Alcoholic vs Drunk – Difference and Comparison

 What is an Alcoholic?

The alcoholic, the term refers to a person who is suffering from alcoholism. It also means that a person consumes alcohol in a huge amount.

An alcoholic has a burning desire to consume it even if it is beyond their capacity to control. An alcoholic man or a woman suffers from alcoholism. They are too obsessed with alcohol and cannot control how much they consume. They keep on wanting alcohol again and again and they can’t get enough of it. They keep on wanting the feeling of drinking or the taste of alcohol. If an alcoholic person stops drinking suddenly he may experience a problem like- sweating, anxiety, or shivering. Several symptoms can be identified that the person is alcohol addicted by-

  1. The person goes depression
  2. Drinking secretly
  3. Dropping activities and hobbies.
  4. Losing interest
  5. Feeling an urge to drink
  6. Etc.

However, alcohol elevates the mood of the drinker whereas after a long period of regular heavy drinking the person’s nervous system may get depressed. It is treatable with a little help. As it is addictive due to which a person couldn’t stay without alcohol for longer days. Alcoholic people tend to go under depression or maybe they are alcoholics because they are depressed.

What is a Drunk?

Drunk is a state to define a person who has had too much alcohol, a consequence of drinking intoxicating liquor to such an extent that it significantly reduces one’s capacity for rational action and conduct.

In simple words, if you consume so much alcohol that you become tipsy, you are drunk. People after getting drunk don’t remember the activities they do or the things they say, they pass out and it’s like a blackout in their brain. In some cases, people start puking and throwing up.

The word drunk is has been used to describe someone who is intoxicated. People who are drunk from alcohol might be unsteady on their feet, might not able to think straight, or might use slurs when they talk.

Some personal traits of a drunk person include –

  1. Stupid, belligerent, and unknowing.
  2. Dizzy, unbalanced.
  3. impaired judgment.
  4. easily tempered
  5. they are slow in motored skill
  6. using slurs while speaking

Drunkenness is an offense punished by local regulation less or more severely. It reduces a person to temporary insanity but it does not excuse him or make his offense less severe. A person can stay without alcohol for a long time.

Difference Between Alcoholic and Drunk

  1. Being drunk is not equal to being alcoholic. A drunk person doesn’t necessarily need to be habituated to alcohol but an alcoholic person is addicted to alcohol
  2. Alcoholics need to be drinking constantly while drunk over consumes alcohol
  3. Alcoholics are needed to drink continuously so that they can feel the effects of alcohol however drunk is overdosed on alcohol.
  4. Alcoholic refers to a psychological state but drunk is termed as an addictive illness or a disease.
  5. An alcoholic person is said to be highly addicted to alcohol however a person in a drunk state is said to be non-addicted as it happens sometimes.
  6. The consumption level of an alcoholic person is high as their body gets used to alcohol level and gives the constant signal of its consumption on the other hand the consumption level of a drunk individual is the time of overdose.
  7. A drunk person can go a long period without the desire of drinking alcohol but an alcoholic person is in constant need of consuming alcohol.

Comparison Between Alcoholic and Drunk

Parameters of
Comparison
AlcoholicDrunk
DefinitionA person is considered to be an alcoholic if he or she is affected by alcoholism.A drunk is said to be a person who is intoxicated with alcohol in which they lose their mental and physical control.
AddictionAddictedNon-addicted
ConsumptionConstant desire for drinkingConsuming alcohol more than usual.
StateIllnessPsychological state.
CharacteristicFeeling of isolation
Frustration
Exquisite sensitive
Dizzy
Unbalanced
Easy tempered
Slurred speech.

References

  1. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40519-017-0429-2
  2. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40519-020-01051-x