Alcoholism: How much is too much?

[Anifa]

A real problems are the ones, who get aggressive, change personality, and drive a car on alcohol!!!!

 

Bingo!!! And those who drink irresponsibly and neglect their obligations to pour down the drinks.

[ryst]

What I really don't understand or agree with are the regulations of drinking. Whoever determined that a certain amount of drinks a week, month, or year is bad for you? It's to broad to generalize accurately. Some people can handle more drinks than others. Some people who have addictive or compulsive personality traits need to be more careful with alcohol. I can get drunk every night for a month and then not drink for the next year. I think the FDA or the government or whoever came up with the regulations of drinking and what's acceptable is just trying to make you feel guilty. And then this same group tell us to eat more dairy and bread.

[phaeton]

A real problems are the ones, who get aggressive, change personality, and drive a car on alcohol!!!!

 

My only change in personality is that my gf says i seem happier, less worrysome and i'm a little more fun to be around. I'm the classic 'happy drink'- everything's cool, everyone's cool, never a problem to anyone or myself.

 

Never gotten aggressive from alcohol. I get more laid back instead.

 

Never drive either. Like I said, I look to the future before uncorking the bottle and abstain accordingly.

 

So here I am, the next day. Not sick, hungover, dehydrated or anything. Back at work staying ummm... busy and productive.... and such. As usual.

[shniggens]

Hey, at least you are drinking the good shit!!!!

 

The old advertising slogan "Guinness is Good for You" may be true after all, according to researchers.

A pint of the black stuff a day may work as well as an aspirin to prevent heart clots that raise the risk of heart attacks . . .

They believe that "antioxidant compounds" in the Guinness, similar to those found in certain fruits and vegetables, are responsible for the health benefits because they slow down the deposit of harmful cholesterol on the artery walls.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3266819.stm

 

Guinness is lower in alcohol content than most beers, and higher in flavor than most beers. That's why it's so easy to pound through them.

 

Just ask yourself, are your drinking habits affecting your sex life in a negative way? If the answer is yes, you have a problem.

[Lee Knight]

Originally posted by phaeton:

My only change in personality is that my gf says i seem happier, less worrysome and i'm a little more fun to be around. I'm the classic 'happy drink'- everything's cool, everyone's cool, never a problem to anyone or myself.

The only problem is your usage can accelerate over time. I'm pretty much what you've described. Harmless... but at my worst, I'm a pain in the ass to my family.

 

I get warm a smile when I'm toasty... but at my worst, I'll forget everything you've said to me. "I told you last night, honey. You agreed and said you'd take care of it. Don't you remember?" "Uh... no?"

 

Keep it in check for sure. I try not to put labels on these things such as alchoholic, problem drinker,etc. The truth is though, sometimes it can be a problem. Try what Blue said and stop for 2, 3 months. It's fun, and it gives you a different perpective.

 

If you're asking questions about it, that's good. That means you care. When you stop caring, then you're hosed... and like I said, your usage will accellerate so it's easy to find out you don't care anymore.

 

Keep your eyes open.

[mdlestat]

I'm very impressed and pleased to read a lot of the great responses in this thread... good advise here--very good.

 

 

My 2 cents?

 

"if you feel you are drinking too much then you probably are"

 

I whole-heartedly believe this.

 

 

"If you're worried about it, then chances are you have something to worry about.."

 

Not neccessarily-- but it does mean you should stop and examine your situation a little more seriously to see where you are standing-- which appears to be what you're doing.

 

 

I quit drinking July 6th, 2002. If I had not stopped when I did, I would not be around to write this, or anything else.

 

Determining whether or not you have an addiction to alcohol is not as easy as asking:

 

"Do I become a raging, violent, black-out drunk every day/night?

Yes= Alkie

No= Party ON!!!"

 

 

That is an extreme-- and most don't go that low-- which is why it's called the extreme, hehe.

 

The point is: you have expressed a clear concern that your habits aren't what you might want them to be when looked at objectively.

 

You are not going binge-crazy or anything, but the fact that you have to ask to begin with means that your conscience is questioning what you're doing, and it might not be a bad idea to try and change your routine-- you don't have to stop drinking if you don't want to-- just try changing what you do at night sometimes-- go out somewhere that isn't serving, or whatever else you think of.

 

Most people smoke/drink out of habit-- as has been mentioned very appropriately above by others better spoken than I-- so my advise would be to do something 'different' with your nights and see how that affects things. If the desire lessens when doing other things, you know you're a habit drinker, and the key to lessening your consumption is to change up your itenerary. If you are thirsting, in a serious "craving" way, despite where you are or what you're doing, then you have some hard questions to ask yourself, and some serious thinking to do.

