I just read a headline about some sports star that fell off the wagon.  How would you like your personal failure broadcast like that?  But aside from that, I realized I don't hear much about alcoholism anymore.  I may be out of those circles and I am sure the rate of alcoholism is steady, but do you think our attitudes towards drinking to excess might me changing, or softening? 

Oh Elsa... I think that alcoholism is so common place its overlooked and not really discussed. Unless you are someone who is physiologically dependent on alcohol to survive then its not considered a problem. There are psychological dependency and what's worse is people don't really understand how toxic it is for your body, mix that in with poor diet and you have the perfect recipe for mental illness. I stopped drinking I didn't realize it was affecting my overall health and happiness and being more conscious about what I eat, I feel amazing and can function at a level I never thought I would ever reach.

I think we over look  a lot of alcoholism due to the fact that alcohol is legal so it is easy to hide behind social events and places when someone is addicted to alcohol.  Yes, I believe we have become used to people drinking and don't think about whether a person is an alcoholic as much as we should when they party or drink every day.  Since a person stops growing emotionally when they start drinking or become an alcoholic it makes for such messes in families. I think we could be more diligent in helping those hwo are addicted and staging interventions.

I had to get off Ckicken Nuggets all by myself.......no body helped me...............

But more to the point...........alcoholism I think is less exciting anymore so therefore less reported unless it happens to a big personality.

It's true we don't hear much about alcholism anymore. I find that there is a lot more social drinking on the rise, and it's more accepted as part of meals and life in certain emerging countries more than it was before. Just terrible amounts of the stuff. Alcohol sales are up, exports, and fake alcohol is on the rise, more than fake handbags and items these days.

However, around me, people seem to be more forgiving if someone says they don't drink or has another beverage due to health reasons when socializing.

It's very alarming to me that people ignore it until someone needs to go to rehab or gets in trouble.

I think it's more hid because of job fears. Employers don't want anybody running up their insurance costs these days.

Years ago, one of the top supervisors where I worked, had beer in a cooler in his truck so that he could start his nightly drinking the instant he left the building.

If I knew this, lot's of people knew. You just can't get away with shit like that in this economy.

There is going to be an investigation feature on the local news this week in Boston about alcoholic cops on the BPD.

I don't talk about it. And I can't talk about the reason I don't talk about it anymore because either will raise an argument.

I've noticed a big change over the last few years with the attitude towards drinking in my community.  People actually being more 'responsible' drinkers.  When out socially drinking, I don't see people going overboard as much and being conscious about their consumption before getting into their cars and driving.

I've also heard the phrase 'self-medicating' alot more too... lack of health care means more people using what they can to ease their aches and pains that might have gone to a doctor before.

My parents do not drink and never took us around people who drank.  Their stance on alcohol/smoking/drugs was very clear to me and my brother.  I'm not going to lie and say I've never been stupid about drinking, because in my youth I was, but now that I am 30 years old and a mother of a one year old, I can count on less than one hand the number of times I've drank in the last year and each time it was only 1 drink.  Needless to say, due to my upbringing I have a very negative view of Alcoholism, and it's pretty much the same as my view on drug addiction and smoking.  Gotta say that with my son I am not going to act like he won't ever drink and will make sure to speak with him about it and how if he is going to drink he has to be responsible.  My parents never spoke to me about it, I don't know if it would have made a difference but they have NO IDEA some of the danger I put myself in due to carelessness with drinking. 

I know people who have died due to their alcoholism, and I know people I am certain will die from their alcoholism. It's terrible.

me too, Kash...and my daughter is involved with an alchoholic.  Actually, both of them are.  It's a shame too, because they're sweet boys.

I don't run in normal circles, so I don't think I know what the prevailing "normal" attitude is. I just know growing up, and into my 20s, I was around people where alcoholism was normal.

Now I'm around people that think alcoholism is a scourge, but are also aware of how much it is hidden, hushed up, etc.

Brizo, that is a shame:(

Josi "And I can't talk about the reason I don't talk about it anymore because either will raise an argument." I hear ya on that.

