Days of Wine and Roses

Is Miles an alcoholic? “Is a Wine-Soaked Film [Sideways] Too, Er, Rosé?” An article in The New York Times addresses the subject.

Stephan Gonzalez, coordinator at an adult treatment program of the Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse in Santa Barbara, Calif., said Miles reminded him of some of the council’s clients. He said Miles’s stealing from his mother, drinking while driving and going on binges shows a lack of control that makes him, if not an outright addict, an alcohol abuser, “all under the wonderful guise of sophisticated social drinking.”

What’s an alcoholic?

Alcoholism is generally characterized by compulsive drinking, preoccupation with drinking and tolerance for alcohol. “What makes people an alcoholic is not how often they drink or how much,” Mr. Schwarzlose [of the Betty Ford Clinic] added. “What makes somebody an alcoholic is repeated use despite the consequences. The alcoholic will keep drinking anyway because he’s addicted.”