what's the difference between an alcoholic and a heavy drinker

[sammynorm]

what's the difference between an alcoholic and a heavy drinker

Alcoholics go to meetings and introduce themselves as 'Bill, I'm an alcoholic'; everybody else who drinks heavy is a drunk.

[mario]

what's the difference between an alcoholic and a heavy drinker

sammy norm;1372119 wrote: Alcoholics go to meetings and introduce themselves as 'Bill, I'm an alcoholic'; everybody else who drinks heavy is a drunk.

I don't go to AA meetings and I am an Alcoholic, Anyway back to topic a lot of Substance abuse experts make a distinction between alcohol abuse and alcoholism. Unlike alcoholics, alcohol abusers have some ability to set limits on their drinking. However, their alcohol use is still self-destructive and dangerous to themselves or others. Not all alcohol abusers become full-blown alcoholics, but it is a big risk factor. It can gradually creep up on you as your tolerance to alcohol increases. And as we as know to well here,Alcoholism is a progressive disease,If you’re a binge drinker or you drink every day, the risks of developing alcoholism are much greater.

[drinkingal]

what's the difference between an alcoholic and a heavy drinker

wow mario, that would have to be the best definition I have ever seen of an alcoholic and an al abuser. :thanks:

[enja]

what's the difference between an alcoholic and a heavy drinker

Hi Pingu! To me the difference between a heavy drinker and an alcoholic is that a heavy drinker can indulge heavily but can stop the frequency and quantity of alcohol at any time and for an unspecified amount of time without any consequences. The "take it or leave it" attitude that others have mentioned. Whereas an alcoholic loses the "control" aspect of drinking- whether it be a few glasses of wine every day or a gallon of liquor to get through the day - once the need for alcohol controls you, you're an alcoholic, IMO.

Also, your question was exactly the same as the title of an article I recently read by a blogger, Roberta Kyle, on the HubPages, which I've copied below. Obviously slanted towards an American audience but still plenty of food for thought.... Here's a link to all her posts, including this one, robie2 on HubPages


What's the difference between an alcoholic and a heavy drinker? I have a friend who is an alcoholism counselor here in the good ole USA, who says that if you have to ask the question, you are probably in trouble. Is this a question that has been lurking at the back of your mind lately? If so, here are some facts that might interest you.

Most people don't think about such things. In fact a stunning 46% of the American population drinks zero, zip, nada, or at most has a glass of champagne at a wedding or a spiked eggnog at the annual office Christmas party just to be polite. Of those who do drink, the majority drink moderately or occasionally. The dirty little secret of the American liquor industry is that 10% of the drinkers account for 50% of alcohol sales, and those are the folks who drink early and often and never in moderation.

Now, we Americans are a pretty puritanical lot, but the point is that most people do not abuse alcohol and therefore never give any thought to whether or not they are drinking too much. They simply know they are not.It's just a small percentage that has anything to worry about and an even smaller percentage that ends up dead or in rehab.

The High School and College Crowd

The statistics are a bit different for the high school and college crowd. Young people between the ages of 16 and 24 drink more than anybody else and are big binge drinkers( a binge being defined as downing more than five drinks in one sitting) This is the time of life for beer bongs and Saturday night keggers, but most people calm down once they are out in the real workaday world and jobs, marriage and children tend to sober them up. Only a few keep on partying into their thirties and beyond-- and at some point, these few start to worry that maybe their drinking is getting out of hand and maybe, just maybe, it is.


A Test for Alcoholism

So what is the difference between a heavy drinker and an alcoholic? The answer seems to lie in the dynamics of addiction. It's a long way from getting soused every Saturday night to skid row, but it is a clear path and a downward spiral and as we all know, alcoholism is a progressive illness. Once you are addicted, there is no place to go but down. Addiction, both physical and psychological, is about loss of control. If, in your secret heart of hearts you have ever feared that your drinking might be getting ahead of you , here are a couple of things you might want to ask yourself.

Have you ever sworn you would not drink and then ended up with a drink in your hand?

Have you ever sat down to have just one beer and ended up drunk?

Has anyone--either at work or a family member, ever commented negatively on your drinking?

Do you assume that everybody drinks and that most people get drunk and that people who don't are no fun to be around?

Do you ever try to hide how much you drink( as in do you ever take those trash cans full of empty's to the dump rather than leave them for the regular collection or do you ever buy your booze at more than one liquor store so that the owners won't think you drink too much?)

Do you drink: every day, alone, or in the morning?

Does the idea of having to live without alcohol seem scary?

Do you physically crave a drink at a certain time of day and get irritable if you can't have one?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you could well be in trouble. Just for the record, moderate drinking is officially defined as: 2 drinks a night for a man, one for a woman and binge drinking is defined as more than five drinks at one sitting. If you spill more than that on Saturday night, or have a family member who does, have a look at the video above and the links at the bottom of this article for a quick overview of the basics on alcoholism.

Think you can quit anytime you want but just like to drink to unwind ? You can prove it to yourself and to the world by taking a little test. I urge you to try the following experiment if you are concerned about your drinking. It is a surefire way to separate the folks who just like to party, from those who are truly abusing alcohol and are on their way to serious abuse and physical addiction. If you have the guts to take on this experiment honestly and with an open mind, you might find out something very interesting about yourself. Wouldn't it be nice to know one way or the other so you could stop worrying?

The Alcoholism Experiment

For the next week have no alcohol except for one five ounce glass of wine with dinner. If you don't like wine with your dinner, you can have one 12 oz bottle of beer instead. If you prefer spirits to wine or beer, you can substitute a one and one half ounce shot of whiskey before dinner for the wine or beer but.... you can choose only one of these three options, and once you've chosen you must stick with your choice. You can't change around and have beer one night, wine the next etc. Also, you cannot skip a night or have nothing one night and two beers the next etc. Just FYI a five oz. glass of wine, a 12 oz glass of beer and a 1 and 1/2 ounce shot of whiskey all have the same amount of alcohol so whatever you choose, you will be getting the same amount of alcohol, it's just a question of what appeals to you. Follow these directions exactly-- only one drink of whatever you choose for one entire week.

