How much do you drink?

[The Don]

Among my friends I'm considered a moderate drinker but among this crowd I'm a sot.

I personally don't think that drinking a couple of stiff G&Ts, a bottle of wine, a couple of beers and a malt whisky or two is excessive - as long as you don't do it every day and don't ever, ever, ever attempt to operate an automobile after drinking - even the next morning.

When I was a little younger I was a member of a dining society which used to budget for a bottle of champagne, two bottles of claret and a bottle of port per person - we always ran out of drink

I guess I have three or four drinks, three or four times a week.

And none at all in Jaunary to help get rid of that festive paunch

 

[Brown]

I don't drink alcohol at all.

Contrary to some folks' beleifs, this is not a moral statement on my part that alcohol is somehow evil. I just don't like alcohol. I don't like the taste, and I don't like the effects.

When I first came of age, I could hardly wait to start drinking. I had been told that drinking alcohol was really a great thing. But when I tried various beers, wines and mixed drinks, I found that they all tasted awful and that they did not produce any effects that I deemed pleasurable. So after much experimentation, I decided, "Screw this." I decided that I wouldn't force myself to drink something I considered repulsive just to be "social."

It's not that I'm morally opposed to drinking. (I am morally opposed to drunkenness and to any activity undertaken during an alcohol-impaired state, such as driving a motor vehicle, that may hurt others.) The moral choice I've made is simply this: "Don't participate in activities that you find unpleasurable."

Personally, I find it hard to understand how anyone could enjoy certain alcoholic drinks, but I accept the fact that they do. I just wish that some drinkers would return the courtesy, and accept that I just don't like to drink.

 

[Crossbow]

For special occasions, two or three times a year.

Sometimes, not even that often. There have been times when I have gone two or three years between drinks. I am a very cheap drunk and asuch it takes very little booze before I get silly.

 

[Darat]

Interesting - I didn't know this board was frequented with such a group of

SATAN WORSHIPPING KITTEN MURDERERS

social drinkers.

I last had a drink a few months ago - an Irish coffee and will probably have a mulled wine or Irish coffee over Christmas at some time.

 

[ehbowen]

I've never started, for mostly religious reasons. True, the Bible never says, "Thou shalt not drink," but the Proverbs make the point that the wise man, especially the man who has responsibilities, should abstain (chs. 23 and 31). Besides, I spent six years in the Navy under constant pressure and scrutiny--had I gone to the bar and had a beer, it would have impaired my Christian witness to others.

I'm not absolutely opposed to drinking, and I may do it some day, especially if it is, say, wine with a meal. My parents drink occasionally--a six-pack every three months or so--and I had no problem serving them wine and champagne during the thirtieth and thirty-fifth anniversary dinners I and my sister gave them.

So maybe someday--but not yet.

 

[MRC_Hans]

*snip* and asuch it takes very little booze before I get silly.

Somebody HAS to say this: Actually it takes none at all.

Hans

 

[MRC_Hans]

I don't drink alcohol at all.

*snip*

Personally, I find it hard to understand how anyone could enjoy certain alcoholic drinks, but I accept the fact that they do. I just wish that some drinkers would return the courtesy, and accept that I just don't like to drink.

Good point. I use a personal rule: I offer guests alcohol once. Unless they actually say "maybe later", I don't repeat the offer if they decline. They know all they have to do is ask if they change their mind.

Hans

 

[Wile E. Coyote]

I've never had a drink and don't plan to start. I really have no interest in the effects of alcohol as I prefer to have all my facilities intact if I have the choice.

Also, alcoholism, though denied, runs through my family. I don't want to be a slave to that, and I tend to be easily addicted to pleasurable things.

I have nothing against others drinking (in moderation). I find drunk people obnoxious and drunk women repulsive.

 

[Samus]

There's no option in the poll for me. I drink occasionally, maybe 3-4 times a month. During those times, I have 1-2 beers. Sometimes, weeks will go by where I don't have a drop, then I'll have a beer a couple times during the week.

