Can an alcoholic have an occasional drink?

Kerry Katona says she is an alcoholic, but can control her addiction enough that she can drink. How does this square with the abstinence mantra of many recovery programmes?
When pop singer turned reality TV stalwart Kerry Katona went public with her alcoholism at the weekend, she made a rather surprising admission. "Yes, I still have a drink when I want to, like any other 28-year-old woman."
Yet the popular image of someone who says "I am an alcoholic" is that they will also have sworn off booze. Those at Alcoholics Anonymous aim for abstinence one day at a time.
"The basic adage is that the first drink causes the problem," says AA spokesman Michael, whose own road to recovery started 10 years ago. "It's the first drink that opens the field for a second drink and then a third."

THE ANSWER For those with severe dependence, abstinence is only option Others can change their drinking habits - but this isn't easy, and they may prefer abstinence Kerry Katona reveals drink battle

But there are treatment programs, including on the NHS, where abstinence is not the only goal. "To say if you are alcoholic you must never drink again is over-simplified - alcohol dependence is on a continuum," says Nick Heather, emeritus professor of alcohol at Northumbria University.
But this does not mean those heavily dependent on alcohol - who suffer severe withdrawal symptoms such as the DTs, and drink to ward off these effects - can aim to be moderate drinkers in the future.

Will one lead to another and another?

"The evidence clearly shows that those with severe alcohol dependency are far more likely to achieve recovery with abstinence," warns Professor Heather, a clinical psychologist.
There's no concrete definition of what an alcoholic is, rather experts talk of a sliding scale of alcohol dependency.
But for those at the lower end of the scale - an estimated eight million in England alone - it's possible to return to drinking in a responsible manner.
"But it's not easy. It means giving up hard-drinking friends, giving up going to the pub, taking up hobbies they might have put aside long ago."
A major study by the US's National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism in 2002 found that of the adults surveyed with alcohol dependency, 35.9% were fully recovered - with roughly equal proportions of abstainers (18.2%) and those who drank moderately (17.7%).
For Michael, a mental obsession with alcohol is part of his condition. "Just one drink sets off the compulsion. If I had a drink, I'd want the next one. I was always one for sessions, I could never see the point of stopping at just one or two."
Even when he began to attend AA meetings, having lost his family, his job and his home, it took a long time to accept that "just one" would do no harm.
"Every addict likes to think they're special - 'I'm slightly different and I'll be OK'. Even with the wreckage around me, I thought that."
For Michael, abstinence has turned out to be the answer. But the perception that this is the only cure deters many from seeking help, says Professor Heather. (from BBC News)

What is your views can an alcoholic have an occasional drink?

no .full stop..no booze at all

Looking at the US figures, it is about 50/50. It is whatever works for the individual that is right.

It is not proven but the experts say that you should have absolutely nothing that contains alcohol ever , but there are a few people who can take it or leave it . It comes down to admitting that you have a problem and how you deal with it .I used to drink for Guernsey about 10 years ago but i can take it or leave it now .

Its when you are looking for another drink the next day and the day after that you have to ask yourself the question "why". All people are different and there is little or no evidence that you must stop for good in some cases that is the only way , and for the experts it is the safest advice they can give.