how many glasses of wine = alcoholism?
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I've always seen that people who dislike alcohol are very quick to label people who do like it, "alcoholics."
I had a friend with an "alcoholic" husband and I swear I couldn't be married to her without alcohol but he was also a complete *kitten*. And I think that was a separate issue. In the end, and there was an end, alcohol was what killed him.
Having a glass or 2 of wine, even a few times a month, when you are happy and don't have responsibilities like driving or caring for children or working does not make you an alcoholic.
If you are drinking to make your life more "bearable," you are on a dangerous path.0 -
Hm. Well this is surprising, but you all seem to agree.
So as long as I have the ability to stop, I can get black-out drunk every night for fun, every single day, and I'm not an alcoholic. Seems counterintuitive.
I'm not an expert but I'm thinking if you get "black-out" drunk every night you probably won't find it that "easy" to stop and you probably have a drinking "problem" if not well on your way to alcoholism. I love drinking but I realize drinking NEVER makes anything better in your life and most often makes things worse. It certainly won't hurt you to stop for a couple of months and "dry" out.
I'm stopping until I reach my weight goal because I realize it is really hard for me to lose weight and enjoy my 1-2 glasses a night of wine at the same time. I will probably have something to drink on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas, and New Years Eve but I decided that's all I'm allowed until I reach my goal.
Do I miss my wine? Heck ya! Do I find myself less sleepy in the evening and able to get my homework done? Heck ya!
So you are a grown up and need to decide for yourself but if I were you, I would lay off "the sauce" for a while.
Good luck0 -
If you do not depend on alcohol and it does not affect your daily life, functioning and health then in my opinion you aren't an alcoholic.
wouldn't drinking large quanities of alcohol eventually affect your health? I mean, your liver isn't getting better from it.
Like I said, if it affects your health it's a different matter.0 -
When do you become an alcoholic?
When every moment of stress hits, and all you can think about it washing it away with alcohol.
When every bad thing imaginable happens and you choose to drink alcohol every time.
When you hit rock bottom and depression sets in and you choose to turn to alcohol...
When your only method of coping and dealing is turn to a bottle...
Soon.. your choices become an automatic response... and the ability to choose not to drink lessens, and becomes numbed......you struggle to disconnect from alcohol, and ultimately, the struggle takes away your ability to focus on reality.... you lose focus consciously and in a subconcious manner, that is all you know....
Its a behavior that becomes a habit...
Personally speaking, I was an alcoholic at age 13 due to circumstances that I dont dare describe here... it was enough to make a Marital Master almost vomit in court - I will leave it at that.... I quit cold turkey and it was almost the hardest thing I ever had to overcome.
I have a different mindset about alcohol now... having alcoholics for parents, being an alcoholic at such a young age... as an adult now, I have an extreme personal limitation to allowing myself alcohol. Its very rare to be honest. It took ALOT of counseling to set me on the right path, but that path involved alot of treachery that I had to battle and work on. Was I successful.. yes... do I remember any of it? All of it. Do I ever want to dip back into the bottle when hell comes rushing in? I can honestly say.. Im at that point in my life, I dont want it. I dont have a desire for it... but the hard work really helped to make a difference in my life. Not many are able to do this... which is why its so important for a person to identify things early.. in its most earliest stages before a choice.. becomes a reflex.. if you know what I mean?0 -
what is the OP fishing for here?0
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Hm. Well this is surprising, but you all seem to agree.
So as long as I have the ability to stop, I can get black-out drunk every night for fun, every single day, and I'm not an alcoholic. Seems counterintuitive.
Alcoholism has both physical and psychiatric components. It isn't just drinking. It's when drinking becomes so important that it destroys your relationships, social life, health, work, etc.0 -
Most people like a good glass of wine (except me because I think it tastes terrible), but how much is too much? They say 1 glass a day(6oz) is good for the heart. If you are drinking wine every day, how many glasses a day (or ounces) would be excessive? When do you become an alcoholic?
Just interested why do you ask the question?0 -
what is the OP fishing for here?
My question as well. My guess would be a nondrinker trying to diagnose a drinker.0 -
If you are drinking to make your life more "bearable," you are on a dangerous path.
this being used as a diagnosis really confuses me. i'd think that the condition could be depression, not alcoholism and drinking is a symptom of that. so someone who just likes to drink but can stop whenever they want isn't an alcoholic, but someone who drinks due to depression is? i'd think that in both cases, the liver isn't gonna know the difference.0 -
When do you become an alcoholic?
