How do you protect yourself?

[Pumbaa]

being a diabetic who likes his sight and dick to work keeps my consumption way down. In fact thinking about it now I cant remember the last beer I had, must be at least 1 month, but I have a feeling I'm gonna have 2 or 3 tonight(I havent forgotten about the beer swap beers I swear . . .)

 

[jjasghar]

being a diabetic who likes his sight and dick to work keeps my consumption way down. In fact thinking about it now I cant remember the last beer I had, must be at least 1 month, but I have a feeling I'm gonna have 2 or 3 tonight(I havent forgotten about the beer swap beers I swear . . .)

i'm with you brother....

but i still like my beer my pump now compensates for me .

 

[homebrewer_99]

They all end in "Y" so that's no good. You have to take it one step further. I, for instance, only drink on days ending with "day". It's much more limiting!

I figure as long as enjoying my beer doesn't interfere with my social, family, or professional life, I'm good to go, and so far it hasn't.

I guess together we got the week full, huh?

 

[Brewing Clamper]

It's hard to say what constitutes alcoholism. I feel it's more than just the amount one consumes. I think it has more to do with the circumstances under which one drinks. I personally love to drink; however, my goal isn't usually to get plastered (barring a serious party). I do however know a couple of people who actually drink for the sole purpose of avoiding reality. That's scary to see. I also see them wanting to drink when the situation completely warrants otherwise. Finishing a bottle of wine by yourself at a baby shower where not one other person is drinking... bad. Pounding room temp Coors light because you run out of cold beer... bad. Doing a beer run(yeah, driving) for yourself after a party ended... bad. I suspect that most people know when they're approaching the danger zone, but few actually acknowledge it.

 

[HarvInSTL]

If drinking affects your job(loss of, failure to keep, unable to obtain), home life (wife,kids,siblings,etc), or your personal well being (liver failure,etc) then its time to put the sauce down and get help.

Where most people run into issues is that they are either a.) unable to stop, or b.) don't have friends/family/etc to get them to stop.

I enjoy drinking and when drinking turns from enjoyment to a crutch is when help is needed.

 

[Reverend JC]

Now that the novelty of my keggin has worn off I suppose i have a pint every other day. When i was new to keggin i was having 2 or three a day for the first 3 kegs.

The weekends still will have me drinking at least 1 or 2 pints a day, one for lunch and one for dinner then if i am feeling fancy the night has been known to hold a few more. I would say once every two months i get all tore up with some friends or my wife but as i get older and more entreched in this hobby(obsession) I find its not about the quantity of beer but the quality.

I never drink before noon on the weekend with one exception Husker football tailgating. Which only happens 7 times a year.

This conversation has made me thirsty.

 

[homebrewer_99]

I think the deciding question is do you WANT a beer versus do you NEED a beer?

 

[Reverend JC]

I think the deciding question is do you WANT a beer versus do you NEED a beer?

Yes please i would like one. I will PM you with my Address.

 

[Dude]

Wow, great thread.

I realize I'm probably over the edge occasionally--but I'll really start to worry when I can't cope without alcohol. I'll worry when I have to come home from a night shift and have a beer before going to bed. Thankfully that hasn't occurred yet (not saying I haven't done it in the past--Korea was a LONG year) and right now I have absolutely no problems with going a few days without a drink. I like the break, in fact. I work a really sh!tty work schedule (rotate nights to days to swings, weekends, etc, etc.) and sometimes it would be the easy way out to pound a few and help cope--but honestly I don't need to.

 

[Ize]

You guys are giving me a complex.

I'll have to go home and drink on it tonight...

Ize

 

[Cheesefood]

I never want it to get to the point where I need to worry about it. Whether or not I want to havea few drinks every night one week, or whether I go a week without, I never want to get to the point where I have to make the decision of Beer or Life.

 

[TxBrew]

Yooper's comment sums it up for me. When any vice in your life switches from want to need you have a problem. Once you've gone that far for some vices it's tough getting back.

 

[ayrton]

Fear of not being allowed to drink anymore is what keeps me from drinking too much. I try my best to avoid beer on weekdays, and I am generally successful, but if I have one or two, I don't sweat it.

 

[Desert_Sky]

I never want to get to the point where I have to make the decision of Beer or Life.

oh thats an easy one....