 

That said, I almost didn't make it out of the mess I brought down on myself with my alcohol abuse-- and to this day, I still miss it every now and again-- it used to be so much fun to drink...

 

I'm fortunate that my fear of what was (and what would be again) overrides my desire to put a single drop in me ever again.

 

 

Regardless of what you take from the expert advise given by all the others in this thread, please take seriously the fact that drinking has before and will again destroy the lives of those predisposed to addiction.

 

Ugh-- I feel like I'm moralizing-- sorry-- just do what feels right man-- trust yourself.

[phaeton]

I guess I should note that I don't really have a need to drink anything at the moment. I had a small want earlier, but it's gone.

 

That's probably a good sign.

 

Thanks for all who expressed concern, btw, and those that PM'd me with offers of help and understanding. I may still take some of y'all up on it, but there's no time, atm.

 

[Angelo Clematide]

Prost !!

[Blue Strat]

If you can say to yourself "I've had enough tonight. I'm not going to drink anymore" and then follow through, I'd think you're fine. No problem.

 

There's something to be said about getting a buzz. If you have to continue drinking after you're gotten the buzz and drink until you're falling down drunk, you're an alcoholic and you need help.

 

Just my $.02

[Wewus432]

Would you guys please stop bumping this thread, you're harshing my mellow, so to speak.

[phaeton]

If you can say to yourself "I've had enough tonight. I'm not going to drink anymore" and then follow through, I'd think you're fine. No problem.

 

I can always stop when I want to.

 

There's something to be said about getting a buzz. If you have to continue drinking after you're gotten the buzz and drink until you're falling down drunk, you're an alcoholic and you need help.

 

Don't like to be falling down drunk. There is a line between a nice, intense buzz and 'starting to get shitfaced'. I know where that line is, and i know when i'm starting to cross it, and that's when I back off for a while. Later, i may have another, but it's to maintain the nice buzz.

 

The 'buzz' is why we even drink alcohol at all, right?

[Wewus432]

Oh Jesus man you're not an alchoholic, or are you?

 

What are you fucking doing labeling yourself like that?

[aeon]

Originally posted by phaeton:

The 'buzz' is why we even drink alcohol at all, right?

Perhaps for some.

 

I hate the feeling of intoxication from alcohol. I find it very unpleasant, and the few times I have reached that level it results in depressed mood/getting weepy and sad, and also it interferes with my ability to sleep for the next ~18 hours.

 

The drinks I (rarely) consume that contain alcohol are consumed for the taste...definitely not "a buzz."

 

 

cheers,

aeon

[offramp]

word.

 

I prefer, and go after, the taste. The buzz is a pesky side effect.

 

Right now, I still have a buzz from the wine we had at lunch. I hate it. I feel like I'm 20 degrees out of phase with the universe.

[phaeton]

Ok, I had a taste for a particular beer. I told myself I was going to drink 2, maybe 3. Preferably 2, but NO MORE than 3.

 

So I pounded #1 (less than 5 minutes, maybe less than 3), drank #2 fairly quickly (less than 10 minutes), and now I'm about to finish #3 (about 30 minutes).

 

I'm buzzing, and I'm right about where that line is between "buzz" and "getting drunk". I'm stopping here, and that's it. No more.

 

It's water from here on out, today.

 

Discuss.

 

And,

 

How much do y'all drink?

 

12oz beer == 8oz wine == 1oz whiskey/vodka/scotch

[Raymar]

I drink about 5-6 beers a year, seven if I feel the need. So far this year I've had one but the weather is getting warm now that summer's here so another one may be on the way, can't say just when though.

 

Steve

[Blue Strat]

Originally posted by phaeton:

The 'buzz' is why we even drink alcohol at all, right?

That's why I drink. I only drink on occasion, so it only takes one or two to get a nice buzz goin' on. When drinking starts to alter my perception of things, that's when I stop drinking.

 

I went to a party at college once. I drank three beers over the course of about 5 to 6 hours and kept a good buzz going, but when it was time to drive home I was completely sober. One of my friends didn't stop drinking when he should and got in a fight and almost got kicked out of school for it. He made an ass of himself.

 

I drank one 12oz. bottle of Killian's Irish Red tonight, but I ate a big dinner and have a stuffed-up head right now, so I'm not even feeling it.