When every moment of stress hits, and all you can think about it washing it away with alcohol.
When every bad thing imaginable happens and you choose to drink alcohol every time.
When you hit rock bottom and depression sets in and you choose to turn to alcohol...
When your only method of coping and dealing is turn to a bottle...
Soon.. your choices become an automatic response... and the ability to choose not to drink lessens, and becomes numbed......you struggle to disconnect from alcohol, and ultimately, the struggle takes away your ability to focus on reality.... you lose focus consciously and in a subconcious manner, that is all you know....
Its a behavior that becomes a habit...
Personally speaking, I was an alcoholic at age 13 due to circumstances that I dont dare describe here... it was enough to make a Marital Master almost vomit in court - I will leave it at that.... I quit cold turkey and it was almost the hardest thing I ever had to overcome.
I have a different mindset about alcohol now... having alcoholics for parents, being an alcoholic at such a young age... as an adult now, I have an extreme personal limitation to allowing myself alcohol. Its very rare to be honest. It took ALOT of counseling to set me on the right path, but that path involved alot of treachery that I had to battle and work on. Was I successful.. yes... do I remember any of it? All of it. Do I ever want to dip back into the bottle when hell comes rushing in? I can honestly say.. Im at that point in my life, I dont want it. I dont have a desire for it... but the hard work really helped to make a difference in my life. Not many are able to do this... which is why its so important for a person to identify things early.. in its most earliest stages before a choice.. becomes a reflex.. if you know what I mean?
I really liked your response and I admire your bravery and fortitude. It could not have been easy to recover and I applaud you.
God Bless!0 -
what is the OP fishing for here?
My question as well. My guess would be a nondrinker trying to diagnose a drinker.
1) I drink, but not excessively, and
2) Trying to get outside opinions because yes, I am trying to gauge a person and their habits0 -
acxtually they mean stop for one year or more. If you say you won't drink for one year and you can't make a year, its possible there is a problem, and I say possible. People who don't have a problem with alchohol never even wonder if they have a problem.0
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When do you become an alcoholic?
When every moment of stress hits, and all you can think about it washing it away with alcohol.
When every bad thing imaginable happens and you choose to drink alcohol every time.
When you hit rock bottom and depression sets in and you choose to turn to alcohol...
When your only method of coping and dealing is turn to a bottle...
Soon.. your choices become an automatic response... and the ability to choose not to drink lessens, and becomes numbed......you struggle to disconnect from alcohol, and ultimately, the struggle takes away your ability to focus on reality.... you lose focus consciously and in a subconcious manner, that is all you know....
Its a behavior that becomes a habit...
Personally speaking, I was an alcoholic at age 13 due to circumstances that I dont dare describe here... it was enough to make a Marital Master almost vomit in court - I will leave it at that.... I quit cold turkey and it was almost the hardest thing I ever had to overcome.
I have a different mindset about alcohol now... having alcoholics for parents, being an alcoholic at such a young age... as an adult now, I have an extreme personal limitation to allowing myself alcohol. Its very rare to be honest. It took ALOT of counseling to set me on the right path, but that path involved alot of treachery that I had to battle and work on. Was I successful.. yes... do I remember any of it? All of it. Do I ever want to dip back into the bottle when hell comes rushing in? I can honestly say.. Im at that point in my life, I dont want it. I dont have a desire for it... but the hard work really helped to make a difference in my life. Not many are able to do this... which is why its so important for a person to identify things early.. in its most earliest stages before a choice.. becomes a reflex.. if you know what I mean?
I have no choice but to admire such an honest post.
I too have dealt with an alcohol-dependent parent and I applaud your honesty. Not all of us could be so brave (myself included).
Thank you.0 -
when you start needing alcohol, when alcohol becomes more important than anything else...
its not about how much or how often its about why0 -
Alcoholism is a mentality and a collection of behaviors. It is not glass of wine #X.0
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Most people like a good glass of wine (except me because I think it tastes terrible), but how much is too much? They say 1 glass a day(6oz) is good for the heart. If you are drinking wine every day, how many glasses a day (or ounces) would be excessive? When do you become an alcoholic?
It's not how much alcohol, more the fact that an alcoholic can't NOT have a drink. It might only be one glass, but they need it every day.0 -
When do you become an alcoholic?
