Sis thinks I've a drink problem

pepper

ok honestly i dont think this is a problem but it got me thinking and i need your opinions.

my bf and i love drink-On a friday night we will sit down with a couple of cans and watch a dvd/play playstation etc.

However Friday night just gone we drank WAY into excess- i woke up the next morning and was dying- and we had my best mates 21st that saturday night so I didnt mull too much over it.

But yesterday my sister and i were talking and i mentioned the amount we drank and she said the two of us had a drink problem.

Now ill admit we do drink every friday night- but at the most its 10 cans which i feel we are entitled to - we work hard,and deserve a treat just like everyone else.

now the weekend gone i had 18 cans and a bottle of wine(friday night)and i definatly had more than that sat night(the 21st and the session after it - not counting drinkn at the rugby match the next day)

and the BF had about the same.

We normally dont drink that much-we rarley go out unless its someones bday or something and im still feeling sick with the amount i drank. Im not addicted to drink r nutn-Just friday nights have become a bit of a routine.

I honestly dont think ive a drink problem-I have been off the drink for months before and I know i could do it again, I think my sis was joking but its playing on my mind a bit.

super_furry

If you're drinking 10 cans to yourself every Friday, then yes I would suggest you have a problem. If you drank 18 cans and a bottle of wine and still lived to tell the tale, you've probably built up a stupidly strong tollerance, which again would suggest you're drinking far too much.

delta_bravo

You may not be addicted but you are seriously damaging yourself. If you feel you aren't addicted you should have no problem cutting back. If you cannot then you may need to seek help.

chump

yea they're huge amounts for even typical heavy irish boozers. 18 cans and a bottle of wine on a friday nite. How did you manage that?

Endurance Man

I think she meant 18 cans and a bottle over the course of the weekend?

Kinetic^

I don't think you've a problem either. Everybody likes a few drinks at the end of the week. If it's affecting your health/work/family life then yes you should stop but other than that, I don't think there's a problem.

pepper

Endurance Man wrote:

I think she meant 18 cans and a bottle over the course of the weekend?

no that was friday night

delta_bravo

pepper wrote:

Now ill admit we do drink every friday night- but at the most its 10 cans which i feel we are entitled to - we work hard,and deserve a treat just like everyone else.

now the weekend gone i had 18 cans and a bottle of wine(friday night)and i definatly had more than that sat night(the 21st and the session after it - not counting drinkn at the rugby match the next day)

and the BF had about the same.

So can I just clarify this:
Friday: 18 cans and a bottle of wine
Saturday: 20+ cans?
Sundays: 4-5 cans?

I used bupa.co.uk to do a alcohol unit checker. Im not sure if it is fully correct or if I had your amounts exact. I calculated that you consumed NINETY units of alcohol in a weekend?! The maximum recommended level for women is fourteen! If you do that regularly you are lucky to be alive. Think about the damage you are doing to your liver. You have to drastically cut down

Nevyn

Go talk to your dr and get them to explain the damnage you are doing to your body and your liver.

LegacyUser

drink problems are more about why than how much, sounds like a bit of a heavy binge, and could possibly lead to problems, though with most people you go through phases some times seasonal or partner.....just keep an eye on it you're the best judge of wheter you're starting to develop a compulsive addiction.......maybe other people could post their weekly consumptions for informed comparisons.

pepper

delta_bravo wrote:

If you do that regularly you are lucky to be alive

i dont do it regulary i said that

chump

delta_bravo wrote:

So can I just clarify this:
Friday: 18 cans and a bottle of wine
Saturday: 20+ cans?
Sundays: 4-5 cans?

jaysus when ya list it like that, it's ridiculous.

Shure the first night of that would cause most people to be physically incapable of putting more booze in their belly, never mind a second, greater, session the following night.

good luck to ya anywhichway, id say 'drink slower'

vorbis

10 cans on a regular basis?! Jesus, thats very heavy drinking. I'm usually well oiled after six!

Yes, you have a drinking problem. Talk to a GP etc.

