Does this sound like alcoholism?

Question

I think my friend is an alcoholic.

Everything he does is basically stereotypical alcoholism.

He denies it every time I say it to him.

Well anyway, he's 16, every single time he drinks he says "I will only have one or two cans" and every single time he overdoes it and drinks way too much.

Every time he drinks too much the next day (and for about a week afterwards) he says "I'm never going to drink again" (he said that today at school, after 17 cans on saturday.

The last time I drank with him, he got there before the party, started at about 3 and had finished a full bottle of straight Bacardi by 4:30 and was completely smashed.

He broke things, was a complete sleeze and was throwing up everywhere by 6, and kept drinking for another 10 or so hours.

It is not so much that he drinks often, more that he drinks too much when he does and then b*****s the next day saying "never again" etc, does it sound like he has a problem?

And how can I insult him about it? xD

Answer 1

He has a MAJOR PROBLEM!! Get him help immediately!!

Answer 2

he does have a problem, and if he is your friend u should see about getting him some help instead of insulting him about it

Answer 3

Yeah, the guy has a huge problem. One of them is being in danger of alcohol poisoning or seriously hurting himself of someone else.  He needs help bad.  Here is a questionnaire he should do.  Maybe if you can get him to do it, maybe he will see just how much of a problem drinking is causing.  I know it's hard being around someone who is an obnoxious drunk.  Where are his parents?  I'm sure they must know about this, if not, they need to be aware.  Sounds like he may have some underlying problems that he's trying to escape from.  

http://www.naturodoc.com/library/nutriti...

Answer 4

I am a recovering alcoholic and I can assure you that there is more than one 'type' of alcoholic.  Many people assume that means they can't 'not' drink.  That's not the case - alcoholism means a person has no control over alcohol - alcohol controlls THEM.  This means that as soon as they pick up a drink, or as soon as a buzz hits them, something clicks in their brain that makes them not be able to put the bottle down.  I don't care if that happens once.  Drinking to the point where it affects you means you have a drinking problem (not necessarily an addiction), and ALL active alcoholics start off as abusers/people with drinking problems.  The point of alcoholic beverages is exactly that - beverages.  Drinking 1-2 servings (depending on your size) in a 1 - 2 hour period (as in sipping) once or twice a week is normal (treating it like a beverage).  The idea here is that as soon as you feel effects, you have had WAY too much and you need to stop.  Period.  Your body gets drunk to tell you there is something wrong, an imbalance.  A person who enjoys this is sick.  What kind of a healthy person enjoys being out of control?  Not one.

Your friend may have every intention of not drinking again.  Your friend says he won't drink again because he knows he has a problem. There is nothing wrong with not drinking, but my understanding of Australian culture (and this is not to stereotype, but to understand) is that consuming alcohol IS part of the ingrained culture - it's a sharing, a celebration, it's a bonding, it's something you do.  But even so, it's still OK (in the culture) to not get drunk.  Do I understand right?  I say this because I've had friends travel to Australia on business and get looked at like they insulted someone by turning down alcoholic drinks.  (They meant no insult, btw, they just didn't want to drink).

If your friend is a jerk no matter what, he's not a friend.  But there's no reason to insult/embarrass him into quitting because alcoholics already have low selfesteem (at at the same time pride issues) so it's the first thing that'll make them pull away from admitting they have an issue.  I would suggest hanging out with him where there is no drinking and having fun with himw here there is no drinking.  problem is that he'll always find places to do that - even alone.  if he's a loner-drinker, I would hope that people he lives with are against his drinking too, and can help to make sure he's never alone for too long.  What are your laws about drinking before driving/drinking during/before work hours/school hours?  can you catch him having done that during that time?  If so, do whatever you can to get him caught.  Limit his alone time/chances to drink as much as you can.  Make it as miserable as possible for him.  Then, when he keeps going to serious lengths to drink, when he's sober, point out all the lengths he goes to and how irrational it is.  

go to AA or alanon with him but make it clear that unless he's going to be sober and cooperate, he loses you s a friend.

Answer 5

He just needs to quit for a few years. Not necessarily an alcoholic, but definitely a problem binge drinker. He can eventually learn to drink in moderation, but he needs to wait a few years, and really seriously evaluate why he always chooses to overdo it. Sounds like me when I was that age. Unfortunately it took getting arrested a few times for me to come to grips with the fact I had formed a bad habit of overdoing it once or twice a week. I've given up alcohol for a year, and so far I'm a month or two into it. I don't buy the whole "disease" model for alcoholism, but I think you just hit a point where you get used to doing it all the time and it becomes a nasty habit. But, I do believe it's possible for him to eventually (like at least, after he turns 21) learn to drink responsibly. He's probably just a little introverted like me, and alcohol makes him feel "more like himself".

Answer 6

The best thing you can do for your friend is tell his parents or someone he looks up to. Make sure what you tell them is in confidence so he doesn't know or think that you have betrayed your friendship. He has a problem and needs help. If he won't listen to you find someone he will listen to.