Hello everyone, I have this question that keeps coming to my head lately.
I drank for about 25 years since I was 16. Without even realizing it, I became addicted to alcohol during the last 4-5 years, I had to drink ALL the time, I was miserable when I drank and miserable when I didn't. I've been sober for over 3 months now and I am working hard to overcome and recover from my addiction.
I was terrified to call myself an alcoholic on my first AA meeting, it took guts man!! and I did not take it lightly.. But I've met some people there that also call themselves alcoholics when I think they are just problem drinkers.. They have told me that the reason they want to quit is because they get out of control when they drink, they do crazy things, they act stupid and irresponsibly, etc. And by all means, they should stop drinking, but how can they be alcoholics when they only drink once in a while? They can take it or leave it, once they decide they can not or do not want to drink, they just don't, and they go about their day just fine. But then again, when they do drink, they do some horrible things which they feel ashamed of, so they decide to stop. To me they are dealing with some emotional burden, some anger, resentment issues, etc but they are NOT ADDICTED to AL!! I'm confused about this fact, maybe some of the older members can share some ideas on this..
Some of these guys can have a couple of drinks and stop, they can spend weeks or even months without a drink and they are fine, but when they drink, they want to walk naked into incoming traffic, jump off a balcony, pick fights with everyone, etc. By all means, stop! but are they really addicted to alcohol? Don't you have to be addicted to alcohol to be an alcoholic? Just wondering...
I drank for about 25 years since I was 16. Without even realizing it, I became addicted to alcohol during the last 4-5 years, I had to drink ALL the time, I was miserable when I drank and miserable when I didn't. I've been sober for over 3 months now and I am working hard to overcome and recover from my addiction.
I was terrified to call myself an alcoholic on my first AA meeting, it took guts man!! and I did not take it lightly.. But I've met some people there that also call themselves alcoholics when I think they are just problem drinkers.. They have told me that the reason they want to quit is because they get out of control when they drink, they do crazy things, they act stupid and irresponsibly, etc. And by all means, they should stop drinking, but how can they be alcoholics when they only drink once in a while? They can take it or leave it, once they decide they can not or do not want to drink, they just don't, and they go about their day just fine. But then again, when they do drink, they do some horrible things which they feel ashamed of, so they decide to stop. To me they are dealing with some emotional burden, some anger, resentment issues, etc but they are NOT ADDICTED to AL!! I'm confused about this fact, maybe some of the older members can share some ideas on this..
Some of these guys can have a couple of drinks and stop, they can spend weeks or even months without a drink and they are fine, but when they drink, they want to walk naked into incoming traffic, jump off a balcony, pick fights with everyone, etc. By all means, stop! but are they really addicted to alcohol? Don't you have to be addicted to alcohol to be an alcoholic? Just wondering...
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