surviving in an alcohol soaked environment - self examination

[Magnus314]

I REALLY like being buzzed. And drunk. But NOT when I have to drive or anything else where impairment super sucks.

Therefore I rarely drink "out", almost never have "just a couple" ate a bar, restaurant, etc. And I don't want one. Or two.

At home, I'm a drinker, OUT I abstain. That way I don't have to deal with non-drinkers' ridiculous dramas, acting out, hypocrisy, mindlessness, on and on.

I'm a grown up with a career, business, babies, and alcohol plays a significant role in my life because it helps me relax, relate, regale.

I spent decades as a sober me and it was NOT pretty. I am intolerant of others by nature.

 

[JonM]

Oh, and one other comment - the OP mentioned that all social events have booze except the religious events.

Here in Wisconsin, even the religious events have booze. A child can not only be in the bar with parents/guardian, but the child can order and consume an alcoholic beverage as long as the parent/guardian consents and the bartender agrees (there are certainly bars out there that wouldn't want to serve a kid even if it is legal.) Our MLB team is the Brewers for Pete's sake.

Anyway, I get the impression that Wisconsin and Missouri are on the most liberal end of the spectrum as far as alcohol regulation goes, and Utah is on the other end of the spectrum. All other states have normal laws.

 

[Braumeise]

and his path to alcohol addiction was home brewing.

! i thought about that the other day, since i all the sudden have so much beer... and good beer! and I want to make new good beer....

and my mom asked me, what I am doing with all the beer and I said: I drink it!

well, guess I will have to start giving away beer (in fact I did start doing this)
Although working in a bar, I do not drink on a regular basis... well I do now since I have so much home brew. I have seen so many people in the service industry especially bartenders and cooks with alcohol related issues. And I always felt to keep my drinking habits the way they are without having a job related easy access. Meaning: I drink socially and if a good home cooked meal requires to be paired with good wines.... and I do not always drink, when I am going out. Many times I will be ordering a soda, because I dont feel like drinking.

I cant start drinking two or more beer a day just to make space for new beer... (I had that strange idea due to limited storage space).

In my personal view you cant generalize alcohol issues. Some people do not have any issue drinking daily, some do. some go without alcohol for long periods of time BUT have a huge issue or are true alcoholics unable to cope with a certain situation without alcohol/drugs...


and obv. having unlimited access to home brew might be a gateway into irresponsible habits.. so if you are in the area, feel free to stop by and pick up some beer here

 

[Natdavis777]

Oh, and one other comment - the OP mentioned that all social events have booze except the religious events.

Here in Wisconsin, even the religious events have booze. A child can not only be in the bar with parents/guardian, but the child can order and consume an alcoholic beverage as long as the parent/guardian consents and the bartender agrees (there are certainly bars out there that wouldn't want to serve a kid even if it is legal.) Our MLB team is the Brewers for Pete's sake.

Anyway, I get the impression that Wisconsin and Missouri are on the most liberal end of the spectrum as far as alcohol regulation goes, and Utah is on the other end of the spectrum. All other states have normal laws.

That is unreal. I mean, all of our Catholic fests in the summer are loaded with beer, which is a norm, but allowing a child to drink? Hell, we still cant buy booze on Sunday here...

 

[jlinz]

It's inevitable. You start doing something, having a good time, enjoying life, etc. and then someone has to come along and tell you to be careful, he or she has seen it all go wrong, even kill other people. Careful with this, don't do that too much, or you'll end up losing everything and die. Fine, thanks for the warning, but can't we just have some faith that most people are smart about what they do and that the extreme examples are usually outliers?

 

[z-bob]

It's inevitable. You start doing something, having a good time, enjoying life, etc. and then someone has to come along and tell you to be careful, he or she has seen it all go wrong, even kill other people. Careful with this, don't do that too much, or you'll end up losing everything and die. Fine, thanks for the warning, but can't we just have some faith that most people are smart about what they do and that the extreme examples are usually outliers?

You didn't have to read it; it was pretty obvious from the title that the thread would be a downer.

I'm at the end of a 40 day self-imposed dry period. I do this once a year, and it's been tougher this year than normal. Looking forward to a couple of beers tomorrow.

I'm going to start brewing "session" beers (I hate that term) because I can handle the alcohol just fine but not the calories. I have an English Brown in the carboy waiting to be bottled, but I think it might be infected (if it's still drinkable I'll pretend it's supposed to be a sour)

 

[jlinz]

You didn't have to read it; it was pretty obvious from the title that the thread would be a downer.

