I only drink beer, can I still be an alcoholic?

Yes.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001940/

Don't let her, or anyone else for that matter, tell you what you can or can't be. If you want to be an alcoholic without drinking hard liquor, you can definitely do it. I've seen too much talent get wasted because they were told they can't do it.

Look at Pre. Everyone told him his was too small, too weak to be great.

Michael Jordan got cut from his hs basketball team freshman year. He put his head down and worked harder.

You get the idea. Shoot for the stars.

Yes of course. At least you will probably be a better-hydrated alcoholic.

You sound like you're on the verge of developing a real problem.

If you can't limit it to two beers per night, I'd ditch alcohol completely.

if you're getting drunk off anything it can start to become a problem

be careful, alcoholism can sneak up on you, and it's funny cause it's easy to judge others whether or not you think they're alcoholic but its much harder when you have to look at yourself

good luck

Fred Durst wrote:I'm just an advocate of drinking tasty carbonated beverages.

If you are using this to explain yourself then you might be on the verge matey.

Well you're clearly not an alcoholic unless you're lying about the days off. Your drinking is very unhealthy, though.

I think it'd be tough to become a full-fledged alcoholic on beer unless you were really trying for it. Example: I overheard a conversation between two homeless guys the other day. One mentioned he had drank a gallon of vodka the other day, and it had "really f*cked [him] up". The equivalent of that would be about 85 beers, which is nearly impossible.

No, you can't be an alcoholic. I smoke pot everyday, but I don't consider myself an abuser of illegal drugs.

I don't think you would could become an alcoholic on beer alone, because beer is way too low in alcohol content. You can drink 8 of them in a couple hours & still not feel drunk. The buzz they create goes away quickly.

I'm the opposite of you. I can drink 1 beer & feel hungover, but have 8 drinks of vodka & feel fine the next day. I mix vodka with water & a little lemon juice so maybe that is why.

OP, one *can* become an alcoholic on beer alone (the Kiwi Neville Scott managed it, BITD), but if the facts are as stated and you regularly go 3-4 days without a beer--and without cravings while you do so--then it doesn't sound like you qualify.

To all:

Given that alcohol destroyed my marriage and my family, I really don't give drinkers a "free pass." I'm pretty sensitive to the signs of incipient alcoholism, but having a *few* beers on a *few* days of the week doesn't seem out of line--again, if the OP stated the actual facts.

No way do I think you're an alcoholic. An alcoholic has the cravings and withdrawal symptoms. Imo, that term is applied way too often.

Not a chance!

The very minimum qualification for an alcoholic is--

Have you thrown up more times than you can remember?

If you haven't hit that yet, you have a long way to go.

Drink up and bump your miles to 100 per.

Yes. If you have 6-10 drinks a night, you are an alcoholic. I was a beer alcoholic from 1975 to 1996. It was fun for awhile then it sucked.

I went to some meetings of Lifering International to sober up. It was helpful. I'm not heavily into the culture of recovery, but it was there for me when I needed it.

Here is the critical thing: IT TOOK 2 YEARS OF LITTLE TO NO DRINKING TO LOSE THE DAILY ITCH FOR A DRINK.

I did not think it would ever go away.

If you want to stop, try having a soda instead of a beer. Change your patterns of behavior that involve drinking. some of my drinking buddies got it, some didn't.

Good luck. You'll stop when you want to, no sooner, no later.

did you take HS chemistry

I always thought alcoholism isn't so much defined by a specific minimum threshold quantity, or frequency of consumption, (or the form of consumption), but rather by the extent of the negative effects associated with it, e.g. with respect to physical health, your job, family, friends, legal problems, etc.

I think you can be an alcoholic just drinking beer, but it doesn't sound like you are one (yet).

Fred Durst wrote:

I basically drink 6-10 beers every night. But even when I take like 3-4 days without drinking, I don't really feel cravings. I never feel the absolute need to drink beer, I just really enjoy doing it.

I pretty much never drink hard liquor. It just doesn't sit well with me. For example, I had one shot of tequila Friday night and felt hungover all day Saturday. I never feel hungover when I just drink beer.

I bring this question up because today a coworker said I might be an alcoholic when she learned about my enjoyment of drinking beers. I said no way, I never really crave the stuff. I'm just an advocate of drinking tasty carbonated beverages.

So can someone be an alcoholic if they don't drink the hard stuff?

The most entertaining thing about your post is that you admit to telling a coworker that you binge drink beer and yet you seem surprised that she calls you an alcoholic...

"can someone be an alcoholic if they don't drink the hard stuff?"

Seriously, is that even a real question? Drink enough of ANY alcoholic beverage and you get hooked...

"Tasty carbonated beverages"... who are you trying to kid?

Would you have 6-10 Cokes every night?

Would you have 6-10 Mountain Dews every night?

Would you have 6-10 Dr Peppers every night?

Would you have 6-10 7-Ups every night?

Of course not...

But I suppose you posted your question with the hope that people would validate your stupid drinking problem:

"yeah dude, it's totally OK for you to drink a stupid amount of beer every night"

You bumped a two year old thread just to say that?

You're cool.

Naw man. You're not an alcoholic until you just wanna get hammered all of the time. I'm talking down enough to get blackout drunk all the time like a complete degenerate.

Fratjacket wrote:

Naw man. You're not an alcoholic until you just wanna get hammered all of the time. I'm talking down enough to get blackout drunk all the time like a complete degenerate.

this