Different Types of Alcoholics

In any alcoholism condition, personal, social and psychological factors are strictly related to one another. Behind every bottle there is a person, and for this reason, different types of alcoholics exist, sometimes with remarkable differences between one another. In this article I will give an overview if the different categories in which alcoholics can be divided into.

The first classification was done by Jellinek in 1960. There are five categories, which take into account the social, psychological and medical aspects of drinking.

Alpha Drinkers: they drink to lose inhibitions, and let themselves go.
Beta Drinkers: they drink occasionally

These two types do not have any type of addiction.

Gamma Drinkers: they can stay sober, but when they start drinking they do it without control.
Delta Drinkers: they have physical dependence on alcohol and often need to be hospitalized because of alcohol withdrawal syndrome. They start drinking again as soon as they are released.
Epsilon drinkers: similar to gamma drinkers, except that they can stay sober for a longer period. When they start drinking they cannot stop.

Another classification is based on the personality of the drinkers.

They drink every day until they get drunk. They stop only because of external factors, like a state of unconsciousness, or lack of money. They can stay sober for brief periods, but the firs sip of alcohol immediately triggers the "all or nothing" state. These drinkers tend to blame themselves, alternating aggressive behavior and depression.

They are the "local bar alcoholics," or those who drink to adhere to a cultural or social model, like artists, or college students.
The rarely lose control completely, they drink large quantities of alcohol, but they can sober up by the end of the night. For these drinkers, alcohol is a unifying element, which helps them reconcile different personalities. Thanks to alcohol they can exchange simple solutions for the problems of the world, pat each other on the back, and be close friends. Gregarious drinkers are usually not particularly frustrated, as they delegate their repressed feelings to the group. As the group decides the drinking modality, once the subject leaves it, chances of recovery are usually higher.

This category includes people like the homeless, or the introverted artist, people at the border of society but not necessarily outlaws. For them, alcohol can be a consolation for, or the cause of, their condition. Autistic drinking is sometimes the product of the evolution of other forms of alcoholism, especially when the subject was already an alcoholic before. For this category alcohol detox is more difficult than for others.

A typical example would be those professionals who lock themselves in their office and drink, especially spirits. For this type of drinkers, alcohol is a means to give vent to the stress of daily life, their fear of not making it and not being good enough for society or their own family. More precisely, alcohol is seen as a consolation when they realize that this image of themselves they are trying to maintain is fake. Solipsistic drinkers tend to deny, hide, and justify their addiction.

They alternate months of binge drinking with months of normal drinking. They try to have some self-control, but in some occasions, for examples at parties, when the choice of alcohol is wide, they lose it. When this happens, regressive drinkers tend to feel guilty and powerless, but they can also become aggressive.

They start drinking after going through a difficult personal situation, like a bereavement. Drinking is the only way they have to react, but this will make their crisis even worse. Alcohol detox is particularly difficult because drinking is the means to endure and soothe fear and pain a surrogate to fill the void.

Like solipsist drinkers, they use alcohol as a means to endure their frustration and fears, but they are aware of their addiction and consciously see alcohol as a source of pleasure and a sedative, even if they are aware of the damages caused by it. Like many heavy smokers, emotional drinkers see drinking as a part of their normal life, and the purpose of giving up is always procrastinated to tomorrow.