Problem drinking (when is it too much)

Originally Posted by Listi

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I think the fact that you're ASKING not only yourself, but others, if you have a problem, is a sign that you should change some things. Because if it's not a problem yet, it will be eventually.

^ Yes.
And yes.

Originally Posted by starcrash

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Alcoholism is a self-diagnosis, but here is a way to help decide for yourself:

Alcoholics Anonymous Twenty Questions (if the answer is yes to three or more, you may be an alcoholic):

1. Did you lose time from work due to drinking? (Who hasnt )
2. Did drinking make your home life unhappy (I drink cause my home life is unhappy)
3. Did you drink because you were shy with people? (uh, yea!)
4. Has drinking affected your reputation? (Yes, party boy FTMFW!!!)
5. Have you gotten into trouble with money because of your drinking? (Not enough of it)
6. Did you associate with people you didn't respect and hang out
in places you didn't want to be in when drinking? (Isnt this what dive bars are?)
7. Did your drinking make you careless of your family's welfare? (who cares?)
8. Has your drinking decreased you ambition? (Still ambitious to party it up)
9. Did you want a drink "the morning after?" (Thats called the weekend)
10. Did you have a hard time sleeping because of your drinking? (If by hard time you mean black out on the floor, then yes )
11. Has your ability to work decreased since drinking? (Nope, always been lazy)
12. Did drinking get you into trouble on the job or in business? (No, I used vodka. Its a no-tell when drinking on the job)
13. Did you drink to escape from problems or worries? (who doesnt!?)
14. Did you drink alone? (Who Doesnt?!)
15. Have you ever had a complete loss of memory as a
result of drinking? (more often than not)
16. Has a doctor ever treated you for drinking? (thats for pussies)
17. Did you drink to build up self-confidence? (of course, how else was I gonna hookup?)
18. Have you ever been arrested, locked up or
hospitalized on account of your drinking? (only if its a good night)
19. Have you ever felt guilty after drinking? (only guilty of waht I woke up next to)
20. Did you have to have a drink at a certain time each day? (irish coffee, margarita lunch, wine for dinner and beer the rest of time. Yes.)

For more info on AA: http://www.aa.org


I answered. Im cool.

what is a problem drinker? the only problem drinkers i know are the ones that cannot afford to drink so they leech off friends. if you pull your wieght with friend or simply drink alone there is no problem.

Originally Posted by Listi

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I always have a problem with these questionnaires. They make just about every college student an alcoholic. I could reasonably answer yes to 1, 3, 4, 6, 10, 14, 15, 17, and 19 during my first few years, although I've been drinking somewhat less these days.

I think the fact that you're ASKING not only yourself, but others, if you have a problem, is a sign that you should change some things. Because if it's not a problem yet, it will be eventually.

If it looks like a duck... Most college students drink like they're alcoholics - and get away with it because they're young and there are few repercussions. If you have time to drink from 5 to 5, you need a better hobby or better friends.

OP - taper off and do something better with your time. But if you're in Japan, I imagine that your options are limited to working or drinking, so forget that and 'Kampai!'

Originally Posted by alliswell

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If it looks like a duck... Most college students drink like they're alcoholics - and get away with it because they're young and there are few repercussions.
A lot of college students (young people, in general) are heavy drinkers. Some are or may become alcoholics. It's not so much a matter of how much one drinks, but rather why one drinks and what happens as a result.

As you can probably guess, I'm an alcoholic (sober 9 years).

Originally Posted by alliswell

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If it looks like a duck... Most college students drink like they're alcoholics - and get away with it because they're young and there are few repercussions. If you have time to drink from 5 to 5, you need a better hobby or better friends.
I wouldn't say this is true. Although we do all the "alcoholic things," we do them for 2 days a week then get our asses back to studying. I would say someone drinking 3-4 drinks a night, every day, has more alcoholic character than a college student who gets wasted Friday and Saturday but doesn't touch a drop the rest of the week.

what i'm more concerned with is, how much alcohol is enough to damage your liver and/or brain? i think it's not the one-time binge that kills you liver, but moreso the repeated use of a high volume of alcohol (like one bottle of wine/night). or is one bottle of wine a high volume?

because i also, drink a bottle of wine/night. give or take.


does anyone know anything about cirrhosis?

