What’s the difference between an alcoholic and a heavy drinker? I have a friend who is an alcoholism counselor here in the good ole USA, who says that if you have to ask the question, you are probably in trouble.Is this a question that has been lurking at the back of your mind lately? If so, here are some facts that might interest you.

Most people don’t think about such things. In fact a stunning 48% of the adult American population drinks zero, zip, nada, or at most has a glass of champagne at a wedding or a spiked eggnog at the annual office Christmas party just to be polite. Of those who do drink, the majority drink moderately or occasionally. The dirty little secret of the American liquor industry is that 10% of the drinkers account for 70% of alcohol sales, and those are the folks who drink early and often and never in moderation.

Now, we Americans are a pretty puritanical lot, but the point is that most people do not abuse alcohol and therefore never give any thought to whether or not they are drinking too much. They simply know they are not.It’s just a small percentage that has anything to worry about and an even smaller percentage that ends up dead or in rehab.

The High School and College Crowd

The statistics are a bit different for the high school and college crowd. Young people between the ages of 16 and 24 drink more than anybody else and are big binge drinkers( a binge being defined as downing more than five drinks in one sitting) This is the time of life for beer bongs and Saturday night keggers, but most people calm down once they are out in the real workaday world and jobs, marriage and children tend to sober them up. Only a few keep on partying into their thirties and beyond– and at some point, these few start to worry that maybe their drinking is getting out of hand and maybe, just maybe, it is.

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A Test for Alcoholism

So what is the difference between a heavy drinker and an alcoholic? The answer seems to lie in the dynamics of addiction. It’s a long way from getting soused every Saturday night to skid row, but it is a clear path and a downward spiral and as we all know, alcoholism is a progressive illness. Once you are addicted, there is no place to go but down. Addiction, both physical and psychological, is about loss of control. If, in your secret heart of hearts you have ever feared that your drinking might be getting ahead of you , here are a couple of things you might want to ask yourself.

Have you ever sworn you would not drink and then ended up with a drink in your hand?
Have you ever sat down to have just one beer and ended up drunk?
Has anyone–either at work or a family member, ever commented negatively on your drinking?
Do you assume that everybody drinks and that most people get drunk and that people who don’t are no fun to be around?
Do you ever try to hide how much you drink( as in do you ever take those trash cans full of empty’s to the dump rather than leave them for the regular collection or do you ever buy your booze at more than one liquor store so that the owners won’t think you drink too much?)
Do you drink: every day, alone, or in the morning?
Does the idea of having to live without alcohol seem scary?
Do you physically crave a drink at a certain time of day and get irritable if you can’t have one?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you could well be in trouble. Just for the record, moderate drinking is officially defined as: 2 drinks a night for a man, one for a woman and binge drinking is defined as more than five drinks at one sitting. If you spill more than that on Saturday night, or have a family member who does, have a look at the video above and the links at the bottom of this article for a quick overview of the basics on alcoholism.

Think you can quit anytime you want but just like to drink to unwind ? You can prove it to yourself and to the world by taking a little test. I urge you to try the following experiment if you are concerned about your drinking. It is a surefire way to separate the folks who just like to party, from those who are truly abusing alcohol and are on their way to serious abuse and physical addiction. If you have the guts to take on this experiment honestly and with an open mind, you might find out something very interesting about yourself. Wouldn’t it be nice to know one way or the other so you could stop worrying?

The Alcoholism Experiment

For the next week have no alcohol except for one five ounce glass of wine with dinner. If you don’t like wine with your dinner, you can have one 12 oz bottle of beer instead. If you prefer spirits to wine or beer, you can substitute a one and one half ounce shot of whiskey before dinner for the wine or beer but…. you can choose only one of these three options, and once you’ve chosen you must stick with your choice. You can’t change around and have beer one night, wine the next etc. Also, you cannot skip a night or have nothing one night and two beers the next etc. Just FYI a five oz. glass of wine, a 12 oz glass of beer and a 1 and 1/2 shot of whiskey all have the same amount of alcohol so whatever you choose, you will be getting the same amount of alcohol, it’s just a question of what appeals to you. Follow these directions exactly– only one drink of whatever you choose for one entire week.

And that folks, is the way you can tell a heavy drinker from an alcoholic. It’s a useful test that separates the sheep from the goats very handily. Those who are in even the early stages of addiction will not be able to pass the test. Those who really can take it or leave it will have no problem. What do you think. Want to give it a try, or does the very idea put a meat hook in your tum tum?

