Sometimes these demands appear so overpowering that he starts drinking again despite his determination to remain sober. The alcoholic DOES NOT require any type of family, job, financial, or emotional problem to experience this flare-up of demand for alcohol. Usually the build-up of the demand for alcohol produces tenseness, irritability, irrational behavior, and an intense appetite for alcohol. This may take up to ten or twelve beers, etc., to produce. Non-alcoholics DO NOT require more alcohol to produce the same effect, even after years of social drinking.
Alcoholism has NO social boundaries such as status, race, religion, or sex.
In most cases, it IS best to work through the family to get the alcoholic into treatment or to recognize his problem. A person CAN be responsible on the job or drink only periodically and still be alcoholic. They DO NOT have to be a daily drinker or morning drinker. Alcoholism IS a progressive disease and may be treated at any age. According to the American Medical Association, alcoholism IS the third largest health problem in the United States.