Are you all alcoholics?

[DeathBrewer]

1. When I pay more attention to booze than I do my child...hasnt happened
2. When I spend most of my paycheck on booze/brewing supplies... If I were to average the total % spent on brewing supplies/beer since I've started brewing, it MIGHT be 5%, and thats hitting the high side.
3. When I wake up so hungover that I cant go to work....hasnt happened yet, but I will admit, the day after last St. Pattys was a rough one for me.

Aww...sh!t...I think I'm in trouble...

 

[hbomb]

Hmm...I actually got the impression that the OP was meant as tongue and cheek. Like "you all are such productive overachievers at this hobby, how DO you handle being so productive?!".

Maybe they just weren't aware of the moonshine alcoholic stereotype, and didn't realize it would hit such a sensitive chord...

Or maybe I'm just too generous when giving the benefit of the doubt.

 

[BBKing]

Aww...sh!t...I think I'm in trouble...

Lol, I'd be willing to bet a dollar to a dog terd that you make much more than I do, so dont feel too bad

 

[BBKing]

Hmm...I actually got the impression that the OP was meant as tongue and cheek. Like "you all are such productive overachievers at this hobby, how DO you handle being so productive?!".

Maybe they just weren't aware of the moonshine alcoholic stereotype, and didn't realize it would hit such a sensitive chord...

Or maybe I'm just too generous when giving the benefit of the doubt.

To a certain extent, I got this impression also.

However, as another poster mentioned, its like going to a cooking forum and asking "Are you all obese?"...you have to expect a ton of "I'm offended" answers.

That, and I'm sure that the old timers around here are tired of threads like this.

 

[FxdGrMind]

An alcoholic??? Are you kidding?? Dude, I couldn't brew if I were an Alcoholic. I can't brew drunk and a 5 gal batch is no where near enough to consider being an alcoholic, even at 5 gal a week.

If you look at the historic past, workers were drinking 5 to 6 Qts a day as standard as the water wasn't sanitary. that's a gal and a half a day! 5 gal wouldn't last a week and they weren't "Alcoholics"!!!

Besides, I can quit any time I want! I quit every day when I go to bed!...

 

[C2H5OH]

My mother-in-law was so drunk once, she fell off her chair backwards and had her legs splayed out so far I saw her episiotomy scar.


...I drink to forget.

 

[JonK331]

Blah blah blah. Yes, most brewers like to drink beer. If you are scared of becoming a drunk then have a 7up. Here's a great website for you: http://www.drunkard.com/. Alcoholism is all relative. For me personally, I would rather be a good liver than have one.

 

[Baja_Brewer]

I'm currently suppressing all of my mean comments and laughing at the OP. This has been discussed to death and it comes down to the fact that everyone defines it in their own different way and that most people here are safe.

That AA questionnaire? By its definition I'm an alcoholic. As are ALL of my college friends. But then again I'm in my low 20's (as are all of my college friends) and its a stage of life. They're loaded questions. Get over it, move on.

No, I'm not an alcoholic. And **** you very much for asking. I'm going to quote YooperBrew here, because her post was excellent.

Asking craft brewers who are proud of their craft if they are all alcoholics is a slap in the face.

That would be like me going on a gun enthuisiast forum and ask them if they were all killers. Or stopping in on an RV forum and ask if they were all trailer trash. How about on a cooking forum? Shoud we think they are all fatties?

Making good wine and craft beers is a great hobby, just like flying model airplanes is a cool hobby, or like scuba diving is a fun hobby. It's an insult to insinuate that people who enjoy brewing and making good beers are alcoholics.

 

[rjgiddings]

I typically have two beers a night. That said, my Mom has a drinking problem - and has for years - so in the small corner of my mind - yes, I consider volume of alcohol and beers per week somewhere back there too.

My three kids and my wife love and need me. I love them incredibly. And I plan on being there for the kids drivers ed, college, weddings et. al. Both the good times and bad.

But..in my head. I'm somewhat independent too. Don't care for organized sports. Don't care much for mass gatherings. Don't care for things that a LOT of other people do.

I started most of my hobbies like foil and epee fencing, scuba diving, gardening, and yes home brewing because its mostly personal. Might need one other buddy to help (at most). To me - it's about the journey...the learning part. Not so much about the end result too much. More of " Hmmm, wow, how can I tweak this to make it even better"

Some people just have this engineer inside them that keeps them thinking, planning, plotting. That's me.