:rockin:

 

[c.n.budz]

I don't keep any predetermined drinking schedule(1 pint/weeknight, 3 pints/weekend) sometimes I may have 6 beers anight for a week(playoffs, etc) sometimes I'll go 3 weeks without any beer/booze at all.

In my first 3 years of college I was a mess and definitely had a problem(my parents passed away while I was in high school and left me some money so I had money to burn, a screwed up state of mind, and no authority figures) and it most likely would have gotten worse if not for the girl I was dating at the time.

But I don't believe in the "all or nothing" approach to things like this so instead of quitting drinking I addressed what was driving me to drink so much. You need to have a little self discipline, and if you feel yourself getting out of control try to step back and figure out if it's the booze that's a problem or is the drinking just a side effect/escape mechanism for the real problem

 

[ill.literate]

Wow... great thread.

I've got a few ways I'm protected.
1. I work two, sometimes three nights a week, Wednesday nights I have my kids, and they keep me and Trace running around so much that a pint isn't possible, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't like one after they're all asleep. I'm too busy during the week to drink much. The weekends we have the kids at home, same story. I average between 1-3 beers per week, if that.
2. My family, particularly my father's side, is prone to addictions, so I've always had a healthy respect for things like that.
3. I don't enjoy getting messed up anymore. I drink to enjoy the taste of beer, and try new beers.

Thankfully it's not a crutch for me.

 

[Brewpastor]

Moderation, everything in moderation (except equipment).

 

[Willsellout]

I'm too snobbish to drink cheap sh!t so it would be too expensive for me to be an alcoholic and I'm too lazy to brew enough to where I could be an alcoholic. What i've done, considering my mother is an alcoholic, is educate myself on the subject. I don't worry about becoming an alcoholic. I don't take breaks, I don't really care. According to the books I drink too much...but I love wine and beer. I don't drink to get drunk or escape..I drink because I love the taste, the flavors, and when it comes to beer, drinking something I made. I got nothing but love for booze and there is nothing wrong with that.


Dan

 

[boo boo]

I usually have two or three brews a night except for the couple of nights/days I'm on call a week. That involves driving and there is no way I put anyone in danger when I'm behind the wheel if I'm driving due to alcohol.

But I do enjoy a brew when I can without trying to get a buzz. I guess that's why I brew so many low alcohol brews.

 

[EvilTOJ]

Moderation, everything in moderation (except equipment).

So sayeth the Moderator

I have between one to three beers a night. There have been times where I've felt like I've NEEDED a beer vs WANTING one. It took me awhile, but I figured out that I say to myself "why it is that I feel like I need one?" Bad day at work? Fight with the missus? Bad bills? Once I figure that out, working it out in my head or talking to the missus will usually make me feel better. Then I'll have one anyways, but at least I know why! The most alcoholic moment I had was last week. I was sitting at lunch at work and thought one of my IPAs would really hit the spot with lunch. My lunch is at 10 AM.

 

[dibby33]

The question you have to ask is do you keep enough beer for the next days drinking? Or do you plan to get more.

Before my new baby was born I was drinking about 6 beers a night and then more at the weekend. ...just to build up my bottle collection you understand. I am taking a break just now, new baby and drunk father does not mix. Damm I miss my beers. I just love the taste and the buzz.

 

[Desert_Sky]

new baby and drunk father does not mix. Damm I miss my beers. I just love the taste and the buzz.

Oh really?? I got this tshirt for the boy. he wears it proudly

 

[dibby33]

Oh really?? I got this tshirt for the boy. he wears it proudly

Not when you fall asleep whilst sitting on the wooden floorboards and the baby hits the floor causing a split lip and a scrape to her nose. I am on lights for a while, not that I had a lot - about 4, just very tired and could not stay awake anylonger (1am)

 

[McKBrew]

I drink way more since I started homebrewing. Way more is usually 1-2 a night. I rarely drink before 4PM on weekdays, on the off chance I might get called back to work. Weekends, I don't start until around noon, and might drink 3 a day.

Before I discovered good beer, I could literally go months without a beer. Now I find myself craving that daily beer, so maybe I am an alchy. I think I could take a break and be fine, but really don't want too.

