Medical opinions about alcohol use

[G. Keenan]

The question I am wondering is, why lie about how many beers you drink if you dont think you have a problem with alcohol? Not saying you have a problem I dont even know you but if someone doesnt think they have a problem they normally wouldnt lie about it.

Yeah, I was as honest as I could be. 10 was an estimate. How much I drink in a given week depends on what social circumstances arise from week to week. Take tonight, for instance: I have had 5 or 6 draft beers tonight. I just drink beers at a normal pace for as long as the social situation lasts. Tonight that was from 8 to 12:30. Going with the high estimate, I don't think 6 beers in 4.5 hours is a bad thing, at least not at my age. I will now drink nothing but water for the rest of the night, eat some food, and when I wake up in the morning I will be fine.

Obviously I am well on my way to exceeding the 10 beers per week I listed on that form today. I suspect that when I add it all up in a week I will have exceeded 20 at the current rate. I mean, I'm on 6 and it's day one of the tally. I realize that it would be better for my liver and brain if I did not consume this amount of alcohol, but I think I'm a far cry from anything resembling and alcoholic.

For the record I'm not mad at my doctor. I really like her actually. She was straight forward and honest and doing her job. She didn't preach at me. Everyone's body is different and as you grow up you learn its limits. That combined with a modicum of medical knowledge, I feel, should take you comfortably into old age more often than not.

[clement]

I think there is a difference between someone who is an alcoholic and someone who abuses alcohol. If a person is an alcoholic I feel it's a genetic (or medical) condition, one that cannot go away. It can only be treated in the sense that many alcoholics are able to stop drinking alcohol. For many alcoholics, they actually function better when they are drinking alcohol (while simultaneously and gradually damaging their body and mind).

I think there are plenty of people who do not have this condition but abuse alcohol, whether it's regularly, frequently, occasionally, or rarely. Drinking 5-10 beers in one night qualifies. If you're doing this on a regular basis, then you may not be an alcoholic like described above, but you are probably damaging your body in the same way.

I agree that there is a totally huge difference between someone who drinks seven beers or glasses of wine in a week, one per night, vs. someone who drinks 7 in one go. But of course if you are going to drink 7 at once, it's better to do it only once per week than two three or more times.

The amount of large quantity binge drinking is really high in the US, especially in places like St. Louis. I was really surprised after living in St. Louis, Indiana, and Atlanta, I moved to the Bay Area and noticed how much less binge alcohol consumption there was there. Every time I go back to St. Louis I'm amazed at how much beer my old friends put down every time we go out (sometimes 5 or 6 of those giant cups at the Cardinal games).

I also notice this kind of binge drinking in places like UK and Australia (it must be part of the anglo-saxon culture), whereas in places like France and Italy there is much much less (also more wine vs. beer). Also less binging in most of Asia, though Japan is a notable exception.

[Simbagal23]

I think I become somewhat of an alcoholic when I have family visiting for an extended period of time and the Cards are on a pissy losing streak.

Please note, I currently have family visiting for 2 weeks AND the Cards are on a pissy losing streak.....I made a trip to the liquor store yesterday and I'm sure I'll make more soon.

On a serious note, I agree that 10 drinks a week does not make one an alcoholic. Is this doctor fairly young? One of the "go by the book" types?? Heck, when I was in junior high, my doctor was an alcoholic!

[Popeye_Card]

I drink 1-2 beers pretty much every day. Maybe 4-5 on a Saturday between lunch, dinner, and a couple beers while I'm working around the house. That puts me on pace for 10-15 beers per week.

I do drink alone, because I live alone. Beer is just what I drink with meals at home--the only other beverages I keep on hand are milk and water. I rarely drink hard liquor. I do drink when I go out on the town with friends, but that's usually 4-5 beers, and maybe once every 3 weeks (yes, I do go out more often than this with friends, just not with drinking as the focus). I get drunk maybe once every 4 months.

I feel no addiction to alcohol whatsoever, even though I drink nearly every day. I actually hate being drunk--I wish I could drink all the beer I wanted and not get drunk--I just like the flavor(s).

Depending on the doctor, I guess they could claim that I have a drinking problem. But I really don't see it.

