How Many of You Have Been Accused...

[SmugMug]

So how many in here have been accused of being an alcoholic? Fess up.

Yeah. I brew beer and I have one everyday. Rarely will I have more than 2 and if that's the case, there's usually a few hours between them. But somehow the fact that I even drink a beer everyday makes me an alcoholic to some people. If this is considered being a lush then I must be a full blown fall-down drunk when comes to brew days. Ok, your turn.

I'll caveat by saying it is not SWMBO that thinks this.

 

[MeatyPortion]

Right here. It runs in the family, and has since the 1850s.

 

[arturo7]

Accused?


The dogs back but the caravan moves on.

 

[Yooper]

I don't think anyone's ever said anything about being an alcoholic to me. The worst I've been called to my face is a "beer snob", which I can accept.

 

[SmugMug]

Sometime I really hate living in the buckle of the bible belt.

 

[mattmcl]

I admit fully to being a lush, sometimes border on being a drunk, but am definitely not an alcoholic. I can drink or not drink just as easily. Booze is the one thing I enjoy that I don't feel compelled to take to excess on a consistent basis. Unlike tobacco, junk food and couch potato-hood. And World of Warcraft.

 

[Joker]

I have been accussed but IMO the shoe doesn't fit. I may have a beer a night (miss a few nights here and there) and possibly two a weekend night.

 

[springer]

I'm a drunk... Alcoholics go to meetings

 

[njnear76]

Wow. I can completely relate. I drink as much as you, SmugPug and my sister-in-law is 100% convinced I'm an alcoholic. She is going all blue clues like; Asking everyone in the family.

Funny I was going to post a very similar thread.

 

[david_42]

Never. My father's father was, my dad was a teetotaler. I rarely have more than two pints in a day, most days none. Just about everyone I know who drinks at all, drinks more than I do.

 

[SmugMug]

SWMBO frowns on me having more than 2 a night but I very rarely do that unless it's on weekend and the inlaws have the little one. I get the most flack from those who might have a beer once a week and can't fathom that I make 5 gal at a time. They don't take into account that I give most of it away and that it takes months to do. Hell, I still have a trippel, a barleywine, several Delerium Noctornums, and a 6'er of my homebrew that's been sitting around for months.

I am definitely guilty of being a beer snob. I'll never deny that, but an alcoholic I am not.

 

[Evan!]

Pshaw...I have at least 2 beers every night of the week. I also have a family, own a house that I keep up and renovate, and a damn good job...I exercise regularly to keep from becoming a fatty from all the beers. In other words, I drink a lot of homebrew, but I have my sh*t together. If drinking a lot were all it took to be labeled an alcoholic, then yeah, fine, I guess I am one...but it was always my view that alcoholism means that your life is negatively affected in a major way by booze.

But yeah, to answer you question...I haven't been accused of being an alcoholic flat out, but my pops used to be an alcoholic...his mom was too...so it runs in the family. He's been stone cold sober for 25 years now I believe...and he mentioned something to me once about "watching out", because I brew so much beer, and I own a wine business...he doesn't really get it, though. It's not about getting wrecked!

 

[njnear76]

It is rather insulting to have someone call you an alcoholic.

I am obsessed about homebrewing, but that's because it's a hobby I get a lot of enjoyment doing. I wish people would just mind their own business.

 

[voegeli51]

Alcoholics drink to get drunk. I drink to experience new flavors, to enjoy the richness of a great beer, AND to get drunk.

 

[SmugMug]

I don't drink for effect, and haven't since I was in college. In fact I made (albeit accidently) a really tasty near beer recently. Probably my best one to date. Oh well, I know what I am and what I am not. To hell with those fundie christians and their holier than thou attitudes.

I apologize to any of you homebrewers with deep religious convictions who may take offense.

 

[caspio]

My dad hasn't said it straight out, but occasionally hints around the subject. He has no self control, so if there's beer (or candy or whatever) around it's gone within a day or two. He's just projecting his habits onto me, and doesn't realize that I often go a week without touching the kegerator if I'm busy.

My aunt, on the other hand, is not so subtle. (see fundie comment in the post above)

 

[albannach]

I have about 1 beer a night, and about 2 maybe 3 on a weekend night, (unless its a big beer of course (>7%), then only one every few days). I hope that doesn't make me an alcoholic.

I've always thought that the "line" for any addiction is if it negatively impacts your health, job, relationship, daily responsibilities, ability to function, etc. As long as one doesn't sacrifice any of those responsibilities because you have to or reallly want a beer, then I guess drinking beer on a routine basis is ok. Also a good idea to follow the after 5pm rule, although I have slipped these past two weekends.

 

[cd2448]

i drink way less than i used to, and often go all thru the week without touching a drop. but come the weekend i will usually have one boozy night out of two. i don't mean 2-3 beers, i mean a lot of beers. not talking falling down drunk as i prefer a session beer to anything too high ABV. but a gentlemanly level of drunkenness is attained. (*)

back in my early days, each weekend, thursday to sunday, was a huge amount of beer. on that questionnaire that tells you if you are an alcoholic, i ticked most of the boxes. but i considered myself more a binge drinker than an alkie.

