy getting drunk and she was somewhat surprised because apparently I've never mentioned it to her before but she didn't judge me. If anything, I might have a psychogical dependency. I used to be a smoker, too, and smoked very harsh cigarettes (high nicotine and high tar). But I switched to vaping for a bit and even after vaping high amounts of nicotine, I just stopped vaping cold turkey. Now cigs make me sick.

I was pondering your dilemma over a couple of beers and I figured what the heck, it's your problem and had another beer.

 

[SomeRandom]

Sadly, yes.

I don't think so though. I know alcoholics none of the people I listed really count. Well except that one manager.

 

[Cacotopia]

alcoholism to me is where you enjoy drinking more than most other activities in life and/or have a chemical dependency to it.

 

[Brooke54]

Hi there.
As you're discussing alcoholism here, I'll dare to ask you for a piece of advice. My boyfriend love alcohol, strong alcohol. It was not such a burning problem a few years ago. He drank only at weekends. But each month the situation got worse. He drinks more and more often. I was asking him to do that thousand times. But now I'm pregnant and I don't want the father of my child to be an alcoholic. I need a healthy husband, caring father for our baby. I'm looking for a rehab center and for a good doctor, but don't know how to persuade him to do that, as he doesn't accept the fact that's addicted.
Now I'm looking through this page https://addictionresource.com/alcohol/treatment/inpatient/
If someone faced the same problem, I would be grateful for any advice. Thanks

 

[LilyPhoenix]

Am an alcoholic i went drinking on the tuesday drank after 4 years i know i cant live with out it but because i go to AA and do it one day at a time and keeping its in the day my higher power helps me to do that but i was left to drink id be dead behavours like passing out in the street or blacking outs and torn stomach from drinking so much proves that i am a drunk and cant handle my drink at all if you feel your like me id try AA or if its drugs NA its helped me its just i was upset at the time and had money that stole from my husband i messed up big time gone back to AA and going to 90 meetings in 90 days