Can a 22 year old be an alcoholic?

Answer 1

Yes, a 22 year old can be an alcoholic. Many things that occur in someone's life lead them to be dependent on something; many times this is drugs and alcohol. There are a lot of stressful situations and more pressures put on people in their college years and into their 20s such as school and jobs. Lately, many studies have shown that women in their 20s and 30s have been binge drinking more and trying to compete with "the boys." This is something that many people argue over whether or not they are alcoholics because part of a definition of being an alcoholic is taking it vast quantities of alcohol in one sitting. This means, unfortunately that most college kids are alcoholics by definition.

In terms of being an "actual" alcoholic however there are signs that could point to someone becoming dependent on alcohol, such as do they always have to have a drink even though no one around them is drinking? Or when they do drink, are they drinking large amounts of alcohol with no way of controlling when they stop? I know personally that I have had a friend who was headed down the path to being an alcoholic. She was depending on alcohol in every situation from going to class, to being in study groups, and of course at parties and bars. There were times when she had to be carried into the house after a study group session where she had too many margaritas and no one else was drinking. Also, as for myself, there was a time during my sophomore year of college that I got a little carried away with drinking. It was after both of my grandparents died within two weeks of each other. It got to the point where I was partying pretty much every day. It was a need for that social situation and for the bonding between people when you are drunk. I wouldn't say I was addicted to the alcohol because I could most certainly study without it, however, I was addicted to the feeling that everything was right when I was drunk. There are just a lot of signs to watch for and a lot of research to be done before making an assessment of someone to judge whether or not they are an alcoholic; but, there are definitely warning signs even if they aren't to the point of really needing it.