How do you know if you drink too much.

I have 2-4 beers every day. Is that too much? How do you know how much is too much?

 

when you wake up in a different sate chained to a goat wearing a wedding dress and you think, "I can pull off this lace!"

 

When you drink more then your Dr. does.

 

I'm not clear on this. Which involved party is wearing the wedding dress?

 

which one isn't?

 

I have to get supplies in Maine tomorrow anyway. May as well have another mug of squeeze.

 

When the liquor store runs out and they call you to see if you have one of those three cases left.

 

when beer bonging Old Rasputin isn't enough for you anymore.

 

After reading these replies, I think I am okay.

 

are we talking pints? bombers?

2 to 4 quarts?

S_M

 

ever wear a wedding dress or a goat? what are you doing this weekend?

 

I am on meds that warn about liver problems, so this is an important subject to me.

From lots of research, and being very conservative, 3 7% beers every other day seems to be a good long-term pattern that won't harm the ole liver.

This is a bit of a reduction for me, as I used to average 2 x 7% brews a day, or more some weeks. But it is important that my enjoyment of alcohol is healthy and sustainable, so it's a minor thing in the grand scheme of life.

If I indulge beyond this, I take a couple of days off, but I try to avoid getting blasted too often. I have lost 25 lbs., 10 to go to be a "healthy" weight. I exercise several times a week, minimum, and watch the calories too. The #1 thing that added the lbs for me wasn't the beer itself, but the unhealthy crap I tended to eat when drinking beer.

 

2-4 5G cornys

If you have enough awareness of the issue to ask this question, odds are that you are fine. Really it has very little to do with how many beers you have in a day or their alcohol content. What you need to keep an eye on is how it affects your health and relationships. Of course, the signs of a problem are subtle, at least at first, and that's when you want to make an adjustment.

 

- When you wake up and have no idea when you went to bed or how you got there...

- When you spend the first 10 minutes in the shower trying to sober up enough to wash your hair...

- When you wake up and would trade your car for water and advil...

 

When you voluntarily take a stun baton to the nuts .

 

I have no idea when I've dtank too much. Its far too late by then.

 

Will PBW get grass stains out of lace?

 

much better than Iodaphor. true story.

 

I love Iodophor. I take a 2 qt. mason jar and wet the rim with it then stick it in potassium sulfate fertilizer, then Iodophor. Next I fill the jar with my wholesale Chinese lemon extract. After two, it is just like a Margarita. It also protects from the radiation I use to render my cider safe for consumption.

 

not sure about PBW but I believe I have read PBR will

all the best
S_M

 

A pretty open sort of question ... a lot of possible answers.

If you EVER smell of ammonia (as in, through your pores) ... you are drinking too much and your liver is basically at about defcon 4.
Your liver is so taken up with processing the alcohol related effects that it can't free up the processing power to get the major deadly toxin, ammonia, out of your body properly.

 

Make sure you get yearly physicals and make them take blood work. My dr often only wants labs every few years but demand they do it yearly as this will show you how your body is truly functioning after whatever drinking damage you may have or are doing.

I would also look to consume foods or supplements that support the natural flora of your gut: I'm convinced that the regular consumption of beer/alcohol throws off this balance leading to other gastrointestinal issues. A daily yogurt may be all you need.

Switch to ibuprofen and avoid aspirin and acetaminophen products. Protect that liver!

Drink water and a multivitamin.

You should be good!

 

I have always been fascinated in the science that would answer this very question.

There's a few articles that I've collected along the way...

Modest alcohol consumption lowers risk of liver disease, study suggests

Light-to-moderate alcohol consumption has been shown in several prospective studies to reduce the risk of all-cause mortality and several cardiac outcomes, including cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality in men

Beer Can Help Women Protect Against Osteoporosis: Study

Moderate alcohol consumption reduces CRP (inflammation). lower CRP means, on average, less risk of cardiovascular disease.

Alcohol consumption lowers risk of developing several arthritic conditions

Of course, moderate alcohol consumption is different for different people. The government defines moderate alcohol as 2-4 standard drinks for men and 1-2 standard drinks for women. A standard drink is, for example, a 12 oz 5% beer.

Young whippersnappers create more of the enzyme that breaks down alcohol than old farts. Men make twice as much enzyme in their stomach than women. You can also tolerate more of the effects of alcohol if you exercise because the exercised muscle makes enzymes that detox you (no link sorry).