But mostly I drink beer, and home brew because I can!

I've never bought a case of Bud. Or Coors. or Keystone. But, I had this idea about a year ago. "Wait a tic...why am I buying beer?" Seattle has these microbrews all over the place. Almost like Starbucks...they are everywhere. You swing a dead cat, you hit a brewery here. It's crazy. So - I knew right away that I wanted to try to make my own batch.

It's in the ferment bucket right now.

 

[JonK331]

I recommend the people worried about the alcoholics on this forum make a huge donation to their local AA chapter.

Either that or throw a couple of bucks to your local homeless guy so he can get another beer.

 

[BBKing]

Well, Im in medical school and labels like "alcohol dependent" and "alcoholic" are dangerous and should not be jumped to. Ive waited for the right opportunity to post this about alcohol so the following test is used by doctors to screen for alcohol problems and I figured that it would be beneficial to people on this forum. This is the RAPS4 test:
1. Have you had a feeling of guilt or remorse after drinking?

2. Has a friend or a family member ever told you about things you said or did while you were drinking that you could not remember?

3. Have you failed to do what was normally expected of you because of drinking?

4. Do you sometimes take a drink when you first get up in the morning?

A "yes" answer to at least one of the four questions suggests that your drinking is harmful to your health and well-being and may adversely affect your work and those around you.

If you answered "no" to all four questions, your drinking pattern is considered safe for most people and your results do not suggest that alcohol is harming your health.

These questions DO NOT define alcoholic. These are guidelines used for further evaluation.
-Jefe-

Out of curiousity....alot of people here have said that they've had at least one night that they cant remember what happened, and that includes me.

So for a lot of us, that would be a "yes" on one of the 4 questions. What are the follow up eval questions?

 

[SatelliteGuy]

Of course I'm an alcoholic. That's not the problem.

My problem is I can never make a decision.

I'll take the third and fourth... what's the last one? I might take that one too.


Incidentally, I'm not an alcoholic either. a 12-pack will typically last me 2 weekends, unless I'm partying, where it'll go twice that fast...
(3/evening for Friday and Saturday, or 6/evening if I'm partying)

 

[JonK331]

WOw I must really be in trouble. A 12 pack only lasts me that long if I'm drinking off the keg.

 

[JefeTheVol]

Out of curiousity....alot of people here have said that they've had at least one night that they cant remember what happened, and that includes me.

So for a lot of us, that would be a "yes" on one of the 4 questions. What are the follow up eval questions?

There is no standard set of questions used as a next step for clinicians after the RAPS4. We just use those questions to assess whether its likely that alcohol is affecting a patient's health. After that, given the patient's answers, I can start to lean towards alcohol as a possible cause of health problems either now or in the future. Alcoholism is an enormous diagnosis and is very subjective among clinicians. For example, one of the pathologists at the University of Tennessee, where I attend med school, told me that "an alcoholic is a person who drinks more than you, and who you dont like"

Anyway, I doubt that many us on this forum would be clinically defined as alcoholics but that does not mean that alcohol isnt negatively affecting one's health.

My followups are: Number of drinks/week, family history of drug abuse/dependence or EtOH abuse/dependence, followed by any relevant tests that might have something to do with the pt's complaint and EtOH.

 

[david83]

Well, Im in medical school and labels like "alcohol dependent" and "alcoholic" are dangerous and should not be jumped to. Ive waited for the right opportunity to post this about alcohol so the following test is used by doctors to screen for alcohol problems and I figured that it would be beneficial to people on this forum. This is the RAPS4 test:
1. Have you had a feeling of guilt or remorse after drinking?

2. Has a friend or a family member ever told you about things you said or did while you were drinking that you could not remember?

3. Have you failed to do what was normally expected of you because of drinking?

4. Do you sometimes take a drink when you first get up in the morning?

A "yes" answer to at least one of the four questions suggests that your drinking is harmful to your health and well-being and may adversely affect your work and those around you.

If you answered "no" to all four questions, your drinking pattern is considered safe for most people and your results do not suggest that alcohol is harming your health.

These questions DO NOT define alcoholic. These are guidelines used for further evaluation.
-Jefe-

so basically anyone who goes out on a one night bender and drinks to much has a problem according to a doctor.....thats why i dont go to doctors.

