What are Axis One and Axis Two diagnosis? I didn’t realize my doctors were graphing me now!
I know the guy made his own choices, but I do feel sorry for someone like that. I can’t imagine “no beer and no prison” vs. “beer but future prison time” being a choice I’d consider for even a second. It’s hard to imagine someone who would choose beer over their life. If someone is in that state, I do feel pity for them. That’s a fucked up life!
Axis I: The acute diagnosis such as Major Depression, Schizoaffective Disorder, Paranoid State, etc. Psychiatric Diagnosis
Axis II: A personality disorder such as Paranoid Personality, Antisocial Personality, Dependent Personality, etc.
Axis III: Any relevant medical diagnoses
Axis IV: Stessors in the patient’s life
Axis V: Level of function described on a scale of 0 (minimal function) to 100 (perfect function)
Addiction sucks. It leads to prisons, institutions, death, or recovery.
Indeed it is.
Hey, you think we could talk QtM into treating all his patients like House does? 
House? What is this House of which you speak?
I acknowledge only The House of God with its timeless rules (They can always hurt you more, the first pulse you check in any code situation is your own, the only good admission is a dead admission, etc) and The House of Corrections.
They revoked him for one beer? It seems like the guy had to be exaggerating/in denial/flat out lying on that one. I can’t say about OtM’s state, but slipping up and drinking one beer wouldn’t be near enough to get you revoked here. It would be a black mark on your record that got built up over time and eventually got you revoked, along with all the other crap you pulled. I’m guessing that if you pressed him, he might have admitted that one beer on that one occassion was actually closer to twelve beers every night, plus a new charge of public intoxication.
I need a point of clarification here. I am seeing the terms alchoholic and alchoholism used more or less interchangeably. It is my understanding that an alchoholic is an addict who cannot control their drinking, whereas alchoholism is a specific (neurological?) disease which results from many years of being an alchoholic. So everyone with alchoholism is an alchoholic, but not all alchoholics have alchoholism (yet).
Perhaps one of our good doctors can confirm this?
It is my understanding that alcoholics have alcoholism. There is no difference.
Alcoholics process alcohol differently than other people. Most people can drink any amount of alcohol with relative impunity- at least, they don’t “become” alcoholics.
Everything in your post is about alcoholics AND alcoholism. Yes, alcoholics cannot control their drinking, and it is due to the physical things you attributed to alcoholism. What you desribe as alcoholism can be present immediately and is not necessarily the result of years of drinking.
Does that make sense? QtM, could you put it a better way?
It sounds like something an alcoholic might say, as in “well, at least I don’t have THAT!” 
The term “Alcoholic” can be a descriptor, such as in “alcoholic liver disease”. It describes the characteristic changes seen in a liver exposed to alcohol regularly. As such, it is not tied directly to alcoholism. However, most folks with alcoholic liver disease are alcoholics, that is, they suffer from alcoholism.
As for alcoholism, medically alcoholism is the pattern of behavior demonstrated by alcoholics. One may split the definition into such terms as “alcohol abuse” (commonly used if the drinker does not suffer physiological withdrawal when deprived of alcohol) or “alcohol dependence” if such withdrawal is present.
Of course, different schools of thought may use different definitions for alcoholism. But the one I cite in the paragraph above is certainly the most common usage in western medicine.
Think of it this way-
Alcoholic=a person with alcoholism.
Just like:
Diabetic-a person with diabetes
Epileptic-a person with epilepsy
What do numbers two and three mean?
Regards,
Shodan
The second one is basically “don’t panic, settle down and do your job”.
The third is a sarcastic comment about a “good admission” from the ER to the floor. The ER doc, trying to dress up the fact that he’s got more work for you, tells you that it’s a “good admission”, ie it’s interesting, relevant, or worthy of merit. You, if it is 2:30 AM and you haven’t gotten a handle on all of your previous 5 or 6 or 7 admissions will reply “the only good admission is a dead admission”.
Here’s the laws from “The house of God” by Samuel Shem, MD:
GOMERS DON’T DIE.
GOMERS GO TO GROUND.
AT A CARDIAC ARREST, THE FIRST PROCEDURE IS TO TAKE YOUR OWN PULSE.
THE PATIENT IS THE ONE WITH THE DISEASE.
PLACEMENT COMES FIRST.
THERE IS NO BODY CAVITY THAT CANNOT BE REACHED WITH A #14 NEEDLE AND A GOOD STRONG ARM.
AGE + BUN = LASIX DOSE.
THEY CAN ALWAYS HURT YOU MORE.
THE ONLY GOOD ADMISSION IS A DEAD ADMISSION.
IF YOU DON’T TAKE A TEMPERATURE, YOU CAN’T FIND A FEVER.
SHOW ME A MEDICAL STUDENT WHO ONLY TRIPLES MY WORK AND I WILL KISS HIS FEET.
IF THE RADIOLOGY RESIDENT AND THE MEDICAL STUDENT BOTH SEE A LESION ON THE CHEST X-RAY, THERE CAN BE NO LESION THERE.
THE DELIVERY OF GOOD MEDICAL CARE IS TO DO AS MUCH NOTHING AS POSSIBLE.
The “age plus BUN equals Lasix dose” never really held true for me. But the rest of it is pretty spot on. Except, Gomers do eventually die. But it can take a while.
The problems associated with alcohol are varied. People who drink heavily can experience social, psychological and health problems as a result. Some people can become dependent on alcohol, either physically or psychologically.
These definitons are hazy.
“Hazardous” alcohol intake means drinking heavily enough to cause harm in the future. “Harmful” alcohol intake means that drinking is already causing harm.
Someone with “alcohol dependence” (an alcoholic):
has a strong desire to drink alcohol,
has difficulty controlling their use of alcohol,
persistently uses alcohol despite being aware of the harmful effects,
shows increased tolerance for alcohol, and
when without alcohol shows signs of withdrawal.
The terms “problem drinker” and “excessive drinking” are also often used. “Binge drinking” is defined as drinking eight or more units of alcohol in one session if you are a man, and more than six units in one session if you are a woman. Studies are starting to reveal that drinking a large amount of alcohol over a short period of time may be substantially worse for your health than frequently drinking small quantities.
Guess that Qadgop uses #14 needles more often than I do. Age plus BUN is meaningless. Gomers do go to ground.