If you consume alcohol, either the ones with a lesser percentage of alcohol by volume like beers or the more “harder” liquors like whisky or bourbon with a higher percentage of alcohol, you are at risk to be an alcoholic.
Alcohol does not set limits nor does it know where to stop once it starts travelling down your throat, it could be one drink or a drinking binge that could last several hours or may even continuous days.
Hence to categorize yourself or for others who would be either monitoring your drinking habits or other substance abuse with concern to place you on the addict list would not be a difficult proposition, because consuming alcohol or abusing any substance harmful to your body is because of an addiction.
Social drinking
We often hear about social drinking and today this is a very acceptable habit in our society though after the socializing is concluded reality begins and the affects of alcohol in our systems start to play havoc and could ruin your professional, family and even social life, without you realizing that it was alcohol that brought this upon you.
Social drinking is only a myth and it is not necessary to socialize by consuming alcohol, there are many others in this very wide world of ours who do socialize and do not need to drink to keep the tempo at a social gathering.
There are many other ways of being in a particular social entity without consuming that deadly liquid we call alcohol or all other social ills that we find an excuse to consume or abuse behind that veil we call social drinking.
Addiction
What we generally refer to as addiction is the unreserved craving for something we need very badly, and assume that it would stabilize ourselves either metabolically or even psychologically and mentally.
Addiction for alcohol or other substances that bring untold misery to you, your family life, professional life and even to the workplace could cause immense damage and bring colossal long term sufferings not only to you but to those who depend on you and all those who love and respect you.
Moderation
There is also another school of thought that drinking alcohol in moderation is acceptable and would not be harmful but that is a misconception and generally does not hold water because that amount which we call moderation would be limited to a quantum of individual preference.
There is no red line marked to keep an individual who is addicted to either alcohol or other substance from crossing and the assumed moderation is also a myth that would not be an acceptable notion to abuse and regret.
Abuse
Abuse of alcohol or any other substance begins with what abusers call moderation because it is that crucial quantity that is used in moderation which gets out of hand and moves into the uncontrollable realms of alcohol or substance abuse as we call it.
When that happens it is simple addiction and needs to be looked as such and treatment becomes imperative.
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