“He is a typical alcoholic”
Ever heard or said the above statement about your grungy neighbor who is always coming home drunk every night?
Well, there is no such thing as a “typical alcoholic” as every individual has a distinct situation.
Nevertheless, however unique these situations may be, studies have shown that alcoholics could be summed up into five groups.
What are the five groups? Read on. Also, if you fall into any of these categories and you think you need rehabilitation in Jacksonville, see Jacksonville drug rehab.
TYPES OF ALCOHOLICS.
Understanding the nature of the various types of alcoholics has proven to be efficient to the alcoholic, to health professionals, and the society at large as it helps the individual understand why they consume much alcohol, helps health professionals find a treatment plan for the alcoholic, and the society understands the need to treat each alcohol differently for effective recovery. For example, if the problem is alcohol, an alcohol rehab in Massachusetts would be best.
The five types of alcoholics are:
1. THE YOUNG ADULT ALCOHOLIC.
People from the age of eighteen to thrifty five are usually referred to Young adults. This is the group with the largest percentage of alcoholics. People who fall into this group usually have a compulsion to consume alcohol based on:
- Experimentation: Being young and inexperienced about life, a lot of college freshmen test their wings by consuming alcohol.
- Peer pressure: Almost all humans have succumbed to peer pressure at a point in their lives. That of younger adults could be heightened because of the fear of missing out, FOMO, or the fear of just being different.
People who fall into this category often alter their brain early in life before fully formed into adulthood, hence binge drinking becomes a compulsion.
2. THE FUNCTIONAL ALCOHOLIC.
- People who fall into this category may not necessarily fit into the description of all alcoholics, because they hold their own and have their lives under control. They do not struggle with other commitments like their jobs or families, never got rock bottom, are majorly successful hence often deny they have a problem and refuse to seek medical help. People who fall into this category happen to be:
- Middle-aged people who have had a serious repressive period in their lives in which alcohol was used a coping mechanism,
- Lead double lives and,
- Alcoholism could be hereditary for these people and some of them are likely to be smokers.
3. THE YOUNG ANTISOCIAL ALCOHOLIC.
Not to be confused with the young adult alcoholic, people who fall into this category usually struggle with an antisocial personality disorder. Using and then alcohol addiction elevates their situation to a co-occurring disorder. The young antisocial drinker often started using alcohol early in life. Studies have shown that the younger a person is when drinking starts, the more likely he or she is to suffer from substance abuse.
4. THE INTERMEDIATE FAMILIAL ALCOHOLIC.
This group contains middle-aged people who are likely generational drinkers; alcoholism runs in the family. Studies have shown that the familial alcoholic often suffers from other underlying mental health issues like bipolar disorder, depression etch and resort to drinking as a means of coping with the severe mood swings that come with most of those illnesses.
5. THE CHRONIC SEVERE ALCOHOLIC.
This is a group that fits into the general picture of what an alcoholic looks like. The chronic alcoholic starts drinking early and therefore falls into the risk of addiction, battles antisocial personality disorder, and is genetically an alcoholic.
They often battle severe life challenges such as destitution, homelessness, poverty, job losses, and even legal issues.
CONCLUSION.
Alcohol addiction can impair a life, damage relationships, damage the brain, and could even cause deaths. All in all, it is relatively safer to stay off all forms of drinking.