Have any of you ever heard the term 'dry drunk'? From my understanding this term refers to an alcoholic who has quit drinking on their own but is not in any type of recovery program, not attending meetings, basically doing nothing toward recovery except quit drinking. Does anyone have any ideas or information about this term?

I believe this is a very real and disturbing illness. On an online quiz focused at heavy computer users (ok, so not the most reliable source) I looked at a couple of days back the results shocked me. Around 48% of the test subjects voiced they would choose the internet over sex if they could only have one. That’s choosing the internet over our most basic function to reproduce! Now that worries me!

Sorry, I was looking at two things at once, and I can't multitask lol! what I ment to say was...

I think that’s what the term means. Simply not drinking anymore but also not getting their life back in order. People generally don’t stay as a ‘dry drunk’ for very long (months to a year or so tops) they either get the motivation they need to get back on track or simply start drinking again or turn to other substances to abuse. I’m not an expert, that’s just what I have observed through my life.

When someone reffers to a dry drunk it is just like quitting smokinf the cold turkey way. You do it just by your self and get no help at all from others. You have to be a strong person and have strong motivation in order to be succesfull in quitting on your own. I've managed to sto gambling on my own , this feels a whole lot better than if I was to ask for help, and I presume the person that quits just by himself is more likely to never fall back to his addcition again , besides the one that gets the support needed from others.

I have not heard of this at all. But it makes sense that they might be called this. I am curious to know though, why they would be given that name. I think that some people can just start recovering without having to go to meetings or anything of that nature.

Yeah I agree, it just depends on the person's attitude and if they really do want to quit. I personally think it's best just to quit cold turkey because then you can just look forward and forget about your addiction. That worked for me pretty good, I used to smoke like a chimney, and then one day my mom went totally balistic on me and convinced me to quit and that it's an ugly habit. So ever since then, I just keep reminding myself of what she said and how it made me feel and its helped deal with cravings.

I really think that as long as the person is quitting and staying sober, it doesn't matter how they do it. whether it is on their own, in a treatment center, or with lots of help from their family. As long as they recover its amazing.

That is a sad thing, if the person is drinking completely alone, he or she may be depressed, as excessive alcohol may lead to depression and that is a common thing, these people should look for serious help!

I guess I could be referred to as a dry druggie? I was addicted to cocaine and I didn't go through any recovery programs, i just had my family support me through it and I basically locked my self at home with my parents supervision or friends supervision so that I dont try to do any cocaine. It was the hardest thing I ever had to do and go through but i made it.