I've grown up in an alcoholic family. Dad is the alkie and Mom is the tee-totalling enabler. They are supposed to go with me to my psychiatrist on Monday, and I feel like if I lay down the cold, hard truth, my Dad will get up and walk out. My family can't handle the truth.

Societally, if there's less of an emphasis on alcoholism, I think it's because other drugs such as prescription abuse, meth, etc., have stolen the spotlight as of late.

I agree with that Josephine.  The effects of meth and crack are so horrific and happen so quickly, we forget how devastating alcohol can be as it destroys more slowly.

In my circles, binge drinking like a frat boy is frowned upon, which only means that alcohol dependency is A-O.K. as long as you keep it to yourself.

My friends are in their 30s and I think it's at this age that people start realizing their need for drink is not just for socializing. I am concerned for one couple I know because they drink very often and they have a toddler. It's a red flag for me when you drink MORE as you go through a major life change.

If you have a problem you know it. The problem is that the behavior doesn't go away even if the drinking stops. I too know too much to comment. I too know those that have died. It's taking hostages that creeps me out. They latch on to people and try to suck them into their illness. Powerless, they overcompensate by undermining others and their own power. Abuse is a common denominator in that sick play- be it verbal or physical. When you see someone at 6am grabbing for a shot with hand tremors it's more than a social disease.

I don't drink much because I was "blessed by angels" (say it with an Irish brough) and it makes me sick. I don't drink much because I'm not good at decision making after a few (nee movie: blind date). I am afraid of many who have unherited a genetic predispostion towards alcoholism. It isn't about a holier than thou trip. Really it isn't. http://www.addictionsandrecovery.org/is-addiction-a-disease.htm

If you have a problem you know it. The problem is that the behavior doesn't go away even if the drinking stops. I too know too much to comment. I too know those that have died. It's taking hostages that creeps me out. They latch on to people and try to suck them into their illness. Powerless, they overcompensate by undermining others and their own power. Abuse is a common denominator in that sick play- be it verbal or physical. When you see someone at 6am grabbing for a shot with hand tremors it's more than a social disease.

I don't drink much because I was "blessed by angels" (say it with an Irish brough) and it makes me sick. I don't drink much because I'm not good at decision making after a few (nee movie: blind date). I am afraid of many who have inherited a genetic predisposition towards alcoholism. It isn't about a holier than thou trip. Really it isn't. http://www.addictionsandrecovery.org/is-addiction-a-disease.htm

I know it's intense in the military, but it's not called alcoholism so much in normal conversation because if everyone's an alcoholic, no one is, kinda thing. Know what I mean? It's normative to drink yourself into a stupor in the military community. 

I think people consider alcoholism a "disease" that needs to be treated like Tourettes where the bearer of the illness should be viewed with a level of sympathy rather than stigma. "It could happen to anyone" is the sense I get about it. I live in Colorado where everyone drinks, but I never get the feeling I am surrounded by alcoholics. I think alcoholism isn't just drinking socially often, it's NEEDing to. It's not being able to stop once you start, over and over and over again. 

My best friend from childhood ended up struggling with alcoholism, and it broke my heart. I was totally surprised. She told me in rehab she learned that some alcoholics only drink on weekends -- it's not like the old school image of the stumbling hobo "town drunk." It's a person who has no sense of limitation toward alcohol. 

I think in general, there is a decrease in courage, which tends to translate often times into a lack of ability to cope. Couple that with an incredible lack of family cohesion and support, and you have a perfect storm. Add that in with a lessened stigma toward parents drinking, or girls drinking, and you get people who can "get away with it" until they're passed out in a gutter somewhere and being carted to rehab. I don't think people have the strength of character to deal with alcoholism very well anymore -- not unless it's common enough to you that you know what to do. 

My mother is a raging alcoholic. She won't live long. And I'm just preparing myself for the inevitable, but also realized my own tendency to drink while stressed out. There was a time where I could drink two bottles of wine in a sitting. And this was ok bc it was wine. Now docs think she has colon cancer... Alcohol is nasty stuff.