What is alcoholism? Should all people avoid drinking? Is it true that alcohol can prevent heart attacks? Is alcoholism a moral weakness, or is it a chemical imbalance that is caused by genetics? I just drink beer, so I can't really be an alcoholic right? I don't drink every day, so I can't be an alcoholic, right? Dr. Domke answers these and other questions in LHP #21. An alcoholic is someone who continues to drink when it is causing them problems. Not only health problems, but also legal, marital, job-related and financial problems. Drinking is a problem if it causes trouble in your relationships, in school, in social activities, or in how you think and feel. If you are an alcoholic, your key task is to learn to totally stop drinking. This is often very difficult and usually needs the help of some organization like AA (Alcoholics Anonymous). Alcoholics Anonymous helps more alcoholics than all other treatments combined. If you are not an alcoholic, and if you are not morally opposed to drinking, there can be benefits to moderate and light drinking for adults. That means no more than 2-drinks per day if you are a male and no more than one drink if you are a female. A standard drink is one 12 ounce beer, one 5 ounce glass of wine, or one 1.5 ounce shot of distilled spirits. Each of these drinks contains about half an ounce of alcohol. Other resources: The Center for Disease Control has useful Alcohol Facts, and Brian F. Shaw's Addiction and Recovery for Dummies provides a simple yet accurate overview on alcoholism. Download MP3 file This podcast first aired on March 18, 2006.
