Is the Social Aspect of Alcohol, Alcoholism?

Alcoholism is a progressive addiction.  The stages can be gradual or happen quite quickly depending on the addict.  I have always wondered if there was a pattern of abuse; a typecast situation that turned a person who nominally was a social drinker into an alcoholic.  I have realized though, that everybody is different and there are certain reasons that people turn to alcohol to solve their problems. 

There are certain traits that produce the self-destructive mannerisms that belong solely to the addict.  Not everyone has these.  For some reason there are individuals who are balanced and mentally healthy enough to ward off negative behaviors that lead to addictions such as alcoholism; who have managed to learn the skills necessary to live, love, and prosper.  The addict has not learned these essential keys, and instead of naturally feeling good, has to embrace the addiction to simulate the positive emotion.

I think that most alcoholics like myself started out as social drinkers.  I began to experiment with alcohol a bit when I was sixteen, but at first could hardly stand the taste of it.  I only drank when I went to parties, and often could not physically keep it down.  This disgusted me enough that for a while I stayed away from alcohol and turned to other things. 

The age between eighteen and twenty I would have to say were my "social drinking" years, when alcoholism was not an issue.  I was not old enough to go to the bar, so it was not in the background of my everyday life.  I had many other interests besides drinking, and most of my friends were the same.  They either occasionally used or abstained.  Once in a while I would buy a six pack or a bottle of wine to share with my boyfriend for a birthday or a holiday.  We did not drink to excess, and I did not crave for it afterward. 

The situation changed quite drastically when I turned twenty-one and started to date a man that was an alcoholic.  I went from the stage of consuming a six pack every other month to a pint of rum a day.  I would have to say our  moments of sobriety were few and far between.  We went to the bar almost everyday and drank at home as well.  As it became more habitual I began to drink without him; some thing I had never done before.  What once was only used in celebration began to become a necessary ingredient in my normal life.  I drank when I was happy, sad, ecstatic, miserable, alone or with company, rain or shine....For a period of years it seems that is all I did.  It is strange to think about; what once was not even thought of, became as important to me as breathing. 

Is the social aspect of alcohol, alcoholism?  No.  There are a lot of people out there who can drink when, where, and how much they choose without it being a problem.  It does not affect, damage, or control their life.  Alcoholism does not burden everyone, but for those of us afflicted with the addiction it can be a heavy burden indeed.

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