| If you're reading this article for yourself, then you most | | | | forgetters, especially when it comes to living sober and |
| likely have a drink problem of sorts. Most adults these | | | | purposeful lives of sobriety and relative serenity. This is |
| days are knowledgeable enough to know what's | | | | why so many of them find solace in fellowships such |
| considered safe and unsafe drinking. For the record, | | | | as AA. There's great solidarity found in groups which |
| the official safe alcoholic consumption is 21 units (168g) | | | | bring drunks together so that they may share and |
| a week for men, and just 14 units (112g) a week for | | | | pass on their common solution on what is otherwise a |
| women. Most folks who enjoy a tipple often ignore | | | | progressive and fatal malady. Meeting regularly with |
| these limits. Some exceed the recommended amounts | | | | others for help and support has proved to be a great |
| occasionally, and others exceed them regularly, but still | | | | approach for keeping that plug firmly in the jug. Hanging |
| the average moderate drinker stays well out of the so | | | | out with fellow recovering alcoholics and staying away |
| called danger zone. | | | | from slippery places is by far the best chance of |
| What is an Alcoholic? | | | | abstinence they have. |
| It's estimated that one in ten people in western | | | | But am I an Alcoholic? |
| societies are alcoholic, and there are many others who | | | | Alcoholism is perhaps the only health condition |
| are borderline. But there's a lot more to being an | | | | (recognized as a disease), where the patient diagnose |
| alcoholic than you might think. Some people simply drink | | | | themselves. Only you can determine whether you are |
| far too much far too often, but this does not | | | | a real alcoholic or just someone with a drink issue. |
| necessarily mean they are alcoholic. Such heavy | | | | There are various pamphlets available which allow you |
| drinkers may well have trouble stopping or moderating | | | | to test the level of your problem, but to give you |
| unless there is a real good reason to do so, i.e. a | | | | something to think about in the mean time, take an |
| medical condition, relationship issues, change of job and | | | | honest look at these 7 quick questions below: |
| so on. However, this sort of heavy drinker would be | | | | 1. Are you able to stop drinking once you've started? |
| able to stop on their own providing there was sufficient | | | | 2. Do you find it necessary to drink specifically to get |
| cause or incentive. | | | | drunk on a regular basis? |
| An alcoholic, on the other hand, would probably not | | | | 3. Do other people comment on your drinking? |
| stop drinking if his or her life depended on it. You see, a | | | | 4. Do you drink alone? |
| 'real' alcoholic is of a certain personality type. A | | | | 5. Do you often drink during the day? |
| personality in which they often see themselves as | | | | 6. Do you always find justifiable excuses for not |
| victims! This means they find it difficult to listen to logic | | | | quitting or cutting down? |
| or reason wherever the voice comes from. In fact the | | | | 7. Do you spend more money than you can afford to |
| literature of Alcoholics Anonymous describes a | | | | on drinking? |
| stereotypical alcoholic as someone who is riddled with | | | | These are just a handful of quick questions. If you |
| self. By 'self' they mean; selfish, self-centered, self | | | | answered NO to question 1 or YES to any of the |
| seeking, egotistical, argumentative, and resentful. Such | | | | remaining 6 questions, then it's advisable that you look |
| individuals suffer greatly from denial. A commonplace | | | | into your predicament a little deeper. |
| alcoholic is usually the last person to admit they even | | | | Remember, people drink to excess for all kinds of |
| have a drinking problem, while all those around them | | | | reasons, be that the loss of a loved one, marriage |
| have known it for quite some time. | | | | breakups, a job loss, stress, anxiety ad infinitum, but not |
| Another difference between an actual alcoholic and a | | | | all people continue to drink once they've gotten over |
| heavy or problem drinker is that latter can stop or cut | | | | whatever it was that had them drowning their sorrows |
| right down if there's sufficient reason to (see above). | | | | in the first place. |
| Heavy, regular drinkers may complain about having to | | | | Not everyone can become addicted to the drug |
| stop or limit their alcoholic intake from time to time, but | | | | alcohol simply by drinking to excess. For most average |
| even so, they soon become accustomed to the idea | | | | folks, neither their body nor their mind would allow it. |
| and move on to a life of moderate consumption or | | | | You can lock 10 men in a room and force them to |
| complete teetotalism. The real alcoholic cannot just | | | | drink a quart of scotch a day for a year, but upon |
| stop and stay stopped simply by acquiring fresh | | | | release, 7 of those men couldn't care less whether |
| knowledge and forming new habits. Alcoholics not only | | | | they ever saw another drop of whisky ever again, 2 |
| have to learn to live in sobriety but to also maintain that | | | | might have a problem stopping, but would be able to |
| sobriety if their life is to have any value and success in | | | | with a little help, and only 1 out of the 10 would leave |
| recovery. | | | | there as an alcoholic who craved more of the same |
| It's often said that alcoholics are slow learners and fast | | | | despite the consequences. |