Alcohol Is my alcohol consumption considered moderate & alcoholic?

[purplehaze147]

I just turned 21 about a month ago. I was never really into alcohol I've had almost constant access to weed, opiates, amphetamines, & psychedelics since I was a freshman in high school so alcohol would be the last on my list of good shit I can get, but now it's so cheap & convenient & mixes good with other stuff. I think I've been drinking too much. I drink about 3 beers a day & sometimes a mixed drink or a shot or 2 at night. I never drink to the point of intoxication any more. I just really like how it mixes with weed & opiates. They enhance each others buzz. I don't feel any signs of withdrawal if I stop drinking for a day, absolutly no bad feelings. With opiates its a different story you get addicted to them so fast and easy. But anyway am I drinking to much or is it normal? By the way I've seen on the news that moderate drinking is actually healthy, it said people who drink moderately are less likely to run into health problems than people who don't drink or alcoholics.

 

[Mysterie]

By the way I've seen on the news that moderate drinking is actually healthy, it said people who drink moderately are less likely to run into health problems than people who don't drink or alcoholics.

i dont know where you heard this, because it is definitely incorrect. a glass of red wine a few times a week can't hurt, sure. but drinking like you do is unhealthy.

3-5 drinks a day is borderline alcohol imo, its not good for your liver, its not good for your body. it might be normal for people on drug websites or people in college to drink that much, but it is not healthy.

 

[sekio]

3-5 standard drinks every day is a little higher than "moderate" alcohol use. It's best if you cut back.

 

[Fractality]

Try to keep your alcohol intake at around 1-2 standard drinks a day or no more than 14 standard drinks in a week.

 

[Driver7629]

To answer your question your drinking about 6 drinks a day you may want to cut back a few, alcohol will sneak up on you pretty quick if you don't watch out, it tends to start out slow and you'll increase and not even realize it, so for now your in the middle just don't cross the line, once you do there's no getting back on the other side without help,

 

[Burnt Offerings]

I'd probably be more worried about mixing alcohol with other CNS depressants

 

[Nom de Plume]

Try to keep your alcohol intake at around 1-2 standard drinks a day or no more than 14 standard drinks in a week.

A "standard drink"? What in the hell is a standard drink? My personal standard for a drink is a flagon of Courvoisier. Is there some inferior standard drink of which I have not yet been made aware?

 

[beekr]

There's no such thing as healthy drinking. Alcohol - wonderful as it may make you feel and as wonderful as it can taste as an element in the right beverage - is quite literally poison. Any health benefits are incidental and do not offset the damage alcohol does to your body.

It sounds like you are trying to convince yourself that you do not have a problem. I know this pattern all too well - I'm an alcoholic. Dry since May 2011. It's tough sometimes but physically I feel much, much, much better times infinity. It sounds like you are losing control, you're in the denial stage right now but you reaching out in this thread is a cry for help, whether you know it or not. Sadly and unfortunately, no matter what anyone here tells you, you will not listen. I didn't listen. You will eventually hit rock bottom and if you're lucky you'll stand back up and make the changes of your own will.

And don't kid yourself - you can't just have one drink after work with friends. Teetotaling is the way my friend, I'm sorry. Club soda or diet coke for you while your friends drink that delicious beer. mmm beer. And wine. Oh I miss wine with dinner. Trouble is it wasn't just one glass. I didn't want one glass. I wanted two 750 mL bottles for myself. Anyway, you're young, you'll be fine, but nip it in the bud asap man. Good luck!

 

[Bearlove]

A "standard drink"? What in the hell is a standard drink? My personal standard for a drink is a flagon of Courvoisier. Is there some inferior standard drink of which I have not yet been made aware?

Standard measure of alcohol - glass of wine, bottle/pint of beer, spirit with mixer, a shot - they are for most people 'standard drinks'. Not inferior to your flagon of Courvoisier, just what people would normally see as standard day to day drink.

 

[Bearlove]

There's no such thing as healthy drinking. Alcohol - wonderful as it may make you feel and as wonderful as it can taste as an element in the right beverage - is quite literally poison. Any health benefits are incidental and do not offset the damage alcohol does to your body.

It sounds like you are trying to convince yourself that you do not have a problem. I know this pattern all too well - I'm an alcoholic. Dry since May 2011. It's tough sometimes but physically I feel much, much, much better times infinity. It sounds like you are losing control, you're in the denial stage right now but you reaching out in this thread is a cry for help, whether you know it or not. Sadly and unfortunately, no matter what anyone here tells you, you will not listen. I didn't listen. You will eventually hit rock bottom and if you're lucky you'll stand back up and make the changes of your own will.

And don't kid yourself - you can't just have one drink after work with friends. Teetotaling is the way my friend, I'm sorry. Club soda or diet coke for you while your friends drink that delicious beer. mmm beer. And wine. Oh I miss wine with dinner. Trouble is it wasn't just one glass. I didn't want one glass. I wanted two 750 mL bottles for myself. Anyway, you're young, you'll be fine, but nip it in the bud asap man. Good luck!

Congratulations on getting and staying sober

I do feel however that you post is a bit of an over reaction - 21 units of alcohol per week is considered within the safe limits for men. Having a couple of beers per night does not have to be a slippery slope into alcoholism. I would say the majority of people enjoy alcohol without developing alcoholism and having a few social drinks per day does not highlight or indicate any problem.

Of course some people are prone to alcoholism but that does not mean everyone should be t total.

 

[Mysterie]

if someone has an addictive personality, a history of drug use, and is drinking 3-5 drinks a day, it makes it more likely that an alcohol problem could become a growing concern. t total could be a last resort if one finds they have no control over there use of alcohol, but imo op should try cutting back first to see if that is possible and sustainable.

