How many drinks = alcoholic?

[kathryn80]

I'm pretty sure my ex was an alcoholic and often to tolerate him I would drink along with him (and so I could pass out and not deal with him).  When I left him, my drinking habits changed... At first, I was drinking too much because I was going out with single friends and living it up, however I tired of this quickly and now have "settled" into what I think is my "norm".  I'm wondering how one can tell if there is a problem in the first place.  I'm probably having 1-2 drinks about 4 days/week and then 2-4 about 1-2 days/week. It doesn't make me treat people differently, I don't think, however sometimes I can get depressed when I exceed 2.  Typically, I don't feel like it changes me negatively if I keep it at 1-2 drinks.  I would say that some nights I just drink to get a little drunk though... maybe because those days I 'm not doing well and perhaps those are the days I really should not drink.  Obviously, I know better, but still do it;)  I guess I should mention that I'm 27.  

[working dog]

your just getting started...a newbee alcoholic.....my drinking just kept getting worse over the years...it's funny how we justify things...toward the end of my drinking i would ask people if they thought i was an alcoholic...and everyone said i was fine..had no problem...it was nice to hear but i knew i had a problem......just had no idea my problem was that bad...so watch out...you could start to talk yourself into a lie....good luck...billy

[walternowotny]

"It doesn't make me to treat people differently,I think...."Better way to look at is is:Do people treat you differently when you don't drink?
If the answer is yes....you probably have a problem
Walter

[lilyput]

a lot of people have 1-2 drinks a night, especially in europe. however, most of those people don't drink to get drunk (even on occasion).

if you drink to escape negative emotions, or...and this is the most important - if you even *think* you may have a drinking problem, then it's a pretty good indication that you should be on high alert for alcohol abuse and/or alcoholism.

i disagree with working dog saying you are a newbie alcoholic. only YOU can decide if you are an alcoholic. i'm not bashing him, he's a nice guy. but srsly...if i were you i'd go to an AA meeting or two and see if anything rings a bell. you may be surprised.

better to nip this thing in the bud than to find yourself hitting bottom before you know what's happened.... fo sho. i only drank once a week (friday nights) and found that i am an alcoholic. strange but true.

[ibizan]

i agree with all these comments and working dog..u were like me...asking other alkies if they thought u were one and the answer was NO!what drunken logic we had!:)

[Jacker]

I think you're at a stage in your life where this could either become a problem - or not.  I don't see a problem with people who drink 1-2 per night and stop there - as a whole, the medical community has no problem with it either.   At your age, it's a good idea to taper off on too much weekend drinking - you're not old but you're old enought to put that aside.  
To me, those who drink 3-4 on a special occasion are not abusers either, but special occasions don't happen on a weekly basis, right?
I was your age when I slipped from the same type of drinking that you're doing, into the abyss of daily use.  If you want to continue to drink moderately, why dont' you just try taking a few consecutive nights off per week - then you'll be going in the right direction.  If you do this, do not "reward" yourself with 4 drinks (ie: after 2 nights off) - just go back to your regular two.  Everything in moderation, and don't be controlled by it!

[VOR]

I don't think I was an alcoholic per se, but I did have a problem when I drank alcohol.  I used alcohol to change the way I felt and behaved.  

So, my first question to you is do you need the alcohol?  In other words, can you go out and have a good time without drinking alcohol?  If the answer is no, then yes, you do  have a problem. If you can go out and have a good time without the alcohol, then you are better off.

The reality is that alcohol really serves little good for the majority of us.  Alcohol has become such a staple in our society that it's looked at as a right and not a privilege.  I am a firm believer in abstinence with alcohol b/c of all the problems it causes.

My two-cent statement is that if you feel a need to drink either by yourself or with others, then yes you do have a problem - or one is starting.  It's good that you are looking at this now before it gets too bad.

Good luck!

[kathryn80]

Thanks for this feedback... it is very thoughtful and I'm certainly needing to digest and consider it all.

[sickinmo]

I heard an old-timer say this the first time I went back to an AA meeting after being out of the program for about 2.5 years:  "It's not what you drink or how much you drink, it's what happens to you WHEN you drink."

I find that so true.  I look around at all my "friends" that I use to have.  Well, I put " " marks around friends because I don't view them as such anymore.  I view them as they were my drinking associates.  People I need to remove from my life, but is very difficult when my SO still drinks and he hangs around with them.  

Here is something else that the old-timer did as well.  He read a pamphlet outloud to everyone and we answered silently.

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.

(The test questions are used at Johns Hopkins University Hospital, Baltimore, MD, in deciding whether or not a patient is an alcoholic).

[sickinmo]

Here is the official AA website:
http://www.aa.org

Here is an informal website:
http://www.step12.com/

This is the definition of an alcoholic:
http://www.step12.com/alcoholics-definition.html

Hope this helps someone.

[Delusion]

Being an alcoholic is not down to how many drinks you have as such. I can drink many glasses of hard spirits and barely feel it at times whereas my female friend of 5''2' can drink 6 beers and get completely smashed. We both drink completely diffrent amounts but we are both alcoholics. Its more about patterns of drinking rather than the amount consumed.

Alcoholism is an addiction to alcohol. And it is an addiction to a nerve a poison in the case of spirits and anything higher than 30% it is a drug and a drug that everyone consumes completely blind of what its doing to their body and mind.

If you drink daily and its anything above moderate i would say you could be a addict if you get anxious about ceasing these behaviours.

He should go see a doctor.