What is considered an alcoholic? (2023)

What is the true definition of an alcoholic?

Alcoholism is a term used to describe the most serious form of problem drinking at a level that causes harm to your health. It describes a strong, often uncontrollable, desire to drink.

Alcohols bind with other atoms to create secondary alcohols. These secondary alcohols are the three types of alcohol that humans use every day: methanol, isopropanol, and ethanol.

For women, it's having more than three drinks a day or seven a week. For men, it's four or more per day or 14 a week. If you drink more than the daily or weekly limit, you're at risk. That's not the only way to tell if you or someone you care about needs help.

Type 1 alcoholism occurred in both men and women, usually starting at an early age, affecting individuals with few social and legal problems, and causing either mild or severe alcohol dependence.

"While there are a number of variables, typically having a drink every night does not necessarily equate to alcohol use disorder, but it can increase the risk of developing alcohol-related health problems," Lawrence Weinstein, MD, Chief Medical Officer at American Addiction Centers tells WebMD Connect to Care.

Heavy Alcohol Use:

For men, consuming more than 4 drinks on any day or more than 14 drinks per week. For women, consuming more than 3 drinks on any day or more than 7 drinks per week.

Is Getting drunk once a week too much?

Heavy drinking – even binging one or two nights a week – is harmful for your health, according to Dr. Bulat. Consequences like liver damage, blood pressure issues along with vomiting and seizures from excessive drinking can all occur if you consume too much.

However, there are subtle differences between heavy drinking and alcoholism. Problem drinking is associated with someone who drinks too much, too often, or during inappropriate situations. Alcoholism, on the other hand, is a complex disease characterized by compulsive drinking regardless of negative consequences.

Research has shown that the two genes ADH1B and ALDH2, which control alcohol metabolism, are key factors in developing alcoholism along with several others. Some who do not have genetic risk factors may develop alcoholism if raised in an environment that encourages or normalizes maladaptive drinking behaviors.

People are considered to be heavy drinkers if they binge drink on at least five days in a given month. Gray area drinkers consume more than what is considered to be moderate drinking. While their drinking levels may be risky, they do not yet fulfill criteria for an alcohol use disorder.

Specific markers for chronic alcohol use are carbohydrate-deficient transferrin (CDT) and phosphatidylethanol (PEth). Nonspecific markers include gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alanine aminotransferase (ALT).

Wanting to stop drinking but not managing to do so. Diverting energy from work, family, and social life in order to drink. Being secretive about the extent of the alcohol misuse in order to protect it. Engaging in risky behavior, such as drunk driving.

Generally, alcoholics seem to have the same kinds of personalities as everybody else, except more so. The first is a low frustration tolerance. Alcoholics seem to experience more distress when enduring long-term dysphoria or when tiresome things do not work out quickly. Alcoholics are more impulsive than most.

"While there are a number of variables, typically having a drink every night does not necessarily equate to alcohol use disorder, but it can increase the risk of developing alcohol-related health problems," Lawrence Weinstein, MD, Chief Medical Officer at American Addiction Centers tells WebMD Connect to Care.

“This study shows that, contrary to popular opinion, most people who drink too much are not alcohol dependent or alcoholics,” said Robert Brewer, M.D., M.S.P.H., Alcohol Program Lead at CDC and one of the report's authors.

Does drinking everyday make you an alcoholic?

Nine in 10 adults who drink too much alcohol are not alcoholics or alcohol dependent, according to a new study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in collaboration with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

Heavy drinking, defined as 8 or more drinks per week for a woman or 15 or more drinks per week for a man. Any alcohol use by pregnant women or anyone younger than 21.