Is it possible to be addicted to alcohol -- i.e. be an alcoholic -- if the amount consumed is 1-2 shots of scotch (3 max & rarely) each evening without getting drunk?

Like... if ... although it isn't much, the person CRAVES ... really wants... that drink at night. And.... if the person just has 1-2 each night for years and years without being addicted is it possible to become addicted even after all that time of not being addicted?

I think i read somewhere....quite awhile ago so pardon me if I'm incorrect...

Something like there might be a couple different kinds of alcohol addictions and probably a mix of those also.

One would be the chemical addiction the kind where you need more and more and go into detox withdrawals if you don't have it.

Another would be more of an emotional addiction - feel the need to have it but not really a detox or withdrawal happens if you don't.

I guess it also depends on if you are sipping those shots spread out over the evening or slugging them down real fast - to get a buzz on...

Ahhh.... an emotional addiction. I think that is what it is. Not a chemical addiction. Pavlovian reaction to seeing the bottle in the evening. It is still scary. Perhaps better to purposely forego it for a while....

Usually a sipping. But once in a while, a slugging.

I don't think being an alcoholic means that you have to get drunk every time you have a few drinks

It's not how much you drink, it's what it does to you when you drink that tells the tale. And people who aren't alcoholic don't wonder if they are.

I've been sober coming up on 24 years on May 5th. I could always stop, but I just couldn't stay stopped and I never drank because I was an alcoholic. I drank to calm my nerves, to make me feel better when I was sad, to celebrate things, to grieve things, because I was angry, because I was happy, because I was sad, and because "you" made me do it. Never because I was an alcoholic. But then when it quit working, I had to admit I'm an alcoholic and it was the best thing that ever happened to me as well as the hardest thing I've ever done----besides quitting smoking.

Hello How are you? well yes. I think it is QUITE possible. If you are NOT addicted, why would you continue drinking like that every night?? I mean and not just say a few times a month? Only you can really answer the question though. You are the only one that can say if you are or are not an alcoholic, or addicted to alcohol. I just know that I am. Mykinzie.

One of the criteria in assessing addictions is "Does your use of the substance adversely affect your life?" If your answer is yes and you keep using it in the same way, professional assessment is called for.

Bob McCluskey

Yes, it IS possible to be an alcoholic even if you have only 2-3 shots. What says it all is the fact that you said the person "CRAVES" it every night. That's what happens to us alcoholics. We CRAVE the booze and we have to have it! It's not how much you drink but what it does to you. It's how it changes you. Have you ever tried NOT having those drinks once? If you can't do it, then chances are you're an alcoholic. But only YOU can decide if you are or not.

If you think you might need help, why not sit in on an AA meeting sometime when they have an open meeting? You don't have to say anything ~ just listen to what they say. Who knows, it might sound familiar? Best of luck and God bless. Peace, Lee

Thank you for all these thoughtful responses. Yes, "the person" craved and sometimes needed the drinks... to relax... to ease pain... to mellow out...

"The person" has not had a drink in many months other than 1 with friends over the holidays. No drinking... on purpose, to show it is not an addiction and not alcoholism.

And it has not been easy or comfortable, but the idea that this is healthier and better, is a comfortable thought. Hard not to give in, though. Especially knowing it isn't alcoholism, so it is OK...

Perhaps this was close to "alcoholism" without the alcoholic genes.

Alcoholism is a progressive disease-meaning if untreated it will get worse. If someone drinks the same amt everyday, without negative consequences, maybe its more an emotional pacifier. A lot of people depend on their daily routines for comfort. If one is able to not drink without any physical withdrawal symptoms its prob not classic alcoholism. But the "need" to have it is a poss red flag for high risk behavior. I know a lot of people who look forward to their evening glass of wine, beer, or drink. But if the person is worried about it-that could mean there is bigger problem.?