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Everyone has different definitions of it, but I would say if you drink until drunk multiple times per week every single week, you're probably an alcoholic. That or perhaps a more loose definition - if you drink to get drunk in nearly every social situation, i.e. in order to enjoy yourself you have to be drunk.

I realize that more extreme alcoholism is drinking ALONE all the time, and obviously functional alcoholics might drink several drinks a day and never be drunk, but certainly still have a drinking problem, but I think the fine line between alcoholism and not is more within social situations and drinking irresponsibly on a regular basis.

Part of the reason I say that was because I would go out drinking with a friend a few times a week, and even though we had used to have fun all the time without any alcohol, it became our thing to down a six pack plus a few mixed drinks every time, which is pretty much what it took us to get drunk. At the time I wouldn't have said I was an alcoholic, but looking back on it, I most certainly was. It wasn't til my friend got a DUI that we both stopped it. Til then, we were each blowing $100+ a week on alcohol, which at the time was a lot of money to me.

I've been addicted to soda in the past and quit that too, and though that was daily half gallon or more of soda - every single day, I feel it was similar to the alcohol in that it was an expected thing. Nearly every time I went out with my friend over the span of a few years after we turned 21, we drank.

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