 

[UnderThePorchBrewing]

I only do 2.5-3 gallons at a time which ends up being roughly only a case bottled. I also share some it.

You don't have to drink a lot to keep a lot of varieties on hand.

both statements above are my reasons for what I have on hand, I enjoy having a choice when i have a beer or two, and friends love that I have a selection of 7 to 10 different beers. right now i have what is in my sig plus 5 different commercial brands. about 10 different cases total. I go thru 2 to 3 cases per month and brew 2 per month with an occasional 3rd when i do a 5 gallon batch and every so often buy a case. Love having a pipeline that can last several months just in case I skip a month or only brew 1 batch

 

[JefeTheVol]

so basically anyone who goes out on a one night bender and drinks to much has a problem according to a doctor.....thats why i dont go to doctors.

Its all about statistics, man. Break the mold.

 

[uechikid]

Probably. But I don't drink and drive and I"m happy.

 

[Grimster]

Probably. But I don't drink and drive and I"m happy.

This is one of my big no-nos. If I've had even 1 beer in the last hour I won't drive. My dad got his license revoked for a year when I was 15 for a DUI and I had to drive with my permit, reasoning was, me with a permit is less legal problems than him with a revoked, so I carted him around a lot that year.

Plus we were always poor as dirt and the fines and jail time and lawyers fees killed us financially for months on end.

Never ever doing that to my wife and kid.

 

[mordantly]

i've heard that before. then 4th of july. everything is great. you wake up 60 miles away from where you were, and 4 hours later (apparantly) by a police siren as your driving down the road.

 

[electric_beer]

I brew for the house. 4 adults can put away a lot of brew.

 

[BigAl]

Do I drink too much probably. I don't take any readings on the beer I brew. I don't brew for the buzz I brew for the taste. I enjoy being able to drink 3 or 4 different styles in 1 evening. I don't drink and drive I like to stay home at night after working all day. So maybe I have a drinking problem. Problem is I like good beer!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[phrogpilot73]

Either that or throw a couple of bucks to your local homeless guy so he can get another beer.

[THREADJACK]

I once gave $20 to a homeless dude, who was sitting on the median at a stoplight with a sign that said "I won't lie, I need a beer." I respected his honesty...

[/THREADJACK]

 

[DeathBrewer]

Lol, I'd be willing to bet a dollar to a dog terd that you make much more than I do, so dont feel too bad

Yeah, but OH MY GOD! HOW MUCH MORE DO I SPEND ON BREWING?????

 

[DeathBrewer]

[THREADJACK]

I once gave $20 to a homeless dude, who was sitting on the median at a stoplight with a sign that said "I won't lie, I need a beer." I respected his honesty...

[/THREADJACK]

A homeless guy asked me for a buck once. I bummed a cigarette off of him

 

[shroomzofdoom]

I am not addicted to drinking beer, but I am certainly addicted to brewing it.

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

I am not addicted to drinking beer, but I am certainly addicted to brewing it.

That's a very good point. I find that when I let my brain wander (Which is often) It usually ends up thinking about something to do with brewing. Rarely do I occupy my spare thoughts with visions of drinking beer. Unless, of course I am already drinking one.

 

[Pappers_]

I'd like to wish the OP a very happy "go to hell". Seriously, I agree with LGI, Yooper and others -just f**k off.

 

[brelic]

Asking craft brewers who are proud of their craft if they are all alcoholics is a slap in the face.

That would be like me going on a gun enthuisiast forum and ask them if they were all killers. Or stopping in on an RV forum and ask if they were all trailer trash. How about on a cooking forum? Shoud we think they are all fatties?

Making good wine and craft beers is a great hobby, just like flying model airplanes is a cool hobby, or like scuba diving is a fun hobby. It's an insult to insinuate that people who enjoy brewing and making good beers are alcoholics.

I didn't mean the question to be an insult. It was asked in jest, and the interwebs isn't good at transmitting tone. I brew with 2 friends, and two batches a month, split between us, is too much beer for me. I do it because I enjoy the craft, like all of you do as well. And I asked because I really wanted to know, "what do you do with all the beer you brew?"

However, I disagree with your analogies, especially the gun enthusiast.

Again, no offense was intended.

 

[brelic]

I'd like to wish the OP a very happy "go to hell". Seriously, I agree with LGI, Yooper and others -just f**k off.

Sheesh, chill out. RDWHAHB.