Can you become alcoholic with your first drink?

[Fiona]

http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-251753/alcoholism

I have also known someone who experienced "falling in love with alcohol" when he took his first drink. He subsequently became alcoholic and also lost much that was good in his life. It is his view that he was predisposed to alcoholism in some way and I am very happy to say he managed to get and stay sober.

I also live in Scotland and there is a strong alcohol culture here, with a pattern of binge drinking. Most of the people I know are heavy drinkers and I include myself in this. I think that the biggest percentage of those people are not and do not become alcoholic. The pattern is common in all age groups and yet most do not find that their alcohol use has adverse effects on other aspects of their lives. However within this group there are some who become alcohol dependent and this seems to be a slower process so perhaps there is another mechanism: or the same mechanism but without some biological factor which speeds up the process. However that may be, it seems to me that there are several things at work and that for most people it is not possible to become alcoholic on the basis of one drink: but that a few people are at that kind of risk.

Since alcohol can be a great pleasure it would be a shame to abstain if that is not necessary: but I do think that anyone who finds it absolutely wonderful on first acquaintance should consider abstinence thereafter. I do think that is perfectly possible (as it is for heroin, for example) so long as you are aware of the danger and the signs to look for

 

[Complexity]

You have my deepest sympathy. I lost my older brother to alcoholism. He was 46 when he died, and he quite literally drank himself to death. He had several heart attacks. He was much as you describe. Warm heart, generous, loving, a great guy. However, alcohol was his master and it came before everything else.

Thank you. We don't really know what killed him and the extent to which alcohol contributed.

He'd had two grand mal seizures during the two years prior to days before his death. He was on an anti-seizure medication but, in part due to alcohol, wasn't great about taking it regularly - his mind was often elsewhere. He left after mid-December 2006 to spend the holidays with the family of a coworker in Mexico. I last spoke with him on the evening of December 27. He was having a great time, needed some money, and had two more seizures - one in a bank and one in the home of his hosts. He was drinking while down there, of course. He collapsed early on December 29 while talking to one of his hosts and died very quickly. The last thing he said to his host was that his head hurt, and he moved his hand to his head.

The autopsy was performed in Mexico within two hours of his death. The official cause of death was a massive myocardial infarction - a heart attack. This is plausible, because heart disease ran in his family - his father died at work of a heart attack at 53. A heart attack at 29, however, is astonishing.

After talking with many other people, we tend to think that an aneurysm in his brain was most likely the cause of the seizures, that it ballooned while he was in Mexico, and that it was involved in some fashion in his death. We'll never know.

Did alcohol contribute to his death? I think so. It certainly made him wary of seeing doctors, who would tell him not to drink, especially when on medication.

My partner was raised Jehovah's Witness. His fraternal twin brother is still religious, is at high risk in terms of his health, and will not see a doctor.

 

[kallsop]

I don't know if there is any reliable predictor of who can drink and not get hooked and who can't. I was a social drinker in college, you know, beers with the gang. Occasionally drank way too much, but never had an urge to drink. If the social scene went dead for a while, I didn't drink at all. Much much later, I bought a few cases of beer for my childs baptism so that guests would have drinks available. Not much got consumed and that beer was in my house for about the next 5 years, untouched, until other guests finished it off. Now I drink maybe one bottle of beer every two weeks or so, in social situations. Alcohol is as addictive to me as milk or orange juice.

My point is that some can drink and stop, some can't, and the only sure way to know is to try it. My grandfather was a drunk, but I am not, so even family connections are not reliable indicators. There are fewer drunks than drinkers so the odds are on your side if you want to find out. I know several people who don't drink and never have, and their lives are not lacking anything at all.

 

[sleepy_lioness]

I was also told by my parents that drinking anything at all could lead to alcoholism. My father said he'd stopped drinking more or less altogether when he realized he was heading that way. Now he has a whisky at Christmas and the very occasional glass of wine at celebrations.

Where I grew up all teenagers drank heavily, and so I did too. I spent my first year of university practically paralytic, got into all sorts of trouble (I'll never forget the pregnancy scare, for one thing). Then got in with a different gang of friends in my second and third years, drank a little less and got a good degree. Since then I've been drinking less every year, til now I probably have about 4 units a week at most. I go long periods without drinking and don't really miss it.

So I must not have the tendency to alcoholism. I do suffer from severe depression and am more or less permanently on SSRIs, but weirdly despite my early heavy drinking I never deal with my depression by drinking - when I'm really down I can't face drinking alcohol at all. I think I'm unusual in this.

 

[quarky]

Try some homeopathic vodka, if you want to start drinking.

 

[Ron_Tomkins]

I think this falls under the "Medicine" category.