The approach I take with alcohol is if I get a buzz I stop. If you find that you can drink so much more alcohol than you used to without getting a buzz that means that your liver is larger than it used to and is overproducing enzymes. That's a really bad sign - it means you are hurting your liver. I also take days off so that I know that I am in control and not addicted.

It's fine to enjoy alcohol in moderation as long as alcohol doesn't control you. Moderate alcohol consumption actually is healthy

 

can you remember the last time you ran down the street nekkid and took a dump on the hood of your neighbors car while they were driving? if not, you might want to slow down on the beers.

 

Do some research on beer consumption in other countries and throughout history. 2 beers a day is nothing compared to what the founding fathers used to drink.

As long as you're not waking up hungover every day, blacking out, missing work, and pissing off your loved ones you're probably fine.

 

Many endurance athletes would probably disagree with this statement. If your carb to proteins intake is out of balance it is not unusual to smell of ammonia after a long exercise session...

 

"Too much" depends on so many variables- your size, gender, health, mental state.

If you have to ask, that suggests maybe something inside thinks you are flirting with your own limit.

Try this- cut back a little. See if you feel better physically or emotionally by doing so.

 

These questions concern me...we are in the same state.

 

I try to only bring enough beer home (if I don't have any home brew ready) to get me sufficiently buzzed before I have to go to bed (generally 10). I also try have a balance of drinking nights, and non drinking nights. If I party, I'll usually take the next day off to rest. Though of course I could be a little stricter about my rules. :cross:

But mostly this^

 

I am aware of that effect (I am a runner and run on average 16 to 25 miles per week and am fairly familiar with running science). Yes, burning muscle mass for energy will create ammonia and can cause an ammonia smell.

Hopefully those "disagreeing endurance athletes" you cite would note the topic of the thread ... and that my statement is specifically within the context of over-drinking.

If a person is a chronic over-drinker and concurrently and consistently smell of ammonia, they have a problem.
And potentially a serious problem. Impaired liver function.

My warning stands.

If you feel you need to dispute such advice by splitting hairs with an exception about endurance athletes ... have at it. You are right, there are certainly other problems besides over-drinking ... liver problems, kidney problems, exposure to other toxic substances, burning muscle mass for energy, that can cause ammonia toxicity.

You and your endurance athletes are free to ignore my statement.
For everyone else who is keeping an eye on drinking too much, if they smell of ammonia, they ought to take serious notice.

(btw: to be clear ... no, I'm *not* offended by your point ... it's just that, considering the seriousness of the topic, I find your comment to be extraneous and argumentative.)

 

Don't worry. Your wife will tell you...

 

kinda related ... with distilled spirits: If you use your thumb on the side of the bottle to measure the amount of booze going into your drink, rather than measuring it in the glass ... you may be drinking too much.

 

which reminds me: if you use ammonia in your cocktails "for a little kick", pass one over son!

 

Not to get too OT here but; got me curious ... Googled putting ammonia in a cocktail and, yes (to my surprise) there it is ...

"Aromatic Spirits of Ammonia
This ingredient is not to be mistaken for the household ammonia, which should never be consumed. Famously used in Coca Colas, aromatic spirits of ammonia contains essential oils of lemon and nutmeg. The substance can be used to treat upset stomachs, relieve nervousness, and act as a stimulant. Adding a few drops of this into your drink may actually do more good than harm. "


I think this might be the stuff used in those capsules called ammonia inhalers or "smelling salts". Pull one of those bad boys out, give it a crush and drop in in with the rest of the fruit ... right between the cherries and the olives. Yum.

 

Or amyl nitrate.

 

Your wife tells you.

 

That's one of the best parts about kegging. You only have 1 glass. Who knows how many times its been filled.

 

.......hmmm....all this talk about smelling like ammonia...here I thought it was just me having pissed myself cuz I was too drunk to get out of bed to go to the bathroom..... who knew there was a whole science behind that!?

 

If you resolve to take a day or night off from drinking but find that your mind keeps suggesting that you should toss one back..... well then you may need to sit down and do some thinkin' 'bout yer drinkin'.

 

When you're walking down the street just minding your own business and the sidewalk jumps up and smacks you right in the face. Then you know you've drank too much.

But seriously...

When you drink 2-4 beers and you don't get buzzed and you think to yourself, "Boy, I really could use some whiskey or vodka right about now..."

Then you need to dial it back.