are you an alcoholic?

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frankly i don't really care. one has the perpensity to be adicted to something in this life. i choose beer. don't like it - fine - find your own forums. if i were told tomorrow that drinking another beer would kill me - i'd die with a smile on my face. everyone wants to go to heaven - nobody wants to die
 
I am not an alcoholic, I am however still a college student that just turned 21 2 weeks back. So I turned 21, I am sure you all have been there, that weekend needless to say I was sick. But I have realized in the past two years (I am a junior) I have been drinking less and less. Even though I spend more and more on alcohol so I can try out new things because I can actually buy it now and want to try different kinds of beer. Now that I am 21 and have my first brew fermenting I have to still try more beer( in my mind), but it will just be mine and better beer. With that, I do drink almost everyday, what's a beer or two going to do while you are sitting doing homework in your room? nothing. Unlike freshmen year when I would get yelled at for taking girls back to campus and then going back out and drinking more until I made myself get kicked out of parties to make sure they could not give me anymore.

Most people drink a lot, as in atleast 5 days a week. That doesn't mean you are an alcoholic, I might have been heading towards that point, but that weekend was the first time in 2 years that I got sick because of drinking, that's what I get for being a college student I guess, but I am done with that now and am glad I have picked up this hobby and am hoping it will be great.
 
Okay, I'll bite. There's a fine line between craving and wanting. If you get home from a hard day of work, and want a beer...well go ahead and have one.

But if you find yourself in a position where you don't have any beer in the fridge, you have something bottle conditioning for about 7 more days and you start thinking about how you'll get your next drink because you haven't had one yet today and even though you meant to take the next seven days off...there's your sign. It's all the difference between needing and wanting. If I want a bowl of chocolate ice cream and i'm happy being fat, it's not the same as if I'm on a diet, can't stop myself and feel ashamed right after I've had that bowl.

That said, I'm not an alcoholic because I don't need to drink Friday and Saturday when I'm not worrying about going into work the next day :D
 
PeteOz77 said:
When I was younger, I was an alcoholic. By my definition anyway..

2 rules for me in regards to alcoholism:

#1 You can't have a good time without drinking

#2 your life is disrupted by your consumption.

I didn't realise I had a problem until I got DUI #2 and went to jail for 30 days, then I though.. "Hmmmm, this alcohol is BULLSH!T!" and gave it up for a couple of years.

Now I drink every day, sometimes too much, sometimes not enough, but I do drink pretty much every day. But you know what? I is not causing me ANY grief and I know I could stop again for a couple of years if I wanted to.

I don't drink and drive
I don't drink enough to get abusive to my family
I don't drink enough to cause health concerns

I drink enough to enjoy myself and to make other people interesting.

By some foolish measures, I am an alcoholic, but when reality comes into play, I think I have a pretty good grap on it, rather than it on me.

Plus I live in Australia... you don't fit in unless you are a pisshead!
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Right on, Neighbour!!

That said... you are more of an alco than me. :)

But if that's what you need to make me interesting... I can live with that cos you keep giving me your fantastic beer.

Just no cheese and tomato paste in mine, thanks.... :)
 
DeathBrewer said:
i don't want to go to heaven. that place sounds lame. i'll bet they don't even drink beer there.

:p
Click to expand...
Sad, but true. There's a polka called "In Heaven there is no Beer."

In heaven there is no beer
(no beer? !)
Thats why we drink it here
And when were all gone from here
Our friends will be drinking all the beer.

Yes, I got polish blood in me and, yes I know polkas. Yes, every family event revolves around beer and hard liquor.
​
 
SWMBO is a doctor so I've got a good source to tell me if my drinking gets out of hand. There are times when I'm at home firing up the grill drinking some brews and they catch up with me later. She doesn't like that but at least I'm home being safe.

For me, it's about your intentions when drinking. If you're drinking with the intention of getting drunk, then maybe you should be asking yourself if you have a problem. If you're drinking for the enjoyment of the beer/drink and don't have that drunkeness as your goal, I don't think you can be called an alcoholic.
 
slater said:
what's a beer or two going to do while you are sitting doing homework in your room? nothing.
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Exactly. I think my friends thought I was and still am an alcoholic because I would enjoy a beer doing mundane tasks like these. They would come into my dorm and be like, "you're drinking on a Tuesday?" with a flabbergasted look on their face.

That said, they drink 2 nights a week: Friday and Saturday. I'll leave how much they drink during those two nights up to your imagination.
 
Good point with the intention of getting drunk when drinking. Also I go with the definition of need to drink to have fun. Sure drinking with others is fun but if you have to drink while out that might be a sign.

That said, I think I have become much more aware of my drinking from when I first started drinking craft beer instead of macros and then even more when I began home brewing. I find I do not want to over consume good beer because what's the point of wasting an expensive delicious beer you cannot remember? On the other hand, when I was drinking macros and liquor in college the only reason I was drinking them was basically to get drunk. After getting into better beers I stopped drinking both and found myself getting drunk considerably less. Especially now that I tend to get terrible hangovers, I rarely get drunk anymore.