I don't drink hard liquor, I rarely keep beer in the apartment. I don't like wine, I don't like to get drunk. If I had to stop drinking beer for some amount of time, that would be alright.

I like to taste different beers, just to see what they're like. I usually only drink with a meal, or immediately following a meal.

I came of legal drinking age with no fanfare. As I recall, I spent the day at work, then came home, did some stuff around the house, then went to bed. I have no interest in becoming so drunk I cannot control myself.

And I respect those that don't like alcoholic drinks at all. If I didn't like the taste of beer, I'd never drink anything alcoholic, either.

 

[Kimpatsu]

I don't drink alcohol at all.

I always knew you were inherently untrustworthy.

 

[Matabiri]

Among my friends I'm considered a moderate drinker but among this crowd I'm a sot.

You're pretty much the same as me. I'm wondering if this is related to different social attitudes towards drinking in Britain (the pub is an extension of your front room) and America (bars are full of Bad Men).

Any chance of a breakdown by location?

 

[Nyarlathotep]

I drink about one drink per night. I find a glass of wine before bed to be very relaxing, but other than that I don't drink much at all except for on special occasions.

 

[pgwenthold]

Also, alcoholism, though denied, runs through my family. I don't want to be a slave to that, and I tend to be easily addicted to pleasurable things.

This brings out a point I want to make. "Drinking lots of alcohol" does not make someone alcholic. Alcohol is a dependency, basically it is addiction. In fact, as WEC notes, one can be predisposed to alcohilism by genetic factors.

Drinking a lot can lead to an alcohol problem, and this is what we are referring to when you say that it can be caused by 1 drink a week (I know, it is was an AA crack). Yes, 1 drink a week in principle _could be_ an alcohol problem. However, alcoholism is a clinical question, not a question of usage. One can be an alcoholic and never touch a drop (true alcoholics on the wagon, for example), while others can be drunk all the time and not be alcoholic. They probably have an alcohol problem, though.

In my opinion, it really comes down to stopping. If they can easily stop, they are likely not alcoholic. If they can't, i.e. the dependency, they more than likely are.

My neighbor growing up drank all the time. He spent every night in the bar. And then when he got home, he wasn't pleasant. This went on for probably 30 years. He was getting drunk 5 - 6 days a week. Finally, one night he went over the line, beat up his wife, and got hauled off in cuffs and thrown in the clink. One condition of his probation was that he never drinks again. That day, he quit cold turkey.

That was more than 5 years ago. He hasn't had a drop since, and is a really nice guy when sober. Moreover, the adjustment wasn't too hard. All he had to do was to get himself out of the friggin bar. No bar, no booze, no problem. This guy isn't an alcholic. He had a huge drinking problem, and let the booze screw up his life. You know those smokers that say, "I could quit if I wanted"? That was him with his drinking. He just never had enough motivation to want to quit. When he did, he just stopped drinking.

 

[Thanz]

My neighbor growing up drank all the time. He spent every night in the bar. And then when he got home, he wasn't pleasant. This went on for probably 30 years. He was getting drunk 5 - 6 days a week. Finally, one night he went over the line, beat up his wife, and got hauled off in cuffs and thrown in the clink. One condition of his probation was that he never drinks again. That day, he quit cold turkey.

That was more than 5 years ago. He hasn't had a drop since, and is a really nice guy when sober. Moreover, the adjustment wasn't too hard. All he had to do was to get himself out of the friggin bar. No bar, no booze, no problem. This guy isn't an alcholic. He had a huge drinking problem, and let the booze screw up his life. You know those smokers that say, "I could quit if I wanted"? That was him with his drinking. He just never had enough motivation to want to quit. When he did, he just stopped drinking.

I see the distinction that you are trying to draw, but I don't completely buy it. What is the difference between the self-described "alcoholic" who has had a drink in 5 years and your neighbour?

