DSM 5 Could Mean 40% of College Students Are Alcoholics

[Ed Anger]

I want 70's fashion and interior design to return.

[katmai]

Ewwwwww

[merithyn]

I knew a real alcoholic once.

Me, too. I called him "Dad".

I've known quite a few people who self-identify as alcoholics who most likely were just problem drinkers when they were young. They have been clean and sober for decades, still go to AA meetings, and never crave the drink. But in their mind they are still alcoholics. *shrugs* If it helps them cope....

[Ideologue]

I want 70's fashion and interior design to return.

I'm with you.

[CountDeMoney]

I want 70's fashion and interior design to return.

I'd just be happy with my toys again.  You can keep the lava lamps.

I want my Six Million Dollar Man, Star Trek and Space:1999 action sets back. 

[garbon]

Actually this whole story looks like the case of a shoddy journalist.  Look at this sentence:

If the change is finalized, anyone whose drinking or drug use creates any problems will essentially be an addict or alcoholic with a "mild" case of the disease and presumably, therefore, not someone who can learn control over his habits.

Hmm, the DSM classifies people whose actions cause problems for them in daily living as having a disease or disorder? What a surprise!

And where's the mention of the actual criteria in the article?

[Camerus]

I've known quite a few people who self-identify as alcoholics who most likely were just problem drinkers when they were young. They have been clean and sober for decades, still go to AA meetings, and never crave the drink. But in their mind they are still alcoholics. *shrugs* If it helps them cope....

Where ex-alcoholics are concerned, I'm not sure it's useful or accurate to surmise you know their situations better than they do...

[Admiral Yi]

Where ex-alcoholics are concerned, I'm not sure it's useful or accurate to surmise you know their situations better than they do...

Why is alcoholism different than any other type of self-perception that we disagree with?

[Camerus]

Because the effects and details of one's alcohol addiction are really only know to that person him/herself, particularly in the case of ex-alcoholics.   Unless you are my spouse or otherwise really unusually intimate with me, I have far more information available to me about my alcohol consumption and its effects on my life than you could ever hope to.  Contrast that with a self-perception, of, say, "I'm a good basketball player on our company team."  That is much more easily measurable to you when we play basketball together.

[Admiral Yi]

Because the effects and details of one's alcohol addiction are really only know to that person him/herself, particularly in the case of ex-alcoholics.   Unless you are my spouse or otherwise really unusually intimate with me, I have far more information available to me about my alcohol consumption and its effects on my life than you could ever hope to.  Contrast that with a self-perception, of, say, "I'm a good basketball player on our company team."  That is much more easily measurable to you when we play basketball together.

Yet we constantly second-guess judgements that the principle naturally has more information on, like "I'm a thoughtful person," or "I'm very smart."

[Camerus]

Because the effects and details of one's alcohol addiction are really only know to that person him/herself, particularly in the case of ex-alcoholics.   Unless you are my spouse or otherwise really unusually intimate with me, I have far more information available to me about my alcohol consumption and its effects on my life than you could ever hope to.  Contrast that with a self-perception, of, say, "I'm a good basketball player on our company team."  That is much more easily measurable to you when we play basketball together.

Yet we constantly second-guess judgements that the principle naturally has more information on, like "I'm a thoughtful person," or "I'm very smart."

Again,  your examples are much more easily measurable to the outside observer.  "I'm an alcoholic" is basically an admission that alcohol is ruining one's life, and thus not as clear to most of one's acquaintances. You don't know the amount of alcohol the subject drinks, all the different behaviours he engages in when drunk, what his alcoholism has cost him in the past, whether he had promised to stop drinking before, the kind of self-loathing he feels the morning after, etc.  You just see him drinking (or not drinking) a few drinks at the bar when he is with you.  But when someone says "I'm very smart",  that is an example that is much more easily measured to outside observers.

[Admiral Yi]

All those things you mention are observable as well.

[Martinus]

If it is impairing their ability to function/lead meaningful lives - sure why not?

The impairment is not a requirement for diagnosing alcoholism - hence the expression "functioning alcoholic". I think most people who drink regularly to feel better are alcoholics - I am and most of my friends are.

[Martinus]

In my book, an alcoholic is someone who is addicted to alcohol, period.  If someone just drinks a lot without any sort of addiction, he is just a heavy drinker. 

Yeah but addiction is a broad concept. Most heavy drinkers are definitely addicted psychologically - that does not mean that if they go cold turkey they get delirious or die, but it means they will get more stressed, cranky and have hard time relaxing, at least for a while.

[Martinus]

Sort of like when folks claim anyone who smokes pot is a "drug addict". 

If someone can't enjoy himself/herself without his/her fix (pot, alcohol, harder drugs), than that person is a drug addict or an alcoholic.

This is not a very useful definition, really (especially when we are talking, like you, about stuff that is actually health damaging) because it cuts both ways as insufficient and does not really accomplish anything.