(*) no getting behind the wheel of a car, BTW.

 

[SmugMug]

I have about 1 beer a night, and about 2 maybe 3 on a weekend night, (unless its a big beer of course (>7%), then only one every few days). I hope that doesn't make me an alcoholic.

I've always thought that the "line" for any addiction is if it negatively impacts your health, job, relationship, daily responsibilities, ability to function, etc. As long as one doesn't sacrifice any of those responsibilities because you have to or reallly want a beer, then I guess drinking beer on a routine basis is ok. Also a good idea to follow the after 5pm rule, although I have slipped these past two weekends.

The 5PM rule doesn't work for me. I usually get off work around 3, so if I know I have some time before the wife and kid get home me and a buddy of mine will go to the local beer bar for a beer.

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

Both sides of my parents families were heavy drinkers, so it's something I look out for. I always have to look at myself and my behavior because heavy drinking is so dominant in my genes. I feel I do a pretty good job of regulating myself, so if anyone has the nerve to tell me that I am an alcoholic, I will remind them that it is indeed possibly true. I will also tell them that they are fooking ugly on the inside, possibly retarded and have no business poking their nose into my affairs.

 

[jgln]

Only people who I told I brew beer but have no idea how much I drink. Apparently brewing beer = alcoholic, but that is another discussion already had here.

I drink just about every night unless I don't feel well which is not often and have done so just about since my early 20's and I am approaching 50. I never had a drop of alcohol until I was about to graduate HS. I drink natural light which is not very strong; the homebrew is maybe a 6 pack a week. I never drink in the morning or even afternoon even on weekends unless I have friends over who want to and I will join then hesitantly. I have always been work first, relax and drink second. I rarely go to bars after work; I have chores at home to do first. Drinking beer is the last thing I do at the end of my evening. I will not drink if I have something important I need to be sharp for either. I am kind of like Evan, I am successful and self sufficient and a provider for others. People who know me well say they have never really seen me drunk although I have stumbled to bed once or twice on special occasions. I never turn violent, on contrary I have often been told I don’t change, but if at all I get quieter and relaxed. I do 99% of my drinking in the comfort and safety of my home. Call me what you like!

Am I being too defensive? (add smiley face here)

 

[SmugMug]

Comforting to know I'm not the only one.

 

[njnear76]

My biggest problem is having too many when I'm hanging out with other people especially now that I weigh less.

It's amazing what losing 50lb does to your tolerance.

 

[jgln]

I never smoked so approaching 50 when the time comes I must stop drinking I am taking up smoking.

 

[Hambone]

I have been called one on many occasions, but I usually just ignore it and give those people the finger. Like Evan said, I have my sh*t together so I don't see anything wrong with my drinking. I'm 23, I have my own house, truck, I have a good job, and I play sports. I do however drink a lot. My friends and I belong to a drinking team with a rugby problem as we like to say it, so after practices and every game on saturdays we do a good bit of drinking. I like a beer with my dinner and one or two afterwards on weekdays. The first time I got drunk I was 10 for Mardi Gras, playing chandeliers with my cousin in high school and his friends, but I'm from Louisiana so that's not that unheard of. I guess it's just best to say that I'm a drinker, not an alcoholic.

 

[Homercidal]

Come on, guys. We all know we like beer, so let's just fess up and admit we are alkies. I am pretty sure my mom thinks so, because I have tons of beer bottles in the kitchen.

 

[SmugMug]

Come on, guys. We all know we like beer, so let's just fess up and admit we are alkies. I am pretty sure my mom thinks so, because I have tons of beer bottles in the kitchen.

That's a good point. I have a crapload of miscellaneous bottles in various rooms in the house that I hold on to these days. They can't sell the 22oz bombers in my state, so I always ask everyone who's traveling to bring me their empty bottles. A non drinker could understandably assume that I would have a problem if they were going by that factor. Oh yeah, and I have about 6 CR bottles just sitting around too.

 

[ecancel]

My name is Ed and i'm an alcoholic. .

I'm also a master certified auto tech. got tired of that and went back to school and got my MCSE, (microsoft certified systems engineer) and am currently working on my cisco certs as well. Have my own place, awesome job, go to work every day and drink a six pack every night. so by society's definition I am, even though i've been very successful in both my careers.

 

[njnear76]

Hmmm.... So if you go to kegging you won't be an alcoholic anymore? Problem solved?

Awesome. I need to start kegging my beer.

 

[GearBeer]

I hear ya there, Homer. I've never been called an alcoholic to my face, but my mother and sister have had such conversations about me (sis spills the beans... reliably).

