4 ms·

I once commented on Reddit that one beer per day theoretically makes you an alcoholic. To date that is my comment with the most down votes, with a net karma of

by fho 4y ago

I once commented on Reddit that one beer per day theoretically makes you an alcoholic. To date that is my comment with the most down votes, with a net karma of minus several thousand points. Apparently there is a large crowd out there for whom one beer per day is seen as perfectly acceptable.

Goronmon 4y ago
Apparently there is a large crowd out there for whom one beer per day is seen as perfectly acceptable. Regardless of judgement about what is "acceptable", the idea that a beer a day makes one an alcoholic severely downplays how serious alcoholism actually is. Not to mention that a person being able to limit themselves a single beer each day pretty much rules out one of the main criteria of being an alcoholic, which is being unable to control how much a person drinks.
- mercer 4y ago
  Hmm. I do see your point, but if anything I feel 'alcoholism' as a concept could use some 'downplaying'. Too many people think of an 'alcoholic' as, more or less, someone who has a red nose, looks homeless, and buys big cans of cheap beer or liquor. Meanwhile, many people who are most certainly alcohol abusers tell themselves it's not a problem yet because they are 'not like that'. I've talked to people who drank around the 'healthy limit' and still struggled because their intention was to not drink at all. I quite like how generally speaking, our (or the more 'professional') views of addiction emphasize the subjectivity of it (while respecting the medical aspects). A big issue with alcoholism is that nobody wakes up a 'serious' alcoholic. It's little steps, often with some big leaps along the way. Quite often, you don't realize you're addicted until well after you are. Making people aware that alcoholism is, usually, a sliding scale rather than some clear 'point' could lead to much more and better intervention before it gets too bad.
- archi42 4y ago
  Huh? So people who can't sleep or feel uncomfortable without their evening beer aren't addicted, only because final stage alcoholism is a nightmare? Or alcoholism != alcohol addiction? I didn't know what uncontrollable drinking is a necessity to diagnose alcoholism, but I'm luckily not involved in the topic. Do you have a reference to back that up?
  - Goronmon 4y ago
    Huh? So people who can't sleep or feel uncomfortable without their evening beer aren't addicted, only because final stage alcoholism is a nightmare? Or alcoholism != alcohol addiction? I just don't see how a single beer, even every day, can be classified as alcoholism. A single beer is likely going to have a barely perceptible effect on all but the the most alcohol intolerant people out there. In the same way that a person who occasional takes a couple Tylenol wouldn't classify as being a drug addict. I didn't know what uncontrollable drinking is a necessity to diagnose alcoholism, but I'm luckily not involved in the topic. Do you have a reference to back that up? Pretty much every reference out there is going to include "inability to control consumption" as one of the main symptoms. But I'll pull one of the results I find off google. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/3909-alcoholism https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/3909-alcoholi... In the section for "What are the symptoms of alcohol use disorder?" how many of those symptoms could be considered for someone drinking a single beer? Maybe "Having cravings for alcohol." and that's really it.
    - fho 4y ago
      > I just don't see how a single beer, even every day, can be classified as alcoholism. From what I understand it's the regularity and habituation that's the problem. For many one beer a day is not a problem ... as long as that behavior is not challenged in any way. I observed that in two friends of mine, both who definitely do not show obvious signs of alcoholism. But both were challenged to stop drinking (one due to pragnency, one due to being asked to by his SO). Both really struggled to cut out that one beer a day from their life. The now-mother managed to do it, but was very open about that it was hard for her. The other guy failed. (Is this anecdotal? Yes. Am I in any way qualified to talk about this? No.)
ncrmro 4y ago
One of my close family members is in AA and I’ve been a few times myself. They describe it more as once you start drinking you can’t stop.
hrbf 4y ago
> I once commented on Reddit that one beer per day theoretically makes you an alcoholic. This is in fact the viewpoint held by many medical professionals who regularly deal with addiction and mental health. It’s not only the amount you take in, it’s the function it serves.
nunez 4y ago
that's like saying that playing candy crush for a few minutes per day makes you addicted to games, or that buying a thing on Amazon every day makes you a shopoholic. alcoholism is much more serious than a drink per day.