Ruu_Old

No sense in drinking that much that I can see. Don't let it go any further. Talk to your GP as suggested and get clued in.

Attol

How can you watch a movie or play PS2 after 10 cans?!?

Black Swan

Friday binge drinking? Cut back a bit and live healthier?

challengemaster

Does sound a LOT like you have a bit of a problem there.. like others said, go see a doc and get clued in.

delta_bravo

pepper wrote:

i dont do it regulary i said that

even 10 cans is too much. you need to see a doctor. for how many years have you done this?

Stark

pepper wrote:

Now ill admit we do drink every friday night- but at the most its 10 cans which i feel we are entitled to - we work hard,and deserve a treat just like everyone else.

10 cans between the two of you, not really a problem. 10 cans on your own, ****ing hell.

18 cans: I don't want to be alarmist but Jesus H Christ. Are you a boy or a girl? (not going to make assumptions). 18 cans should be enough to knock a guy to the ground unless he's built up a stupidly high tolerance like a previous poster said (at that level of tolerance, there's a high chance of fatty liver). If you're a girl, then you've an even more serious problem. I haven't even counted the bottle of wine. (A bottle of wine on its own would have me well on my way).

pepper wrote:

We normally dont drink that much-we rarley go out unless its someones bday or something and im still feeling sick with the amount i drank. Im not addicted to drink r nutn-Just friday nights have become a bit of a routine.

Addiction often feels like routine until you try to quit.

vorbis wrote:

10 cans on a regular basis?! Jesus, thats very heavy drinking. I'm usually well oiled after six!

Aye, same here.

Endurance Man

There is no ways you drank 18 cans and a bottle of win :eek: , you stomach would have jumped outta your body and bitch slapped you.

Stark

10 cans in the space of a few hours would have the average female passing out and at risk of coma. Not to mention a good risk of choking on one's own vomit. And that's supposed to be a casual night in front of the telly? Ah but sure you work hard, you deserve it.

18 cans and a bottle of wine in a single night would kill an average male who hadn't built up a tolerance.

If you have built up a tolerance, then it's not good news. A tolerance means alcohol is broken down more quickly, but the byproduct of this process is more toxic than the alcohol it's derived from.

silverside

no offence but that is a scary amount of drink.

in my opinion anything more than 5 or 6 cans / pints is a lot, specially if it's just an evening in front of the tv.

definitely i think you should see someone (your doctor) about it

redzerdrog

according to you lot i must have severe problems and should be on my death bed at this stage.

Baraboo

If you do not think you have problem maybe try giving up for a trial period, say a month, and see how much it affects you. If this seems like too much or too difficult then maybe you indeed have a problem.

Stark

Fatty liver is usually asymptomatic but it's still a serious condition that will catch up with you eventually. Not to mention the long term damage to the rest of your body.

redzerdrog

why would i want to give it up for a month i love it and love going out with my friends we always have a great time. i havent drank in 2 weeks but it nothing got to do with wanting to give it up or that its because I was playing football sunday and wanted to be fresh so didnt bother going out simple as that.

Stark

redzerdrog wrote:

why would i want to give it up for a month i love it and love going out with my friends we always have a great time.

To see if you can. A month without alcohol is easy. If you find it difficult then you have a problem. You might also reduce your tolerance a bit. It's better for you and cheaper for you.

redzerdrog

Stark wrote:

To see if you can. A month without alcohol is easy. If you find it difficult then you have a problem. You might also reduce your tolerance a bit. It's better for you and cheaper for you.

its not a month off the beer that id worry about but a month of sitting in on a saturday night would drive me mental. i am not someone who drinks at home or anything like that. I drink fairly heavely in pubs and clubs at the weekends and that but thats only if i have no football so i dont really see it as a problem for me.

LegacyUser

Please watch the film 'Nil By Mouth'.......

delta_bravo

redzerdrog wrote:

its not a month off the beer that id worry about but a month of sitting in on a saturday night would drive me mental. i am not someone who drinks at home or anything like that. I drink fairly heavely in pubs and clubs at the weekends and that but thats only if i have no football so i dont really see it as a problem for me.

