What is the definition of an alcoholic? My girlfriend does not think she is an alcoholic but I think she is.?

Question:

My girlfriend is 37, divorced, and has three kids, 15,13 and 10 yrs old. She feels she needs to have a few strong drinks almost every night because she says she needs to take her mind off of everything. I understand that it is not easy being a single mom of three kids but, in my opinion, you shouldn't need to depend on alcohol to deal with the stress. She also goes out after work with her friends to the bar and drinks one or two nights a week and leaves her kids at home. I feel this is totally irresponsible. Her first priority should be being home with her kids. When things are not going her way the first thing out of her mouth is, "I need to go get drunk". She says that an alcoholic has to drink and that she doesn't have to drink, she just likes to drink. She says she has a terrible life and she just wants to go away. She has a home, a decent job, a wonderful family and 3 wonderful kids. The only terrible thing in her life is the alcohol. She needs to stop and her life will be better.

Answers:
A sign of an alcoholic is that they don't admit or can see they have a drinking problem. Anyone who gets drunk from excessive drinking is not controlling their alcohol intake, alcohol is controlling them. To me your gf is an alcoholic.

Other Answers:
You should talk to the good folks at AlAnon.

I don't think she's an alcoholic.
You don't say if you are her bf or just a gf.
As an outsider I can sympathise with her. Her husband has dumped 3 kids on her and she obviously needs to work to support them - hell you would be a bit pissed off with life.
Try to get her to do things without alcohol more often but don't make it the only issue.

If alcohol interferes with your health or your life, you're an alcoholic.

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Heavy drinker or alcoholic?
http://www.hhp.ufl.edu/faculty/pbird/keepingfit/ARTICLE/heavy.HTM
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/medical_notes/a-b/872428.stm

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# One whose continued or excessive drinking results in impairment of personal health, disruption of family and social relationships, and loss of economic security.
www.dphilpotlaw.com/html/gloss.

# The term alcoholic is generally defined as someone who is addicted to alcohol. Addiction in turn is defined as a maladaptive pattern of drinking that leads to significant personal problems as defined by 3 or more of the following in the same 12 month period:
www.classkids.org/library/ref/.

# A type of anaerobic respiration that yields carbon dioxide and alcohol.
highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites.

# one affected with alcoholism
www.hsc.wvu.edu/som/cmed/alcoh.

# The conversion by yeast enzymes of the grape sugar in the must or juice into alcohol and carbon dioxide. (Image availabe)
www.greekwine.gr/frames/gloss..

# An unbalanced wine which tends to have a hot taste on the finish. See also, HOT.
www.grape-nutz.com/tastings/gl.

# Used to describe a wine that has too much alcohol for its body and weight, making it unbalanced. A wine with too much alcohol will taste uncharacteristically heavy or hot as a result. This quality is noticeable in aroma and after taste.
www.dvinewine.biz/term.html

# characteristic of or containing alcohol; "alcoholic drinks"
# a person who drinks alcohol to excess habitually
# addicted to alcohol; "alcoholic expatriates in Paris"- Carl Van Doren
wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/web.

# Alcoholism is a dependency on alcohol characterized by craving (a strong need to drink), loss of control (being unable to stop drinking despite a desire to do so), physical dependence and withdrawal symptoms, and tolerance (increasing difficulty of becoming drunk).
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcoholi.

IF she tries to reason her drinking habit she is definitely an Alcoholic. And needs help

Does she get drunk every time she drinks?
Source(s):
psychology

She is definatly an alchoholic. If anyone depends on drinks to get through their daily lives because its too stressful then yes, they are an alcholic. She needs to go and get help. If you really care no matter how much she fights, make her go and get help before alcohol ruins her life and maybe her kids lives or even yours if you marry her

From what information you are giving she sounds like an alcoholic. It's unfortunate because as you said her children should be her priority. Alcohol will not help her with stress.

But just as with any other alcoholic, she will not change for you or even her children. If she does not want to then she will not. She has to want to change before she will.

Good luck

Yes, she is an alcoholic..anyone who takes alcohol or drugs to get away from stress is only covering it up. It is a temporary fix. She needs to learn ways to cope without drinking, but that is always easier said than done. The fact that she won't admit it causes more of a problem.if she doesn't think she has a problem it will be harder for her to get help..I come from a family of alcoholics and it seems like it doesn't matter what happens..they don't change. They have to be ready to and so many aren't. I hope you can find a way to convince her to get help and I wish you luck.

My mother right after my dad died started just needing a couple drinks here and there to "make her get through the pain" and now 15 years later, is a heavy alcoholic. anyone who has to have alcohol everyday or every few days is an alcoholic.. you don't need to intervene, however you need to talk to her and support her, she will have to realize what she is doing on her own, and seek help.

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What is the definition of an alcoholic? My girlfriend does not think she is an alcoholic but I think she is.?

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