What do you consider an alcoholic?
Someone who sleeps on a park bench with a bagged bottle? A 'respectable' citizen who drinks 3 times a week? A binge drinker? Someone who can't stop once they start?
Just wondering what other people think?

sGt HarDKorE

to me a alcoholic is just someone to drinks more than the average person.

seahippie

what does an average person drink then?

sGt HarDKorE

depends on that society.


In New York for example, there may be more people who, and more people to drink alot. Where as in my city where theres no big buildings and its really quiet and such, not much people may drink.

Fr_Chuck

They were all of the list. How much is the person drinking 3 times a week, one beer or a 12 pack, Can that person go a couople weeks without drinking anything, if not they are addicted. The rest are fairly clear to have drinking problems

fjsmith81

Drinking past the point of no return. But continuing to keep on drinking.

isabelle

A person who cannot stop from taking that first drink? A person who has suffered because of drinking but continues to drink? A person that allows drinking to interfer with their home life? A person who choose drinking over family and friends?
I don't think it matters how often or how much they drink. If it is a problem and they continue to drink, they need to seek help.

There is no magic number or a chart to tell if some one is an alcoholic. It depends on if they can resist that first drink when some one they care for is telling them that they are doing things ( while drinking) that is hurting others or hurting themselves.

talaniman

When whatever your doing cause problems in your life, and you keep doing it, then they are addicted. The substance, or the amount, is not important.

If a beer once a year causes you problems, and you still drink that beer once a year, you have a problem that needs to be addressed.

Hazel1220

Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism: Signs, Symptoms, Effects and Screening

this website I have found very informative.

curlybenswife

My experiance of an alcaholic is or should i say was my father he drank to get through the day he would drink from 5am till 11pm at night every day without fail.
He did this to prevent himself from dealing with the real world it took over his life and he soon became someone i and my family didnt know after 8 years of continual abuse his body finally gave up on him.
Most alcaholics drink for a reason and they believe that it helps them cover that reason so they dont have to face it.
As i have always said from my learnings with my father there is no answer at the bottom of that bottle just a headache the next morning.
Then of course you have what us brits call binge drinkers these are normally of late teen age early twentys they go out most nights get absolutely smashed and have a great time because they can but this can also become habbit forming and cause all kinds of problems.
The guy/girl that has say a beer in the evening or a glass of wine with there dinner well thats just enjoyment and a way to wind down its when it turns into a bottle of vodka or many cans or bottles that it needs looking at.