Does pepper have multiple accounts or something. Im confused now. Pepper is the op and redzerdrog is talking as if theyre the op

Faith

Pepper, you posted a thread recently in AH about how you were trying to give up drinking, but were going to a wedding with a free bar and you couldn't imagine how you'd manage. If I remember correctly, you gave in and got shít faced. Now you're saying you drink 10 cans in one night. Yes, you have an alcohol problem. You abuse it.

I'd have passed out after 6 cans.

redzerdrog

redzerdrog wrote:

its not a month off the beer that id worry about but a month of sitting in on a saturday night would drive me mental. i am not someone who drinks at home or anything like that. I drink fairly heavely in pubs and clubs at the weekends and that but thats only if i have no football so i dont really see it as a problem for me.

Here's a novel idea - find something else to do on a saturday night.
Go to the movies, go out for a meal, go bowling, go to a concert.
Why why why do people think the only things to do on a saturday are getting hammered or being bored?

Does pepper have multiple accounts or something. Im confused now. Pepper is the op and redzerdrog is talking as if theyre the op

No I think red was chiming in because red drinks a similar amount. Which is also bad.
The sooner people learn that having fun does not depend on alcohol and that there are actually other things to do, the better.

Beruthiel

pepper wrote:

now the weekend gone i had 18 cans and a bottle of wine(friday night)

I like my drink.
The full bottle of wine I could just about do, but it would be all I could take. And I would pay for it the next day.
The 18 cans on top of it would be insane and to drink that amount in one night while at home watching the tv is something you should indeed be questioning.
A body cannot take that, even on a weekly basis. You need to drastically cut back, if you can't do that, then as others have suggested, take a month off.

challengemaster

bluewolf wrote:

Here's a novel idea - find something else to do on a saturday night.
Go to the movies, go out for a meal, go bowling, go to a concert.
Why why why do people think the only things to do on a saturday are getting hammered or being bored?

The sooner people learn that having fun does not depend on alcohol and that there are actually other things to do, the better.

FINALLY, someone with a good bit of sense... now where'd i put my replicator gun...

*searches*

r3nu4l

Hiya pepper,

Have a look at this article from the BBC.

My advice would be that you should give up alcohol for one month altogether. You and the bf. Go to the cinema or bowling each night of the weekend, just get out of the house and stay away from any pubs/clubs/places that serve alcohol.

If you can manage one-month totally free of alcohol and without any difficulty then that's okay. If you find yourself wishing you could have a pint, or can't resist nipping out to the off-license then you do have a problem.

Apart from that, cutting out booze for a while is great for your body, gives it a rest

Lastly, go to a doctor and ask for some information and a health check-up.

dellas1979

Are you serious?

Sorry, you need to clarify what you drank Fri, Sat and Sunday. Some of us are confused here.

Sound like youve come to a point of clarity. Its not good for you to be doing this all the time - especially with this volume of alcohol. At least the alcohol hasnt killed your cop-on yet.............

Maybe drink one night and be dry the rest?

You are a student arent you?

You sound a little conceited about this also, like there is medal to be won or show how cool you are.

tbh

Pepper on a practical note, what do you get out of 18 cans that you can't get out of 5 or 6? Are you not buzzed after the first few? maybe you could limit yourself to six cans over the weekend, would that be a problem?

HelterSkelter

Decide for yourself....

http://www.alcoholicsanonymous.ie/opencontent/default.asp?itemid=14&section=About+Us wrote:

Are You An Alcoholic?
Only You Can Decide
To answer this question ask yourself the following questions and answer them as honesty as you can.

Is drinking making your home life unhappy?
Does your drinking make you careless of your family’s welfare?
Do you drink because you are shy with other people?
Is drinking affecting your reputation?
Do you drink to escape from worries or trouble?
Do you drink alone?
Have you lost time from work due to drinking?
Has your ambition decreased since drinking?
Has your efficiency decreased since drinking?
Is drinking jeopardising your job or business?
Have you ever felt remorse after drinking?
Are you in financial difficulties as a result of drinking?
Do you turn to or seek an inferior environment when drinking?
Do you crave a drink at a definite time daily?
Does drinking cause you to have difficulty in sleeping?
Do you want a drink the next morning?
Do you drink to build up your self-confidence?
Have you ever had a complete loss of memory as a result of drinking?
Has your doctor ever treated you for drinking?
Have you ever been in hospital or prison because of drinking?

