“Is my wife addicted to alcohol?”
My wife ends up drinking almost everyday. It started as a casual drink but now she is drinking more frequently, particularly after she gets home from work. Could this be the start of alcoholism?
3 Answers
The Dietary Guidelines for adults who choose to drink do so in moderation – 1 drink or less a day for women
Yes. https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/faqs.htm
For men, heavy drinking is typically defined as consuming 15 drinks or more per week. For women, heavy drinking is typically defined as consuming 8 drinks or more per week. So basically, if she is drinking more than 1 drink a day, she is putting herself at risk of developing a dependence on alcohol, and this alcoholism may take a few years to develop (maybe 10 years).
For men, heavy drinking is typically defined as consuming 15 drinks or more per week. For women, heavy drinking is typically defined as consuming 8 drinks or more per week. So basically, if she is drinking more than 1 drink a day, she is putting herself at risk of developing a dependence on alcohol, and this alcoholism may take a few years to develop (maybe 10 years).
That is a difficult question to answer and depends on many factors. But you can discuss her drinking with her and find out why she is drinking more often. If her drinking is interfering in her life in any way, such as inability to function well in any area, that would be a different matter, such as becoming intoxicated frequently, not performing her usual household functions, e.g. It getting dinner, keeping the house clean, etc. It does not signify the development of alcoholism necessarily, but one is always concerned when an individual escalates their drinking behavior.