[KenElevenShadows]

I drink one or two (on rare occasions, three) beers in one sitting typically. Or 2-3 glasses of wine at the most during a meal. I like the buzz, sure, but it's gotta be a really good-tasting beer or wine. I'm not a big drinker, obviously. And definitely mostly a social drinker although I will sometimes have a glass of wine or a beer with dinner.

 

If I have just a little (2-3 drinks at the most), I feel good and relaxed, tend to smile a little more, laugh a little more. If I have much more than that, I usually stop feeling so good and want to just go to sleep. Much more than *that* and I start feeling sick.

[Anifa]

If I have just a little (2-3 drinks at the most), I feel good and relaxed, tend to smile a little more, laugh a little more. If I have much more than that, I usually stop feeling so good and want to just go to sleep. Much more than *that* and I start feeling sick.

This describes me to a tee. I'm more of a social drinker than anything else.... although, I do enjoy celebrating special occasions with a romantic companion with a bit of pep in the mix.

[Programgirl]

Phaeton, I really don't think you need to worry so much, your story sounds very similar to mine (i.e. drinking pretty regularly, stopping when I decided to, not missing work, no trouble with the law, no driving, etc.). One day you'll probably decide you find the whole thing boring, and next thing you know you're a teetotaler who only gets into the eggnog at Christmas.

 

If you are really worried though, here is a simple test. Take 2 weeks off. If you can't make it the whole 2 weeks, go look for an AA meeting.

[aeon]

Why would one pound a beer?

 

Does it not taste good, so you want to make it as painless as possible?

 

I love the taste(s) of my beers, so I always drink them slowly.

 

If it is to reach "a buzz" more quickly, why not just use something like ~3mg of lorazepam? (j/k)

 

 

heh,

aeon

[phaeton]

Thanks again, to everyone for the responses and concern. For the record i *did* stop at 3 last night, in fact, i almost didn't finish the 3rd one.

 

I suppose my issue was that i was spending what i thought was an unnatural amount of time thinking about beer. I like beer, i like the way it tastes, and i like its effects. But i didn't know what the "warning signs" would be for someone who is 'on the road' as you guys say. Googling for "alcoholism" and its variants, you get a lot of "here's a self-test for warning signs" type of stuff. In a lot of tests, they ask questions about behaviour such as:

 

- Do you drink more than 15 drinks a day every day?

 

- Do you try to hide the amount you drink around friends?

 

- Have you missed work because of drinking, or stayed home from work or other activities to drink?

 

- When you don't drink, do you suffer mood swings, hallucinations, sweating, anxiety, shakiness or a 'hung over' feeling that is only alleviated by drinking more alcohol?

 

- Do you start drinking right after getting up in the morning?

 

Stuff that i think would be pretty obvious and indicative of a problem- you wouldn't need some ridiculous website questionnaire to tell you that you're in trouble. But maybe from the perspective of a real alky it wouldn't be that cut n dry- it would have insidiously crept up over a few years and you've had plenty of time to make excuses and justifications and weave your self into it blindly. See, I'm not there. I can't tell if i'm headed there.

 

I would be lying if I said i didn't have an "addictive personality", or if i said i wasn't aware of it. Case in point:

 

One place I lived had a Chinese Fast Food joint in the food court of the Rogue Valley Mall called "Dynasty Express". It's the typical sugary, greasy/fried salty stuff that personifies "Chinese Fast Food"- essentially it was junk food and I knew it, but I loved it. It was the type of stuff that the first few bites of it are simply euphoric- your eyes roll into the back of your head and you feel somewhere between sleepy and lightheaded.

I had some "willpower" issues with this place. I lived about 45 minutes to an hour from it, but for awhile I worked nearby. Some months I ate there two or more times a week, and in each case it was preceded by me thinking about it a lot of the day. Later, when I had changed jobs, I found myself driving the hour out to that mall for no reason but to go there and have their lo mein and teriyaki chicken. Even when I wasn't hungry. It made me start to research into whether or not MSG was habit-forming.

 

See, i *could* have stopped going to that place, but i didn't *want* to stop. That's where I'm at with beer. I truly feel that I could stop, but I don't want to.

 

My whole string of vague and ridiculous diatribe in this thread is about figuring out if it's a "willpower issue" like I had with Dynasty Express (or Pancho's Burrito Veloz, or playing Gran Turismo or Sim City) or if it's the beginnings of something to really worry about. I was calling out for perspective from people on the outside looking in, who may have seen or lived the real deal.

 

I realise my behaviour has been sort of all over the map in this thread, and I'm sorry. Once again, I thank everyone for the good responses and concern, and especially those that have PMed me with offers of confidential talks.

