Do I have a problem with Drinking?
If you’re asking yourself this question, then yes. Well, to be less flippant, if you’re asking then it’s probably at the very least problematic at times. But plenty of people with problematic drinking don’t even stop to ask themselves this question. Why is that? I know for me, I was terrified. I thought that if it was a problem then it meant I had to stop altogether. That is a common cognitive distortion called all-or-nothing thinking. Now, alcoholism/addiction is one of the rare times where all-or-nothing thinking can be appropriate. For me, that was literally my drinking. Rarely would I ever just have a moderate amount. When I drank, I was seeking the effect of alcohol that can only be had from drinking more than the guidelines suggest. The low-risk drinking guidelines I’ve seen over the years range from limiting one to 2-3 drinks a day at most, with no more than 1/hour. The effect I was seeking couldn’t be touched with that. Furthermore, none of my peers were taking that approach either. However, plenty of them can engage healthily now while I cannot.
BUT, there is a wide chasm between having problems with drinking and being an alcoholic. To be technical, there is no official diagnosis of alcoholism. The counselors diagnostic handbook uses the label “Alcohol Use Disorder.” That diagnosis itself has a wide chasm. One could qualify for it if one plans to drink 4 drinks most nights and wind up having 7 because of a growing tolerance. One could also qualify for it after going on a drunken rampage through the town before waking up in a totally different state. Even with that clear severity difference, there is no telling between which if either is truly an alcoholic.
So what’s the difference? Once again, alcoholism isn’t an official diagnosis insurance companies recognize; alcohol use disorder has a list of 11 criteria of which at least 2 must be met. How I, and many others, use the term only has 1 condition. An alcoholic (or addict of any substance) lacks the ability to control AND enjoy their drinking. The key qualifier there is “and.” So going back to those two previous examples, it could very well be that the individual with the drunken rampage just had a bad night (or really, really bad night) and the “softer” case is the actual alcoholic. That being said, obviously there’s a ton of context missing and thats not a term to apply lightly or quickly.
I’ve worked with some clients wiser than me who have asked themself this question earlier. Together, we were able to explore and apply tests to gauge if alcohol/substances can have a healthy place in their life. I’m equally as satisfied for the clients who learned healthy patterns as I am with the clients who stopped before hitting a hard bottom.
If you’re unsure where you stand with this, or are sure and need some guidance forward, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I offer virtual therapy to those in Athens, Atlanta, Georgia, or New York.