What is Alcoholism?

The Definition of Alcoholism

Alcoholism has existed for centuries. It is not specific to any nation. Alcoholism is not sexist or racist. Alcoholism does not discriminate in any way. The rich, the poor, and everyone in between are potential victims of this disease. Many nations have enacted legislation regarding alcohol, but alcoholism does not adhere to laws.

There are no specific numerical guidelines to determine whether or not someone is an alcoholic. This cannot be measured by the number of alcoholic beverages that one consumes within a certain time frame. Alcoholism is measured by dependency. Some alcoholics take a break from drinking now and then, but not for very long periods of time. Anyone who is mentally and physically unable to refrain from the consumption of alcohol qualifies as an alcoholic.

Who Is At Risk? Who Can Help? Who Can Be Helped?

An alcoholic is someone who is addicted to alcohol. Even if the person quits drinking, they are still considered to be an alcoholic, albeit a “recovering alcoholic.” Why is that? Alcoholism affects one’s mindset regardless of whether or not they continue to consume alcohol. Part of being an alcoholic is the fact that even if the alcoholic ceases to consume alcohol, there is always that danger and knowledge that the consumption of merely one alcoholic beverage has the potential to draw the person back into a dependency on the substance.

Alcoholism has been defined as a disease. Just like any other disease, it affects entire families. It hurts friends of those who carry the disease, and it affects every aspect of the life of the carrier of the disease. Alcoholism frequently prevents people from maintaining permanent employment and supporting their families. Alcoholism ruins important relationships as their loved ones strive to be understanding but become weighed down as they are forced to take on the responsibilities of the alcoholic, thus having to carry the burden of extra responsibility in an already stressful environment.

Alcoholism is a DISEASE

Alcoholism is indeed a disease, but it is also a financial drain and a detour from realizing one’s hopes, dreams, and goals.

Loved ones frequently find themselves in the uncomfortable position of having to make excuses for the alcoholic because it is common for an alcoholic to misappropriate his or her priorities.

Many use alcohol as a crutch - that is, something to lean on whenever times are hard. The problem is that alcoholics will constantly come up with reasons to drink, when really they are just feeding their alcoholism.

When they are sad, depressed, or simply trying to ease the normal stresses of life, they consume alcohol. Yet alcohol is also used to celebrate. Every holiday is a cause for celebrating. Many alcoholics create holidays as a reason to drink, and many will celebrate the smallest achievement by consuming alcohol. While using alcohol as a crutch for the hard times or sad experience, they also use alcohol for celebration. What is the problem with this contradiction? The problem is that people are usually either happy or sad, and almost always facing some type of stress, which means that alcoholics subconsciously have found justification for non-stop consumption.

On days when the happy or sad factor does not apply, they might find boredom as the justification to drink. Or on the contrary, they might constantly be doing constructive things around the house and yard as justification to consume alcohol as well. What’s the problem if they are getting things done?

The problem remains that no matter how much an alcoholic might accomplish, they are trapped in an endless cycle of self-harm and have built a subconscious system of justification.

Even if an alcoholic realizes the affect that they have on themselves and others, it is not simply a question of caring enough to stop consuming alcohol. Just like any disease, alcoholism requires a complex system of treatment to cure. And if not treated, alcoholism has the potential of causing an unlimited number of health problems. Alcohol directly affects the functioning of the liver and can be responsible for early aging and constant dehydration among other issues.

Many alcoholics have been faced with the ultimatum of having to choose people or choose alcohol. Most alcoholics are good people who happen to have a disease. No matter what they want to choose, just as with an illness, they do not necessarily have a choice.

The best and most brilliant, even ingenious people have the potential to become alcoholics. Alcoholism in no way reflects who anyone is as a person. It can happen to anyone. Someone’s personality might drastically change as an effect of the alcoholism but somewhere under the surface the true person remains, wanting and wishing to get back to a better time and place—a time before the alcoholism found them.

It is widely known that an alcoholic must first realize and be able to admit that they have a problem before they are able to heal. But it is not as well known that the alcoholic must want to change for personal reasons, and are not able to cease from drinking simply because another person needs them to stop. Recovery is only possible when the alcoholic desperately wants to find a cure.

Available Help for Alcoholics

There are a lot of resources for alcoholics to utilize if they truly desire to take a step towards an important life change. First of all, if someone feels that they have a problem or that they are in immediate danger of acquiring a problem, there are several places that they can go to find people who have had similar experiences.

It is important for people to know that they are not alone in their struggle and that being an alcoholic does not mean that they are a bad person. Many prominent people have struggled with the disease. But every person is special and has a contribution to make to the world. Whether online or in person, there are help groups, articles and forums full of people who care and who will support others who are seeking assistance.

Some people are more comfortable speaking to a close friend. Many people find it helpful to speak to people who they do not know personally because they are embarrassed to confide their problem to their friends. The most important thing is to reach out to someone.

Alcoholism might be a disease, but it has a cure. There is even hope for those who suffer the disease in the worst degree. Unlike diseases that can only be cured by treatment from doctors, alcoholism can be treated by ordinary people who will listen and help the alcoholic through the worst battles on the path to recovery.

Ordinary people are the crusaders of battling alcoholism. So many people have gone through the struggles themselves and learned how to handle the many issues that one might face when in recovery. One of the best traits of confiding in alcoholism help groups is that the members of the group are very non-judgmental. That is a characteristic that it can be hard to acquire from friends and family no matter how sincere their intentions may be.

It is always inspiring to celebrate one’s accomplishments, and this rings true for alcoholics as well. One of the most precious aspects of the help groups is that they celebrate abstinence, whether it is for one month or ten years. Each day is another success and a new reason to celebrate - alcohol free.