So, no, I do not think I am an alcoholic because I can control my drinking but I when I want a beer I have one.
 
If you're drinking with the intention of getting drunk, then maybe you should be asking yourself if you have a problem.
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Not so sure about that. Does the wino mentioned earlier drink with the intention of getting drunk? I don’t think so. He just can’t stop himself. It’s more like if you drink and pretend it’s not to get drunk or at least buzzed, you’re in denial and have a problem with alcohol. I like the mellow feeling along with the taste I get from a good beer and don't want to fill myself with a dozen BMC's to get it. (The buzz not the flavor)

Edit: But I see your point. Drunk is Drunk:drunk:
 
The first beer is always the best in my humble opinion. All the stress from the daily life crap melts away and I'm happy.

I think my days of getting hammered are pretty much over. The wife and I are thinking kids in a couple of years and I have to be a bit more responsible when it comes that kind of stuff.

I love beer and I always will, but I love life and my wife even more. That being said, when I'm out fishing or with friends, I can still pound a couple. I just try to stop at 4 or 5.

I used think that I would self destruct way before I turned 30. Now that I'm over 30, I kind of want to see how long I can make it. Heh.
 
Neomich said:
SWMBO is a doctor so I've got a good source to tell me if my drinking gets out of hand.
Click to expand...


LOL you're kidding right? Doctors are the biggest alcoholics of them all! Not saying your wife is....but all the other ones I know are
 
I'll admit that I need to stay on gaurd-we do have a lot of Irish blood in the family. That's why I'm counting on SWMBO to keep me in line. But as I get older, a bad hangover tends to be REALLY bad-so that keeps me mindful of binge drinking. And as I've gotten into drinking craft beers, surely I enjoy the buzz-but it's more the whole experience of the taste as well.

To me, having beer as your drink of choice encourages moderation.
 
njnear76 said:
The first beer is always the best in my humble opinion. All the stress from the daily life crap melts away and I'm happy.

I think my days of getting hammered are pretty much over. The wife and I are thinking kids in a couple of years and I have to be a bit more responsible when it comes that kind of stuff.

I love beer and I always will, but I love life and my wife even more. That being said, when I'm out fishing or with friends, I can still pound a couple. I just try to stop at 4 or 5.

I used think that I would self destruct way before I turned 30. Now that I'm over 30, I kind of want to see how long I can make it. Heh.
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+1 on the first beer. 4th and 5th pints are real good, too.:D

Empty-nesters, and getting slammed is more fun than ever. Why grow up so much that you lose that zest of life?

Never figured I'd live past 50. Gettin' close now, but not upping my estimate quite yet. ;)
 
The term "alcoholic" is thrown about in far to cavalier a manner in today's society. See also: retard, psycho, etc.

It does a real disservice to the people who actually suffer from the disease.


Alcoholism is a very real and very serious disease which has absolutely nothing to do with your level of consumption. It also has nothing to do with how you react to the effects of alcohol either.

An alcoholic who remains sober is still an alcoholic and always will be.
A drunk who becomes violent is simply a jack@$$, not necessarily an alcoholic.

Alcoholism is indeed characterized by a mental and/or physical dependance upon alcohol to the exclusion of other priorities. However, that is not the only symptom nor is it a causal factor. Note that many alcoholics are dependent upon other drugs, both legal and illegal, other than alcohol. It might be fair to say that they have an addiction to addiction or are in some way predisposed mentally or physically to abusing any drug regardless of what it may be.

The truth is that medical science does not fully understand the disease, what causes it or what the risk factors are. There are trends that it can be hereditary in some cases but there is no conclusive evidence to that.

Bottom line is, it is unfair to label drinkers (even heavy ones) as alcoholics both to those who consume alcohol (about 88% of Americans over the age of 21) and to those who suffer from alcoholism. To refer to my original statement, is it fair to those who suffer from mental retardation to use the word "retard" insultingly towards a clearly non-retarded person? That's rhetorical, BTW.


To answer the OP's question, I am not an alcoholic.
I am statistically in the top 15% of Americans in terms of consumption.

However, those who would link consumption rate to alcoholism are ignorant and they disgrace themselves by it. They also likely have an agenda to meet (read: neo-prohibitionism) which makes it even more despicable that they use this tragic disease as a soapbox.


If you are worried that you may be an alcoholic, that likely means that you are not one. Denial is a more common symptom but certainly not the only reaction. If you are concerned, you should seek medical advice. A general therapist may be the best option at first since they are usually confidential and have a wide number of contacts that can provide additional support.

But again, knocking back a few, even to enjoy the buzz, is not necessarily alcoholism and it should never be accused as such.
 
My mom brought me up thinking an alchi was someone who had more than 2 drinks a night. She was from a tea tottler family that never had anything to drink so she assumed anyone who did was an alchi.

Now there is an issue I know with anger and alcohol. Like trojanman was saying many of these people are not alchi's they are a@sh#les. But to me people need to pay attention to that as well not just if you need to drink but if when you drink you are becoming an a@s then you need to be honest with yourself and drink less or address your anger. Or not drink when you may be more likely to get angry.
 
