Alcoholism is the greatest problem of all time. Every year the number of people who abuse alcohol is growing. This is due not only to a deterioration in the standard of living of the population, but also to a change in the mentality of the younger generation. Modern children are brought up in an atmosphere of permissiveness, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to surprise them with something. Therefore, they try to get new sensations by themselves, using alcohol-containing drinks.
The problem of our time
Each of us almost daily encounters a drunk man in the entrance, on the street, in the subway, in cafes, in shops and in other public places. People intoxicated cause disgust and irritation, which is sometimes impossible to hide. Passers-by, seeing drunk people, most often throw after them such abusive words as “drunkard” and “alcoholic”. Moreover, many of them consider them synonyms, but this is a big mistake.
What is the difference between a drunkard and an alcoholic? What is the difference? This is a very topical issue today. Despite the fact that the main characteristic of drunkards and alcoholics is the systematic use of alcoholic beverages, there are still differences between them, and they are quite significant. To properly understand them, you need to consider each definition in more detail.
To begin with, the concept of “drunkard” is the common name of a person who is addicted to alcohol. While "alcoholic" is a medical term. He defines the same category of people.
Drunkards
What is the difference between an alcoholic and a drunkard? The difference in concepts is as follows: a drunkard is a person who regularly uses alcoholic beverages, he is often in a tipsy state. While an alcoholic refers to a person for whom drinking alcohol develops into need and becomes a way of life.
The latter suffer from a latent or severe form of alcohol dependence. She, in turn, is considered a disease that requires serious and long-term treatment. Drinking is social in nature. It is the main stage on the path to alcoholism.
For drunks, a pretext is optional. They drink alcohol just to cheer up. Piling vodka after a hard day is a tradition for them. Drunkards love to spend time in a noisy company where alcohol pours river, or in a narrow circle, over a glass of cold beer. However, they always rely only on themselves and can stop in time. They can drink even in the middle of the week, while the tidy come to work without delay.
Drunkards differ from alcoholics in that they can stop and not drink at any time. In this case, they will not experience any discomfort. This addiction is nothing but a bad habit that can be dealt with if you take your will in your fist.
Alcoholics
An alcoholic is a person dependent on hard liquor. Using them does not give him any pleasure, but he cannot imagine life without this addiction. Here is another answer to the question of how an alcoholic differs from a drunkard.
An alcoholic is illegible in the selection of strong drinks. He is ready to drink everything "that burns." Without a daily dose of alcohol, it simply cannot exist normally. This dependence is somewhat similar to narcotic. In medical terminology, there is even such a thing as "alcohol withdrawal." What is it like? This is an alcohol-dependent state that has not received the next dose of alcohol.
An alcoholic needs a new portion of alcohol in a couple of hours after the previous use. If time is running out, and they have nothing to improve their health with, the so-called withdrawal occurs. Its manifestations can be different: uncontrolled attacks of aggression, headache, vomiting, fever. In order for everything to stop, you need to drink.
Delirium tremens develops in an alcoholic
What is the difference between an alcoholic and a drunkard? The difference is that the first, unlike the second, cannot independently fight its addiction. An attempt to give up alcohol can result in the development of delirium tremens for a person. What it is?
Delirium tremens is one of the acute forms of alcoholic psychosis. It bothers mainly alcoholics with experience. It manifests itself in the evening in the form of auditory and visual hallucinations. It requires immediate medical attention. This is due to the fact that the body of a dependent person is simply not able to function without the next dose of alcohol.
Alcoholic drinks for no reason
In order to drink, he needs neither company nor reason. That's the difference between an alcoholic and a drunkard. For a bottle, he is able to give everything. Therefore, most often such people are left without a family and without work. They are well aware that all this happened because of their addiction, but they cannot get rid of it on their own.
A fine line
Before telling the difference between an alcoholic and a drunkard, I would like to note that there is a fine line between these two states. It can be destroyed if the drunkard fails to abandon his bad habit in time.
The manifestation of weakness in this case can lead to alcoholism, which, if untreated, can cause death. After all, the constant presence in the blood of a large amount of alcohol triggers the mechanism of destruction of the body. The consequences of alcohol abuse in this case may be irreversible.
Control
What is the difference between an alcoholic and a drunkard? What is the difference? The fact that a drunkard is able to control himself and knows the norm. His brain can still signal to the body that it is worth stopping. You can’t feel it. When the drunkard's health deteriorates sharply, then he stops drinking and tries to put himself in order by all possible means. He can go to sleep, go out into the fresh air, take a contrast shower or drink a cup of strong coffee.
The brain of an alcoholic is simply not capable of signaling the body. Therefore, a person can infuse himself with an unlimited amount of alcohol. He will not receive any pleasure from this procedure, but he will not be able to stop. He will drink until he turns off. To achieve this effect, an alcoholic must constantly increase the dose of alcohol. Therefore, every year he begins to drink more and more and can not stop, even if he feels a threat to life.
Damage to the cerebral cortex with alcohol can lead to alcoholic epilepsy. With her there is a loss of consciousness and memory.
A drunkard is able to give up alcohol or reduce the amount of his consumption as soon as he feels that something is wrong with his body. He also does not need to increase the dosage. He has a strictly established maximum, which he does not intend to exceed. That's the difference between an alcoholic and a drunkard. Symptoms of addiction in a drunkard are absent. And their manifestation will be considered his transition to the category of alcoholics.
Root of evil
Drunkards flatly refuse to admit to themselves and others that alcohol occupies an important place in their life. The denial of this fact is the root of evil, because their opinion that they can refuse to drink alcohol at any time is erroneous. They, unnoticed by themselves, may begin to abuse alcohol in greater quantities.
What is the difference between an alcoholic and a drunkard? So no one will be able to immediately answer this question. This is due to the fact that these two terms are two sides of the same coin. An alcoholic and a drunkard have so much in common that it is not so easy to find differences in this variety. Currently, there is even an opinion that these are equivalent concepts. Since both the one and the other are disgusted by others with their appearance. The word "drunkard" itself sounds much more derogatory than "alcoholic". After all, the last word is a medical term. It means that a particular person has a problem.
Conclusion
Now you know the difference between an alcoholic and a drunkard. What is the difference between them, we hope you have become clear. Due to the lack of pronounced differences in these definitions, it is customary to call people who are addicted to alcoholic drinks alcoholics. However, one should not forget that both alcoholics and drunkards are people with serious problems. They need help, and the sooner it is provided to them, the more chances they have for a full happy life.