I'm at the end of a 40 day self-imposed dry period. I do this once a year, and it's been tougher this year than normal. Looking forward to a couple of beers tomorrow.

I'm going to start brewing "session" beers (I hate that term) because I can handle the alcohol just fine but not the calories. I have an English Brown in the carboy waiting to be bottled, but I think it might be infected (if it's still drinkable I'll pretend it's supposed to be a sour)

True, I didn't have to read it, but I thought it was a kind of "calling all homebrewers you better be careful" type post, and I am a homebrewer...

 

[treacheroustexan]

It's actually quite frustrating to me at times as my friends and brothers tend to throw the joke around that I'm an alcoholic. What bugs me about is the fact that our grandparents (one set of them) are legit alcoholics. From morning till night they have their vodka and Oj and wine in hand. I firmly believe that getting home from a 12 hour work day and enjoying a nice beer, and hardly getting tipsy, hardly constitutes being an alcoholic. To me an alcoholic is someone who always has to have their alcohol. All day everyday and when they don't get it or have it they become irritable, irrational, angry, and all the other side effects of withdrawals. If having a single beer in the evening, and a few on weekends is an alcoholic then I guess I am. I don't drink liquor very often as I prefer my Bourbon Barrel Aged beers, we have a nice wine now and again, and I don't remember the last time I got crap faced wasted. I am passionate about beer and what goes into it, reviewing it, critiquing it and enjoying it for the depth of different beers, if I get a buzz off of it then whatever but that's never the goal. As a time reference I'm 26 and didn't start drinking until I was 21. I didn't get into beer until 22 and I didn't get this far down the rabbit hole of being a beer snob/connoisseur until about 3 years ago. So that's my position on it.

Thank you for this. I feel the same way. I work hard every day and I feel like theres nothing wrong coming home and drinking a few beers. I'm 23 now and have friends just like you described. I only drink after work and on the weekends. I know people who wake up and have to drink before work, and then continue to drink after, and probably drink during.

 

[z-bob]

True, I didn't have to read it, but I thought it was a kind of "calling all homebrewers you better be careful" type post, and I am a homebrewer...

Sorry, I wasn't trying to be snarky with the "you didn't have to read it", just sayin' that the subject title was descriptive of what would be inside.

 

[Owly055]

I had not intended my original post to be a warning to all as has been suggested, but to share my personal concerns with others. I felt myself slipping off the rails so to speak, and obviously I'm not the only one who has been here. Alcohol has a place in my life, and probably always will, and I never want to reach the point where I have to fear taking that first drink like so many people I know.

It's gratifying to see so many people sharing their feelings, concerns, and personal strategies on this topic so freely. I've never been to an AA meeting, but this is what I imagine them to be like more or less ;-) (let's not bring a higher power in though) ;-)


H.W.

 

[ThunderKhajiit]

I'm about halfway through a self-imposed 4 week dry spell. It's a good way to hit the reset every once in a while and doesn't really faze me, except at social gatherings it's a little weird.
Best part about it is since I'm still brewing I should have a nice little stockpile built up. As long as swmbo and FIL don't drink it all. Right in front of me. They have no pity.

(let's not bring a higher power in though) ;-)

Amen!

 

[z-bob]

I'm about halfway through a self-imposed 4 week dry spell. It's a good way to hit the reset every once in a while and doesn't really faze me, except at social gatherings it's a little weird.
Best part about it is since I'm still brewing I should have a nice little stockpile built up. As long as swmbo and FIL don't drink it all. Right in front of me. They have no pity.

The first time I did this, I drank a SN Bigfoot after no alcohol for 6 weeks. Poor choice! It was so thick and sweet and alcoholic, I had trouble finishing it. (I did manage, tho') A couple of months earlier, it was no problem at all; I could drink 2 or 3.

 

[brewcat]

As long as I stick to homebrew I generally limit and enjoy my consumption, 1-3 a night. My problem is if I buy a case of BMC. Then I just drink another to drink it.

 

[brewbama]

The best commercial I've heard lately is "Drink like a Brewer". That means a lot to me. I believe there is respect for the beer, the ingredients, the art of combining them, and creating something. A craft vs a means of destruction.

Ben Smith, cofounder of Reclamation Brewing Company in Butler, Pennsylvania, said that for too long, American evangelicals have talked more about the "evils" of alcohol than its potential benefits.

"The craft beer industry has really boomed in the past 10 years and has shown people that beer isn't all about getting wasted," he said. "It's about admiring the beauty in it and seeing it as a gift." For Smith and the other founders of Reclamation (including his father, a Reformed Baptist pastor), craft beer is an art to be enjoyed, like all of God's gifts.

