How Many of You Have Been Accused...

[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.

 

[EvilTOJ]

My bitchface ex wife called me an alcoholic, but she called me lots of things Back when I was going through The Unpleasantness, I found out from a social worker that drinking two alcoholic beverages every day is considered 'heavy drinking' by the government. Meh. It's more about attitude and how you deal with your life than how much you drink (or not drink)

For more on the subject, see my sig.

 

[MikeFlynn74]

Before I left Active Duty I had a Commander who said- More than 2 drinks in a sitting means your an Alcoholic. I replied- Thats why I get up and walk around. He was not amused.

Also apparently no one should be able to drink 5 gallons of beer in a month.

 

[JoeMama]

I read somewhere something that kinda describes my persona - I only drink beer on 2 occasions.

When I am with someone, and when I am alone.
Does that make me an alcoholic?
-Me

 

[Rick500]

I'll have a few on a Friday or Saturday (but usually not both days...unless I'm on vacation or something), maybe two more at some point during the week.

I do have a ton of bottles that I've saved for homebrewing purposes (before I kegged), so I can see how someone could get the wrong impression from that. But it took me a few years to gather those. (I should really pass them along to someone else now that I'm not bottling much, I guess.)

But no, no one's ever accused me of being an alcoholic, other than jokingly.

 

[tedpeer]

From wikipedia...

The Journal of the American Medical Association defines alcoholism as "a primary, chronic disease characterized by impaired control over drinking, preoccupation with the drug alcohol, use of alcohol despite adverse consequences, and distortions in thinking."

The DSM-IV (the standard for diagnosis in psychiatry and psychology) defines alcohol abuse as repeated use despite recurrent adverse consequences. It further defines alcohol dependence as alcohol abuse combined with tolerance, withdrawal, and an uncontrollable drive to drink.

According to the APA Dictionary of Psychology, alcoholism is the popular term for alcohol dependence. Note that there is debate whether dependence in this use is physical (characterised by withdrawal), psychological (based on reinforcement), or both.

 

[Sagan]

Well there we go, great to see a definition. Though by that definition, I don't believe anyone who is able to type on a given forum would be considered an alcoholic.

 

[EdWort]

I always have to look at myself and my behavior.

Now there's a quote from the Gnome!

 

[no1likesme]

I have been accused of being an alcoholic but to be fair that was in college when I would drink a 30 pack of PBR a night.

 

[EvilTOJ]

You're in luck, because no one considers PBR beer.

 

[ottobrew]

I'll normally drink a beer with my dinner, then maybe another beer sometime in the evening. Anywhere else in the world this would be considered completely normal, but we've become so prudish about alcohol as a society that it is now "unacceptable."

When I discharged from the Marines I went to the VA, and as part of my initial physical they asked me how much I drink. I should not have told them the truth. Every time I go in there I get, "So tell me about your drinking." They even mailed me pamphlets about alcoholism. I've tried sharing my views on alcohol with them, but no one cares. If you drink anything at all you have a problem.

And try telling some of them that you brew and drink beer because you appreciate great beer. That you enjoy the taste and like to see how your beer compares to others. I don't even like to be drunk. I hate that beer is still so taboo.

Ok, ranting finished.

 

[jspence1]

My beer intake has increased 1000x since I started brewing, 24 beer used to last me months. The best decision I made was to keg now nobody knows how much I drink....not even me.

As a SAHD I never have a drink until my wife is home from work (unless a friend stops by.....it would be rude to let them drink alone) My wife does a fair bit of traveling too so when she's out of town I'll let myself have one when the kids are in bed.

 

[bob1852]

no one has ever acused me of being an alcoholic -- but they probably should

 

[MBasile]

I've only half-seriously been called one by a friend of mine because I can handle alcohol much better than she can (there supposedly have been studies that people of asian decent have fewer alcohol metabolizing enzymes in their stomach) so therefore I must drink a lot to have such a high tolerance, therefore, I am an alcoholic.