When every moment of stress hits, and all you can think about it washing it away with alcohol.
When every bad thing imaginable happens and you choose to drink alcohol every time.
When you hit rock bottom and depression sets in and you choose to turn to alcohol...
When your only method of coping and dealing is turn to a bottle...
Soon.. your choices become an automatic response... and the ability to choose not to drink lessens, and becomes numbed......you struggle to disconnect from alcohol, and ultimately, the struggle takes away your ability to focus on reality.... you lose focus consciously and in a subconcious manner, that is all you know....
Its a behavior that becomes a habit...
Personally speaking, I was an alcoholic at age 13 due to circumstances that I dont dare describe here... it was enough to make a Marital Master almost vomit in court - I will leave it at that.... I quit cold turkey and it was almost the hardest thing I ever had to overcome.
I have a different mindset about alcohol now... having alcoholics for parents, being an alcoholic at such a young age... as an adult now, I have an extreme personal limitation to allowing myself alcohol. Its very rare to be honest. It took ALOT of counseling to set me on the right path, but that path involved alot of treachery that I had to battle and work on. Was I successful.. yes... do I remember any of it? All of it. Do I ever want to dip back into the bottle when hell comes rushing in? I can honestly say.. Im at that point in my life, I dont want it. I dont have a desire for it... but the hard work really helped to make a difference in my life. Not many are able to do this... which is why its so important for a person to identify things early.. in its most earliest stages before a choice.. becomes a reflex.. if you know what I mean?
I really appreciate your post and your openness. You make a lot of great points and have given me a lot to think about. Thank you. Your accomplishment is really impressive. A lot of people can't do that on their own. You should be very proud of yourself. Thank you for sharing.
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When do you become an alcoholic?
When every moment of stress hits, and all you can think about it washing it away with alcohol.
When every bad thing imaginable happens and you choose to drink alcohol every time.
When you hit rock bottom and depression sets in and you choose to turn to alcohol...
When your only method of coping and dealing is turn to a bottle...
Soon.. your choices become an automatic response... and the ability to choose not to drink lessens, and becomes numbed......you struggle to disconnect from alcohol, and ultimately, the struggle takes away your ability to focus on reality.... you lose focus consciously and in a subconcious manner, that is all you know....
Its a behavior that becomes a habit...
Personally speaking, I was an alcoholic at age 13 due to circumstances that I dont dare describe here... it was enough to make a Marital Master almost vomit in court - I will leave it at that.... I quit cold turkey and it was almost the hardest thing I ever had to overcome.
I have a different mindset about alcohol now... having alcoholics for parents, being an alcoholic at such a young age... as an adult now, I have an extreme personal limitation to allowing myself alcohol. Its very rare to be honest. It took ALOT of counseling to set me on the right path, but that path involved alot of treachery that I had to battle and work on. Was I successful.. yes... do I remember any of it? All of it. Do I ever want to dip back into the bottle when hell comes rushing in? I can honestly say.. Im at that point in my life, I dont want it. I dont have a desire for it... but the hard work really helped to make a difference in my life. Not many are able to do this... which is why its so important for a person to identify things early.. in its most earliest stages before a choice.. becomes a reflex.. if you know what I mean?
^^^This. I, too, became an alcoholic at age 14 because of traumatic events during my 'childhood' or the lack-there-of.
I am still fighting the urge to drink more than I actually allow myself to enjoy, on a daily basis. 0 -
Alcoholism isn't about how much you drink, it's when drinking is all you think about or you feel you cannot cope without it. I'm an alcoholic and I'm 3 years sober, I wouldn't trust myself to have one glass. I think it becomes excessive when you go over the recommended units per week or when it's the one thing you look forward to in a day.0
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Its not sheer quantity but how the person reacts. can they stop at one glass? or are they not satisfied until the bottle is empty? do they sip all day every day? do they wait until the weekend and drink gallons?
My papaw sips beer from 9am until he goes to bed every day. He never gets drunk. hes an alcoholic. he gets annoyed if he runs out. he has fits if he has to be somewhere that he cant drink.
my father in law works offshore 2 weeks in, 2 weeks out. hes sober at work, but gets.black out rage drunk on whiskey and tequila for the next two weeks. hes a diligent hard worker at work, but is a hateful, worthless.old man at home.
One glass can make you an alcoholic if you panic at the thought of not havinfg it for a day.0
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