Medical opinions about alcohol use

[Richie Allen]

I think 10 to 20 beers a week is pretty typical for a guy your age. I certainly wouldn't consider 5 beers on Friday night and 5 more on Saturday night to be the sign of an alcoholic. Heck, 10 beers used to be Friday afternoon before we went out when I was that age. I drank every night except Monday in college (Tue: Nickel beer night, Wed: Sink or Swim, Thursday: .25 pitchers, Fri/Sat, Sun:$5 pizzas (and beer, of course). If that schedule in college meant I was an alcoholic, I've sure been doing a good job of fighting my disease over the past 20 years. I might have a drink once or twice a month now. And rarely more than a couple. I think you're way too young to be worrying about being an alcoholic, considering what you've described above. Don't sweat it.

[lukethedrifter]

The above comments noted and basically agreed with. That said, I think it a good idea to every now and again do a bit of self reflection re alcohol intake. Then, when everything checks out crack open a tasty brew to celebrate your sobriety.

[cpebbles]

The American medical definition of an alcoholic is ridiculous. As Jim said, all of Europe are alcoholics under that definition. I guess it goes back to our Puritan heritage.

Except that this doesn't qualify for the medical definition of "alcoholic." Binge drinking has health consequences all its own, of course.

[sighyoung]

He drinks so much that his body has increased its metabolism of alcohol, so that he requires much more to get drunk.

Oh I know. He's got a ridiculous tolerance at this point. I just mean that I don't know how he gets drunk night after night after night. He drinks enough to still be hungover in the morning, I know that. It just seems like at some point he'd for one reason or another go to bed sober for once. I mean, I guess that's what addiction is, but it still boggles my mind.

That reminds me of one of my brother's friends, who was a biology grad student from Iceland. Evidently, he ran out of alcohol one night, and was so desparate that reached for some wood alcohol. He was blind for a couple of weeks, but recovered.

That, my friends, is addiction.

10 beers in a week--is that doctor insane?

[clevername]

the problem with this stuff is the line between ok and trouble is fuzzy for folks looking in from the outside...for those who do it's all the more difficult for the ones who may or may not have the problem.

The number isn't as important as the habits, but it helps to screen. It's a red flag, a threshold where you start seeing increasing incidence of true alcoholism. That doesn't mean that everyone that drinks that amount is an alcoholic, only that the number of people who drink that much and are alcoholics become frequent enough to begin counseling/intervention strategies.

I'm curious how many here have close, personal contact with any alcoholics?

[jim]

I've seen it up close with my brother in law and an uncle on my wifes side. Not good.

I know exactly what you are saying clever - the doc just sees certain flags go up. Only GK knows what was said and how it was said, but if all the doctor had was a number (10 in a week) I would say that is not enough info. If she found out that was 10 in one night and none the rest of the week, I suppose she had a responsibility to speak up.

I was talking to a doctor friend a couple of years ago about wine and the health benefits and he said the reason doctors don't "prescribe" one glass of wine with meals daily is that they are afraid many will take that as a free pass to drink. I understand that completely.

[lukethedrifter]

My gf the OB comes from the same angle as our MD friends here. Yet she would tell a nursing patient having difficulties, if she trusted her, that a glass of wine might help with nursing. But it's just not safe to do, that is recommend an alcoholic drink for relaxation, in this society.

[jdk82]

The question I am wondering is, why lie about how many beers you drink if you dont think you have a problem with alcohol? Not saying you have a problem I dont even know you but if someone doesnt think they have a problem they normally wouldnt lie about it.

[Hudler]

I'm not an alcoholic,alcoholics go to meetings.

[Radbird]

My dad drank heavily but was never "declared" an alcoholic. He just stopped when he got too old to go out and play music. But I remember having him come home drunk from stopping for a "few" after his day job as a mechanical engineer and helping him get into his tux so he could make his music job. And when he wrapped the car around a fire hydrant one night on the way home. I guess I was an enabler, but too young and too scared to do anything different.

I always thought one thing about alcoholism was the inability to stop as it was a physical addiction. Apparently, my dad never hit that stage, but I can guarantee you he had more than 10 drinks a week. The strongest thing he drinks these days is coffee.