What is Alcoholism?

What is Alcoholism?  Do you know someone that may be an alcoholic?  Are you an alcoholic?  As drinking becomes more of a norm and is socially acceptable for just about any occasion these are good questions to ask yourself.  What once was depicted in movies as a violent, loud, drunk that always had a drink in hand in their own home is no longer the only form of alcoholism effecting people today.  What about the friend that drinks a couple of times a year, but once they start they can’t stop.  The night becomes a wild ride of alcohol with no thought of consequences and closing time will be the only stopping point for this friend.  Convincing a person like this they have a problem isn’t easy.

The Mayo Clinic defines alcoholism as chronic and often progressive disease that includes problems controlling your drinking, being preoccupied with alcohol, continuing to use alcohol even when it causes problems, having to drink more to get the same effect (physical dependence), or having withdrawal symptoms when you rapidly decrease or stop drinking. If you have alcoholism, you can't consistently predict how much you'll drink, how long you'll drink, or what consequences will occur from your drinking.

Now that you have read the definition, think about your own life.  Does alcohol control any aspect of your life?  What if someone told you never to drink again, could you do it?  Have you ever walked out that door to meet a friend for a drink and it turned into 4 or 5 drinks?  How about after your night ended, did you drive home after drinking that much because you didn’t make an alternate plan?  Look around, you aren’t the only one.

What about at home?  You have a glass a wine with dinner and it makes you sleepy.  You have had a rough week and the kids are driving you crazy so you decide to have just one more.  You sleep really well that night so a pattern starts and you are now drinking every night just to cope.  Can you stop?  It might not seem like a big deal until you ask yourself that question.  If you can’t, you might have a problem.

People don’t want to admit they are an alcoholic, and for good reason.  It is a negative label that most people don't want associated with themselves.  As long as they are getting up and going to work and doing otherwise responsible things they don’t have a problem.  That is what a potential alcoholic could be telling himself or herself.

If you think your friend or spouse is an alcoholic and you know they don’t want to believe it, help them out.  Don’t create activities that revolve around alcohol, limit your own alcohol intake when around them, or get rid of the alcohol in the house.  Talk to others about your concerns so you aren’t alone.  Helping someone else can help you too.  Maybe you are headed down that road too and reflecting on others behavior might rope you back into reality.  Life doesn’t have to revolve around alcohol.  And whatever the reason a person chooses to drink, all forms of alcohol can be involved in alcoholism.   

References:

Mayo Clinic Staff (2014). Diseases and Conditions Alcoholism Definition. Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/alcoholism/basics/definition/con-20020866