[jim]

Missouri is a wuss state compared to Wisconsin in terms of beer consumption.

http://www.beerinfo.com/index.php/pages ... ption.html

edit - good lord look at Utah. That looks like a miserable state.

[jim]

I drink 1-2 beers pretty much every day. Maybe 4-5 on a Saturday between lunch, dinner, and a couple beers while I'm working around the house. That puts me on pace for 10-15 beers per week.

I do drink alone, because I live alone. Beer is just what I drink with meals at home--the only other beverages I keep on hand are milk and water. I rarely drink hard liquor. I do drink when I go out on the town with friends, but that's usually 4-5 beers, and maybe once every 3 weeks (yes, I do go out more often than this with friends, just not with drinking as the focus). I get drunk maybe once every 4 months.

I feel no addiction to alcohol whatsoever, even though I drink nearly every day. I actually hate being drunk--I wish I could drink all the beer I wanted and not get drunk--I just like the flavor(s).

Depending on the doctor, I guess they could claim that I have a drinking problem. But I really don't see it.

You are pretty much describing my drinking habits to a tee, other than a couple of times a week I'll have wine instead of beer. I think it's healthy actually to drink that amount. My 4-5 always comes when I cook on the grill, because as a habit I grab a beer when I fire the grill up and sit outside. I'll have a couple while the food is cooking and then another 1-2 with the meal. That's pretty much the extent of my binge drinking.

I used to think about it - I'd always make sure to have a couple of days a week where I didn't drink anything just to make sure. But eff it, what if you really were addicted to 1-2 drinks a day? Big deal. I'm addicted to at least 2 meals a day, sometimes 3, and I still manage to function.

[Popeye_Card]

I used to think about it - I'd always make sure to have a couple of days a week where I didn't drink anything just to make sure. But eff it, what if you really were addicted to 1-2 drinks a day? Big deal. I'm addicted to at least 2 meals a day, sometimes 3, and I still manage to function.

I think about it at times. Sometimes I'll change up my habits and not drink during the week or something. But I always come back to saying, "What's the big deal? I work hard every day, and I enjoy drinking a beer when I get home. It's not unhealthy for me, and I'm not even getting remotely buzzed."

I think most everyone has something they enjoy doing/eating/drinking nearly every evening. For my mother, it's ice cream. For some people, it's coffee or tea. For some people, it's working out. For me, it's a beer with my dinner, and maybe another while watching the ballgame.

[Simbagal23]

Missouri is a wuss state compared to Wisconsin in terms of beer consumption.

http://www.beerinfo.com/index.php/pages ... ption.html

edit - good lord look at Utah. That looks like a miserable state.

Yep, Utah (and some southern states) are a bit odd. Many counties have a law that only "clubs" can serve beer. You must be a member in order to drink at the clubs. No liquor stores, no alcohol sold at grocery stores, etc. Of course, Salt Lake City (and I'm sure some other areas) don't have this law as they have bars within city limits. I remember going to UT on business, some counties were DRY, as with some counties down South. I always had to do my "homework" before heading out on some business trips in order to determine if I could drink booze where I was headed or if I needed to make a stop at a store along the way.....

[jim]

Missouri is a wuss state compared to Wisconsin in terms of beer consumption.

http://www.beerinfo.com/index.php/pages ... ption.html

edit - good lord look at Utah. That looks like a miserable state.

Yep, Utah (and some southern states) are a bit odd. Many counties have a law that only "clubs" can serve beer. You must be a member in order to drink at the clubs. No liquor stores, no alcohol sold at grocery stores, etc. Of course, Salt Lake City (and I'm sure some other areas) don't have this law as they have bars within city limits. I remember going to UT on business, some counties were DRY, as with some counties down South. I always had to do my "homework" before heading out on some business trips in order to determine if I could drink booze where I was headed or if I needed to make a stop at a store along the way.....

I spend so much time in Wisconsin that this is unfathomable. I have yet to find even a gas station that didn't serve beer.

[TimeForGuinness]

The above comments noted and basically agreed with. That said, I think it a good idea to every now and again do a bit of self reflection re alcohol intake. Then, when everything checks out crack open a tasty brew to celebrate your sobriety.

If you can honestly self reflect on your alcohol intake, then you aren't an alcoholic. Most alcoholics I know (I'm Irish, I have a ton in my family) don't even recognize a drinking problem.