Is there a difference between a drinking problem and being an alcoholic?

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I heard someone say that there is a difference and they said when you have a drinking problem, your drinking basically causes negativity in your life such as fights, arguments, etc so it's not like you're drinking all the time, but when you do, it causes problems. Then they continued with how it's totally different from an alcoholic where an alcoholic is someone who is simply addicted to drinking. For me, it totally made sense. I used to think both were the same but when that person explained it I was amazed. Saying "I have a drinking problem" or someone saying "you have a drinking problem" doesn't sound so bad anymore. But then you think, okay...when does drinking ever lead to something good?
usually it's just bad news and depends on how you view it. So do you agree? and if not, why not? As said before, I think this makes total sense to me.

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Based on 5 votes (2 yes)
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Comments ( 7 )
  • UDl_TONGUES_MY_ANUS
    6 years ago

    Im too drunk to read this tbh

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  • edf203
    6 years ago

    I've had a drinking problem, but I've never been an alcoholic. Some people are genetically predisposed to alcoholism, and some aren't. I must have gotten lucky because there was a while where I had depression and was at the bar every single day. I was basically either working or hammered. I was always dehydrated and lethargic, and a huge chunk of my income went to alcohol. Nevertheless, there were times where I'd run out of money for a week and couldn't drink, so I'd stop cold turkey, but I never got withdrawal symptoms or physical cravings - just the usual psychological need to numb myself.

    That being said, if you're wondering this you probably drink too much. Try smoking some pot. That helped me a ton.

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  • Ratmanwakes
    6 years ago

    You are a alcoholic. Stop rationalizing fuck brain.

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  • Banaynaybee
    6 years ago

    There are two types of alcoholics.
    One is a person who drinks every day. Maybe Dad comes home from work and has 3 beers every night before bed. Doesn't mattter if he gets waisted or not.
    He's an alcoholic bc he
    Wants/needs it every day.
    No exception. He would be a functioning alcoholic. But he does not have the self control to ever skip his beer.

    The second type of alcoholic is a person who can not stop drinking once they've started until they reach complete intoxication. They say they're going out for A (ONE) drink and go home waisted. They cannot control the desire to keep going. They do not have the self control to go home after one drink.

    I do agree that having a drinking problem can be different than being an alcoholic in some situations. I say this only because all alcoholics have a drinking prob. One can't go without a drink for even a day (that's definitely a problem) and the other can not ever cut them self off (also
    A proplem)!

    Bottom line is that alcoholics have drinking problems that make them alcoholics. If someone has a drinking problem then they should think about how often they drink, why they drink, if
    They can go for extended and what changes they need to make to prevent becoming an alcoholic.

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  • barstool
    6 years ago

    I agree. Basically, I think there are way too many shades of grey in terms of drinking habits for one label to apply - and especially when that label doesn't help anyone.

    Some people are quick to label anyone who has a drinking problem an "alcoholic", implying they will have this problem forever, they have no control over it etc. And that's not always true or helpful.
    I had a drinking problem for years, but don't consider myself an alcoholic. The only times I feel that label would have applied to me was when I was physically addicted to alcohol. But I don't buy into the lifelong struggle, aa mentality.

    So yeah, I agree from experience and I think blanket labels can sometimes be disempowering.

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    • Anonymous Post Author
      6 years ago

      Why do you think you had a drinking problem?

      Also, I didn't mention this on the post, but is it still a drinking problem if it only negatively impacts some of your life? For example, you drink with a particular group of friends and everythings fine and fun but with another group like other friends and family things always go wrong. Do you have a drinking problem? or no because it depends on who you're with and where?

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      • barstool
        6 years ago

        That sounds like it has more to do with the group of people, to be honest.
        In that example, if you weren't drinking, would things still go wrong with that other group?
        Cos I think it depends. If problems are arising as a direct result of someone's drinking, then maybe they have a drinking problem. And if someone can't stop drinking even if they want to, then it's a problem. Those are the two main criteria, in my mind.

        But in that example, I can't say either way. I'd want to know more about the person's habits, like do they drink alone? How often/how much do they drink? That kind of thing.

        For me, it was a problem because drinking was coming at the expense of everything else (relationships, jobs, family, money etc). For me, a LOT of things were obviously impacted. But if only *some* aspects of life were affected, it would be harder to draw the line.
        I would be asking questions like, how often do you do things you regret because of alcohol? Would you be able to stop? Are you able to socialise and function without alcohol?
        Is there anything else that makes you suspect that person might have a drinking problem? (Not sure if that was just a hypothetical)

        And also, people are complicated. Like, usually people already have problems, so they drink because of that, then drinking can become a problem. So sometimes, it's not just that there's a 'drinking problem', it's more like the drinking is a symptom, it's just self-medication to mask other problems.

        So..eh, I dunno. Not a very definitive answer, I'm sorry.

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