In my 22 years on Earth, I have never had beer, wine, or alcohol of any type, with the only possible exception being cough medicine (and I am not certain about that). My parents do not drink, nor do my grandparents on either side. I am told that their parents did drink, and that at least two of my great-grandfathers were alcoholics. My parents told me that alcoholism is genetic, and if I ever start drinking, it is likely that I will be an alcoholic. I have also been told that I could become alcoholic with my first drink. However, now that I am an adult and I stop to think about it, it sounds pretty absurd.

So, that being said, what factors contribute to alcoholism? Is it reasonable to avoid alcohol altogether? And, can a person theoretically become alcoholic with the first drink?

For more information, check the "Porn generation, scientific studies" thread. We discuss these same things: Adiction to something is inherent to the human being. When I was around 9 years old, I got curious and tried a little bit of rum. Inmediately after the first sip, the whole room seemed to move around. I was like "whoa" and that was it. Didn't develop any addiction at all.

Further ahead in my teens, I tried rum some more and got my first drunk. It was "cool". But I didn't drink the next day after that nor the next day after that nor the next week. In other words, no sign of addiction.

Further ahead still in my teens I began trying some other liquors. Sometimes I would drink until I got drunk, sometimes I didn't. The fact is, I only drank on weekends and not all weekends. Some of them. In other words, no addiction at all.

I also tried marihuana a couple times. It freaked me out the first times. Other times, it didn't and I got a nice effect. Still, no addiction and the periods on which I consume marihuana are like once or twice a year.

The first day I discovered porn, I was hooked on it. It was a feeling kind of like "Where have you been all my life?".

Eventually I controlled it.

Being prone to becoming addictive to a specyfic something is an inherent and individual aspect.

 

[phil99]

Alcoholism, Schmalcoholism

If you like to drink twice a month, the equivalent of a shot of bourbon each drink, alcohol doesn't mean squat to you. Enjoy drinking.

If you smoke three or four smokes a week, enjoy being a smoker.

If you're not a person people whisper about as "sure is fat," enjoy whatever it is you're eating.

Almost half the Western world is said to now be populated by chubsters. How many of the other two groups do you know?

Responsible behavior with many things is very difficult. Since you have to eat, I'd save my energy and work on being responsible only where I have to.

Bon apetit.

 

[godofpie]

What I really want to know is how dangerous it would be for me to start drinking.

My mom was very worried about my drinking from the very beginning. 3/4 of the alcoholics are on her side of the family. My dad said that he drank him self silly in college and I was just a going through a phase. It sounds to me as if you are looking for validation to take your first drink. I don't speak for AA, I speak for myself. If you would like the advice of a professional I would suggest speaking to a recovery based MD. Dr Drew Pinski has a myspace page and a website that you can ask him questions on. I would surmise that asking people who drink can without significant consequences are going to tell you what you want to hear. If you want to put a bullet in the chamber, spin the cylinder and pull the trigger, be my guest. You might get lucky. But using logic and reason, is it really worth the risk?

Complexity-I am so sorry for your loss. You can't "love" someone better from this disease.

 

[m_huber]

My mom was very worried about my drinking from the very beginning. 3/4 of the alcoholics are on her side of the family. My dad said that he drank him self silly in college and I was just a going through a phase. It sounds to me as if you are looking for validation to take your first drink. I don't speak for AA, I speak for myself. If you would like the advice of a professional I would suggest speaking to a recovery based MD. Dr Drew Pinski has a myspace page and a website that you can ask him questions on. I would surmise that asking people who drink can without significant consequences are going to tell you what you want to hear. If you want to put a bullet in the chamber, spin the cylinder and pull the trigger, be my guest. You might get lucky. But using logic and reason, is it really worth the risk?

Complexity-I am so sorry for your loss. You can't "love" someone better from this disease.

This is specifically my question. Is this closer to Russian Roulette, or is it closer to driving on the interstate for the first time?

I have seen others enjoy the pleasure that alcohol brings. I have also seen the destruction that alcohol can induce. If I can have the former without the latter, I want to go for it; what I am attempting to do now, and have been considering for some time, is the "logic and reason" behind the decision.

 

[kallsop]

I have seen others enjoy the pleasure that alcohol brings. I have also seen the destruction that alcohol can induce. If I can have the former without the latter, I want to go for it...

Believe me, there is nothing magic about the former. You can have as much fun as they are, and drink nothing. Don't get caught up in "the grass is greener over there" thinking.

 

[Gagglegnash]

Hi

... snip ...
He was an alcoholic-in-waiting before he had his first drink. He was an alcoholic once he'd had his first drink.

He died a year and a half ago of a heart attack at 29.

He was my partner.

:-( Please accept my sincere condolences. :-( I'm very sorry for your loss. :-(

 

[Dr. Imago]

And, can a person theoretically become alcoholic with the first drink?

Well, all alcoholics had a first drink at some point. So, technically, the answer to your query is "yes".

Most Addiction Medicine specialists would be inclined to agree with many of you that most true alcoholics have a predisposition, and are probably already alcoholics even before they take their first drink.