From what you describe, I'd say that your neighbour is an alcoholic, but he was able to stop drinking. Not all alcoholics need a 12 step program - it doesn't make them any less alcoholics. I just don't think that you can really say "This guy isn't an alcholic. He had a huge drinking problem, and let the booze screw up his life." It just doesn't make sense. If he let the booze screw up his life, it was because he was an alcoholic. He just needed to lose enough to make him quit.

On the other end of the spectrum, I don't see how having one drink a week could be considered either an alcohol problem or the person an alcoholic.

Anyway, I usually have a drink a day with dinner - either wine or beer. Sometimes I will have a scotch or port after dinner.

 

[LW]

No options for me.

I usually drink perhaps one or two ciders (or beers) in each two-week period, and half-a-bottle of wine with food perhaps every second month.

In addition, on average about 5-6 times a year I'll have a long dinner during which I consume about 6-7 portions of alcohol (1 glass of sparkling wine, 1-3 schnaps, 1-2 glasses of wine, cognag).

I've never drinked so much that I'd have a hangover.

 

[pgwenthold]

I see the distinction that you are trying to draw, but I don't completely buy it. What is the difference between the self-described "alcoholic" who has had a drink in 5 years and your neighbour?

From what you describe, I'd say that your neighbour is an alcoholic, but he was able to stop drinking. Not all alcoholics need a 12 step program - it doesn't make them any less alcoholics. I just don't think that you can really say "This guy isn't an alcholic. He had a huge drinking problem, and let the booze screw up his life." It just doesn't make sense. If he let the booze screw up his life, it was because he was an alcoholic. He just needed to lose enough to make him quit.

To make an analogy, it's like the difference between a drug user and a drug addict.

Addiction is a biological issue, a physical need. Heavy usage may be the result of addiction, or maybe not. Being able to quit easily indicates that there was not a strong physical need or physical dependence. He relied on booze for a crutch, surely, but was not physically dependent on it. That is the distinction I'm making.

He let the booze screw up the life of his family and others. It may be because he was an alcoholic, or maybe it was just because he was a thoughtless human being who didn't care a rat's butt about the people he was hurting. You can be uncaring without being an alcoholic, you know (think of this: suppose he was never with his family because he was constantly traveling all the time. Would he be a "travelic"? For that, we'd just say the guy has a problem. Why is he traveling? Not because he can't stop, but he doesn't care.)

Many people make the same mistake with depression. They seem to think that being sad (even uncontrollably sad) means they are depressed. Well, they are depressed in the sense that they are sad, but that doesn't mean they have mental illness. Clinical depression has physiological origins. While sad events can make you sad, they won't make you clinically depressed.

Lastly, in terms of "one drink being an alcohol problem," note that I said it _could_ be a problem. For example, if you had severe liver problems, one drink could put you in the hospital. I would consider a weekly trip to the hospital a problem, wouldn't you? Similarly, if you are on a restricted budget, drop $8 a week on a glass of fancy brandy might be more than you can afford. Yeah, they are a stretch, but they _could_ be problems that arise from just 1 drink a week.

 

[HarryKeogh]

i never drink alone.

about once or twice a month i'll attend a party or go to a bar/club and get bombed.

so for me it's feast or famine. i either don't touch the stuff or get s-faced.

 

[Thanz]

To make an analogy, it's like the difference between a drug user and a drug addict.

Addiction is a biological issue, a physical need. Heavy usage may be the result of addiction, or maybe not. Being able to quit easily indicates that there was not a strong physical need or physical dependence. He relied on booze for a crutch, surely, but was not physically dependent on it. That is the distinction I'm making.

Here is where we part company. I do not think that something MUST have a biological component to be considered addiction. It can be a psychological addiction. Further, in a case like your neighbours, I am not sure how one can consume that much alcohol over that period of time and NOT have it form some sort of addiction.

