What Is Your 'Relationship' With Alcohol?

The lost drinking poem of Dr. Seuss

Joseph Nowinski, Ph.D.

Clinical psychologist

The title of her book, Drinking: A Love Story, by Caroline Knapp, succinctly captured the essence of the late author's gradual descent into alcoholism. The end point of this tragic journey lies at the far right end of the drinking spectrum, depicted below. In order to get to that final stage, however, Ms. Knapp had to first pass through two other areas that define problem drinking, including a large gray zone that until now has received little attention. This is the "almost alcoholic" zone, and helping people to identify at what point they may have slipped into this zone offers them an opportunity: to pause, reflect, and ultimately to decide if they want to pursue solutions for turning back...
...Once drinking has become a commitment, turning back and returning to normal social drinking is extremely difficult, if not impossible. If a committed drinker wants to do that, I strongly recommend that he or she begin with an extended period of abstinence -- six months at a minimum. The help of a counselor experienced with treating addictions is also essential.
In contrast, men and women who realize that they have slipped somewhere into the almost alcoholic zone have many more options available to them. Unlike Ms. Knapp, they may still have the option of "shifting left" and ending their relationship before it becomes a commitment.
For more information visit www.TheAlmostEffect.com or read Almost Alcoholic: Is My (or My Loved One's) Drinking a Problem?
For more by Joseph Nowinski, Ph.D., click here.
For more on addiction and recovery, click here.What Is Your 'Relationship' With Alcohol?