Medical opinions about alcohol use

[G. Keenan]

I think the medical definition of an alcoholic is way too narrow. I went to the doctor today and when I told her that I consumed, as an estimate, 10 beers per week, she alleged that I was an alcoholic. Seriously? Come on. I told her that what I am is a binge drinker. She told me that in that case I was half way to being an alcoholic.

Now, the real amount is probably more like 20 beers a week, but I'm 25, my body can still process that, a fact she offered up.

I feel like to be an alcoholic alcohol has to negatively affect your life, your work, your friendships, your marriage, etc.

I never drink alone, rarely go to bars alone, don't drink much hard liquor. I don't crave beer when I don't have it. I will often turn down invitations to go out and drink because I don't feel like drinking or I want to take it easy or I was already planning to do something healthier like go for a run.

This medical opinion that anything more than like 5 beers a week is bad for you is ridiculous.

[cpebbles]

Well, there's really no doubt that that much beer is bad for you, but the CAGE questionnaire is what you should look at to see if you're an "alcoholic." I can tell you right now that the second question is a "yes," but the others don't seem like they are.

[docellis]

.

[jim]

That's ridiculous, 10 drinks a week are probably good for you. That's 1 glass of wine or beer with your meal daily and maybe 3 nightcaps. This overreaction to alcohol use really bugs me. Literally the entire continent of Europe would be alcoholics based on some of these definitions.

[jim]

I am not an alcoholic but I do abuse alcohol from time to time. I don't think they have to go hand in hand.

I agree with the abuse comment doc, but all this quack had to go off was a number: 10. From that number without context, she is absolutely out of line suggesting anything negative.

edit - now if she knew that all 10 were consumed at once, different story. That is definitely not healthy for you, but again I doubt very seriously if that makes you an alcoholic.

[haltz]

Supposedly drinking until there's no alcohol left or I pass out makes me an alcoholic, at least according to some people. Not always, but there's a decent chance that if I have more than a couple I'll be getting hammered that night. I hardly ever have the urge to drink though if I haven't had one. So I just sort of drink sporadically. It used to be more frequent, but that was just exhausting.

I have a buddy at work who claims he hasn't gone to bed sober in 3 years. I don't know if I really buy that, but I've never seen him sober at night (and conversely, I've never seen him drink during the day), so who knows. He knocks off a couple bottles of wine or a half a fifth of vodka on a normal evening. It takes more for someone to tell if he's been drinking. I don't know how he does it.

[G. Keenan]

20 beers a week is probably not good for me, no. I don't know what the actual number is. I'll keep a count starting today.

[sighyoung]

Supposedly drinking until there's no alcohol left or I pass out makes me an alcoholic, at least according to some people. Not always, but there's a decent chance that if I have more than a couple I'll be getting hammered that night. I hardly ever have the urge to drink though if I haven't had one. So I just sort of drink sporadically. It used to be more frequent, but that was just exhausting.

I have a buddy at work who claims he hasn't gone to bed sober in 3 years. I don't know if I really buy that, but I've never seen him sober at night (and conversely, I've never seen him drink during the day), so who knows. He knocks off a couple bottles of wine or a half a fifth of vodka on a normal evening. It takes more for someone to tell if he's been drinking. I don't know how he does it.

He drinks so much that his body has increased its metabolism of alcohol, so that he requires much more to get drunk.

[stlouie_lipp]

The American medical definition of an alcoholic is ridiculous. As Jim said, all of Europe are alcoholics under that definition. I guess it goes back to our Puritan heritage.

[haltz]

He drinks so much that his body has increased its metabolism of alcohol, so that he requires much more to get drunk.

Oh I know. He's got a ridiculous tolerance at this point. I just mean that I don't know how he gets drunk night after night after night. He drinks enough to still be hungover in the morning, I know that. It just seems like at some point he'd for one reason or another go to bed sober for once. I mean, I guess that's what addiction is, but it still boggles my mind.