 

[Braumeise]

All this drinking to get wasted and looking for the highest alc. content is a very strange concept to me. I always drink to enjoy the beverage as opposed to drink to get drunk.

 

[Owly055]

I'm almost 2 months into my "reset", and finding that I'm finally losing the instinct to grab a beer or a shot. Kind of reminds me of fasting, which I experimented with many years ago. After the first 3 days, you stop being hungry. I've enjoyed experimenting with various non alcoholic beers and hop sodas. I've even used my Tap-a-Draft system to produce a more conventional "soda" consisting of fresh squeezed lime juice, with just enough sugar and salt substitute to make it drinkable, and lots of carbonation. Unlike the gawdawful syrupy sweet commercial products it's quite refereshing and thirst quenching.
The only negative effect has been that my neighbor who I started in brewing has not brewed since I quit drinking......... that is until yesterday when I went over and practically forced him to brew. We designed a light summer beer using only Green Bullet hops, two row, rice, and rye (both flaked). 4.5% abv, 39 IBUs, and a mere two ounces of hops as 10 minute addition
H.W.

 

[bobeer]

I drank pretty heavily in my late teens and all of my 20's and that was pretty much before I even started homebrewing. I was never into liquor and I can't drink red wine due to the sulfites in it so I pretty much have to drink beer if I'm going to drink. My brother is a recovering alcoholic and a lot of my friends are too. My Dad loved to drink but gave it up to support my brother and my Mom can't drink due to health reasons. I have a pretty good idea when things are getting out of hand but honestly, with my life the way it is right now, I don't have time to be an alcoholic. I have a wife, a kid, a full time job, another kid due in August, plus tons of house work to do and other hobbies as well. We just moved and we're still trying to get settled so there's all that work too...
I usually have a beer or two (or three on a Friday night if it's been a long week.) That's of 5-6.5% abv beer. I have recently cut it back to an almost every other night kind of thing just to be a little healthier and to cut my calorie intake. No issues at all with feeling the need to drink. I had to stop for 10 days due to some meds I had to take one time and the biggest issue was missing the taste of hops and malt. I often ask myself if there was no alcohol in beer would I still drink it and the answer is yes because I love the taste of a good beer. Getting a buzz is a nice after effect but it's not really why I like to drink beer.
I find that after I drink beer or 2 I really don't want anymore. If I get thirsty I just drink some carbonated water. I find that keeps me from drinking more beer just for the sake of drinking something bubbly and refreshing.

All-in-all I think if I thought my drinking was getting out of hand I'd stop for a while and see how I felt. Only you can be true and honest to yourself. As much as I love this hobby, and drinking beer, if it was controlling me I'd have to find a new hobby making cheese or something... but even that can be addictive! Mmmmm... cheese.

 

[jonny24]

I DO like the buzz. For me it's after 2. I very rarely have 3 because if I have a third, then I'm having a fourth and a fifth.

It's very easy to slip into habits. When I first started working full time after college, and even on my summer coops, I'd have a few every day right after work. My mom and dad have mentioned it once or twice, but they believe in a stricter approach than I do. Nowadays, I typically don't drink Monday or Tuesday, one or two on other nights. Fridays and Saturdays can be a few more or some wine or a whisky. I only get drunk on the rare occasion the girlfriend wants to hit up a party or dance club (still in uni). I'm very comfortable with where I'm at, and am aware of it. My parents don't know I drink as much as I do, they would view it as too much. I've just accepted that we have different philosophies.

I've got an eye on my brother though, lately he's been drinking a bit more just because he can. A casual two a night is creeping up to a casual three or four a night. If I notice it causing any problems I'll talk to him but for now I'll let him decide how much is too much.

 

[GrogNerd]

for me, I started drinking in my early teens, but stopped due to a one-time overindulgence. didn't start back up until my mid-twenties with my enlistment in the navy.

stop stealing my life, mothereffer

 

[Homercidal]

stop stealing my life, mothereffer

Seeing ghosts?

 

[GrogNerd]

Seeing ghosts?

spooky

 

[agrazela]

When I examine myself after only 1 or 2 beers, I get all tingly. After 5 or 6 beers I just fall asleep.

 

[hooper]

I only had 2 officer...

