When Do Social Drinkers Become Alcoholics?

According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse & Alcoholism, (pubs.niaaa.nih.gov, No. 16 PH 315 April 1992), the term “social drinking” can be defined as a drinking pattern that is found to be acceptable to the society in which they occur.  Social drinking generally occurs on an infrequent basis during social occasions that may call for alcohol to be present and/or consumed.  Those individuals who engage in social drinking generally only have one or two drinks and are easily able to stop drinking at that time. Social drinking is defined as such because under normal circumstances, the individual would probably not choose to consume alcohol but may do so only due to the social situation.  For example, a person who generally does not consume alcohol may do so in order to celebrate a wedding, birthday, promotion, etc.

Moderate drinking may be defined, as drinking that does not generally cause problems for the drinker and society at large.  Guidelines put forth by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services define moderate drinking as no more than 1 drink per day for most women and no more than 2 drinks per day for most men. Consuming more than the recommend amounts is referred to as alcohol abuse.

Social drinkers become alcoholics when the amount of alcohol and/or the frequency in which they consume alcohol, becomes an issue.  Alcoholism or alcohol dependence is a diagnosable disease characterized by several factors:

1. A strong craving for alcohol.
2. Continued use of alcohol despite personal harm or personal injury.
3. The inability to limit consumption.
4. Physical illness when drinking stops.
5. The need to increase the amount of alcohol consumed in order to feel its effects.

Alcohol abuse is a pattern of drinking that results in harm to one’s health, interpersonal relationships or ability to work.  Manifestations of alcohol abuse include:

1. Failure to fulfill one’s responsibilities at work, school or home due to drinking.
2. Drinking in dangerous situations (i.e. driving, operating machinery, etc.).
3. Legal problems that result from alcohol use.
4. Continued drinking despite problems that are worsened by drinking.

Alcohol abuse, similar to social drinking, can lead to alcoholism.  Social drinkers may become alcoholics if any of the factors listed above become a problem.In order to recognize whether you or someone you know may have a problem with alcohol, there are several tests and evaluations that can be performed in order to make a proper diagnosis. 

You are drinking too much if you answer YES to any of the following—

*You are a woman who has 7 or more drinks per week or more than 3 drinks per occasion.
*You are a man who has 14 or more drinks per week or more than 4 drinks per occasion.
*You are 65 years of age or older and consume more than 7 drinks per week or more than 3 drinks per occasion.

A drink consists of: one 12 ounce bottle of beer (4.5% alcohol), one 5 ounce glass of wine (12.9% alcohol) or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits.

Drinking alcohol has become a problem for you if you answer YES to any of the following:

*You can’t stop drinking once you’ve started.
*You have tried to stop drinking but only resume after a day or two.
*You fail to meet obligations at work, home or school as a result of your drinking.
*You feel guilty after drinking.
*You find other people make comments about your drinking.
*You can’t remember what happened while you were drinking.
*You have hurt someone else as a result of your drinking.

Alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction can cause severe withdrawal symptoms, and if alcoholism is suspected an alcohol detox program is recommended for a safe withdrawal and a higher success rate of abstinence.

Return to Alcoholism Articles