 

[Nom de Plume]

Standard measure of alcohol - glass of wine, bottle/pint of beer, spirit with mixer, a shot - they are for most people 'standard drinks'. [...] just what people would normally see as standard day to day drink.

So, according to your definition, this standard is essentially a formalization of “most people's“ arbitrary conception of a day's worth of alcohol. And the criterion for which is a set of amorphous, intangible units of measure (e.g., cup, glass, bottle, shot—precisely what quantity is supposed to be represented by each of these nebulous terms is anybody's guess). Is that a fair interpretation? Seems kind of, so to say, unscientific.

Not inferior to your flagon of Courvoisier, [...]

Heresy. The only drink arguably not inferior to a flagon of Courvoisier, I submit, is more than one flagon of Courvoisier.

 

[Kid Amine]

here's my story in a nutshell. I used to drink like the OP, fr quite a while. Then, some shit happens in your life that SUCKS, and the next time, it's not 3 beers, its a 12 pack. and it provided temporary escape. Problem is you dont know it's temporary, and pretty soon, maybe months, myabe years, you are a full blown alcoholic. Not everyone goes down that road, but the ones that do rarely make their way back.

From what Ive read, HALF a glass of red wine or maybe half a beer aids digestion; anything over that is playing with fire. Just because it's legal doesnt mean its safe...

 

[szuko000]

What if we converted the "standard drink" into grams of alcohol and compared it to your flagon of Courvoisier alcohol content also in grams so you could know where it is on the "standard drink" scale? The idea of a standard drink is just a way of putting an amount that can be used as a measure across all types of drinking.

It is also fun to say flagon of Courvoisier

 

[f33lg00d]

Drinking everyday is bad, I dont care what any national health advisorys say.

 

[Nom de Plume]

Not wanting to have any of my posts expunged by exacting moderators, this is the last comment I'll compose about this tangential discussion.

What if we converted the "standard drink" into grams of alcohol [...]

A measurement's degree of precision, and the units we enlist to express the measurement, matter not if the thing being measured is simply a vague abstraction.

That is to say, it makes no difference if one uses grams or liters to measure a noun, because words cannot be weighed with scales. Concepts—such as a glass, shot, bottle, can, snifter, etc—have no extrinsic, tangible existence outside the mind, and therefore have no volume or mass to even measure.

The problem is not with the unit of measure utilized for quantifying a standard drink; rather, it is with the inherent ambiguity and imprecision of the terminology employed.

...and compared it to your flagon of Courvoisier...

How absurd! Surely you'd agree that it's asinine to attempt a comparison of that which is incomparable.

...alcohol content also in grams so you could know where it is on the "standard drink" scale? The idea of a standard drink is just a way of putting an amount that can be used as a measure across all types of drinking.

Unless and until we set a standard for the drinkware, we cannot possibly measure the drink. What constitutes a glass, say, or a bottle?

It is also fun to say flagon of Courvoisier

I happen to agree, which is precisely why I chose that phraseology in the first place. Truthfully, if what one says is simply not fun and hale, then it is sadly said, stodgy, and stale.

 

[when I dream]

A standard drink is 12 ounces of 5% alc/vol beer, 5 ounces of 12% wine, 1.5 ounces of 40% liquor, etc. or about 14 grams of pure ethyl alcohol. How hard is that to understand?

 

[watermellon]

If you can keep it to 3 beers a day or under you should be fine man. My dad usually has anywhere from 3-5 beers a day. There are some days at work where he has to pull 24-48hr shift so he can't drink at all during those days due to having his CDL. DOT laws are very strict. 0.04 bac even when hes driving personal vehicle and you can't have any alch 8 hrs prior to driving. My dad has always made sure hes straight before he goes into work, DOT tests a lot for this kind of stuff. He has no wd from not drinking for a few days and zero cravings either. He's been doing this for well over 30 years and is not psychically dependent, nor has alcohol caused him any problems. married 35 years, supported family of 4 w/o my mother having to work, and being an active member of the community. Usually on a work day he'll come home and have 3-4 beers throughout the evening and call it a night. Weekends He'll usually buy a 18-24 pack that will last friday-sunday. He doesn't drink to get drunk, I can't even remember the last time I saw my dad drunk or drink any liquor. That's usually when ppl go down hill fast is when they start hitting the hard stuff.

Remember a lot of people on here have had past/active drug addictions so no doubt you will get tons of people saying to completely stay off alcohol. Just keep it to 2-3 beers on week days and maybe cut loose a bit on friday or sat night. Not telling you to get wasted, and i would deff stay away from the hard stuff

Take into consideration what works for my dad may not work for you. My dad has always been able to handle his drug intake from alcohol, to coke to meth and not let it control his life. It's been years since hes done any coke or meth, stopped fucking around when I was born. Use the drug don't let the drug use you

EDIT also the amount of alcohol in the beer matters also. my dad drinks coors light which is 4.2 abv. Say your drinking a nice craft beer which has anywhere 6-9% thats a big difference so just remember that

 

[treezy z]

the amount you're drinking is fine, at 21 i enjoyed the novelty of being able to purchase alcohol so i drank a lot. if you continue drinking like that you could become psychologically addicted (anxious without drinking.)

 

[watermellon]

Im 21 also dude and I don't like getting drunk, fucking can't stand the feeling, but I love having a nice IPA or 2 after dinner or a small glass of scotch (2-3 oz). Turned 21 5 months ago and have yet to step foot in a bar and plan to keep it that way