Reliance spectrum

Although many of us may have had our first taste of alcohol earlier, it’s usually around 18 that most start to shape our drinking careerA concept used by Pep to help describe the different stages of a drinking and drinking addiction. More. This time combines a coming of age, resources and burgeoning alcohol tolerance.

It’s also a daunting period where we embark on the pursuit of becoming a ‘real adult’. It’s a time when we feel the urgeUrges are that overwhelming feeling of needing or wanting a drink. They can happen after a craving or a trigger. More to socialise, find intimacy, embark on a vocation and say goodbye to what can be an awkward adolescence.

Of course, not all of this comes naturally to everyone. And we soon learn that alcohol can grease the wheels by bringing confidence on the one hand while numbing uncomfortable feelings and emotions on the other.

And, through making our first mental link between alcohol and a perceived benefit of joy or support, we have entered the spectrum and embarked on our drinking careerA concept used by Pep to help describe the different stages of a drinking and drinking addiction. More. Furthermore, further links are made as our life experiences widen (illustrated below).

Of course, everyone is different, so it is possible to join the spectrum at any point. And, due to the spontaneity of life circumstances, one is unlikely to accumulate the exact same reliances in the same order.

You may have also noticed something else happening on the chart. At the same time, as we accumulate reliances, our tolerance to alcohol increases. And, as we progress in our drinking careers, we find ourselves drinking more frequently and in larger quantities. 

So are you an alcoholic? By all means, use the label if you think it helps in your recovery. Otherwise, map your position alongside every regular drinker on the relianceReliance is a term used by Pep when referring to psychological or neural links between alcohol and a perceived benefit, such as joy or support. We use it instead of ‘psychological dependence’ to avoid confusion with the much more serious ‘physical dependence’, which can threaten health and life. More spectrum.