"I prefer to think that God is not dead, just drunk." ~John Marcellus Huston
I, personally, only drink socially. Never have I sat alone and drank. Have I entertained the idea? Oh, yeah. Especially during writers block. Everyone knows some of the biggest geniuses were alcoholics or drug addicts (or just plain crazy)... but I haven't been able to bring myself to do it in fear of becoming my mother.
Now I'm not calling her an alcoholic per say but she is one of the main people that makes me wonder where the line between these two things should be drawn...
I've once asked her "Mum, do you think you're an alcoholic?" to which she replied, very defensively, "No. There's nothing wrong with having a drink in the house."
The key phrase there would be a drink which for her is equal to many drinks.
Granted she's never gotten violent and I've never found her passed out on the floor in a puddle of her own vomit, I don't think that automatically makes her innocent of alcoholism.
Medical Definition
Alcoholism is the popular term for alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence. These disorders involve repeated life problems that can be directly attributed to the use of alcohol. Both disorders can have serious consequences, affecting an individual's health and personal life, as well as having an impact on society at large
Another DefinitionHabitual intoxication; prolonged and excessive intake of alcoholic drinks leading to a breakdown in health and an addiction to alcohol such that abrupt deprivation leads to severe withdrawal symptoms
Dependency, prolonged and excessive intake - by these definitions I would make a definite associations between alcoholism and my mother.
But this is just my opinion. Personally, I believe if you drink say... 4 to 7 gin and tonics every night (more when you go to the bar earlier that night) while you're watching t.v. by yourself then yes, you are in fact an alcoholic.
There are those (including my mother) who would challenge me on this diagnosis and I welcome that.
What do you think makes someone an alcoholic as opposed to just a drinker?
Well, in the words of my alcoholic father,
ReplyDelete"I'm not an alcoholic-I'm a drunk. An alcoholic is someone who lets drinking get in the way of his work.
A drunk is someone who lets work get in the way of his drinking."
-SgtPossum
"I, personally, only drink socially." ~ You
ReplyDeleteI thought you had to be 21 to drink in America? Someone couldn't wait, huh? DRUNK! Just kidding, ya lush. ;)
You know you're a drunk when you tell yourself that imbibing will not harm your unborn fetus. That's what happened with my friend's mom. Now my friend is unable to grasp the concept of fractions. He blames it on the fetal alcohol syndrome. His mom blames it on the lead paint he enjoyed ingesting as a child.
an alcoholic can be anyone, like when i get totally wasted at a wedding im an alcoholic.
ReplyDeletethe thing is ...its not about the booze if youre a true alky,