At What Point Does One Becomes an Alcoholic?: October 2011

As my search for answers begins I have visited a few websites. There was a few in particular that manage to give me some answers to my question: ‘At what point does one becomes an alcoholic?’

A website on particular caught my attention www.web4health.com a website that provides free medical advice on mental health, psychology, personality disorders, relationships, stress, anxiety, depression, emotional abuse, substance abuse, sexual abuse, types of mental illness, etc. in this website people asks question about several topics and get answers from professionals.

Two questions that were asked caught my attention:

When are you addicted to alcohol?

Why do people drink alcohol?

In response to why do people drink alcohol; The Site referred to research done in Netherlands among people from ages 15 to 25. According to the survey; 71% of people drink for social reason, 51% of people likes the taste, 12% of people like feeling at ease, 6% of people likes to get intoxicated, 2% of people likes to get drunk and 6% of people said that is because everybody else is doing it.

I liked to see the people are responses on this topic; but was is not the answers that I am looking for.

In the past few months I have discovered that people’s opinion of alcoholism is usually intertwined with their personal level of alcohol consumption.

For example; if somebody drinks one glass of wine per week, they would consider anybody who drinks two glasses of wine per week an alcoholic. And if someone drinks to the point of intoxication 6 nights per week, they would say that you become an alcoholic once that you start getting intoxicated 7 times per week.

I am not looking for opinions; I am looking for the facts.

The other question:

“When are you addicted to alcohol?”

These websites had mucho more useful information and resources.

It stated some of the conditions than an individuals display to be considered and alcoholic.

(Also stated that you don’t need to have all of this conditions to be considered and alcoholic)

These conditions are:

· Tolerance build up (needing more alcohol to still feel the effect).

· Psychological dependence (have a desire for alcohol, varying from very little to very much).

· Withdrawal symptoms (there are all kinds of physical reactions after you stop).

· Use alcohol to reduce the withdrawal symptoms.

· Failed attempts to control the alcohol use.

· Spending a great deal of time on the use of alcohol, or on the recovery of its use.

· Damaging effects due to the use (on the person and surroundings) For example;(problems at work or school, arguments with the people around the addiction, dedicating less time to hobbies, and illnesses).

· Use alcohol more frequently and in higher doses than planned.

· Continuing alcohol use even if you know it is damaging for you.

I would agree with considering anybody with these symptoms an alcoholic. Yet, at the same time these symptoms seem too extreme for me.,

I also visited the Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) website www.aa.org.

In this website I found a quiz that AA gives their new members to find out the severity of their problem. This quiz is only 12 questions long and if you are to answer yes to 4 of them on the eyes of AA you would be consider and alcoholic.

These questions are:

1. Have you ever decided to stop drinking for a week or so, but only lasted for a couple of days?

2. Do you wish people would mind their own business about your drinking—stop telling you what to do?

3. Have you ever switched from one kind of drink to another in the hope that this would keep you from getting drunk?

4. Have you had to have an eye-opener upon awakening during the past year?

5. Do you envy people who can drink without getting into trouble

6. Have you had problems connected with drinking during the past year?

7. Has your drinking caused trouble at home?

8. Do you ever try to get “extra” drinks at a party because you do not get enough?

9. Do you tell yourself you can stop drinking any time you want to, even though you keep getting drunk when you don’t mean to?

10. Have you missed days of work or school because of drinking?

11. Do you have “blackouts”?

12. Have you ever felt that your live would be better if you did not drink?

Those are good questions to ask yourself if you are wondering whether you have a problem or not. However, not the kind of answers I am looking for.

It seems to me that some of the answers to this question could be based around what people around the individual taking the quiz would think or do. For example and individual only drinks 1 or 2 drinks per day, never gets drunk but his wife or his family does not approve of drinking at all. More likely this individual would answer yes to questions 2,5,6,7 and 12 just because his family does not approve of having 1 or 2 drinks per day. Is this individual really an alcoholic?

Links:

Monday, October 3, 2011

search for answers