Originally Posted by philosophe

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Folks, be careful with alcohol withdrawal. It can be very dangerous. When in doubt, taper down.

+1 to this. I will also say that if you are a very heavy drinker and looking to stop you should definitely talk to your doctor--there are prescriptions available that can help immensely!

Originally Posted by Listi

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I wouldn't say this is true. Although we do all the "alcoholic things," we do them for 2 days a week then get our asses back to studying. I would say someone drinking 3-4 drinks a night, every day, has more alcoholic character than a college student who gets wasted Friday and Saturday but doesn't touch a drop the rest of the week.

+1, I answered yes to similar questions to yours in that quiz, yet I only drink that much once a fortnight sometimes less. I guess it could apply if you were to say whether these thingsare on a daily basis, but otherwise I don't think this particular quiz is right.

Drinking is a problem when you drink to avoid becoming sober.

Drinking alone is not any sort of indicator of alcoholism since single men are often alone when they get home. For that matter, married couples often are too--even if both are in the house. Relaxing at home is not anything like some sort of alcoholic sneaking gulps alone in the garage.

Alcohol is a problem because your body builds up a tolerance, and you need more and more to have the same effect. This is a problem because of the sheer volume of drug. It cuts holes in the liver that need two days to repair themselves. Drinking every day doesn't allow the body to repair.

I find that the more coffee I drink, and the later in the day I have coffee, the more I want a drink when I get home. So I'd recommend cutting back on Java at the same time.

Wally,

Congrats on your 50th! Modern health information allows for a glass (4ozs) of wine with dinner per day. Occasionally, more depending upon the amount of food that's being consumed with it. After my 50th, I noticed I was having more than that on Friday nights - more towards a full bottle - art gallery openings, etc. I decided that's not where I wanted to head and cut wayyyy back as well. Now, the most I'll have is two drinks in a weekend day and only 1 glass during the week.

On special occasions when I make an epicurean dinner with friends more wine is available, 1 with each course, however, the amount in the glass is smaller. And these happen maybe three times a year.

My suggestions is - for awhile - pour yourself a glass of wine in the kitchen and leave the bottle there when you sit down in another room to eat dinner. Make sure you put the stopper in the bottle after you poured your glass.

When next you have your annual physical exam, mention to your doctor the amount you're drinking and wathc his reaction. That'll give you a big clue as well.

Take care of yourself, Wally...

Tom

Originally Posted by Listi

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I wouldn't say this is true. Although we do all the "alcoholic things," we do them for 2 days a week then get our asses back to studying. I would say someone drinking 3-4 drinks a night, every day, has more alcoholic character than a college student who gets wasted Friday and Saturday but doesn't touch a drop the rest of the week.
You clearly do not party enough at college and/or you are not 21 and can't go to the bars on tuesday-thursday.

Originally Posted by Jodum5

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You clearly do not party enough at college and/or you are not 21 and can't go to the bars on tuesday-thursday.
Drinking age is 19. I did Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday for a little bit last year, but it adversely affected my school work too much. I'm not an arts or a business student, I'm in chemistry, 25 hours of class/lab a week. I can't party like a history major.

If a person drinks often, a permanently flushed face suggests it's at a problem level.

Why the need to drink 6 beers a day? A buzz? If you're drinking for a buzz everyday then that is kind of a problem even though you ain't getting hammered. If you have enough willpower to not get drunk when you drink... you can just drink on the weekends.

Unless you're depressed, I can't see why anybody would want to drink everyday just to get a buzz.