What kind of Drink are you?

We all drink occasionally, but how do we know which category of drinker do we fall into? Can we be addressed as social drinkers, or can be we addressed as addicts?

Though there is no full proof formula to determine which category you fall into; there is a common perception about the same. It is believed that in case one has suffered from mental, physical, relationship issues, social problems, legal issues or health issues due to alcohol and continues drinking then that person is addicted to alcohol.

Some even say, that if you drink on a daily basis to such an extent that you lose control over your own actions and words, then you are addicted to alcohol too.

Alcohol intake differs from person to person. The intake capacity depends on various parameters like body mass index and rate of metabolism. Generally, women are more prone to feel the effect of alcohol. I feel that alcohol hits women at a much faster rate than men. I have also seen many aged people been engrossed in the ill affects of heavy drinking.

Apart from gender or age, other factors also play a key role on determining how well you handle your drink. I have seen that drinking on an empty stomach or drinking quickly leads to feeling a high and dizzy. The drink seems to take a toll on us if we cross our daily limit of 1drink per day for women and 2 drinks per day for men.

Other factors also act like a trigger and encourage one to shift from a social drinker to an addict. Factors like history of alcoholism, family history of alcoholism, company of alcoholics and so on are few of the triggering factors.

Certain simple screen tests like CAGE Questionnaire helps one understand if one is moving from  a social drinker to becoming addicted to alcohol. A few questions need to be answered in order to determine the same. Do you feel the need to cut down on alcohol?

• Have you annoyed people due to your drinking habit?
• Do you feel Guilty for drinking?
• Do you resort to morning eye-openers to get rid of hang over on a daily?

Another way to find out which category you fall into is by trying and abstaining from drinks for a stretch of time and seeing whether you are successful in doing the same or not.