Can you become alcoholic with your first drink?

m_huber

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m_huber
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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?
 
Alcohol is a very insidious drug. It causes a slight buzz, in small doses, and for some it becomes an escape from reality or merely enables heightened social behavior. Its ready availability makes it easy to abuse. I used to love bourbon, on ice. The first thing to know about alcohol is that it causes one to lose judgement.

So, when the judgement went, I just kept on pouring another since it tasted good, or somehow was quenching my thirst. Then in the morning...I regretted it. I finally just abandoned it altogether, and discovered that water on the rocks was just as good, actually better. I am not sure, but I think what happens in an alcoholic is similar to what I described above. I was fortunate to notice the error of my ways in time.

Even one drink when driving can be disastrous for some individuals if they do not realize that their judgement is impaired. I would especially never get on a motorcycle even after one beer.

I enjoy a little wine or a beer with a meal. As for binge drinking, not advisable.

Alcoholism is something that you can't really know for sure whether you would fall victim to or not, beforehand. What would worry me, given your family's history, is that it could become a self-fullfilling prophesy, or at best an attempt to prove to yourself that you are not alcoholism prone. I have several friends who are recovering alcoholics. It seems to just be a way of life that creeps up on one over several years. Then, when the problem is confronted, it can be very difficult to reverse.

Frankly, if you never had a drink, you wouldn't be missing much, except perhaps for a good glass of wine. As for becoming alcoholic after one drink, I don't think anyone can answer that question for you. It depends on a lot of factors such as whether you need an escape, a social crutch, enjoyed it a little too much, etc.
 
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Drinking is a lot of fun, especially in large social situations. I don't see how one drink could make you an alcoholic as, in my experience, most people don't like their first drink because beer, wine, and liquor takes some getting use to (especially liquor).

I tend to disbelieve people who try to tell me you can get hooked on any drug after one the first time, but it may be possible that there are some people out there extremely lacking in self control that might have a problem. I have a long history of alcoholism in my family as well and I drink about 4 times per week. However, I don't miss my classes, I'm never late for work and I exercise and don't have any health problems. I drink more than most people I know, but it has never gotten in the way of my every day life. It's just something I like to do.
 
m_huber said:
Is it reasonable to avoid alcohol altogether?
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Why would it be unreasonable? Are you afraid your party friends are going to make fun of you? Stand up to them! That's what I do!

Other than a few small samples and sips (which I never enjoyed), I have avoided alcohol all my life. People laugh at first. But, then they respect you, when they get to know you.
 
I guess there can be a genetic component. Like amongst folks who lack the enzyme that breaks down alcohol. So you get more drunk from fewer drinks, and can rapidly grow accustomed to getting blotto.
 
Plenty of cool people don't (or didn't) drink.
I, however do drink and I'm fairly certain that I have the genes for alcoholic tendencies. My parents didn't drink, but my brother and I have both struggled with binge drinking problems. It's like Olowkow said, once that inhibition switch is off, I have a hard time stopping. This has gotten me in trouble more than I can remember. I've never been able to completely give up alcohol. I still enjoy drinking, but I have learned to limit myself, not to drink too quickly, not to drink in a situation where I have unlimited access to alcohol (open bar, keg, parties, lots of dudes who want to buy me drinks), not to drink on an empty stomach, etc.
Can you become an alcoholic after one drink?
It depends on the situation and that drink. If it's a really big Long Island Iced Tea and you're at a wedding with an open bar? Yes. If you're at a nice dinner with several friends and there's a bottle of wine you're all sharing with the meal? Probably not.
 
No, one drink does not make you an alcoholic, it is a behavioral disorder. However one drink could make you concievably aware of a personal vulnerablity, I guess.
 
m_huber said:
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?
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The short answer is yes. The long answer is not your first drink, but your first drunk. People that are not alcoholics and don't come from alcoholics don't understand that it is a life or death issue. The first time I drank enough to catch a buzz I new I had found a new best friend. My dad had let me sip beer when I was young, 6 or 7, and I hated it, but when I was 14 my neighbor and I stole some liquor from his parents liquor cabinet and sneaked out to deliver our paper routes at 2 AM (about 3 hours earlier than we were supposed to). We started drinking and when THAT FEELING hit I new I was in love. It was the best thing I had ever felt. We drank all that we had, which wasn't very much, and I never got past the buzzed stage. This is probably what normal people feel when they drink(I am speculating). We had so much fun we did the exact same thing at my house the next night. I don't remember leaving the house. I woke up the next morning in a bean bag chair in my parents room. My dad woke me up and made me deliver my papers. I threw up all over them. I had a hangover for two days. The first day I was throwing up with a pounding headache and the second day I was too weak to do anything but lay on the couch and try to hold down some soup. I did not drink again until high school. When I turned 16 all my friends started drinking beer and I convinced myself that if I just stuck to beer, I couldn't become an alcoholic. It started out just on weekends and stayed that way pretty much through high school. The thing is I didn't get knee walking drunk every time I drank as long as I stuck to beer which helped me to believe that I was not an alcoholic. When I got to college I became a daily drinker and I stayed that way until I got sober at 32. I have lost 2 businesses, houses, cars, a fiancee, my self respect, friends, and a lot of life spent wasted that I can't get back. Is it really worth the chance that you might end up like me or worse? And since this forum promotes critical thinking does it really make sense to ingest anything that is considered a poison regardless of the pleasurable side effects?
http://www.aetv.com/intervention/int_episode_guide.jsp
Look at the episode about Lawrence. Even after his family intervened, he still refused to admit he had a problem with alcohol. He was kicked out of treatment and stayed sober for 3 weeks before he started drinking again. He is dead now from internal bleeding. The liquor ate through is esophagus.
In my family my great grandfather, my great uncle, my aunt, my uncle, my first cousin, and another great uncle were all alcoholics. I know I have rambled on but I am passionate about this. Please don't pick up that first drink. It is the only one you truly have any choice over.
 
m_huber said:
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.
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Dude, are you Donny Osmond?

