I realised that I have been drinking almost every night for the last couple of months and have started to look forward to a glass of wine or 4 each evening. I hadn’t even noticed it happening until the weekend when I rather enjoyed several margaritas on friday night and had something of a thick head on saturday morning.

As a result I have decided to stop drinking until Christmas and I am sure that I can do that without any real problems.

Given that there seem to be some people on here who have experience of drink problems, I was wondering how you can determine the point at which drinking become a problem.

It becomes a problem when you think it might be.

One of the signs of an alcoholic is that they set themselves goals of giving up for a certain period to prove to themselves they don’t need a drink. they normally relent shortly afterwards and have a drink anyway because they have decided they don’t need to prove anything and fancy a drink.

One of the signs of an alcoholic is that they set themselves goals of giving up for a certain period to prove to themselves they don’t need a drink. they normally relent shortly afterwards and have a drink anyway because they have decided they don’t need to prove anything and fancy a drink.

3 things;

1) If other people think you have a problem, then you have
2) If you can’t remember the last time that you went a day without a drink
3) If you regularly look forward to getting home (or whatever) so you can have a drink

all imo, of course.

Seeing double is also a clue

Making two identical posts is another sign

when you soil yourself.

anything up to that point is acceptable.

Where a drink becomes a need and part of a habit. i.e. need a drink after the day i’ve had, or a number of glasses of wine in an evening every day.

I’m pretty certain that I don’t have a problem, it just crept up on me that the friday/saturday evening bottle of wine was becoming more of a daily occurance so I decided to knock it on the head for a bit.

I am mostly surprised that it seems to be occupying my thoughts during the rest of the day and I really wasn’t expecting it to.

I have certainly drunk more in the past and never considered it a problem, I was just curious about other peoples thoughts.

I used to drink daily.. often to excess by late evening.. for months and sometimes years at a time..

I was a much happier and more productive person for it until I started feeling unwell in the mornings.. then I stopped drinking

Doh WCA.. that seems too familiar :S

Have family or friends made any comments about your drinking?

I follow Paul Calf on this.

When you’re on the floor, rolling about in your own vomit, you know you can only manage another couple of pints before you move onto the shorts.

It’s a lot more than what the government say it is

When you end up at the pub your dad drinks at, and he can’t keep up you 😳

It’s a problem when your loved ones get worried about your drinking, or when you wake up on a strange window sill, with bruises on your legs that you can’t remember the causes of, and a half eaten kebab in your pocket.

4 glasses a night* sounds like a lot to me, although quite understandable how it can sneak up on you over a period of time. Now you have realised that it might be an issue why not try cutting down for good rather than giving up for a limited period. Have a couple when you really fancy it but then have less/none at other times.

I think that approach would do more to disprove the problem theory than making a short term winnable challenge out of it. If it does prove to be difficult then you ‘might’ have a problem.

You need to check the government guidelines.
http://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/846.aspx?CategoryID=87&SubCategoryID=871

IMO you are drinking way too much and enough to cause health issues. 2 0r 3 times the guidelines and rarely a rest day. Stop. for at least a month and see how much better you feel

Why set yourself a target of not drinking until Christmas? Sounds to me like its a well I can prove I can stop so thats ok, I don’t have a problem or drink too much…

If you don’t have a problem you should still be able to continue drinking, but just the odd glass here and there and not every night etc.

If you can do that I’d say your not addicted, if you can’t then your addicted.

It’s a lot more than what the government say it is

^^^ when you say things like that ^^^

That’s hardly an anarchaic viewpoint Simon!

I’m well within the government guidelines but I still believe they err on the cautious side.

How much is too much?

Ask a man who knows

21-24 units a week for a man – Can you save them up for satdee night?

That’s hardly an anarchaic viewpoint Simon!

I don’t always do the opposite of what I’m told – only usually 🙂

I’m well within the government guidelines but I still believe they err on the cautious side.

given the obvious dangers of alcohol, that sounds wise. Would we be having this discussion for any of the other addictive drugs like nicotine, heroin, cocaine etc ??

