how do you know if you're an alcoholic

How to know if you have an addiction to alcohol/are an alcoholic? I don't drink everyday and haven't had a drink in over a year and don't plan on drinking again. My therapist, who is an avid AA member..and a very good therapist..believes that from my past drinking habits I show serious signs of an alcoholic addictive personality. I wasn't an everyday drinker, but I have a high tolerance and could throw them back and I always had to drink a good amount when I did drink. I have had 5 blackouts before due to drinking too much in a short amount of time with little to nothing on my stomach.

I don't have an answer to this, but for me, there was a time in my life where I was drinking at 7am before work and after work. I was always mixing alcohol in bottles of snapple and taking them with me everywhere I went. I always wanted to be drunk and stay drunk.

I think for me being an alcoholic is needed it all the time, and wanting to always be numb.

I still drink every now and then, but just for a buzz not to pass out or anything like I used to.

First off "Alcoholic" is not a medical term, the DSM refers to substance abuse disorders. From what you've described you would meet the criteria for substance abuse, subtype binge drinking.

But since you've stopped drinking and say you have no intention of drinking again, then you have nothing to worry about. You stopped for whatever reason and were obviously not far enough along the addiction spectrum to need help doing so, so congratulations. I wouldn't worry about labeling yourself unless you find it helpful.

Addictive personality is also not an official diagnosis, the question is have you replaced the alcohol with some other activity or substance that you use / do in an unhealthy way to get the same effects as alcohol. If the answer is yes, then you may have become cross addicted, which is really easy and common.

I'd ask your therapist why it is so important for them to label you in this way.

splitimage

I decided I was an alcoholic after several attempts to moderate my drinking. I couldn't have just one or two (or two and a half!). I found that when I started, I just couldn't make myself stop. I didn't drink every day (although close to it) and I didn't HAVE to drink. I just could never control it, and it was starting to cause problems in my life. I would do things I didn't want to do when I was drunk. I started getting in trouble for being "sick" at work so often. I was getting so that I'd rather go hang out and drink than do anything else. I could quit any time I wanted to, but any time I picked up a drink, I was off to the races...

Not trying to be simplistic, but to me, if you are in control of your drinking instead of the alcohol being in control of your drinking, then more than likely you are NOT an alcoholic.

People can abuse alcohol though without ever becoming a full blown alcoholic.

Bottom line if it makes you feel crappy about yourself and begins to interfere with work and everything else in your life to the extent that it takes precedence over everything including the people you love, then you have a problem with alcohol and may actually be an alcoholic.



ps. My father was sober as a judge Mon-Fri, but come the weekend he was drunk as a cooter and about as useless as tits on a boar. That too is considered alcoholic ... He was a high functioning one, as we was able to run a multi-million dollar company, but he sure did sacrifice the family on the weekends by getting lost in his benders ... Also functional as a deacon and elder in our church, a freemason and big contributor to the masonic home for orphaned children. OMG! did he ever have a lot of people bamboozled ... !!!

I am now in AA, but this is what I went through. I would wake up and start drinking until I went to bed. Drinking about 2 5ths a day. Or wake up go to work hung over and thinking that whole day about my drink and when I went home I drank from then until I went to bed. It got bad in Vegas---oooh out every night, emotionally and putting my family in harms way. I didn't care. All I cared about was that bottle! People would ask what I liked to do and I had to make up stuff and I didn't know because you couldn't come out and say you loved to drink! What a horrible time it was as I see it now so why do I pick up anything such as a mike's or a shot? It ruined my life and I don't want to go thru it and put my family thru it again. So I am back in AA and have prayers out for me. That's how u know you are an alcoholic---some of the things. But I wouldn't worry since your last drink was a year ago-----way to go and I cant wait to be able to say that. But still confused on why I would still want to pick up that shot 2 weeks ago and mike's it ruined my life????