Um, no. If a gentleman is a successful Fortune 500 CEO, yet enjoys 10-13 Manhattans every evening after work, he IS an alcoholic AND a man with a passion for fine bourbon-based OG cocktails. If a hard-working brick-layer enjoys 15-20 IPAs every evening, with a loving wife who enjoys 2-3 bottles of Cab every before yadda yadda, he IS an alcoholic who loves hops and she IS an enabler (they enable each other). No idea where this 2-3 drinks came from - I certainly never said that. You said you defend my right to say what I have to say. I would believe you more if you didn't put words in my mouth. Look, reading all your other posts, you seem like a really reasonable guy, but I think you're way off-base with this particular post. You hear stories of heart surgeons who can't perform a surgery without being completely wasted. I would agree they are up-standing citizens doing GOOD work to better humanity. But that doesn't make them a non-alcoholic. And thinking that way doesn't make me a puritanical, judgmental, sheep-like accomplisher of nothing.
this is true. though i would argue that someone with a family history is more attuned to the signs and therefore more easily able (though maybe more likely to over-react?) to identify patterns/tips that indicate a problem.
do you read these things or just fire off? i only read "took them on a wild ride" not "got divorced because of their drinking". good luck
Interesting read so far, even when the discussion does get a little heated I've never had a drink in the morning, not even the tried and true Bloody Mary or a beer to kick the hangover. I'd love to hear from the people in this thread with some medical knowledge if this is at all true or just a myth? From what I understand, a hangover is just the brain smooshing into your skull because the sack of fluid surrounding it is drained by the alcohol in your blood stream, because alcohol's a dehydrating toxin? I hear the explanation for having alcohol when enduring a hangover is mostly due to your body going into minor withdrawal because your body still "needs" alcohol? I remember attending a retro gaming conference in England a few years ago, well before I started getting into beers. I shared a room with a guy who was a thirty-something stay at home dad ("or just plain SAHD" as he quipped) after what seemed like a fairly wild life if his stories were anything to go by. Apparently he'd managed several pubs and claimed to have run into alcoholics from all walks of life. "Lucky enough, I've been spared from any alcohol problems, I guess it's all a matter of character". I'd noticed that the guy could tip back a fair amount of beer for a short, spindly little lad, but it was his first time away from the kids for months and I didn't really think anything of it. The next morning at about 8 AM, I awoke to the sound of him cracking the first can in his six-pack of Tesco Everyday Value Bitter. He was, however, nice enough to ask me if I wanted one. Yep, totally spared from alcoholism. I therefore agree that being an alcoholic is less about your acknowledgement of having a problem, than the perception of your environment. I'm one of the least judgmental people you'll ever be likely to meet, but I have to admit that being offered a beer first thing in the morning, 2.1% ABV or not, makes me a little uncomfortable. The scary part is he didn't think anything of it and acted like I wasn't even there. To him, it was the most normal thing in the world, and judgmental or not, I think that constitutes a problem.
My brother in law does that, he'll grab a beer when he first wakes up. Come to think of it I can't think of a time I've seen him when he doesn't have a beer in his hand. I've drank in the morning once, and it was around 10am while tailgating, and even then I felt strange about it.
This, right here, made reading this whole thread worthwhile. Thank God I have a 12 year old son and know what this means.
good conversation had here. as long as you listen to your body and sometimes your nagging spouse you can probably avoid becoming an alcoholic. for the rest of us, reading modern drunkard magazine helps , http://www.drunkard.com/
I drink before noon with some regularity on weekends because, due to the different time zones, that's when the English Premier League matches are broadcast. Saying that drinking more than a certain amount comprises alcoholic behavior makes intuitive sense (whether or not it makes medical sense, which I'm not qualified to comment upon), but saying that drinking earlier in the day is more alchololickish than drinking later in the day seems like an arbitrary and silly cultural construct.
It's more of a cultural thing here in the United States, though the morning drink is more common in some other parts of the world. I've had morning drinks before, but usually only when tailgaiting for football games or for Christmas.
I agree, I don't even like to drink in the afternoon unless it's a special occasion, vacation brewery stop, Darkness/Dark Lord Day, etc. My grandfather was one of those "always has a beer in his hand" kind of guys and he was fine and functional for decades, but then his drinking completely destroyed his life and killed him.
Yup, guys like that can seem fine for a very long time and then one day, the shit hits the fan and they lose job, family, health, everything. He's still young enough that it hasn't affected him too much yet. I guarantee he has some problems in his history that were caused by drinking. Also, the health effects of habitual and heavy drinking can be hidden for years before they come to head.
Oh my god, don't. It's like fucking magic. One minute you are sick and feel shitty, the next you can just go about your day. I feel that this crosses a line for me. Hangovers keep me honest. This feels like balance. Bloody Marys and hair of the dog feel like the Dark Side. If once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will.
after telling my heart doctor that was drinking 1-2 beers per day,he looked at my wife and said' A man has to live".Now the weight issue is another factor-need to lose 20.