-Dr. Imago

 

[quarky]

there's lots better drugs than ethanol.

(unfortunately, they're all illegal)

 

[fingersmith]

This is specifically my question. Is this closer to Russian Roulette, or is it closer to driving on the interstate for the first time?

I have seen others enjoy the pleasure that alcohol brings. I have also seen the destruction that alcohol can induce. If I can have the former without the latter, I want to go for it; what I am attempting to do now, and have been considering for some time, is the "logic and reason" behind the decision.

I think looking at it like russian roulette is way off, it's a shame you've been given such paranoia about it. My suggestion if you're so worried about it is to set yourself some limits, for example you might want to find out, if you can, what the average amount to drink is for your age in your area and if you find yourself regularly exceeding this then try to cut back. In my opinion if you want to experiment with having a few beers with your friends to see how it suits you, you are not putting yourself at any unreasonable risk, however keeping an eye on how much you drink is good advice for anyone.

 

[godofpie]

I think looking at it like russian roulette is way off, it's a shame you've been given such paranoia about it. My suggestion if you're so worried about it is to set yourself some limits, for example you might want to find out, if you can, what the average amount to drink is for your age in your area and if you find yourself regularly exceeding this then try to cut back. In my opinion if you want to experiment with having a few beers with your friends to see how it suits you, you are not putting yourself at any unreasonable risk, however keeping an eye on how much you drink is good advice for anyone.

How many alcoholics are in your family? Would you use this same reasoning with cocaine, cigarettes, heroin, or any other addictive substance, or is your advice for alcohol only? I find it very interesting on a forum for skeptics where critical thinking is key, you would propose the experimenting idea to someone with a genetic predisposition for addiction. Could you explain to me the socially beneficial uses for alcohol? It impairs judgment and it slows reaction times. It causes erratic and unpredictable behavior. 1/3 of all people in prison were under the influence of alcohol or drugs when they committed their offense and 50% had drank or used in the previous month. My advice would be to take a black magic marker, put a big X on the back of your hand put some Black Flag or Dead Kennedy's in the CD player and get your freak on. The only thing alcohol will do is alter your brain chemistry. How can that be a good thing?

 

[TellyKNeasuss]

If you believe that Transactional Analysis founder Eric Berne was correct when he claimed that alcoholics drink for the hangover rather than for the pleasure of getting drunk, then one would have to at least drink enough to get a hangover. Whether one is then condemned to continue drinking to get hungover after just one experience would seem to be doubtful.

 

[quarky]

Without drunks, the justice system in my little town would go broke.

Without drunks, sober people would lose some moral high ground.

Without drunks, a lot of social workers would be out of a job.

Without drunks, the fabric of society would crumple.

 

[fingersmith]

How many alcoholics are in your family? Would you use this same reasoning with cocaine, cigarettes, heroin, or any other addictive substance, or is your advice for alcohol only? I find it very interesting on a forum for skeptics where critical thinking is key, you would propose the experimenting idea to someone with a genetic predisposition for addiction. Could you explain to me the socially beneficial uses for alcohol? It impairs judgment and it slows reaction times. It causes erratic and unpredictable behavior. 1/3 of all people in prison were under the influence of alcohol or drugs when they committed their offense and 50% had drank or used in the previous month. My advice would be to take a black magic marker, put a big X on the back of your hand put some Black Flag or Dead Kennedy's in the CD player and get your freak on. The only thing alcohol will do is alter your brain chemistry. How can that be a good thing?

So far I've picked up that the main reason for not drinking was his religion, presumably chosen for him by his parents, they have told him two of his great-grandparents were alcoholic. Who decided this, was it diagnosed, did a grandparent decide their parent was alcoholic from childhood memories? Did a grandparent say that a parent drank and then his parents upgrade this to alcoholism to help back up their religions anti-alcohol views?
My advice is to someone clearly interested in trying alcohol, what is your advice? Would you compare having his first beer to Russian Roulette?

 

[quarky]

Isn't "Russian Roulette" a racial insult, of sorts?

Is there any evidence that the Russians have a corner on the market of this form of gambling?

(I heard it was actually invented by the Italians, bless their hearts)

 

[godofpie]

So far I've picked up that the main reason for not drinking was his religion, presumably chosen for him by his parents, they have told him two of his great-grandparents were alcoholic. Who decided this, was it diagnosed, did a grandparent decide their parent was alcoholic from childhood memories? Did a grandparent say that a parent drank and then his parents upgrade this to alcoholism to help back up their religions anti-alcohol views?
My advice is to someone clearly interested in trying alcohol, what is your advice? Would you compare having his first beer to Russian Roulette?

So I assume you are not going to answer my questions? You suggested that he should start drinking and that experimentation was the proper way to begin. Why should he start drinking? Because everyone else is? Because it is socially acceptable? Why? Would that be you advice to someone that was interested to trying cocaine?