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Do you drink too much? Ever thought of giving it up?

Hello.there

Hello.there

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Oct 12, 2007
730
1
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I probably drink more than I should socially, but not enough for it to be classed as a problem (well, not yet).

I hate the idea of giving up drink completely because I enjoy it, but have any of you taken the plunge and given up drink completely?

What were your reasons?

Do you miss it?

Has your social life changed drastically?

Do you feel so much better?
 
I gave up drinking completely years ago, but I was never more than a very light drinker to begin with. I sympathize with you; my wife comes from a family of alcoholics and so she avoids alcohol just so she can never develop alcoholism. The first step of recovery is realizing that you have a problem. It sounds like you have done this. Read this article and see if you might fit into this category.
 
Kashchei said:
I gave up drinking completely years ago, but I was never more than a very light drinker to begin with. I sympathize with you; my wife comes from a family of alcoholics and so she avoids alcohol just so she can never develop alcoholism. The first step of recovery is realizing that you have a problem. It sounds like you have done this. Read this article and see if you might fit into this category.
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Thanks Kashchei, sounds like your wife is wise.

No, I'm definitely not a functioning alcoholic just yet - I'm not even a malfunctioning one! I just feel I drink too much socially and although I would hate to give it up completely I'm definitely thinking about it, for the reasons mentioned above.
 
Hello.there said:
Thanks Kashchei, sounds like your wife is wise.

No, I'm definitely not a functioning alcoholic just yet - I'm not even a malfunctioning one! I just feel I drink too much socially (generally weekends) and although I would hate to give it up completely I'm definitely thinking about it, for the reasons mentioned above.
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I'm not positive that this is good advice, but I've heard that if you can decide not to drink even when you really need one, you are in good shape. If I'm right about this--I'll gladly retract this if someone knows better--I wouldn't worry so much about your social drinking. I do the same myself on the odd occasion!
 
I used to (then again who doesn't in college? ;) ) but I've cut that habit after a particularly nasty drunken night that I won't go into details on here. That has shocked some realization into me.

Now I limit myself to 1-3 drinks at any time, and that's only a few times a year (as opposed to a few times a week before).

Yeah my social life changed. I lost my "drinking buddies," and spend more time with "real" friends. It's more low-key now, if you know what I mean. I had a lot of fun back then, yeah, but I found that the price is not worth it.
 
I didn't drink at all during high school or college. Since college, I've been known to have a drink, but alcohol severely impacts athletic performance, so I only really have one or two drinks on the odd Sunday, usually at a jazz bar. The only time I'll really drink is when I'm on vacation.
 
I first read the title as "do you think too much? Ever thought of giving it up?"...
:D . Anywho, I personally don't drink too much. Granted I think I have a fair amount of self control, so when I do drink I never get TOO bad.(i think)...
 
ii.) i got drunk really bad a couple times. some not-so-pleasant things happened, and hangovers were just awful.

iii.) not that hard since i was more like a social drinker (that sucked at playing drinking games). i haven't cut it out completely, but the limit is two drinks per night (often i only drink one).

iv.) no, i'm okay w/ being a loser that stays home on a fri night.

v.) somewhat, i definitely go out/party less - from 3-5x a week to 1x every 2-4 wks (sometimes even months).

vi.) yes, especially since i started taking care of myself/lifting weight (alcohol hinders muscle recovery).
 
My situation is a little different than yours. While you like the social aspect of drinking, I personally hate the "alcohol culture". But I love drinking more than I should so I do not drink.

I reeeeeally do not like drunks and there is something about me that any drunk in the room wants to come hit on me. There can be younger, prettier, bigger-boobed ladies sitting all around me and the sole drunk will pick me every time. I hate bars. I hate loud people and loud places. But still I would endure just so I could down a couple of cosmos.
 
i never drank till i was 21. now i do but max is 2 drinks a night and thats maybe going out once a week. i like the bars, i dont like the drinking per say

alcohol is pricey! at 4 bucks a drink at least before tips it adds up fast
 
1. When don't I drink? ;) Actually, I drink numerous times per week. Sometimes, it's only once per week.

2. It hasn't proven to be a problem yet.

3. I'm not going to give up drinking because of a non-issue so far.

4. I enjoy going out with friends to bars and such, although there have been periods where I really don't like going out to bars and clubs, and would rather just go to a pub, have some food, and talk. Either way, I drink....and I like it.

5. If I stopped going out to noisy bars and pubs because I didn't like it, I'd still drink.

6. Sometimes I drink at home, and I'll do it alone. Usually, it's nothing more than 1 beer.

7. I'm healthy as an Ox (as far as I'm aware), and I'm still quite physically fit. I'm talking about 6 pack (usually), low body fat, etc.

8. I don't really care for the "legal" or "medical" definition of an alcoholic. There are so many definitions that there's no point listening, really. If you can't stop drinking once you start, then you're a binge drinker, alcoholic, or both. If you can't say "No" to a drink because....well.....because you can't resist, then you're an alcoholic. If you crave a drink at times of the day when you're not drinking, then you're an alcoholic.
 
I've gone through phases.

During HS when a lot of folks were getting drunk, I didn't bother. I'd have a drink or two at the most but almost never even got buzzed.

Had some bad times in college. Like... really bad. Blackouts throughout the night. Not. Good. And a true sign of full-blown alcoholism. Not to mention times when I just said "Eff school. I'm just gonna stay in the apartment and get drunk. Alone." Yes. Also not a good sign.

One night was particularly bad. No specifics will be divulged here. Some MRers know. At any rate, that night really changed the way I view and use alcohol. Since then I haven't gotten drunk. And got buzzed at MWSF '08 MR meet up :D and... that's about it.