Lying about your age is a sin Donny! (Joseph Smith said so)

m_huber said:
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.
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I find this quote fascinating, as a kid that grew up in Los Angeles...No one I knew made it out of high school without at least one great drunk story. ;)

One drink does not an alcoholic make...it's when you buy your first bar that the trouble begins. (yes, I did that once)

Only in AA do they say that the "First drink will kill Ya"...

Have a nice Cabernet before you die! :)
 
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I don't know about drinking alcohol, but I'll tell you this... I sure as hell was hooked on sex after only one time!!! :D
 
I'd say, 'yes'.

I introduced a very good friend of mind to alcohol many years ago. He dove in. I learned later that nearly all of his family, including both of his parents, were alcoholic.

He was a loving, honorable man in nearly all aspects of his life. He would do nearly anything, however, for a drink.

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.
 
Wowbagger said:
You can even add James Randi to that list.
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Oh yeah, duh. I meant to.
godofpie said:
Please don't pick up that first drink. It is the only one you truly have any choice over.
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While I don't agree with total abstinence, I think this is a true statement for most people.
My brother basically force-fed me some wine when I was a kid. It was just enough for six-year-old to get her first taste of the intoxicating effects of alcohol. From that point on, I knew that the effects of alcohol were fun. Since my parents didn't really drink, I never saw any destructive effects of alcohol. Plus, growing up in a town whose main industry was wine growing, the anti-drinking message got a little overpowered by the "drink more wine!" message. What it comes down to is that I thought drinking was fun and nothing persuaded me otherwise. However, (especially being a girl) some very not fun things have happened to me while drunk. It's taken a lot of those not fun things before the negative of getting completely soused finally outweighed the positive.
 
There's a lot of alcoholics in my family too. I've been sat down by my mother and given the talk about, "If you become an alcoholic, I will be there for you. I will be upset, but I will always, always be there for you because I've been there and I know how it is." And y'all thought the sex talk was awkward.

Lately, I've suffered another bout of recurrent depression. As part of it, there are times I want to drink until I'm passed out on the floor. But as part of my coping, I force myself to examine the consequences of my actions. None of the consequences of doing that are good.

So I stopped drinking.

I have five untouched Guinness left in the fridge and plenty of alcohol sitting atop the fridge.

Tomorrow, at Easter, I will probably have a hard cider.

While I have the potential to be an alcoholic, I've also managed to be very, very good about managing what I drink and when I drink. I never binge, I rarely get drunk, I rarely have more than one or two drinks, and I tend to have a drink at most once a week.
 
It would probably make more sense to say you can be an alcoholic before the first drink, in that some people will not be able to stop. But that might be stretching the definition of "alcoholism" a bit too far. Maybe "tendency" towards alcoholism would be more appropriate.

I was lucky. Other people in my family have been alcoholics but I am not. A big part of it is that I become less social when I drink. After a few beers I just want to be content alone (without more beer).
 
XBoxWarrior said:
Dude, are you Donny Osmond?

Lying about your age is a sin Donny! (Joseph Smith said so)

I find this quote fascinating, as a kid that grew up in Los Angeles...No one I knew made it out of high school without at least one great drunk story. ;)

One drink does not an alcoholic make...it's when you buy your first bar that the trouble begins. (yes, I did that once)

Only in AA do they say that the "First drink will kill Ya"...

Have a nice Cabernet before you die! :)
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I grew up in Mississippi, and people I knew growing up fell into the categories of either heavy drinker or teetotaler. My family, of course, all fell into the latter category. Now that I am in grad school (yes, I got an undergraduate degree without ever drinking) and cut away from the religion that was my main reason for not drinking, I am left to consider a more logical reason for not drinking.

As I see it, people who do drink alcohol (which is the vast majority of humanity) do so mainly because it is pleasant. Some people drink to excess, and that causes problems. If I can add something pleasant to my life with minimal risk, then it seems to me that it would be a good thing to do. If, instead, the risk is severe, then I might as well not start drinking.

I have great respect for the AA organization, but I also question whether or not it is giving entirely sound advice. All of my friends at this point in my life drink on a regular basis, and they are decent people who live decent lives. I cannot accept the notion that drinking alcohol causes problems; the problems only come from drinking too much. Does anyone know if this is false?

What I really want to know is how dangerous it would be for me to start drinking.
 
Complexity said:
I'd say, 'yes'.

I introduced a very good friend of mind to alcohol many years ago. He dove in. I learned later that nearly all of his family, including both of his parents, were alcoholic.

He was a loving, honorable man in nearly all aspects of his life. He would do nearly anything, however, for a drink.

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.
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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.
 
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