The Dry Drunk can be a problem to themselves and others.
Alcoholics Anonymous informally refers to the alcoholic who has stopped drinking, but who still demonstrates similar alcoholic attitudes and behaviors, as a “dry drunk.”
They say that such an individual has abstinence but not sobriety.
This concept has been adopted by most twelve-step Fellowships such as Narcotics Anonymous, Gamblers Anonymous and Marijuana Anonymous .
It appears on almost all of the Web sites devoted to the different addictions, although characteristics of the dry drunk syndrome differ widely from site to site.
Most often mentioned are:
(1) depression;
(2) anxiety;
(3) irritability, anger;
(4) grandiosity, pomposity, an inflated ego;
(5) an inability to delay gratification, impatience and impulsivity;
(6) self-pity;
(7) being a workaholic, other compulsive behaviors, tunnel vision, a lack of balance;
(8) intolerance, rigidity, being overly judgmental;
(9) nostalgia toward or romanticizing of one’s drinking or drug use;
(10) emotional constriction, lack of spontaneity, failure to enjoy life; and -
(11) generally being restless, irritable and discontent.
- See also;
- 9 Recovery Destinations
- Alcoholic, Addictive Behaviors
- Wayne Dyer – Excuses Be gone!
- Which One to Feed?
- Developing Spirituality
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Good on you Way2Many, Way2Long,
Some one once said to me that they were always one step ahead of disaster. Now they were 12 steps into life.
Go for it
Sparrow
Well, I’m definitely a “newbie” with lots to learn
That said, I’m also definitely a guy who struggles with “coloring inside the lines”, so by nature it’s less important to me how one gets there, as long as they get there.
Thank you for this site and all the good info and support you provide!
Thanks Way2Many, Way2Long,
You make a good point there is no one-size-fits-all in this descriptive list.
Nor is there any assumption that ‘newcomers’ to sobriety will have eliminated many of the alcoholic/addictive behaviours mentioned above. It takes time to recover.
As to how long the person has been sober and is now a dry drunk. It can happen at any time in sobriety. I have seen it happen at 6 months sobriety and 20 years sobriety as well as continuous throughout sobriety. If it happens after a period of serenity one could call it a sort of ‘dry relapse’ if you like.
If I don’t pick up the first drink I cannot get drunk.
Sparrow
I can’t help but feel that anyone who has mustered the strength and willpower to abstain from something to which they were addicted should be congratulated.
This pejorative characterization of of them as “dry drunks”, followed by a listing of behaviors they haven’t yet modified to some arbitrary acceptable degree, seems “8. intolerant, rigid and overly judgmental”. Just sayin’
In a world of over 6 billion individuals, it doesn’t seem logical that there can be only one (and one size fits all at that) RIGHT methodology to achieve sobriety
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