Cheers and here’s mud in your eye.:-)

Links to Alcoholism Resources
Alcoholism Recovery – LoveToKnow Recovery
How recovery from alcoholism begins and what it is like from the alcoholic’s perspective
Alcohol Research and Statistics
Reference materials and data tables on the effects alcohol, alcoholism, drunk driving, health issues and more.
Teenage Alcohol Statistics
Statistics on alcohol use by teenagers and youth. Data from studies show that alcohol is, by far, the most abused drug by teenagers which leads to death, impaired brain development and myriad social problems.

Question by crushabitrollituptakeahit: Teenage Alcoholism? Is it possible?
Hi im 15 and i find i drink more than i should maybe. i at least have 1 – 1/2 cups of strong alcohol (37-40%) a day. I don’t drink cause i technically need it. i drink to feel more comfortable. i don’t know if this is a problem or not. i think i could stop but its more convenient to continue in my opinion. (btw, i get the alcohol from my parents liquor cabnit). Thanks!
1. yes i have had blackouts
2. no not really. but when its available yes
3. idk

Best answer:

Answer by Betty
Possible? Yes it is. Being an “alcoholic” does not mean you need it. It simply means you are addicted to it. And yes, alcoholics will say the same thing you just said: they drink to feel more comfortable. Are you addicted? Only you can answer that question.

1) Have you ever had a blackout?
2) Do you ever think about or talk about drinking when you are sober?
3) Could you stop drinking, right now, for the rest of your life and be 100% OK with that?

If you answered yes to the first two questions and no to the last question, there is a good probability that you are addicted.

What do you think? Answer below!

Teenage drug and alcohol addiction are the two main woes of parents all over the world. Together with adolescent alcohol treatment centers and drug rehabilitation centers, they intend to win back their children’s life. With the growing number of teenage girls falling into alcohol addiction, addiction recovery for girl’s alcohol abuse is designed to help teenage girls battle their addiction.

Known as alcoholism, this dependency or abuse is a form of addiction. Unlike drug addiction wherein a person becomes dependent on drugs, alcoholism is the person’s dependency on alcohol.

For quite sometime now, a drinking abuse is considered a disease, not only from a medical view, but also from a social view. However, unlike other diseases, this disease is self-inflicted and can still be cured by following an alcohol treatment program.

A chemical abusive person is typically called alcoholic rather than an addict. Since this abuse doesn’t have any age limit, it only means that even teenagers or adolescents can over use this liquid.

Nowadays, despite the law that forbids vendors to sell drinks to minors, the statistics in teenage chemical abuse is rapidly growing. Sadly, this is problem doesn’t just concern boys, but, girls too are involved in this addiction.

A chemical dependency causes a person to be less productive. This side effect loses a person his job but not his alcohol needs. Because of his strong need to drink, a person could end up extorting, robbing or bullying others or causing trouble to others even with his family, just to satisfy his need.

In case of teenage drinking, teenagers are being robbed of a promising future. It could result into failing grades or missing their classes. Moreover, their relationship with others would suffer too. The psychological effect of this disease could make turn a sweet teenage into a problem child. He can be violent, irate or isolated. An adolescent female could end up getting pregnant or worst, raped or beaten up. Alcoholic teenagers could also end up taking drugs.

All of these side effects and possible threats in the life of teenagers call for an adolescent alcohol treatment.

Treatment for substance abuse is offered in rehabilitation centers. Different programs are provided to the patient and their family depending on the degree of addiction. Clinics provide treatment counseling to determine which kind of medication and program an alcoholic should take and must follow.

Addiction recovery for girls and boys are not completely the same. This is the reason why certain drug and alcohol treatment centers exist for girls. Their recovery program includes a treatment facilities that would aid young women to combat and resist their addiction.

A residential treatment center for teenage girls is also a much preferred form of treatment offered by private treatment centers. Their aim is to train young girls to be independent and focus their energy in doing productive activities. As part of adolescent treatment, useful skill and adventure based treatments are given to the teenagers.

Alcoholics are not hopeless. They can still have a future, especially teenagers. Through the combined support coming from the patient’s family, friends and treatment centers, they can still make it. There is no better time to enroll your kid in adolescent alcohol treatment program. Who knows tomorrow may be too late.

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Alcohol Health Effects On Teenagers

The consumption of alcohol among teens is becoming so regular that most of them think that there is no party worth going to, if there is no booze. Teen treatment centers who treat alcohol related cases have stated that in the year 2009, there were as much as 16 percent of teenagers who were heavily intoxicated by this drink. There are also reports which say that there are some teens who drink more than 5 rounds of drink a day; this percentage is somewhere around 7-9 percent.