 

Stuff like that really makes a person feel good, and not alone, which is just the very thing someone needs whether they've got a real "problem" or just think they do.

[Your Ad Here]

I like to play a little game with myself regarding vice. I consider this a sort of important periodic ritual, much like fasting.

 

Occasionally I will quite deliberately stop in engaging in an activity. For example, I'll decide to stop drinking or smoking substances for a very specific period of time (say 60 days).

 

It's a very interesting thing to do. Try it.

 

Dovetails nicely with the adage: "use not abuse"

[ITGITC]

Originally posted by phaeton:

I realise my behaviour has been sort of all over the map in this thread, and I'm sorry. Once again, I thank everyone for the good responses and concern, and especially those that have PMed me with offers of confidential talks.

 

Stuff like that really makes a person feel good, and not alone, which is just the very thing someone needs whether they've got a real "problem" or just think they do.

No apologies are necessary. We've all been there in one way or another.

 

 

Hang in there phaeton.

 

Tom

[M Peasley]

There are other reasons to scale back drinking in addition to just trying avoid alcoholism - think about these:

 

- the stuff is EXPENSIVE. Is this a hobby you can really afford? I'm a wine fanatic, but after a few years of arguing with wife about the wine budget, I finally decided that serious wine buffing was a hobby I really can't afford.

 

- you're taking in an ungodly amount of carb calories. If you're not putting on weight, then you must not be eating all that much - or you've got the metabolism of a volcano. Which metabolism will slow down at some point. At any rate, think about the booze simply as an item in your diet. Might be smart to cut back just on that score.

 

- the buzz replaces some other way of getting happy more naturally. I'm not against ever getting a buzz from alcohol. If your HABIT is to get happy with an alcohol buzz, what're you going to do when you go through a really bad time of life? When you lose a job or a marriage or a parent, etc. What may now be a happy habit may suddenly become an incredibly intense need.

 

All this to say, turn the question around for a minute: instead of approaching it like you're just trying to avoid a train wreck, think about it in terms of trying to build the best life possible you know how to build. Too much booze on a regular basis ain't in anyone's long-term vision of a good/healthy life, whether you get tagged "alcoholic" or not. Booze-happy is a short-term thing that may eventually, or is now starting to, catch up with you.

 

my amatuer, back-seat 2 cents FWIW.

 

All the best whatever you decide.

 

M Peasley

[aeon]

For lunch I had an Anchor Steam alongside my 6 oz. sirloin filet and haricot vert.

 

 

cheers,

aeon

[Tedly Nightshade]

For me a drink is not a drink is not a drink. That's because I still have a liver. When the liver goes, an alcoholic drink is poison is poison is poison.

 

Some drinks are wholesome and good for the soul (Anchor Steam falls in this category) some are industrial, inert, and I regard them as vile. I won't drink the bad stuff no matter what. I mean NO matter what. Microbrews are generally a pretty industrial bunch, but some I will take a chance with on a limited basis.

 

The good stuff, I will happily except! Stuff that helps the digestion, sparks the wit, inspires the spirit. Unfortunately this stuff costs. But I'd far rather have a good beer than 3 bad ones.

 

I drink partially for taste but that is missing the point I think. What's the high like? How's it feel the next day? I'd like to see more of that in wine, beer, and whiskey tasting talk. I have some wine here that's only pretty good by flavor but it's absolutely magical. And some really tasty stuff that's benign but nothing special.

 

Drinking has helped me integrate into society far more than I ever did in my non-drinking days, but until I start wolfing down any old dead stale animal that comes to hand without any real interest in it's origin, I will never quite fit in.

[Programgirl]

Two rules that will allow you to keep having fun as long as you keep following them:

 

1. Don't hurt others.

2. Don't buy into the hype.

[not Cereal]

i like beer.

 

but remember, more than 3 beers in 3 hours gets you a trip to jail.

 

yes, thats right. goto a bar, drink 4 beers, and spend the next 8 months in an out of court and end up spending about $4500.

 

there is no way in hell i will get in a car after even having ONE beer. i will never give them the satisfaction of busting a law abiding citizen again.

 

to hell with them. i really have issues with hating pigs. total scumbags.

[phaeton]

It's irony Coaster... once, a few years ago, you spake of some crappy week you were having, and you described the up coming weekend like:

 

"I have to do on Saturday morning, but the rest of the weekend will be BEER BEER BEER"....

 

At the time i read that i thought it was hilarious, but i was thinking to myself "why beer? it's not that great."

 

Nowadays i often quote "BEER BEER BEER" online and in real life, behind your back.