He let the booze screw up the life of his family and others. It may be because he was an alcoholic, or maybe it was just because he was a thoughtless human being who didn't care a rat's butt about the people he was hurting. You can be uncaring without being an alcoholic, you know (think of this: suppose he was never with his family because he was constantly traveling all the time. Would he be a "travelic"? For that, we'd just say the guy has a problem. Why is he traveling? Not because he can't stop, but he doesn't care.)

True, but how can you tell the alcoholic from the plain jerk? I have spoken to people who sound very much like your neighbour, but they classify themselves as alcoholics. They too could say that they could stop at any time - as evidenced by the fact that they did in fact eventually stop. However, what one of them told me is, I think, very true: he was telling a friend that he wasn't an alcoholic, and that he could stop at any time. His friend told him that he couldn't because he hadn't lost enough yet. It wasn't until he almost lost his family and quit drinking that he realized how true those words were. I suspect your friend was in a similar situation: he would not have been able to stop until he had his own "wake up call".

Many people make the same mistake with depression. They seem to think that being sad (even uncontrollably sad) means they are depressed. Well, they are depressed in the sense that they are sad, but that doesn't mean they have mental illness. Clinical depression has physiological origins. While sad events can make you sad, they won't make you clinically depressed.

I think that depression is more complex than this. While there may be a physiological basis, I don't think that it is required for a depression diagnosis. Some theorize that depression is an expression of anger, for example.

Lastly, in terms of "one drink being an alcohol problem," note that I said it _could_ be a problem. For example, if you had severe liver problems, one drink could put you in the hospital. I would consider a weekly trip to the hospital a problem, wouldn't you? Similarly, if you are on a restricted budget, drop $8 a week on a glass of fancy brandy might be more than you can afford. Yeah, they are a stretch, but they _could_ be problems that arise from just 1 drink a week.

This is more than a stretch. While those scenarios are somewhat plausible, the original comment of one drink a week being a borderline alchoholic is not related to these scenarios. For the vast majority of people, one drink a week does not make you anything close to an alcoholic.

 

[Aoidoi]

Hmmm, years upon years in the Episcopal church with a sip of wine every Sunday, then college with a whole lot of time holding a cup of something generally foul and drinking only enough to not get mocked, into working and having a drink or 2 when some of us manage to get out of work and shoot some pool, which varies from weekly to bimonthly depending on schedules.

I put myself in a drink or 2 every month, but 6 months will go by without any and then I'll have 2 each week for a month.

Amongst my HS friends still in the area this puts me as just about the heaviest drinker, amongst my college friends this makes me about the lightest. At work... well, probably somewhere in the middle, I think towards the low end.

I'm actually mostly with Brown. I don't drink beer because I don't enjoy it. At the moment I drink Bacardi & Coke because I like the taste. Of course, I don't like it any better than regular Coke, so it's kinda pointless, but I drink it when playing pool anyway.

I have no particular desire to become drunk. I have on several occassions tried to do so (or been obliged to do so), but frankly I get bored long before I get drunk. At my size it really takes a determined effort to get enough alcohol in me to affect me (though the rest of the offensive line in college never seemed to have that problem).

So there you go... no particular problem with alcohol, just don't bother with it all that often.

But, when I drink alone, I prefer to be by myself. Just me and my Bud Weiser. Just me and Jack Daniels.... Johnny Walker...
(Sorry, forget the exact lyrics)

 

[Yahweh]

I wish De_bunk spent more time on the Religion and Philosophy board...

If he show's up, this is for you, De_Bunk:

Rich Eggnog


6 Large Eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 cup Brandy

1 1/2 cup Rum

4 cup Milk

4 cup Cream

1/2 cup icing sugar

Nutmeg for sprinkling purposes


Separate the yolks from the whites. Beat the yolks slowly while simultaneously adding sugar, do this until the mixture is pale and golden. Now slowly add in the brandy and rum, then beat in the milk and half the cream.

Set aside just before serving, then whisk the egg whites until stiff, then fold them into the eggnog mixture whip the remaining cream and icing sugar until thick top each glass of eggnog with whip cream and a shake of nutmeg.

Makes 8 servings.