And that folks, is the way you can tell a heavy drinker from an alcoholic. It's a useful test that separates the sheep from the goats very handily. Those who are in even the early stages of addiction will not be able to pass the test. Those who really can take it or leave it will have no problem. What do you think. Want to give it a try, or does the very idea put a meat hook in your tum tum?

Cheers and here's mud in your eye.:-)

[pingu1997]

what's the difference between an alcoholic and a heavy drinker

Wow what awesome informative and eloquent replies

I think I have some ideas, what got me started was somewhere in the realms of aa literature I read that alcoholics will fail if they try to quit on their own, therefore if you do quit for a good period of time then you're probably not. As some of you know I have not had a great experience with aa so I'm looking elsewhere for support and doing a lot of stuff myself so according to aa I either am not one of them or I will fail. Ok I'll be honest, I've been told by 2 Independent aa people that if I don't join their programme I will go back to drinking and my kids will be taken away..... I'll not put what I want to say here for fear of what might come out of my fingers lol

I guess for me it is about partly the frequency of my drinking, the fact that I needed to drink every day and would come up with excuse after excuse to justify it, also one was never enough, I drank until I fell asleep on the sofa. And more importantly the amount of time I spent thinking about alcohol. When can I have my first drink, do I have enough, can I find someone else to drive, what time does so and so event end so I can go home and drink......

But hey thanks for the discussion, it was fab to read!

[red67]

what's the difference between an alcoholic and a heavy drinker

Pingu, your drinking sounds exactly like mine. Isnt it amazing we also have sober dates only 2 days apart?

What you said about AA is exactly what has happened to me. One meeting I went to when I was only 4 months sober, the leader told me I could not stay sober on my own without AA and I would definitely return to drinking if I continued to do it on my own. In another meeting, they took all of us newcomers into a separate room and drilled us for almost an hour that AA is the only way to get and stay sober. A lot of people do improve with AA, I am just not a person who believes in the "it's my way or no way" approach.

Ok I didnt mean to get off topic there. What I think is most important is that us who are alcoholics find a way out and those who are heavy drinkers stop the progression before its too late. It's such a fuzzy line to cross and there is no warning when it will happen.

[LillyE]

what's the difference between an alcoholic and a heavy drinker

Some fantastic and informative responses here - thanks all. I absolutely believe you can be an alcoholic AND recover without AA. In fact, it's exactly that dogmatic approach that has put me off AA to date. People are complicated, as is addiction. It makes no sense to me to insist that one single approach to recovery will suit all, particularly when that approach is so grounded in spiritual beliefs. AA clearly works well for many, which is terrific - it probably saved the life of a dear friend of mine - but it is NOT for everyone and that is ok.

pingu, you may find this helpful too: Can an Alcoholic Recover Without Going to AA?

[Nelz]

what's the difference between an alcoholic and a heavy drinker

LillyE;1372464 wrote: Some fantastic and informative responses here - thanks all. I absolutely believe you can be an alcoholic AND recover without AA. In fact, it's exactly that dogmatic approach that has put me off AA to date. People are complicated, as is addiction. It makes no sense to me to insist that one single approach to recovery will suit all, particularly when that approach is so grounded in spiritual beliefs. AA clearly works well for many, which is terrific - it probably saved the life of a dear friend of mine - but it is NOT for everyone and that is ok.

pingu, you may find this helpful too: Can an Alcoholic Recover Without Going to AA?

That is a magnificent article! It should be required reading for anyone that has replied to this thread, or is considering replying.........nice find

[LillyE]

what's the difference between an alcoholic and a heavy drinker

Nelz, and others, I think the Spiritual River site that article comes from is great, and has a lot of terrific wisdom from the perspective of someone who has been through AA but doesn't see it as the ultimate recovery solution. Just like AA, his approach won't be for everyone, but I've gained a ton of insight reading there. I don't agree wholeheartedly with everything he says, but he really nails some stuff absolutely - for me, anyway. I know he's written other articles about recovery for those for whom AA wasn't the answer, so anyone questioning that might benefit from digging around the site's article archives a little.

[TheSunFlower]

what's the difference between an alcoholic and a heavy drinker

I rememeber getting to that part in the AA litature and was a bit confused. I also know that everything said here about AA is true. It's sad...but, so many of the members really muck up the program. If they actually read their bb throughly and more than once.....they would remember that aa states that they do not have the cornerstone on recovery. The would remember that the program is one of attraction.....not fearing an individual into it.

I kept being told that if I had not hit my bottom.....then I should just go back out and keep drinking until I do....or else the program will not work for me. I thought you just had to have a desire to quit drinking. I left.

Since then I have spoken to some of the more knowledgable people in the program.....people have read the book and do the book. No where does it say you HAVE to do anything......(have to is a very bad phrase for anyone......it surely sets you out to prove them wrong). They are ALL suggestions.

With these people I will most likely return to one meeting a week....not committing to work the program.

I have bee using Smart.....I like to because regardless of what level you are at.....if there is something you want to change....it gives you the tools.

Heavy drinker vs. alcoholic....doesn't really matter. I drank too much for me and I want to change that....and that is a choice I made.....not something some book or medical team defined for me.

[nancy]

what's the difference between an alcoholic and a heavy drinker

NIAAA

http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh40/55-63.pdf

I've posted this before but it's worth another post. This is an NIAAA article summarizing what studies show about the range of alcohol problems and treatment options.