Alcohol. Is it possible...??
 

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...:o

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.

Some thoughts...
 

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.?

I think what it comes down to is, its not how much you drink, its what it does to you when you do drink

If its not interfering with your life, I wouldnt be too concerned about it, untill it does


Take this 20 question test to help you decide whether or not you are an alcoholic.

Answer YES or NO to the following questions.

1. Do you lose time from work due to drinking?
YES __ NO __

2. Is drinking making your home life unhappy?
YES __ NO __

3. Do you drink because you are shy with other people?
YES __ NO __

4. Is your drinking affecting your reputation?
YES __ NO __

5. Have you ever felt remorse after drinking?
YES __ NO __

6. Have you ever got into financial difficulties as a result of drinking?
YES __ NO __

7. Do you turn to lower companions and an inferior environment when drinking?
YES __ NO __

8. Does your drinking make you careless of your family’s welfare?
YES __ NO __

9. Has your ambition decreased since drinking?
YES __ NO __

10. Do you crave a drink at a definite time?
YES __ NO __

11. Do you want a drink the next morning?
YES __ NO __

12. Does drinking cause you to have difficulty in sleeping?
YES __ NO __

13. Has your efficiency decreased since drinking?
YES __ NO __

14. Is drinking jeopardizing your job or business?
YES __ NO __

15. Do you drink to escape from worries or trouble?
YES __ NO __

16. Do you drink alone?
YES __ NO __

17. Have you ever had a complete loss of memory as a result of drinking?
YES __ NO __

18. Has your physician ever treated you for drinking?
YES __ NO __

19. Do you drink to build up your self-confidence?
YES __ NO __

20. Have you ever been to a hospital or institution because of drinking?
YES __ NO __

What's your score?

If you have answered YES to any one of the questions, there is a definite warning that you may be an alcoholic.

If you have answered YES to any two, the chances are that you are an alcoholic.

If you answered YES to three or more, you are definitely an alcoholic.

There's a AA tape called the Big Book experience and it talks about people who are "addicted to alcohol" but not alcoholic. They explain it very well. You should maybe check it out.

I lurk around here a bit when I'm missing AA.

You coulda signed MY name to this, Grizabella, shown it to me in a couple weeks telling me it was my statement, and my only comment would have been, "Well, there's a typo. AA's birthday's May 9th, not the 5th."

My story! You're telling my story!

Don't know how many times I've heard that in AA meetings around the country since 1993. A lot.

JASPAR, everyone's body chemistry differs, but listen to these folks. However the outward details may vary, what alcohol does to every body is essential the same. There are lots of "open" AA meetings, & believe it or not you'll hear laughter there (go find out why). :rolleyes:.C.G.

jaspar
 

I have to tell you that I am completely addicted to alcohol. I have tried other drugs in my life and have never gotten addicted. For some reason, alcohol gets to me. My mom abused me when i was younger and at that time i enjoyed the taste of wine (I would sneak a little here and there.) I would sneak it every time I could. Regardless, I think you can get over the addiction, you just have to want to. I want to, but my husband drinks and he doesn't have a problem.... (Really??????) anyhow, I don't feel like I can stop my pattern with him still drinking. it's not his problem, it's mine. So, the best to you and do what you have to do and make your life right for you. The best to you.... <3

I had a high tolerance for alcohol. I remember in college jocks loving how much I could "put away" without ever seeming drunk. Alcoholics becomes alcoholics because they can "handle their liquor." I don't remember ever meeting anyone at AA who was an alcoholic who got tipsy on the 2nd glass of wine.

Don't get me wrong--it's possible. But I think it's really rare.

You are in a very difficult situation, but you know that. Can you take the very sage advice that you gave Jasper? You advised him to "do what you have to do and make your life right for you." WoW! Spot on!

Do you go to AA? Al-Anon? With him drinking, both would help. Is there a time, maybe when he's at work, when you could go?

You sound much too bright to be so hopeless. Please bring your objectivity to bear here. I think the world could really benefit from you, sober.:hug:

What I don't understand is that I used to drink a lot and use drugs, but now I have a major aversion to any substance that alters how I feel. Why do I feel this way now? Shouldn't it still be somewhat of a daily struggle even though I've been clean and sober almost 7 years? :confused:

What are you doing to stay clean and sober everyday?..Do you go to AA?

If not, in some cases some people go through a phase where they drink and drug like and addict/alcoholic, and for some reason they can put the booze and drugs down without a struggle

I had a friend in high school, who I drank and drugged with during our high school years, and quite a few years after..We drank, smoked pot, did acid, etc..During the time we drank and drugged together, one day he told me that I was an alcoholic!!..I thought to myself, "If this isnt a classic case of the pot calling the kettle black, then I dont know what is!!"

Well my friend met a girl, and eventually they got married, bought a home, and had a couple of kids, and lived a normal life..My friend would come to the bar occasionally, have to Miller Lite beers and go home..Then I didnt see him for years

Quite a few years later I got sober, and after going to AA meetings for a few years, I realized that the reason why my friend told me I was an alcoholic, was because he wasnt an alcoholic, even though he drank and drugged like me..But the difference between him and I, was that he was able to stop drinking and drugging without a problem, and I could not stop untill I self destructed, and the pain began to be worse than the pleasure, and actually, the pleasure had been gone for years, but I continued to drink in spite of it..I tried to quit many times..I would last a few days, and I had pneumonia a couple of times and couldnt drink for a few weeks, but when I started drinking again, it was like I had never stopped..I now have 22 years of sobriety




This is from our AA text book "Alcoholics Anoymous", aka known as the "Big Book"

It describes the 3 types of drinkers

Steve
 

I drank heavily in college and pretty much quit when I turned 21. A couple years later I was introduced to heroin, crack cocaine, and marijuana. Heroin was my DOC and I used everyday for four years. I went to expensive rehabs in that time but none helped. What did work for me was changing my people, places, and things - I moved back home to Tennessee and went to AA and NA religiously for almost a year.

I think I stayed clean and sober because I was properly diagnosed as having depression and treated accordingly. When I was using, it was to feel anything but normal. Now, I like feeling normal and try to avoid medications with major side effects.

I no longer have the urge to use because the consequences now outweigh the benefits. No drug is worth losing control of my faculties!!!

[My husband never thought he was addicted and he had the same patterns with his drinking. His habbits led to depression which led him to attempt suicide by hanging himself, I found him in enough time and started CPR. My thoughts and prayers are with you on looking into getting some help it wouldn't hurt to try.

daily alcohol
 

they say 2 drinks per day. are you really taking two or is it 3,4 maybe more. if ever it is more than two it is a problem.

...the short answer to this question is, in my opinion, No.