Alcohol Abuse or Alcoholic?

[briseus]

Hi!

I was wondering what the difference was? I mean, I read up on some articles online and such, but I am sitting here wondering if I am an alcohol abuser or an alcoholic?
I just don't where I fit in in the grand scheme of things.
When I don't drink I don't get the shakes or anything like that and I can go all day or 24 hours with no problems except maybe cravings because drinking has been such a routine in my life.
I mean, I have drank in the mornings in the past, not because I NEEDED it, but just because it was "there".
I have OCD. So I am quite obsessive and all or nothing...I will sit there and have obsessive thoughts and such...so I am not sure if the drinking is a product of that or what?
Just wondering what some people's thoughts were on this?

It's very easy for me to go online, see symptoms of some sort of illness/disease and think to myself "YUP! That's me!" without even going to a doc and them saying something is actually wrong...my doc never diagnosed me as an alcoholic...never had an issue when I told him how much I drank except to "cut 'er down"...but the last time I saw him I outright said that I was...and he just went with it.

Sorry if I'm rambling on here...
I just have been seeking some answers this past week and am glad to have found MWO.

Thanks for reading!

[Willow23]

Alcohol Abuse or Alcoholic?

Personally I think it's all one and the same - we all think of alcoholics being the stereotypical drunk at 10am in the park with a brown paper bag kind of thing but it's such a wide spectrum. I don't drink spirits, nor do I drink every day but if there is a craving/need, I count that as being addicted. I know I am or I wouldn't have come looking for this website!

[briseus]

Alcohol Abuse or Alcoholic?

It makes sense Willow - thanks for your input.
I don't even think we should label ourselves as alcoholics/alcohol abusers/etc...we are addicted. At the end of the day that is all that matters - and what matters even more is how we overcome those addictions.

[mario]

Alcohol Abuse or Alcoholic?

Hi bris Different people will have different causes for their alcohol problems. The way to solve them is therefore to make yourself more aware of what factors are involved in your personal problem. Then you can go about making some changes to those underlying issues.As others have said does it really make a difference what way we describe ourselves,Once we know we are having problems with our drinking and its effecting our lives and others it doesn't matter what way we describe it.IMO ;-)

[Doggygirl]

Alcohol Abuse or Alcoholic?

briseus, I try not to get too hung up on the words and labels. Like Molly said, if you are concerned then that is what matters.

One suggestion would be to try going 30 days without any alcohol. If alcohol is not a problem, then it should be no problem to go without it for a while. That would be a good way to start figuring things out for yourself.

Good luck.

DG

[nancy]

Alcohol Abuse or Alcoholic?

a name for it

NIAAA Publications



I've spent a lot of time thinking about this. I think the above link has the best explanation I have ever seen and it's based on research, not folklore, and from our natiional alcoholism society.

There is a lot of misunderstanding about alcoholism, with this traditional understanding that it is a disease in itself that is probably genetic (genetic link not identified yet). And it's supposed to be a progressive disease, which the above link shows is not true. And supposedly you had to hit rock bottom to be cured, which you don't. There is a big range of disorders of alcohol dependence.

Now getting to your point. My guess is that you occasionally abuse alcohol, more of a binge drinker. And you think you have OCD.

For sure people with psych problems use alcohol to self-medicate. And it makes your problems better initially (raising your neurotransmitter levels and making you feel relaxed) but worse in the long run. This is exactly how I view my drinking problem: a symptom of a psych condition/trauma. It's not a disease in and of itself. And it's not making my life unmanageable and it's not progressive and I have no physical problems as a results of it.

I've been reading about binge eating disorder lately and I think that it's very relevant to people who drink to alleviate a psych problem.

So my advice is to stop asking yourself whether you are an alcoholic and just accept that you have either binge drinking or alcohol dependence. Binge drinking is a lot easier to quantify. Track your drinking in a journal and compare it to national recommended levels.

Good luck.

[cpn1004]

Alcohol Abuse or Alcoholic?

Don't let labels get in your way.
Live the life you are meant to live.

[Wolfdreamer]

Alcohol Abuse or Alcoholic?

hello

[Girl1973]

Alcohol Abuse or Alcoholic?

Check out the DSM-IV, I believe the diagnostic code is 301.90 - sorry, psych grad! There are different questionnaires to determine if one if abusing or dependant on alcohol. Something to check out for what it's worth.

[K9Lover]

Alcohol Abuse or Alcoholic?

Hi Girl!
Glad to see you posting, how are you?

[Miklo]

Alcohol Abuse or Alcoholic?

I always thought an alcoholic was someone who "physically" depended on AL, and an abuser was anyone who exceeded the recommed number of drinks, or someone for whom AL caused problems for or it interfered with their life ie trouble at home or work. Lables are not importient though, in the big picture it dosnt really matter which category you fall into. You reconized that you had/have a problem and you move on from there.