what is considered an alcoholic

An alcoholic is generally considered someone who has trouble controlling their drinking and keeps drinking despite harm to their health, work, relationships, or daily life. The current medical term is alcohol use disorder rather than “alcoholic.”

Common signs

• Drinking more than intended, or for longer than planned.

• Wanting to cut down but not being able to.

• Spending a lot of time drinking, recovering, or trying to get alcohol.

• Craving alcohol.

• Drinking even when it causes problems at work, school, or home.

• Needing more alcohol over time to get the same effect.

What it is not

There is no single number of drinks that automatically makes someone an alcoholic. The key issue is whether drinking is becoming compulsive, hard to control, or harmful.

When to get help

If alcohol is starting to affect your sleep, mood, safety, relationships, or responsibilities, that is a good reason to talk to a doctor or addiction professional. If you want, I can also give you a simple checklist for spotting alcohol use disorder.