 

[jlinz]

Long ago I replied to this post (you can comb back through if you want), and all I can say is that I feel like a real ass. My apologies to the OP. I've been dealing with everything you described and then some. Brewing and consuming ended up getting out of hand for me, and so I've quit for the last two months. I haven't had a drop to drink in two months, and only now am I starting to think about where to go from here. Still have all of my equipment and thinking of selling it. Tough scenario. My fiance tells me I can go back to drinking and brewing but should cut things down to special beers for special occasions. Dont know if I'm that kind of drinker. Things usually go back to the point of around three beers a day with some binge days here and there. Anyway, well see if I decide to try to keep with the hobby I love and force myself to be normal. Anyway, just wanted to say sorry OP. I learned the hard way that your post is real and completely useful.

 

[Homercidal]

Long ago I replied to this post (you can comb back through if you want), and all I can say is that I feel like a real ass. My apologies to the OP. I've been dealing with everything you described and then some. Brewing and consuming ended up getting out of hand for me, and so I've quit for the last two months. I haven't had a drop to drink in two months, and only now am I starting to think about where to go from here. Still have all of my equipment and thinking of selling it. Tough scenario. My fiance tells me I can go back to drinking and brewing but should cut things down to special beers for special occasions. Dont know if I'm that kind of drinker. Things usually go back to the point of around three beers a day with some binge days here and there. Anyway, well see if I decide to try to keep with the hobby I love and force myself to be normal. Anyway, just wanted to say sorry OP. I learned the hard way that your post is real and completely useful.

While I'm sure all of us who hang out here would agree that drinking beer is enjoyable and we wouldn't prefer to stop completely, I think that of course it's not REQUIRED to live a healthy and happy life.

If the thought of having issues due to drinking is concerning to you, why not revel in the fact that you have a choice, and that MANY others don't really drink at all and live very happy lives. What you need is something that you enjoy in place of brewing. There are an unlimited number of hobbies out there. I know, I've tried them all! (My wife says!)

I don't think it's wrong to brew up a few batches of special beer and save them for special events. Whether you can or not is up to you. For me it's tough to find anything else to drink that I enjoy as much. Soda is too sweet and sugary. Tea is ok sometimes. Coffee is generally a 1 cup a day in the morning for me (caffeine sensitivity). I don't like fruits or fruit drinks.

Or there is an ALTERNATE plan: Brew low gravity beers like Scottish Ales, English Milds, and whatever. Take the ABV down to less than 3.2 and you have effectively halved your alcohol intake. Something to think about, anyway. A lot of times I just want a lighter beer anyway. A well made Scottish /60 is really good too.

Bottom line is that there is nothing wrong with quitting the hobby or alcohol altogether. I'm sure nobody would think less of you for it, and if it improves your enjoyment of life, then it's that much better.

I know what it's like to hit that "tipping point" sometimes when you don't really need one more beer, but it's not bedtime and you are just buzzed enough to talk yourself into it. The one nice thing about kegging is being able to pour just half a glass after work, then another half for dinner, and it's always fresh and chilled. Much harder to regulate with bottles when you are likely to pour and drink a whole bottle at a time.

 

[jlinz]

While I'm sure all of us who hang out here would agree that drinking beer is enjoyable and we wouldn't prefer to stop completely, I think that of course it's not REQUIRED to live a healthy and happy life.

If the thought of having issues due to drinking is concerning to you, why not revel in the fact that you have a choice, and that MANY others don't really drink at all and live very happy lives. What you need is something that you enjoy in place of brewing. There are an unlimited number of hobbies out there. I know, I've tried them all! (My wife says!)

I don't think it's wrong to brew up a few batches of special beer and save them for special events. Whether you can or not is up to you. For me it's tough to find anything else to drink that I enjoy as much. Soda is too sweet and sugary. Tea is ok sometimes. Coffee is generally a 1 cup a day in the morning for me (caffeine sensitivity). I don't like fruits or fruit drinks.

Or there is an ALTERNATE plan: Brew low gravity beers like Scottish Ales, English Milds, and whatever. Take the ABV down to less than 3.2 and you have effectively halved your alcohol intake. Something to think about, anyway. A lot of times I just want a lighter beer anyway. A well made Scottish /60 is really good too.

Bottom line is that there is nothing wrong with quitting the hobby or alcohol altogether. I'm sure nobody would think less of you for it, and if it improves your enjoyment of life, then it's that much better.

I know what it's like to hit that "tipping point" sometimes when you don't really need one more beer, but it's not bedtime and you are just buzzed enough to talk yourself into it. The one nice thing about kegging is being able to pour just half a glass after work, then another half for dinner, and it's always fresh and chilled. Much harder to regulate with bottles when you are likely to pour and drink a whole bottle at a time.

I have thought about making lighter beers as well. Seems like it could be a good alternative.

 

[beersk]

I know what it's like to hit that "tipping point" sometimes when you don't really need one more beer, but it's not bedtime and you are just buzzed enough to talk yourself into it.