 

[JoeMama]

I am going to be the one who is calling every single one of you out and adamantly state that YOU ARE ALL ALCOHOLICS! Now I suggest that you package and ship ALL of your brew to ME! (Right now as a matter of fact)

Heh, seriously though. I think I fall into the category that most everyone here has. I drink one or two beers (almost) every day. Mind you its after Im at home, all of the running has been done and I dont have anything pressing. Even then, its to enjoy a tasty brew and catch maybe a little bit of a buzz. I dont like the falling down puking on myself drunk (hence why my Apfelwein waits for guests to come and drink it)

It almost sucks though because I almost feel that I have to explain this to people when I tell them that I brew. I would say Im way more of a pothead than an alkie.
-Me

 

[jgln]

I am going to be the one who is calling every single one of you out and adamantly state that YOU ARE ALL ALCOHOLICS! Now I suggest that you package and ship ALL of your brew to ME! (Right now as a matter of fact)

Heh, seriously though. I think I fall into the category that most everyone here has. I drink one or two beers (almost) every day. Mind you its after Im at home, all of the running has been done and I dont have anything pressing. Even then, its to enjoy a tasty brew and catch maybe a little bit of a buzz. I dont like the falling down puking on myself drunk (hence why my Apfelwein waits for guests to come and drink it)

It almost sucks though because I almost feel that I have to explain this to people when I tell them that I brew. I would say Im way more of a pothead than an alkie.
-Me

Yeah just tell them that, that will get them Basads off your back!

 

[bradjoiner]

yep im an alcoholic

 

[GreenwoodRover]

Dammit Otto - you have Lupis!

 

[Tripod]

I can drink or not drink just as easily.

To me, that is the definition. I do drink the hell out of the beer I brew but I can not drink it without going berzerk. I have been accused by the more tee-totalling members of my family but I know I have a choice so I don't define myself as alcoholic...

-Tripod

 

[z987k]

I had a co-worker who said he was an alcoholic... a functioning alcoholic, and he was. He drank a lot every night and he got everything done.

 

[marubozo]

I think the definition of an alcoholic will vary depending on the person who might be calling you one. I have some family members who are lucky to have 1 drink a month and think that more than a few drinks in one sitting makes you an alcoholic. Then you have others in the family who socially drink and would say that you need to be a flat out degenerate drunk to be an alcoholic.

I drink quite a bit, and don't deny that. A few nights a week I'll have 3-4 beers, other nights none, and some weekends it could get a little out of hand if there's a poker party or something. But at the same time like others have mentioned, it never impacts my ability to hold a job, raise a child, keep up on my mortgage, etc. It probably has impacted my health a bit since I rarely exercise and could use some, but beyond that if someone wants to call me an alcoholic because I brew beer 5 gallons at a time and enjoy beer, wine, and fine spirits to complement a meal or chill out after a long day, **** them.

There is a pretty bad stigma surrounding drinking in this country, and it's a shame. Look no further than many European countries where alcohol is a part of life and the culture. Everything in moderation, and it's all good. At the same time people will scoff at those who drink, they might be scarfing down McDonalds 5 nights a week and on the road to a massive heart attack at age 50. Pick your poison.

 

[Bobby_M]

My wife had to break ties with a woman who she considered her BFF (though they only knew each other for a couple years) because this chick became a raging alcoholic. She fell off a stool and passed out at 9pm at her own party that started at 8. She got violent and ****ty too. Her big lash-back was to call my wife and I hypocrites because I brew. Yes, we'll drink one or two beers a night but we practice self control. The other chick put away a 12 pack of swill every day.

 

[StunnedMonkey]

I think the definition of an alcoholic will vary depending on the person who might be calling you one. I have some family members who are lucky to have 1 drink a month and think that more than a few drinks in one sitting makes you an alcoholic. Then you have others in the family who socially drink and would say that you need to be a flat out degenerate drunk to be an alcoholic.

In my book the definition is not really how much you might drink (or how often) but how much control you have over drinking and over yourself while drinking. Can you have one beer and stop when the situation calls for it? Can you moderate your drinking such that you confine it to appropriate times and situations?

I had a buddy years ago who was without a doubt an alcoholic. The guy literally could not have one drink. If he had one, then he'd end up hammered EVERY time. He simply could not stop once he started. More than once I saw the guy force himself to puke so he could drink more. Add to that that he had a severe personality change when drinking (classic mean drunk) and he clearly had no control over himself with alcohol. That's an alcoholic.

I easily have 3 beers a night, but I'm not anything close to being an alcoholic.

By the way, the alcoholic buddy of mine ended up getting arrested for DWI after passing out behind the wheel of his car while in line at a Taco Bell drive thru. That was nearly 20 years ago and he hasn't had a drink since that night.

 

[marubozo]

Of course, your ability to handle it plays a big part and shouldn't rely just on volume consumed. When you think about it, you could drink a 12 pack a day and not even get buzzed if you drank one beer every 60-90 minutes. But you take the same 12 beers and consume those in a 3 hour time frame and yes, you're ****ing hammered and have possibly lost control.

In college I knew some people like you mentioned and it was almost shocking. The whole puke just so you can stomach drinking more sort of thing. Wow, indeed. And of course the classic people who have no idea how much they are drinking and turn into completely different people. Yes, that is what I'd consider an alcoholic. Some people can meet this classification after just a few drinks.