Is my mum an alcoholic?
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Unless she wakes up in the morning and needs a drink before midday to function she isn't an alcoholic. Sounds like she just likes a drink or 4 when she gets home from work to unwind. As long as she isn't causing you a problem by doing it I see no issue. Probably drinking too much but so do alot of people
Original post by Anonymous
Every night?
Ok so maybe she is but you should still talk to her about it. Are you going to?
Original post by alice.ronalene
My dad definitely is an alcoholic, although he drinks far far more than what you described your mum as drinking, your mum still drinks a lot especially if this is on a regular basis. Typical signs that someone is an alcoholic include hiding alcohol, (I've seen my dad hiding whiskey in a separate cubbourd to where the alcohol in my house is normally kept) and being unable to admit that they drink quite a bit.
Whether or not you should be worried depends on what kind of drunk they are, my dad just gets increasingly depressed. (I guess it could be worse eh?)
You could perhaps try and see why your mum drinks, is it to relax or is it more serious (to drown out problems in their life.), if so you could try and find out the root of these problems and talk to her about it.
hope this helps
Whether or not you should be worried depends on what kind of drunk they are, my dad just gets increasingly depressed. (I guess it could be worse eh?)
You could perhaps try and see why your mum drinks, is it to relax or is it more serious (to drown out problems in their life.), if so you could try and find out the root of these problems and talk to her about it.
hope this helps
My dad was an alcoholic too. He gave up after his heart collapsed.
Original post by Anonymous
Every night?
You say she's nearly finished a bottle of wine from a few days ago.
A small glass of wine is 125ml so there's 6 glasses in a bottle.
A few = 3 or 4, so really she's having 2 or less small glasses of wine per day...
which is nothing to be concerned about
Original post by willock91
Unless she wakes up in the morning and needs a drink before midday to function she isn't an alcoholic. Sounds like she just likes a drink or 4 when she gets home from work to unwind. As long as she isn't causing you a problem by doing it I see no issue. Probably drinking too much but so do alot of people
Ironic though that needing alcohol to "unwind" and feel better is the benchmark for dependency. According to the NHS, you don't have to drink too much to be alcoholic.
Shows the ignorance I suppose.
Original post by tehforum
You say she's nearly finished a bottle of wine from a few days ago.
A small glass of wine is 125ml so there's 6 glasses in a bottle.
A few = 3 or 4, so really she's having 2 or less small glasses of wine per day...
which is nothing to be concerned about
A small glass of wine is 125ml so there's 6 glasses in a bottle.
A few = 3 or 4, so really she's having 2 or less small glasses of wine per day...
which is nothing to be concerned about
Except the amount of alcohol you drink doesn't make you an alcoholic, it's the dependency.
Original post by N-R-G
Ok so maybe she is but you should still talk to her about it. Are you going to?
I have and I undoubtably will again, but she gets defensive.
Original post by N-R-G
How long has she been drinking like that for? I don't think its the quantity but the frequency thats the problem.
The frequency and why you use alcohol too.
It's been a long while. A few years at least.
Original post by Anonymous
Except the amount of alcohol you drink doesn't make you an alcoholic, it's the dependency.
And is it a dependency?
We can't answer that for you.
Original post by Anonymous
The frequency and why you use alcohol too.
It's been a long while. A few years at least.
It's been a long while. A few years at least.
I think if she's been drinking everyday for a few years she does have a problem but at least its not worse like a bottle everyday. If you had a drink with her and talked about what her problems are apart from alcohol then things could progress.
Original post by Anonymous
Ironic though that needing alcohol to "unwind" and feel better is the benchmark for dependency. According to the NHS, you don't have to drink too much to be alcoholic.
Shows the ignorance I suppose.
Shows the ignorance I suppose.
My mother is a full blown alcoholic and I am far from ignorant my friend. Millions of people in Britain go to the pub every single night after work for a few beers. Most are not dependent on alcohol. My dad drank 8 + pints of beer every night for 35 years and one day gave up without any problem what so ever. People drink to unwind. It doesn't make them dependent on it though
Original post by Anonymous
x
Hey OP, I have an alcoholic father.