Do I need a drink to function. No. Do I need a drink to get through the day or a stressful situation, No, but family gatherings, it sure does go done nice. Do I drink during the week at all (Sunday - Thurs). Rarely. Do I like to tie one on Friday and Saturday night, have some good brews and get a buzz on after a long week yes, but not every F & S. Has my drinking ever stopped me from over all being a good Husband, Father, Son, Grandson, Nephew, Citizen... No. Does my wife like what I spend on my beer hobby, no, but she came from a family that hard drinks at all, and she doesn't at all herself. I love beer, in all forms, I worked in the brewing industry, and other then my wife and kids, it is my third love in life. Does it rule over me functioning as a human being... No. So it is Friday, and I am going into the cellar to to bust out some DIPA's and watch a little PVR before hitting the sack eh. Cheers too all here, this has been an interesting thread to read!
I think a key factor to alcoholism is drinking to get a buzz/get drunk. And doing it with great frequency... several times a week. Another key factor is the inability of the person to not drink for several days... In other words, they need to drink. Usually, alcoholism and problem drinking affects personal relationhips and work. A person has to be honest w/ himself/herself in order to see those warning signs. I, at least, seldom drink to the point I get even a slight buzz. I nurse one beer over the course of an evening. I do empahize with people who work in the brewing industry and are developing a drinking problem. That's a no win situation... :-(
Even though I don't condone excessive drinking in any form, this is my absolute favorite article in the universe: http://www.mnn.com/food/beverages/s..."4066579916398":"og.likes"}&action_ref_map=[]
Friday and Saturday drinker unless something very special pops up during the week, and almost never before 6 p.m. Anywhere from 4 - 10 beers. Depends really.
This one may be my favorite: http://www.theonion.com/articles/im-like-a-chocoholic-but-for-booze,10739/
I've written this before (sorry), but in discussions like this, sometimes I just feeling like sharing. My motto, always adhered to, is this: Always, usually, sometimes, never! Always have one, usually have two, sometimes have three and never have four (crafts daily). ABV's ignored!
Well, I guess I should pour out the rest of this Rare then, since I've drank every night for the last 4,380 days, because then I won't be an alcoholic, right guys? Alcoholism is a disease. Some of us may have it, just be careful and aware of where you are at, at all times, in any aspect of life.
if you have to ask this question, you're an alcoholic. I, on the other hand, am a professional. A distinct difference.
If you tell yourself that you're going to have 2 beers, but end up drinking 6 or 7 every time. Then, you might have a problem. I drink about 3 times a week and I average about 2 beers, 2 out of 3 times. If I'm going out to drink with my pals, I'll drink about 6. I don't like drinking in the morning, and If I wake up with a hangover, I usually tough it out and don't bother drinking for a few days. Unlike, some members of my family who usually order a michelada the morning after a long night of partying and they drink a hell of a lot more than I do. I usually drink between the hours of 8PM-1AM. I never felt comfortable drinking outside those hours. If I did drink outside those hours for lets say a bbq for example, I'll drink about 2-4 beers throughout the entire day.
Watch intervention to find out what an alcoholic is. Someone who drinks every night is not an alcoholic. Someone who drinks from the minute they get up (usually off of the floor) til the minute they go to bed is an alcoholic.
I have never see someone put it in words like you did. That is exactly where I am. I went from drinking 3 or 4 miller lites and not having an issue and then trying to drink 2 or 3 crafts. It is a big jump from the BMC to a craft beer and thinking you can still drink the same amount. It takes awhile to realize that you dont need to pound the beers, rather you need to savor the beer. It took me awhile, and embarrassing moments to come to this conclusion. I have come to enjoy a beer rather than trying to get it down as fast as possible. With that being said, they say an alcoholic is always looking for their next drink. I am thinking about the next beer I can try. But the difference is I do it because I want to enjoy it and not forget something else.
The WHO states it's healthy to drink 1-2 consumptions a day, with 1-2 days a week without alcohol. You're considered to drink too much when you drink > 21 alcohol units / week (being a man, 14 / week being a woman). One alcohol unit meaning one 360ml glass of 5% beer or one 100ml glass of wine. So, by example, one Rochefort 10 or St. Bernardus Abt 12 is for about 2 alcohol units. But I'm surprised Dennis you only drink like 3-4 drinks a week... That's not even close to being an alcoholic! So no worries
And it's true that the process that causes the headache is, funny enough, dehydratation. By drinking alcohol you start urinating more then you get fluids in. So your brain actually shrimps a little, which causes a lot of pain. So I think short term, it's logical the alcohol helps you to get over your hangover, because at first you get in some fluids. Problem is that when you stop drinking, it will only be worse, because you've lost even more fluids. So the two main (proven) things that do work to prevent a hangover: - in between your beers, have a large glass of water from time to time (preferably one glass for each beer) or drink as much water as you possible can when you go to bed. - honey! honey contains lots of fructose, which helps you're liver to degrade the alcohol, so you won't be "still drunk" in the morning. True story.