by fho 4y ago

Goronmon 4y ago

Apparently there is a large crowd out there for whom one beer per day is seen as perfectly acceptable. Regardless of judgement about what is "acceptable", the idea that a beer a day makes one an alcoholic severely downplays how serious alcoholism actually is. Not to mention that a person being able to limit themselves a single beer each day pretty much rules out one of the main criteria of being an alcoholic, which is being unable to control how much a person drinks.

mercer 4y ago
Hmm. I do see your point, but if anything I feel 'alcoholism' as a concept could use some 'downplaying'. Too many people think of an 'alcoholic' as, more or less, someone who has a red nose, looks homeless, and buys big cans of cheap beer or liquor. Meanwhile, many people who are most certainly alcohol abusers tell themselves it's not a problem yet because they are 'not like that'. I've talked to people who drank around the 'healthy limit' and still struggled because their intention was to not drink at all. I quite like how generally speaking, our (or the more 'professional') views of addiction emphasize the subjectivity of it (while respecting the medical aspects). A big issue with alcoholism is that nobody wakes up a 'serious' alcoholic. It's little steps, often with some big leaps along the way. Quite often, you don't realize you're addicted until well after you are. Making people aware that alcoholism is, usually, a sliding scale rather than some clear 'point' could lead to much more and better intervention before it gets too bad.
archi42 4y ago
Huh? So people who can't sleep or feel uncomfortable without their evening beer aren't addicted, only because final stage alcoholism is a nightmare? Or alcoholism != alcohol addiction? I didn't know what uncontrollable drinking is a necessity to diagnose alcoholism, but I'm luckily not involved in the topic. Do you have a reference to back that up?
- Goronmon 4y ago
  Huh? So people who can't sleep or feel uncomfortable without their evening beer aren't addicted, only because final stage alcoholism is a nightmare? Or alcoholism != alcohol addiction? I just don't see how a single beer, even every day, can be classified as alcoholism. A single beer is likely going to have a barely perceptible effect on all but the the most alcohol intolerant people out there. In the same way that a person who occasional takes a couple Tylenol wouldn't classify as being a drug addict. I didn't know what uncontrollable drinking is a necessity to diagnose alcoholism, but I'm luckily not involved in the topic. Do you have a reference to back that up? Pretty much every reference out there is going to include "inability to control consumption" as one of the main symptoms. But I'll pull one of the results I find off google. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/3909-alcoholism https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/3909-alcoholi... In the section for "What are the symptoms of alcohol use disorder?" how many of those symptoms could be considered for someone drinking a single beer? Maybe "Having cravings for alcohol." and that's really it.
  - fho 4y ago
    > I just don't see how a single beer, even every day, can be classified as alcoholism. From what I understand it's the regularity and habituation that's the problem. For many one beer a day is not a problem ... as long as that behavior is not challenged in any way. I observed that in two friends of mine, both who definitely do not show obvious signs of alcoholism. But both were challenged to stop drinking (one due to pragnency, one due to being asked to by his SO). Both really struggled to cut out that one beer a day from their life. The now-mother managed to do it, but was very open about that it was hard for her. The other guy failed. (Is this anecdotal? Yes. Am I in any way qualified to talk about this? No.)

ncrmro 4y ago

One of my close family members is in AA and I’ve been a few times myself. They describe it more as once you start drinking you can’t stop.

hrbf 4y ago

> I once commented on Reddit that one beer per day theoretically makes you an alcoholic. This is in fact the viewpoint held by many medical professionals who regularly deal with addiction and mental health. It’s not only the amount you take in, it’s the function it serves.

nunez 4y ago

that's like saying that playing candy crush for a few minutes per day makes you addicted to games, or that buying a thing on Amazon every day makes you a shopoholic. alcoholism is much more serious than a drink per day.