Though alcohol addiction can cause a large number of health problems; it is during teenage that alcohol can cause a lot of harm. This is because the body is still is being developed into an adult form and there are too many physical and mental changes happening in the body. Drinking alcohol can stop and even derail this development, causing a lot of problems in the process. The liver is affected; the kidneys can be damaged and there can be premature ageing due to drinking so early in life. Also drinking can lead to impotence in boys and loss of libido in girls over a long-term basis. Teens tend to suffer from loss of energy both mentally and physically due to this habit and most of them give up easily on their work at such a young age because they do not fit, as the alcohol has progressive weakened their system and their immunity. Alcohol Health Effects On Teenagers

Alcohol is a global demon, and teens are usually affected by this problem. In countries like the US, UK, South Africa, India, Australia, teens have often being caught by the law for crushing someone to death by drinking and driving. Most of the road accidents are caused by people in their teens driving under the influence of alcohol according to teen treatment centers.

Crimes of passion among the youth are also a manifestation of alcohol drinking. Under the influence of alcohol, a person can lose his inhibitions, leak out something that is meant to be kept under cover, do sexual crimes and even kill someone due to a fit of rage. Cases of rape and sexual molestation are high among teens because boys tend to use alcohol as a bait to lure girls and bed them. Alcohol can mix easily into the blood-stream of girls since they have high body fat percentage. Cases of unwanted pregnancies, abortions, rape and even sexually transmitted disease and HIV/AIDS are high among teens practicing sexual activity after alcohol consumption.

Alcohol addiction is to be blamed for declining grades among the ones who are taken to drinking. This form of addiction can hamper the concentration and interest for studying and work. Teen rehab centers have also said that teens move towards drugs as a natural extension of alcohol addiction. Deadly habits like mixing drugs with alcohol that can lead to fatal repercussions are also practiced. There have been cases of teens committing suicides and even choking on their vomit and dying. So do not take any chance, in case you feel that you are addicted to alcohol and are still in your teens, there is help at a nearby teen treatment center. Alcohol Health Effects On Teenagers

Question by Believer: Teenage alcoholism. How can you convince a teenager who just started drinking to give up this dangerous habit?

Best answer:

Answer by michael68701
Take him to an autopsy

Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!

Teenage binge drinking is one of the biggest banes of modern societies. Increased prosperity, easy access to alcohol, reduced price of alcohol and proliferation of pubs with licence to operate through the night are some of the key reasons for increased teenage drinking problems. Increased peer pressure and the need to look “cool” amongst a group of friends are other reasons of increased teenage alcohol abuse. Let us look at some symptoms to check if your teenager is addicted to drinking:

Disruptive Behaviour: Teenage binge drinking is often associated with disruptive behaviour. Binge drinking often happens outside the home at night clubs and often after having drunk several glasses or bottles of alcohol your teenager might lose control and enter into street fights, many vomit in public and others hurt themselves or others unknowingly. Police complaints or visits to accident and emergency section of hospitals could become a regular feature for you with teenage drinking problems. Teenage alcohol abuse can also lead to serious accidents if your teenager gets involved in fights with friends or other people at the night club.

Risk Taking: Teenage alcohol abuse is also associated with increased risk taking and teenagers are more prone to drinking and driving, stealing from home and taking loans from friends to fuel their addiction.

Increased Alcohol Tolerance: Teenage binge drinking also results in increased tolerance of alcohol. You will notice that in social gatherings and parties your teenager displays exceptional capacity to drink and remain sober. Teenage drinking problems are also associated more frequent outings and visits to nightclubs and bars.

Lack of Control: Another symptom of teenage binge drinking is your teenager’s inability to stop drinking once they have started. Teenage alcohol abuse is usually associated with regular vomiting after drinking and complete loss of control of body, thoughts, speech and actions. When this is pointed out, they may accept that they have a problem, but are unable to do anything to overcome it. 

Withdrawal Symptoms: Teenage binge drinking also results in several withdrawal symptoms like anxiety, sweating, nausea, vomiting, insomnia, depression and loss of appetite or fatigue. , Under advanced cases of teenage alcohol abuse your teenager may also get withdrawal symptoms such as hallucinations, confusion, seizures or fever. These are advanced cases and if you do notice these symptoms, you should talk to a doctor immediately.

In the book “Solving Teenage Problems” several tips to deal with alcohol abuse have been provided. Teenage binge drinking needs to be curbed else we will end up building a society of socially disruptive individuals with little sense of responsibility and accountability. Early education and open relationship are crucial to avoid teenage drinking problems.

A girl wakes up with an unpleasant surprise after a long night of drinking This video was made for a Scholarship. Watch part 2 www.youtube.com
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