TrojanMan said:
If you are worried that you may be an alcoholic, that likely means that you are not one.
Click to expand...

Woohoo! I'm not an alcoholic! Boy that's a load off. I was really worried for a while there, but now that I know I'm not an alcoholic, I'm not worried..... damn.
 
uglygoat said:
my avatar is pigpen, a former member of the grateful dead, shortly before he died of alcoholism....:drunk:
Click to expand...

Thought that was him...they sure were a different band with him. He apparently never touched the LSD or the grass...just a bottle of whiskey.

"Want to find a women who's good to me-won't hide my liquor and try to serve me tea"
 
Acording to the nurse at my last physical, yes... learned the hard way not to anwser the alcohol questions truthfully. She gave me an AA brochure when I left.
 
Ryanh1801 said:
Acording to the nurse at my last physical, yes... learned the hard way not to anwser the alcohol questions truthfully. She gave me an AA brochure when I left.
Click to expand...

My doctor know's my lifestyle. She knows she has to inform me of the detriments and I feel I should inform her of the benefits. We have a mutual respect...
 
TrojanMan said:
The term "alcoholic" is thrown about in far to cavalier a manner in today's society. See also: retard, psycho, etc.

It does a real disservice to the people who actually suffer from the disease.


Alcoholism is a very real and very serious disease which has absolutely nothing to do with your level of consumption. It also has nothing to do with how you react to the effects of alcohol either.

An alcoholic who remains sober is still an alcoholic and always will be.
A drunk who becomes violent is simply a jack@$$, not necessarily an alcoholic.

Alcoholism is indeed characterized by a mental and/or physical dependance upon alcohol to the exclusion of other priorities. However, that is not the only symptom nor is it a causal factor. Note that many alcoholics are dependent upon other drugs, both legal and illegal, other than alcohol. It might be fair to say that they have an addiction to addiction or are in some way predisposed mentally or physically to abusing any drug regardless of what it may be.

The truth is that medical science does not fully understand the disease, what causes it or what the risk factors are. There are trends that it can be hereditary in some cases but there is no conclusive evidence to that.

Bottom line is, it is unfair to label drinkers (even heavy ones) as alcoholics both to those who consume alcohol (about 88% of Americans over the age of 21) and to those who suffer from alcoholism. To refer to my original statement, is it fair to those who suffer from mental retardation to use the word "retard" insultingly towards a clearly non-retarded person? That's rhetorical, BTW.


To answer the OP's question, I am not an alcoholic.
I am statistically in the top 15% of Americans in terms of consumption.

However, those who would link consumption rate to alcoholism are ignorant and they disgrace themselves by it. They also likely have an agenda to meet (read: neo-prohibitionism) which makes it even more despicable that they use this tragic disease as a soapbox.


If you are worried that you may be an alcoholic, that likely means that you are not one. Denial is a more common symptom but certainly not the only reaction. If you are concerned, you should seek medical advice. A general therapist may be the best option at first since they are usually confidential and have a wide number of contacts that can provide additional support.

But again, knocking back a few, even to enjoy the buzz, is not necessarily alcoholism and it should never be accused as such.
Click to expand...
+1 I think this pretty much somes up my opinion. However, I think most of the things we have been talking about such as alcohol disrupting your life, etc. are well used as warning signs. Not that any one of them by itself is proof.
 
Ryanh1801 said:
Acording to the nurse at my last physical, yes... learned the hard way not to anwser the alcohol questions truthfully. She gave me an AA brochure when I left.
Click to expand...

I learned the hard way too. Not only did the insurance company want to know how bad an alcoholic I was, they also wanted to know how much cocaine I was using why having promiscuous unprotected sex.
 
this is not the first time i have seen this topic arise. it is a good question. my own personal belief is that for an alcoholic, the thing is getting the drink with as little inconvenience as possible. i don't think most alcoholics are gonna say, "man i need a drink! let's run the the LHBS so i can get drunk next month." that isn't to say alcoholics don't homebrew, but i don't think it is the preferred use of their time. in fact, i might suggest that because of the attention to detail and the need for delayed gratification that this hobby demands, most who do it on a regular schedule are not alcoholic. that is just my observation.
on a different note, i also believe that if i were to begin using kegs for my beer, and getting out of the "bottling business", i would drink much more than i do. it would be too easy to keep tapping that damn thing.
 
i also believe that if i were to begin using kegs for my beer, and getting out of the "bottling business", i would drink much more than i do. it would be too easy to keep tapping that damn thing.
Click to expand...

This is problem. I seriously ticked off SWMBO last weekend when I completely took over the basement refrigerator by taking out all the shelves and adding two taps. That is in addition to the two tap kegerator upstairs. May be I had a hidden addenda buying cheap taps. Now I have to hit all four of them every day as basic maintenance to make sure they don’t stick. Does this make me an alcoholic or just a conscientious brewer?
 

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