When does it switch from heavy drinker to alcoholism?

[Isthisalcoholism]

Drinking a bottle and a half of wine at home on your own of an evening just as a matter of course and being seemingly unaffected...this isn't normal is it?

I've just skim read this, but it seems quite a good explanation:

www.addictioncampuses.com/blog/drinking-alone-alcoholic/

Every evening? incredibly dangerous and expensive.

Before I became a single parent I didn't drink alcohol. I never felt the urge to go there. After Ex left me in the pits of hell I opened a bottle of wine and haven't looked back, and let me tell you I can see how easy it is to become dependant. I totally get it. There are times (when I have a bit more money) when I'll be drinking half a bottle per night. Every night. Then I get angry with myself and have actually poured the wine down the sink and had a few weeks off. I've never been out and binged. Never drink spirits. Not that I think that justifies it!

At the moment I drink 2 bottles a week over Thursday-Sunday. I look forward to it all week the sad lonely spinster that I am . It makes me feel good and happy and positive. Nothing else does at the moment.

A reasonable bottle of wine is what? £10?

So even if your tastes are basic that’s £15 a night.

That’s 5.5k per year. Not including social evenings or special occasions where you might drink more or more expensive drinks..

That’s 20% of my income..

Probably not much different cost wise to a 20/day smoking habit?

I certainly don’t have that kind of money. Unless you have a very good income, i’d say anyone spending that kind of money on alcohol has an issue...

That’s a bloody good family holiday. And if you’d forgo that in favour of wine- that’s a problem to me. I’d be very, very pissed off if DH drank that kind of money.

Alcohol should be a treat, not a nightly occurrence.

We have recently discovered that a close family member has developed an alcohol use disorder over a relatively short time. Totally secret and alone drinking - previously light social drinker, binges at what became increasingly more frequent intervals. Could frequently go for a week in an alcohol free environment without any difficulty - but back home, drank to dangerous levels to black out.

Started as a coping mechanism for depression and anxiety but then fed the depression 10 fold and caused a whole load of problems including relationship and employment. The denial, the promises, the refusal to engage. Finally, there is some hope with proper Professional treatment now being involved but no one is under any illusion that it is going to be straightforward or easy.

I see alcohol as a poison now.

My friend was spending €90 on wine per week - €4680 and smoked ( since given up) at least 20 cigarettes a day €4015. Thats €8695 per year approximately after tax and would be whinging that they hadn't money to spare. They were living off with one of their parents at the time. They're in a professional job.
They have given up the cigarettes but not the wine.

What about people who live alone? They can’t have a glass of wine with dinner?

But noone is talking about one glass of wine. The topic of the thread was someone drinking a bottle and a half of wine a night. That is a HUGE amount of alcohol every night and is going to affect health in a very negative way. The reason drinking alone has been brought up is purely because if you are a functioning alcoholic you are more likely to drink alone because you feel shame allowing others to see the vast amounts you are putting away. Hence why people have said in this very thread that they know people who hide bottles from their partners/friends to cover up the amount they are drinking.

Now, one glass of wine a night doesnt sound much, however, if you are dependent on that one glass of wine and are unable to forgo it then I would argue that does indicate a form of addiction. Not to mention, the effects of one glass won't last long- soon you'll have to have 2 glasses to get the same buzz and then 3 and so on. Thats how alcoholism escalates.

I prefer to drink alone. I'm married with 3 kids so it's not that often. If I do have a rare alone night I buy snacks and an expensive bottle of wine and it's all MINE.
My DF and DB were both alcoholics so I suppose I'm conscious of liking it too much. I do drink the odd glass when the family are around as well but regularly have dry spells if I feel it's building up.

9 units in a bottle - that’s a lot if you binge drink it all. Unwise if you (like I do) have alcohol issues in your family.

The question of addition is an interesting one. I could argue that I am a sugar addict - I have very little ability to control my sugar intake - I think about sugar and eating it a lot, so I don't have any for a while (difficult initially) it's fine - I can stop thinking about it.
A Personal Trainer I know who likes to think they are well read is adamant that sugar addiction is a myth and believes eating suagr moderately is better (something I seem unable to do) - but replace sugar with alcohol in my situation and no one would question my addiction.

Essentially the term alcoholic needs to disappear. The varying opinions on what constitutes one on this thread alone shows that clearly.

What might be seen as a signal in one person that they have an issue, cannot be said to be proof of an issue in someone else.

Alcohol use disorders have a wide spectrum.

The fact is far more people in the UK have disordered drinking than would ever admit it.

Anyone drinking daily needs to look at themselves, as do those who don't drink daily but do drink excessively regularly. Different sides of one spectrum.

That is interesting midwinter. I know someone who is the same with sugar; all or nothing!

I have heard of food addiction, but do wonder about that one. I mean, you need food to function. It's a bit like saying you're addicted to breathing or addicted to water. But I can definitely see how it becomes an issue; eating disorders etc. Addicted to binging or addicted to losing weight...

We are complicated creatures!

When they can't and won't stop, it's definitely alcoholism. Attempting to stop without professional support leads to unpleasant withdrawal symptoms like the shakes - and worse.

Not showing the effects of drinking is due to alcohol tolerance. Usually, high tolerance to alcohol is due to habitual consumption of a regular quantity. Tolerance to alcohol typically drops when you have a gap in consumption. If you abstain for a while, it will drop to your natural level.

A bottle and a half of wine in one night is a binge drinking session. It could be an indicator of alcoholism. However, you'd need to check whether they are voluntarily "dry" at other times.

We are complicated creatures! We are - and totally agree that the term alcoholic is very unhelpful - impact of drinking and reducing the impact of drinking is much more helpful.

My parents were both heavy drinkers. When my mother drank - she became paranoid, angry and aggressive. My Dad slept or became chatty. It was my Mum's drinking that we all found more problematic and had greater impact.

A bottle and a half of wine?

My instincts, very roughly:

once a week - almost certainly fine;
2 times a week - I'm not sure;
3+ times a week - definite cause for at least some concern.