You just know that he's an alcoholic when my mum is shouting at him constantly to stop buying alcohol, and he uses anything as an excuse to drink it i.e. with food, watching tv, in the morning
It's repulses me, and I want no part of it. What's worse is that my brothers (both under 10) have noticed his "habits" too and for children to say that their dad loves drinking wine all the time is very concerning.
Original post by Anonymous
My dad was an alcoholic too. He gave up after his heart collapsed.
I'm sorry to hear that, I know how hard it is to watch someone desrtoy themselves.
No, I don't think so. She sounds like she likes a drink in the evening but doesn't really drink a lot and doesn't sound reliant on it - part of the diagnosis of alcoholism entails, as far as I know, that the person's life is somehow negatively affected by their habit.
My mum's an alcoholic, and back when I was a kid and soft enough to get upset by it, I once poured all her booze of choice down the sink. For the rest of the night - after she yelled herself hoarse - she kept sneaking off to 'go for a wee' and it turned out she was swigging vodka neat. So, if you really want to find out...
My mum's an alcoholic, and back when I was a kid and soft enough to get upset by it, I once poured all her booze of choice down the sink. For the rest of the night - after she yelled herself hoarse - she kept sneaking off to 'go for a wee' and it turned out she was swigging vodka neat. So, if you really want to find out...
Original post by willock91
My mother is a full blown alcoholic and I am far from ignorant my friend. Millions of people in Britain go to the pub every single night after work for a few beers. Most are not dependent on alcohol. My dad drank 8 + pints of beer every night for 35 years and one day gave up without any problem what so ever. People drink to unwind. It doesn't make them dependent on it though
Don't get stroppy now, I didn't call you ignorant. I'm pointing out how society in general is ignorant in the face of alcoholism. People don't realise how addictive alcohol really is and will generally take a lot of time to realise how it affects them.
Going for a pint at the pub is fine, but don't make it a habit
Original post by Anonymous
Don't get stroppy now, I didn't call you ignorant. I'm pointing out how society in general is ignorant in the face of alcoholism. People don't realise how addictive alcohol really is and will generally take a lot of time to realise how it affects them.
Going for a pint at the pub is fine, but don't make it a habit
Going for a pint at the pub is fine, but don't make it a habit
Lol fair enough. People can be an alcoholic drinking 4 cans a day and some are not drinking 10 cans a day. Depends on the reasons why really. I was just answering the question on how it sounded to me with very little info provided
Doesmt seem like a lot to.me tbh
My mother is similar - though I can't track how much she drinks anymore as she only ever buys cartons, or "party boxes" as she likes to call them haha
For lots of people as they get older, relaxing with a glass of wine (or two, or three) becomes a habit and something they do every day. Socially, this is rarely seen as particularly problematic in the way that, say, knocking back half a dozen shots of vodka would - you see lots of memes about wine that reinforce the idea that it's normal, reasonable and almost admirable to wind down with a glass (or bottle).
The particular problem with that isn't alcoholism - although probably some people do become dependent on alcohol through this route, it's not going to be the case for everyone - but the negative health consequences of drinking what's actually a fairly substantial quantity of alcohol over the recommended limits, on an ongoing basis.
Unless there are some other signs pointing to alcoholism, I wouldn't discuss it with your mum in those terms, because honestly, it'll just sound a bit silly to her - what she's doing is incredibly common - and she's likely to discount what you're saying. Instead, maybe talk to her about it in the context of her health generally - there are some great resources on the drink aware website that you could look at with her.
The particular problem with that isn't alcoholism - although probably some people do become dependent on alcohol through this route, it's not going to be the case for everyone - but the negative health consequences of drinking what's actually a fairly substantial quantity of alcohol over the recommended limits, on an ongoing basis.
Unless there are some other signs pointing to alcoholism, I wouldn't discuss it with your mum in those terms, because honestly, it'll just sound a bit silly to her - what she's doing is incredibly common - and she's likely to discount what you're saying. Instead, maybe talk to her about it in the context of her health generally - there are some great resources on the drink aware website that you could look at with her.
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