NutJob

I come from a background with an alcaholic parent and i was for a number of years a very heavy drinker.

Contact your GP as if you even have to ask the question is my drinking a problem then it is.

kevmy

Right I'm a pretty big guy in his early 20's, student, single and enjoy going out. So I'm probably at my peak drinking for my life. I went to house party last Friday and had what I would describe as a lot of drink. This involved a bottle of Buckfast and 6 cans. Now when I'd go out I would usually not drink than much. The only time in recent memory that I drank an amount larger than that was at the xmas party. There I had 14 pints, a glass of wine and 3 jeigerbombs over the space of about 12 hours and after a massive dinner.

So putting what you did in context my large amount of alcohol on friday night is only regular for you. My biggest amount for a year was still easily less than what you did last Friday night. Kepp in mind I'm a guy and can, because of pure biology, handle more than a girl. So I would mirror some of the advice here. Cut back on your friday nights and/or go out to the cinema. Try making it 6 cans every second friday instead of ten every friday.

Also remember you shoudn't measure your alcohol intake against guys around you (like your boyfriend) but the girls. If your regularly the biggest drinker in your group of female friends then cut back to their level.

I'm not going to give a lecture about how drink is bad for you as we all know that or I'm not going to tell you to give up drink for a month (even though everyone should be able to do it). However I am going to say is look around you. Is everyone drinking the same amount as you? From Boards appartently not. Are you having better craic than all those around you that drink less?
Think about this yourself and maybe you don't have a problem but you still might decide that you are drinking more than what you want to/need to. If so take on board some of the advice from here.

JasonEFlood

Mate - I'm 6 Ft 4 and 16 Stone... 10 Cans to me is a fairly easy night... Again I dont drink that often twice a month maybe - but If I'm drinking to get drunk I'd put more then that away... In my early twenties and thru college we were all guilty of major sessions.

If your 5ft 5 and 6 stone... seek help...

if your 6ft 7 and 20 Stone... Plenty more room for beer...

Although your not hooked, you are destroying your internal organs. But sure everytime you have a diet softdrink your destroying yor brain... so pick the organs you least like and destroy that one...

(you can transplant a liver... can you transplant a brain!)***

*** probalbly bad advice for minors....so forget I said that if your under 18!

r3nu4l

JasonEFlood wrote:

Mate - I'm 6 Ft 4 and 16 Stone... 10 Cans to me is a fairly easy night... Again I dont drink that often twice a month maybe - but If I'm drinking to get drunk I'd put more then that away... In my early twenties and thru college we were all guilty of major sessions.

If your 5ft 5 and 6 stone... seek help...

if your 6ft 7 and 20 Stone... Plenty more room for beer...

Although your not hooked, you are destroying your internal organs. But sure everytime you have a diet softdrink your destroying yor brain... so pick the organs you least like and destroy that one...

(you can transplant a liver... can you transplant a brain!)***

*** probalbly bad advice for minors....so forget I said that if your under 18!

Bad advice full stop! Being 6ft 4" does not mean your liver is immune to the effects of large amounts of alcohol :rolleyes:

Beruthiel

JasonEFlood wrote:

(you can transplant a liver... can you transplant a brain!)***

*** probalbly bad advice for minors....so forget I said that if your under 18!

Forget it no matter what age you are.

Drinking on the off chance you go on a list for a possible new liver is not exactly a clever way to go about things. :rolleyes:

missmatty

18 cans and a bottle of wine for a girl?!

Tell us how you feel the day after that.

I love my drink but I wouldn't be fit for anything other than bed after a bottle of wine, could just about manage that but no more. Wine is dangerous to be honest. I can't tolerate much beer so I only drink it on hols.