Do I still drink? Yes, on occasion. But usually 2 drinks or fewer + food. (I used to drink lots before bothering to eat, despite not having eaten for hours before.)

I don't miss it.
My social life hasn't really changed (since I mainly used to drink alone).
I... I guess I feel better? I regret that it took such an extreme event to get me to snap out of it... but I guess better I stopped drinking the way I had been than to continue on.
 
devilot said:
Had some bad times in college. Like... really bad. Blackouts throughout the night. Not. Good. And a true sign of full-blown alcoholism. Not to mention times when I just said "Eff school. I'm just gonna stay in the apartment and get drunk. Alone." Yes. Also not a good sign.
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The 1st bit doesn't sound like you're an alcoholic. Lots of people drink and don't remember anything the next day. Crazy thing is.....they're mostly girls. My girlfriend is like that too. That's binge drinking, although if you don't drink like that often, then I guess it's not really binge drinking. It's just "I drank too much one night", which doesn't, and shouldn't, have a really negative label.

But yes, getting drunk alone in your apartment is definitely not a good sign.
 
On occasions, I have drunk too much. On balance, I'd say not. It's quite common for several weeks to go by without me having a drink. On other weeks, I'll open a nice bottle of wine and drink it over two or three nights. As with most 'bad' things in life, they're ok in moderation.

Could I give it up? Yes, if I had to for the sake of my health, I could. But I do love the taste of a good ale, a crisp white wine, an aromatic gin and a full bodied red wine so I wouldn't want to.

It sounds like aside from the social side, you don't think you've a problem. Have you ever totted up what you actually drink during a month to see if you are going over the guidelines regularly?
 
Well, while not answering the question(s), I believe that where possible we should enjoy everything in moderation. I don't believe there are any benefits to completely cutting out alcohol consumption if a person can enjoy alcohol responsibly and, lets face it, the vast majority of people can.

I also believe the vast majority of people have drunk too much at some point in their lives, but that's very different from being somebody who drinks too much.
 
Abstract said:
Crazy thing is.....they're mostly girls. My girlfriend is like that too.

But yes, getting drunk alone in your apartment is definitely not a good sign.
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what's up w/ girls drinking alone in their apartments?? one time i studied w/ a classmate at her place, all the sudden she pulled out a bottle of wine from her bedside cabinet and asked if i wanted any. i was like, "i think i'm good..."
 
I don't drink as much as I used to. Maybe a couple of pints once or twice a week now, compared to 6 - 7 pints every night. A couple of years back I was getting through 2-3 bottles of spirits a week.
 
Iscariot said:
I didn't drink at all during high school or college. Since college, I've been known to have a drink, but alcohol severely impacts athletic performance, so I only really have one or two drinks on the odd Sunday, usually at a jazz bar. The only time I'll really drink is when I'm on vacation.
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What kind of athletic performance are you talking about? ;)
 
Well I don't need to. But that bastard who occupied my body and drank rum and coke last night until 11 does. Damn you Drunk Shu. Sober Shu is here now and has to go to work with a headache:mad:
 
See Im the opposite of you, I don't drink, and am thinking of starting. :) On my 21st Birthday my friend took me to T.G.I. Fridays, and bought me a Mudslide, which if you don't know is basically a milkshake with alcohol. (Vodka, Bailey's, and Kahlua) I took one sip, and gave the rest to him. All I could taste was the alcohol. Since then (Im 26 now) I've tried a few sips of mixed drinks, and once again all I taste is alcohol. At my Friend B-Day party in Dec, somebody convinced me to take a sip of their Red Wine they said "It tastes like grape juice" Ahh no it doest yuck!

That being said I would like to find something that I like, I have a feeling that I might be a beer person, even though I haven't really tried it (aside from people giving me sip when I was little) Im gonna wait till I take a trip to visit my friends Next month, and try some beers and see what happens. I don't want to be an alcoholic, but just would like to find something I can drink.
 
You only taste alcohol when you drink a mudslide?

Try something like an orange and vodka (or Vodka Sunrise), or better yet, something really "girly" like a Singapore Sling, Sex On The Beach, or any mixed drink like that.

Oh, and if you go out with friends for beers, you may get some really bad beers, although I doubt you'd be able to tell. Just don't get turned off beer just because you had a bad Budweiser or two........or three.
 
I rarely drink because I don't enjoy the taste of alcohol. I don't like mixed drinks, I don't like beer, I don't like wine, none of it. If I do drink it is simply to get drunk and my days of getting drunk are over. If I go to a show at a bar I might have a drink or two but that's about it. For me, nothing beats the taste of sweet tea or a Coca-Cola.

I used to drink alot more my first years of college and a little bit in high school. Now I can't even take a shot without the thought of throwing it back up. Out of all the drugs I've ever tried, nothing makes me feel worse than drinking too much the night before.

If you only tasted alcohol in a mudslide or any other b*tch drink (as we call them) then they probably weren't made properly. When a mixed or girly drink is made properly than it should almost taste like Kool-Aid and the alcohol will blend in nicely.

jon
 
I got a bit tipsy once, threw up (first time I ever had alcohol) and woke up with a migraine the next day. Soon learnt that alcohol and caffeine triggers migraines and decided to never make myself ill again.


If you think you're drinking too much then isn't it a problem? If you can't stop then is it a problem? There are lots of other substances and positions where it would be a problem, such as gambling or other addictions.
(I'm not trying to be an arse I just don't know much about the thinkings behind drinking :eek: it seems to be quite an acceptable addiction.)
 
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