This is a habit I felt into for several years, basically since I started brewing and kegging. Having 2 makes it easy for my buzzed self to talk myself into another 1 or 2 or 3. It's never enough until it's too much.
Lately I've been cutting way back, instead of drinking 3 or 4 beers a day and more on weekends, it's been 1 or 2 and trying to keep it that way on weekends also. I sleep amazing and feel so much better. Who knew!
But it's making me realize that I don't want to quit brewing or drinking or anything, but that I love brewing because sharing my beer with people who come over and hang out is the best part. I can say, "go pour whatever" and it feels good.
But it's definitely all too easy to go pour half pour after half pour until, whoops! I'm kinda drunk...
And I would agree with Owly in one of his posts - everything in moderation INCLUDING moderation. You have to go overboard once in a while to realize that moderation is important. This doesn't just go for alcohol, but all things.

 

[skraeling]

I think for myself homebrewing kept me from drinking to excess. I've been going through a divorce for months now and I got pretty dark emotionally early on in the process. I wasn't brewing though I had before and just didn't have the energy for it.

Frankly it was easier to just buy a six pack from the store and finish it. I started to concern myself a little and just stopped any beer for a few weeks.

I started brewing again and for me it's about the process as much as it is the result. Though a good process typically leads to good results. I love giving away my beer. I get great satisfaction from feedback from the people who drink it.

I even have a kegerator in my living room. Don't think I've had any at all for probably a week and a half at this point. Hell I just kegged edworts hefe last night.

Building the kegerator was the single most fun thing I've done recently. I enjoyed every single step of that. Also the new girl I'm seeing loves beer and loves my beer, so win win.

 

[MagicRat]

I had my first beer when I was 17 (Schmidt's of Philadelphia - as an aside, I believe Victory's Throwback Lager uses the old Schmidt's Brewery yeast - haven't seen this yet in Tampa, but I'm anxious to try it). I grew up in a teetotalling Baptist home but was adopted from a family with some bad genetics when it comes to alcoholism. I struggled with alchoholism from 18 to about 30, when I met my wife. i was drinking so heavily at the time that she made me quit as a condition to continuing the relationship. Gradually that restriction became relaxed after we were married until I was regularly drinking to excess on a regular basis. Then we reached an agreement where I would limit myself to a 6 pack every weekend and I religiously has 2 beers every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. This was somehow the worst situation of all. Never enough to even catch a pleasant buzz and always left wanting more. I finally decided that if that's the way it was going to be, I'd rather not drink at all. So I quit. Not a drop for about 3 years. Then about 14 years ago, I told my wife, "You know, I feel like it's okay for me to have some beer every now and then." She was understandably skeptical at first, but it worked. I had, I guess, outgrown the need or compulsion to get drunk and I became in my late 30s the social drinker I'd always wanted to be. Not that there haven't been a handful of times over the past few years that I haven't overindulged, but those occasions have been rare enough to be memorable. Now, I may go a week with out a beer or I may drink 2 or 3 a night 4 or 5 times in a week. As I type this, I'm drinking the first beer I've had in almost 3 weeks due to anti-biotics and being on call for work.
I've told this story to some who have expressed skepticism that I was ever truly an "alcoholic," but on that score I have no doubt whatsoever. I think the skepticism is a result of the widespread belief perpetuated by AA and other sources that abstinence is the only possible route to recover from alcoholism. I know my story is probably an exception and not the rule, but it's my story and nobody else's. I'm certainly not suggesting that my road from that first beer to where I am now would work for anybody else and it certainly wasn't due to any plan on my part, it's just the way things naturally developed for me. and I'm very thankful for that because I sure do love to brew and drink beer.

 

[BudBernerBrewer]

The definition of an alcoholic has changed with the dui situation in our country. If you answer, I think 3 questions out of like 12, they consider you an alcoholic. Like...have you ever used a drug like asprin after a night of drinking, or have you ever drank to change the way you feel after a night of drinking, have you drank before noon, ect. They try to label or categorize people into being an alcoholic. I had a dui 25 years ago and this is what they were teaching then. In reality addiction is defined by having withdrawls if the use stops.
They also taught that if you try to control your habit it is a sign of a problem. So...I decided right then I will no longer try to control it. if I want to drink anytime I do. It has been liberating. When on a cruise I brush my teeth with a nice Cab or Merlot.
Also don't care if someone says I am an alcoholic because whenever I don't drink, I don't have delirious tremors or any other withdrawal symptoms. Hope this helps others with the judgements. Relax have a homebrew, unless you can't go without.