In the DSM IV, there are a TON of criteria for potentially having an alcohol problem. Unfortunately, people don't understand the DSM IV and think that if you have any of those criteria you automatically ARE an alcoholic.

My bitchface ex wife called me an alcoholic, but she called me lots of things Back when I was going through The Unpleasantness, I found out from a social worker that drinking two alcoholic beverages every day is considered 'heavy drinking' by the government. Meh. It's more about attitude and how you deal with your life than how much you drink (or not drink)

For more on the subject, see my sig.

One of the criteria I mentioned above is, for men, having MORE than two drinks per day. But again, there are many things that play into it.

 

[Lefty]

There is no way I can be called an alcoholic...I have cases upon cases of beer in my house I have not yet drunk!

 

[the bunnay]

I think people tend to conflate "alcoholism" and "binge drinking".

According to NIAAA, "a 'binge' is a pattern of drinking alcohol that brings blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to 0.08 gram percent or above. For the typical adult, this pattern corresponds to consuming five or more drinks (male), or four or more drinks (female), in about two hours.

This of course also leads to people to conflate "binge drinking" and reasonable consumption. I don't think there is anything pathologic about drinking 4 or 5 drinks over the course of 3 or 4 hours with a meal. One might argue it isn't the healthiest habit if you do it daily, but an alcoholic it does not make you. While I have never been accused of it myself, I have seen people accused of being an alcoholic with very moderate consumption.

 

[SmugMug]

I love these forums, pretty much everyone here has either seen or been a target of "alcoholism" from brewing beer or appreciating one or two every evening. I'm not typically the kind of person who seeks validation of my convictions, but this is one of those things that makes you stop and think every now and then.

My 30th is coming up in a few weeks and you can bet your butt that the inlaws are gonna take the little one and we're gonna throw down with a couple of friends. It may just be my first bender since my college days. Too bad my timing on my homebrew is off. I'd love to have this altbier ready for the party.

 

[MeatyPortion]

I mean really, does this look like an alcoholic to you?

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ur9svvCRUT0]YouTube - Meaty's Greek Drunktime Fun-Odyssey[/ame]

 

[EoinMag]

There were times in my life when I thought I might be an alcoholic.....functioning.

I'm not too worried really, it's better than shooting heroin which is what I was doing 12 years ago.
I have a wife and a kid and pay all my bills as a senior computer dude I don't have isssues with drink impacting negatively on my life.
During the week, I'd have between 0-3 pints in a night, at the weekends I'd have between 3-wooooah beers of a night, I cycle to work every morning. I don't drink at inappropriate times, using the british naval premise that if the sun is over the yardarm at the weekend when nothing needs doing then it's all good.

I don't drive, it's not an issue.

Am I justifying myself?? Meh.....

 

[Homercidal]

I got questioned yesterday by the wife. She came home at lunch and found me at the computer with a glass of beer in front of me. "Are you drinking that at lunch??"

Uh, I had ONE taste.

But you have to go back to work.

One taste, look the glass is still half-full!

(It was one of those Killians tasting glasses).

Don't let them smell the beer on your breath!

Uh, ONE taste?

I just had to see how that blonde was progressing since it had chilled. It was more to see how it came out of the tap, than the beer itself, but you know I had to see what the flavor was doing. It was literally one swallow.

Normally she doesn't mind if I get a little happy now and again.

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

I got questioned yesterday by the wife. She came home at lunch and found me at the computer with a glass of beer in front of me. "Are you drinking that at lunch??"

Uh, I had ONE taste.

But you have to go back to work.

One taste, look the glass is still half-full!

(It was one of those Killians tasting glasses).

Don't let them smell the beer on your breath!

Uh, ONE taste?

I just had to see how that blonde was progressing since it had chilled. It was more to see how it came out of the tap, than the beer itself, but you know I had to see what the flavor was doing. It was literally one swallow.

Normally she doesn't mind if I get a little happy now and again.

When I worked in France, the company provided the lunch including half a bottle of wine. Then it was back to work. Roofing!