What is the difference between alcoholism and just partying?

Question

Someone on here told me I am an alcoholic. I am only 16, and like most teens I have experimented a bit. But I have only done it a few times. Maybe once or twice a month. But I also don't have unlimited access to it... However, I do drink to get drunk. And I sort of crave it, but I crave the fun that comes with it. Not the substance itself. I never drink alone or anything.

No lectures on underage drinking, please. But how do you know the difference?

Answer 1

If you are an alocholic, you need it and will go to any extreme to get it and you can't stop....

Answer 2

Well, ask yourself a few questions:

Why do you crave it?

Can you have fun at a party without it?

Does it interfere with your life?

Are any of your friends or family worried?

The main difference from what I've experienced is that and alcoholic will get angry and bitchy without alcohol, and even more so with it. Where as a social drinker, which I'm assuming you are, likes to drink at parties to unwind and have a good time. But if you start craving it just to have that feeling, that's generally a bad sign.

Answer 3

No, you crave the excitement and the fact that you cant have it any time you want. And your just having fun. an alcoholic drinks all all the time, and drinks not only to get drunk but for get his or her problems. Hope that clears it up, but be careful our there, i lost my friend when i was 16 due to alcohol poisoning.  

Answer 4

If you wanna know what alcoholism is like just go to a AA meeting and listen to there real problems and see if you have any of the same i would say 16 is way to young to be called a alcoholic but if you have any family members like mother of father that are  then you have the gene too so if you dont watch it now the drinking can become a problem

Answer 5

If you find that your life has become unmanageable (like skipping school to drink, blacking out all the time or stealing) because of drinking.  Then you may have a problem.  Otherwise, you are a normal American teenager.

Answer 6

well if you want and need to drink daily you are an alcoholic

Answer 7

I'm the opposite. Like on Sunday I'm going over to drink with a bunch of people from work, but not to get smashed, just to loosen up and have a good time with some friends.

I don't see the point in drinking to get drunk, I just like drinking because I enjoy the drinking itself, the side effects are just a bonus, but I have never had more than 9 beers in a night so I've never been that drunk.

There is nothing wrong with drinking alone, unless you're getting hammered. I like some whisky before I go to sleep some nights, other days I don't want it at all.

Alcoholism is needing the alcohol, usually to forget about your problems and to escape reality or to just not care. It's also repetitive. Alcoholics don't tend to get drunk twice a month with other people, they do it at least every weekend and it's like they base their lives off of it.

I've seen a lot of kids who only live for the weekend, and I don't really understand that, but whatever.