Skip to main content

Between The Extremes: Where Drinking Isn’t Alcoholism, But Still A Risk

Alcoholism either is or it isn’t. That’s how media portrayal and social stigmatization would have it. You’re either a wild and reckless drunk or you are a moderate drinker who likes to enjoy themselves on occasion. For the people in between the black and white ends of alcoholic-extremism, they are stuck in limbo. They’re unlikely to become moderate drinkers. They are likely to develop a more fatal version of alcoholism. Problematic drinking is problematic drinking, at any stage.

Without a clinical, cultural, or social focus on regular, extreme drinking, there is an air of justification in the middle. Because one isn’t an “alcoholics” or hasn’t “hit bottom” yet, their problem is not as desperate. However, their health, of both body and mind, continues to be compromised. Speaking about her new documentary Risky Drinking, on HBO, filmmaker Ellen Goosenberg Kent describes, “…what people don’t understand though, [was]the vast spectrum of drinking. Most people fall between having no problem and alcoholism…” That “middle spectrum”, she emphasizes is worth investigating.

Holding On

The popularized idea of somebody “hitting bottom” threatens millions of lives. For the majority of problematic drinkers who are not diagnosed alcoholics, they still have a lot they are holding onto. What society deems as functioning tends to perpetuate ongoing alcohol abuse. Most people who have problems with alcohol do not look like the stereotype alcoholic. Due to the stark comparison, even though there is a sliver of doubt in a drinker’s mind, it’s quickly assured by the fact: I’m not that bad.

If You Think You Might Be An Alcoholic, You Probably Are

“That bad” is extremely dangerous and problematic drinking for an alcoholic. It is not signification that alcoholism hasn’t developed yet, but that it already has. Breaking down the sentiment, a drinker already recognizes there is concern with their drinking, slyly admitting that their drinking is “bad”. Second of all, such a sentiment indicates that the topic of someone’s real or not real alcoholism has been a relatively recent topic of contemplation. Most persons in recovery from alcoholism and treatment professions alike commonly agree, if you have to question whether or not you’re an alcoholic, you probably have a drinking problem.

Though the world tells you differently, there is no shame in admitting you have a problem with alcohol. If you are concerned you might have a problem, call Enlightened Recovery today. We offer a spectrum of care options to treat a spectrum of alcoholism. For more information, call 833-801-5483.

Begin Your Recovery at Enlightened Recovery

Enlightened Recovery is here to help you or your loved one overcome drug and alcohol addiction as well as co-occurring mental health disorders. Our holistic treatment programs treat the whole person in recovery. We have locations in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Michigan.

Get the help that you deserve now with Enlightened Recovery.