Worried about alcoholism

[Cancer Merchant]

I'm an average late twentysomething, decent job, good friends, and get out on the weekends. During the week, though, I tend to have two or three drinks a night. Normally it's a glass or three of wine with dinner, sometimes its whatever whiskey I have lying around with a movie. Tonight it's a bottle of Barefoot Zin ($3.99 at TJs, mildly recommended).

Am I on the road to alcoholism, or is this sustainable? The amount has been consistent the past couple years, but I think that this may be a bad thing.

Shouldn't have watched Leaving Las Vegas last night....

[amplify]

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Am I on the road to alcoholism, or is this sustainable?

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Both. Enjoy.

[illeagle]

I went through a stage like that at your age but grew out of it.

[Blarg]

Give your liver a chance to rest at least. And be sure you take extra vitamins if you're boozing it up like that.

Seriously, the quantity isn't a big deal, but I think anyone's body is better with some time off.

If you wonder if you have problems with dependency, see if quitting for a while is hard -- a few days, or weeks or months. If it is, you'd better keep an eye on yourself.

[ScottieK]

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Shouldn't have watched Leaving Las Vegas last night....

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Whew! And I thought I was the only one. (Seriously.)

"The only time I said no to a drink was when I misunderstood the question."

I had a friend go dry for four months straight, just so he could prove it to himself and get a rest. I wouldn't be in for four months or anything, but maybe a week or two would be sufficient.

ScottieK

[Rduke55]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Am I on the road to alcoholism, or is this sustainable?

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Both. Enjoy.

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Exactly. Nothing's wrong with a few drinks after work.
Can you slip down the slope? Sure. But the fact you're worried about it is a good sign.

[Cancer Merchant]

I've been hitting the vegetables pretty hard recently. Probably a combination of being overweight (a not unrelated issue) and concerned with nutrition. Still, vitamins are probably a good idea.

The last time I took a serious break was 2002. Three months dry was all I could take. My current record over the past year is probably three days.

I don't feel bad today, but as I hit 30 and start thinking of the long term, I feel the slightest bit of panic.

[BruinEric]

I'm no health expert, but I would think that averaging 15+ servings of alcohol per week is probably not the best for your health.

I'm also no expert on alcoholism. I have a kegerator in my house and once worked for a brewer. I've never had a problem going plenty of days between drinks. I rarely consume more than one pint of beer in any one day. So take what I say as an "outsider's" view.

A way to tell if you are veering toward alcoholism or not is to see if you can function properly without alcohol. How about starting this way -- every day take a quarter and flip it. If it's TAILS, stop there. If it's HEADS, flip again. If it's HEADS the second time, then determine not to consume alcohol that day and night.

At this point, you'll only be "giving up" alcohol 25% of the time. But it will be unpredictable AND give you plenty of ways to rationalize, cheat, etc.

If you find that you can't control yourself on nights you vow not to drink thru the coin flip method and drink anyway, this might be the sign of an emerging problem. If you find that during coin-flip time you cheat or ignore coin-flip results (uhhhh....that one doesn't count because it's a commemorative state quarter), then this might be the sign of a problem.

If you shake at any time during your dry spell...this might be the sign of a problem. If your drinkless nights end up with you being an a-hole and all you can think about is having that drink tomorrow, then this might be the sign of a problem.

If the coin flip game is too goofy, then just pick two plus days a week that you don't/won't drink a drop. Since you are consuming 2+ per day, this will give your body/liver better health. This will also allow you to illustrate your control over liquor instead of it's control over you.

[Milo]

The CAGE test is a quick and dirty screener for alcohol problems. It is by no means perfect, but is a good place to start. Try it.

CAGE Test

1. Have you ever felt you should Cut down on your drinking?

2. Have people Annoyed you by criticizing your drinking?

3. Have you ever felt bad or Guilty about your drinking?

4. Have you ever had a drink first thing in the morning to steady nerves or get rid of a hangover?

Scoring: Two or three affirmative answers should create a high index of suspicion. Four positive answers indicate alcoholism.

[whiskeytown]

I had a drinking problem - I quit and migrated to weed

much better for me - no more hangover, no life threatning overdose, no driving and hitting people - much safer

I would say if you're worried, you're not in bad shape - if you stop worrying or find yourself drinking more and more frequently - (like I did a couple times at places where I defiantely should NOT drink) - then you have a situation.

actualy, I can point to a time when I quit drinking when I realized it was preventing me from getting laid on a semi-periodical basis - that was time to quit drinking and I didn't have to 12 step it or nothing - but occasionally I think back on the girl I was with that night - LOL

RB