 

[Ó Flannagáin]

I drink way more since I started homebrewing. Way more is usually 1-2 a night. I rarely drink before 4PM on weekdays, on the off chance I might get called back to work. Weekends, I don't start until around noon, and might drink 3 a day.

Before I discovered good beer, I could literally go months without a beer. Now I find myself craving that daily beer, so maybe I am an alchy. I think I could take a break and be fine, but really don't want too.

Before I discovered good beer I was drinking 6-12 a night, now its 1 or 2 and I THOROUGHLY enjoy them. Not after the buzz anymore.... except sometimes.

 

[david_42]

My grandfather died of alcoholism, so my father was a teetotaler. My drinking pattern developed in college, where I didn't have enough money to drink more than once or twice a week and then only a few. This was re-enforced by my Navy time, where I just didn't have access while at sea. I never built up a tolerance, so, two or three days a week, I'll have a couple pints and that's it. Any more and I'm asleep.

 

[Cheesefood]

Not when you fall asleep whilst sitting on the wooden floorboards and the baby hits the floor causing a split lip and a scrape to her nose. I am on lights for a while, not that I had a lot - about 4, just very tired and could not stay awake anylonger (1am)

Don't make excuses. Babies get hurt - A LOT. That's why they have rubber bones. I don't think a day goes by where my son doesn't get a bruise or a cut. Mostly it's because he won't shut the hell up when I'm trying to watch my stories on the TV. (OK, that's a joke...calm down.)

Every time I hear something hard hit the ground, I now expect to hear it followed by crying.

 

[Reverend JC]

I don't think a day goes by where my son doesn't get a bruise or a cut. Mostly it's because he won't shut the hell up when I'm trying to watch my stories on the TV.

My stories, thats freaking funny. Do you use your reaching stick to fetch things off of the floor too?

 

[kornkob]

*shrug* I've never really been happy with any definition of 'alcoholism' I've seen. They are either too broad and include people who don't really have a problem or they are way to precise because they are targeting a specific group of drinkers. generally the definitions are too broad.


Are you meeting your obligations? Do you conduct your life without hurting anyone else? Are you happy with your life as it stands? Do you feel like you are taking an active part in how your life is progressing?

If that was a series of 'yes' answers then you are probably fine. If you answered 'no' then you might need to take a look at thigns to see if there's a problem.



Another definition trap I loathe. Addict. For the record, I don't think that an addict is automaticaly: unhappy, worthless, harmful to society, in need of help or a bad thing. If I was I'd certainly have to take issue with the Cult of Joe that is being sponsored by Starbucks. Millions of people are addicted to caffine.

 

[fretman124]

I been following this thread with interest....

I've probably spilled more booze than most of you have drank. I started drinking when I was 15. Many years ago, I was into whiskey.....I bought a half gallon of Seagrams 7 every third day. Then on the weekends I would have a little more. After a few years of this I (mostly cause I got married) "cut back" and just drank a 12 pack, every night after work. Usually a bit more on the weekends. This went on for about 15 years. Now I'm a bit older and having learned to brew, I have 2-6 pints, daily. I rarely drink before 5:00 pm. I used to be an almost daily blackout drinker, now I rarely even catch a buzz

*shrug* I've never really been happy with any definition of 'alcoholism' I've seen. They are either too broad and include people who don't really have a problem or they are way to precise because they are targeting a specific group of drinkers. generally the definitions are too broad.


Are you meeting your obligations? Do you conduct your life without hurting anyone else? Are you happy with your life as it stands? Do you feel like you are taking an active part in how your life is progressing?

If that was a series of 'yes' answers then you are probably fine.

Yes to all......

Never been arrested, broke or hungry. Still married to the same women (20 years), raised three fine upstanding daughters that are productive members of society. Had a successful military career, retired from that with a pension and am in the middle of another very lucrative career. My main problem is I have too many hobbies. Gardening, reading, fishing, woodworking to name a few.

My BP is 115/70, cholestoral is 170. I'll admit I could stand to loose 10 or 15 lbs, but what 50 ish beer drinker couldn't?

Do I have a drinking problem? Hell yes. I love it. I love the ritual, the taste (most of them) and the buzz. Do I worry about it?....not even a little bit