Also if you calculated the amount of calories in that amount of drink it would probably be enough to feed a person for several days. A bottle of wine alone is 500-600 cals.....

Nevyn

Have you ANY idea the waiting list for those who need a liver transplant ?
I know someone who through no fault of her own might be facing that long waiting list at the age of 18 due to cancer.
Your drinkin patterns are taken into consideration if you need a new liver and they can tell by the damage patterns and may not get on the list if your not given enough points or you could be at the bottom of the list due to your drinking.
Why would they give a heavy drinka new liver from someone else's untimely
death for them to destroy all over again.

You wnat to be an idiot and piss your life away and ruin your relationships and miss many oppertunites in life go ahead it is your body your choice, just don't expect to be given a new liver or any sympathy.
Serios if the liver is a horrible way to do, you die raoring I know my grandfather did.

5starpool

The weekend you describe is certainly not normal and healthy, and it's a long time since I was able to drink anything like that one one night, however I think most of the posts here are a bit OTT to be honest. Of course alcohol abuse is a terrible thing, and there are people I work with that I tell them they drink too much as they drink maybe 5 nights a week and not small amounts, soI am not an apologist.

However, you said that in a normal week you drink only on a friday night at home and have around 10 cans. Ok, this is a lot for a girl especially but if it is a once weekly occurance then I don't think it'll do an awful lot of harm. Personally I don't drink that often any more, but when I do (usually once every 2-3 weeks) I like to have a right go at it and usually have around 10 -12 drinks. The most I have drank recently was on a recent skiing holiday where every night for a week I had around 10 or more drinks a night. Of course this is not the most healthy thing to do but occasional bursts of it do less harm than regular drinking of 5-6 drinks a night as some people I know do.

I am obviously in no way mediacally trained, but this whole 5 drinks is binge drinking crap is really annoying. I always stop before I get too drunk, and am one of the sensible ones who hasn't done anything stupid or embarrassing or regrettable in a long time while drunk, but when I am out I don't see the point of having 4 or 5 drinks only unless I happen to have work the next day, but I usually won't be out on a weeknight. Very rambling post, but the upshot is that if your original description of your normal drinking is accurate (i.e. once a week) then I don't see what the big deal is.

Celtic67

OP: 18 Cans + is an unbelieveable amount of drink. However, a heavy drinker may not necessarily be a problem drinker (granted it may be an indication)
It is my understanding that drinking is a problem when your drinking affects other aspects of your life such as work, relationships, health and financial well being. If other aspects are being seriously affected by your drinking but you continue to drink knowing this or you have no control over the amount you drink or your actions when you drink then you may indeed have a problem. If having weighed up the pros and cons of drinking ,the cons outweigh the pros, but you cannot stop then you prob have a problem.

ferdi

if i drank 18 cans and a bottle of wine to myself in one sitting, i would almost certainly be hospitalized.

i'm very fond of a drink myself but that is pure madness. how can you even keep that volume of liquid down?

MicraBoy

pepper you posted your stats in the Fitness forum this time last year.

pepper wrote:

age- 20
weight 16 stone
height 5ft
diet- at the moment im havn about 800 cals a day with no excerise- joining a gym soon tho

Regardless of if you are an alcoholic, you are living a desperately unhealthy life style. Drink is one of the major factors causing your obesity. That should be a good enough reason to give up the drink permanently.

DaDa

Pepper... you are crying out for help by posting in different forums on different issues. I suspect you have some fairly hefty self esteem issues that are resulting in you doing things that are self destructive. How you drank 1 bottle wine + 18 cans as a start to your weekend is beyond comprehension (to me anyway).

Your best bet is to visit a *good* GP... get advice... get on a program and put the energy into changing how you are, not into binge drinking(+eating?) and wasting your life.

Maybe people here can recommend some GPs that are good at dealing with this. The first GP visit is crucial as to how S/he handles it.

How encouraging it might be for you to keep us posted and the sense of achievement as you post new statistics and facts month by month.

I wish you the best of luck.