I could just cut back to a couple of glasses on a friday night, but along side the drinking, I want to start training again for next season after an injury induced season write off this year.

I just thought that a couple of dry months would help me to focus on training. It’s easier to get on the trainer after the kids are in bed when you haven’t had a glass of wine and it’s easier to get out of bed and on the trainer in the morning when you haven’t had half a bottle+ the night before.

For the record, no comments from friends or family. I can’t remember the last time I was actually drunk either.

Blimey, who’s that wrinkly old bloke? Is that you Dezb?

Keith Richards innit

good photo though 🙂

I can’t remember the last time I was actually drunk either.

but that might be evidence of habituation. One glass of wine is enough to make me tipsy…

When you become dependent on it, or when it starts affecting your health.

A couple of years ago I used to go to a pub near work with mates a few times a week.

The days when they couldn’t make it I started to go on my own. It was a quiet little pub, with friendly bar-staff and a few regulars that I got to know. It kinda became addictive.

A few weeks of this and I started to become dependent on it. I couldn’t wait to get out of work at 5:30 and nip across the road. I was having around 4 or 5 pints a night, which isn’t excessive in some peoples view, but was for me.

Mornings I didn’t feel too good, weight was piling on, I wasn’t eating proper dinners.

Thankfully the pub shut down so I stopped going.

It was only really at that point that I looked at myself and realized I’d become a rather unhealthy chap, so I made a few lifestyle changes and did more exercise and reduced drinking. I now have a hatred for hangovers, so tend to just have a few drinks on friday night and that’s all.

there’s an ageing rocker (stones fan) that drinks in my local.. he looks and sounds and drinks and drugs and dresses and acts so much like what a generic Rolling Stones band member might look and sound and dress and drink and drug like that we have used him in the past to get us into VIP areas at gigs..

Autograph hunters at the end of the evening have proved a nuisance though maaaaaaaaan..

Good grief, I can’t imagine having wine and THEN going out training late at night!

So if > 24 units is too much (according to the BMA)
then is < 7 (i.e. 1 small glass of red wine per day) too little?

I think the key word in your phrasing is “looking forward to” – once it’s become part of your daily reward program then it’s probably a problem. I thought so and only allow myself a few drinks at the weekend without reaching oblivion being the aim behind the drinking….

The current 3-4 units recommendations are just to prevent folks saving up units for satdee night, since binge drinking is now the flavour of the month. The 21 units were just plucked from the air, without evidence. So says the guys who chose the numbers.

Times Online

I can’t see you being a huge menace to anyone or yourself in the short term on 3 glasses of wine, but I can’t see it doing anything other than adding weight and dulling your life long term. I can’t imagine me giving the stuff up completely ever, I like it.

When you use it to steady your nerves before you drive a car

OK you’ve convinced me, Friday and Saturday nights only. we never have more than a bottle of wine anyway so that should limit me to 10 units per week as we always share the bottle.

Now then, where did I put my hip flask? 😈

I can’t remember the last time I was actually drunk either.

but you woke up with a ‘thick head’ after several margaritas? seems like this really has crept up on you – especially with comments like “it seems to be occupying my thoughts during the rest of the day”

i used to drink daily – changed jobs, now I don’t. i sometimes get free beers from work and even some wine, but i feel able to leave booze alone quite easily now.

good luck, but i’m sure you’ll be fine!

I like to have a glass of wine or beer nearly everynight, my wife doesn’t so I think as a household we’re ok.

One found that men drinking between 21 and 30 units of alcohol a week had the lowest mortality rate in Britain. Another concluded that a man would have to drink 63 units a week, or a bottle of wine a day, to face the same risk of death as a teetotaller.

From the linked article above. This cannot be serious surely?

Everything you know is wrong!

so oddjob, in an hour you’ve gone from ‘no drink ’til xmas’ to ‘just Fri and Sat nights’?

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