I enjoy a bottle of wine everyday, am I an alcoholic?

jacksn

I went on holiday to France last year, over there I enjoyed a lot of wine and since then I would have a bottle of wine every day, I feel like I can stop anytime but I do enjoy it.. am I a dipso?

Fordcspri23

Do you have regular sexual intercourse?

emptyhouse2222

jacksn wrote: »

I went on holiday to France last year, over there I enjoyed a lot of wine and since then I would have a bottle of wine every day, I feel like I can stop anytime but I do enjoy it.. am I a dipso?

where'd ya get the money to go on holidays for a year

igCorcaigh

Not necessarily, but you're upping your tolerance a lot and exposing your body to risk.

Do you like the taste of wine so much, or do you like getting tipsy? Both maybe?

Btw, I'm a fairly heavy drinker, but I use alcohol as a recreational drug. My liver function is below par and my iron levels are way too high.

emptyhouse2222

igCorcaigh wrote: »

Not necessarily, but you're upping your tolerance a lot and exposing your body to risk.

Do you like the taste of wine so much, or do you like getting tipsy? Both maybe?

Btw, I'm a fairly heavy drinker, but I use alcohol as a recreational drug. My liver function is below par and my iron levels are way too high.

whats with all the questions
give the op a chance to answer the first 2 questions

engiweirdo

Fordcspri23 wrote: »

Do you have regular sexual intercourse?

That's a sexomaniac not an alcoholic.

igCorcaigh

emptyhouse2222 wrote: »

whats with all the questions
give the op a chance to answer the first 2 questions

Sorry, yes. Im a little drunk.

igCorcaigh

igCorcaigh wrote: »

Sorry, yes. Im a little drunk.

Stunts the growth, wine does.

Frunchy

It's five times the recommended alcohol intake for a man, so you're definitely going to increase your cancer risk, do damage to your liver and other organs.

theguzman

Yes you are an alcoholic, you should seek help and speak to your GP, cut down on the wine it will do you no good as you are abusing it perhaps for some psychological reason.

D.L.R.

jacksn wrote: »

I went on holiday to France last year, over there I enjoyed a lot of wine and since then I would have a bottle of wine every day, I feel like I can stop anytime but I do enjoy it.. am I a dipso?

no, you're a wino.

CinemaGuy45

theguzman wrote: »

Yes you are an alcoholic, you should seek help and speak to your GP, cut down on the wine it will do you no good as you are abusing it perhaps for some psychological reason.

This a serious answer and the correct answer.

OP you posted here because you are worried and you have a dependence.
Nothing to be ashamed of alcohol is a very addictive substance.

igCorcaigh

I think the word 'alcoholic' can be self defeating.

Alcohol is a drug that can cause damage, on many levels, if consumed too much.

You do not need to be "addicted" to a drug for it to cause damage.

That word is a scare tactic anyway, and is also badly deployed to other things such as sugar.

igCorcaigh

I liked your use of the word dipso though

jacksn

jacksn wrote: »

I went on holiday to France last year, over there I enjoyed a lot of wine and since then I would have a bottle of wine every day, I feel like I can stop anytime but I do enjoy it.. am I a dipso?

Do you rely on it?
If yes, alcoholic
If no, not an alcoholic.

That aside, regardless of where you fall on that scale, a bottle of wine a day is unhealthy. You should look into cutting that down.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

Probably erring on the unhealthy side of risk if you ask me.

igCorcaigh

OP, good replies here, but one thing to say to you if you continue... At least have off days. A little alcohol every day can be far worse for your physical health than the odd bender, over time.

Take a few days off during the week, so your liver has a chance to repair.

Every day on any drug is not good.

Raheem Euro

Splitting everyone into teetotlers, healthy drinkers and alcoholics is maybe a bit simplistic.
There are degrees of problem drinking.

Analyse the effect of drink on you in your life. Your physical fitness, mental alacrity, personal relationships, work, sleep, diet. Do you ever suffer from anxiety, depression, mood swings.
Honestly assessing those factors will tell you if you are a problem drinker. Take a week or month off alcohol completely. See do you find that difficult.

leggo

There’s no one hard and fast answer, which is how people convince themselves they don’t have a problem, because they try cling onto one strict definition that *they* don’t apply to to convince themselves everything is fine. People can have an issue going drinking once a week and getting polluted (drinking should never affect your life in any meaningful way beyond maybe a sore head the next day and, if it does in any way regularly, that’s a problem). People can drink 3-5 times a week in moderation and be completely fine.

In your case OP? The metric I’d go by is “If you did this the rest of your life, would you be fine?” And a bottle of wine a night would suggest no, that can mess you up (before you even take issues that can arise from increasing your tolerance dramatically into account, which this would definitely do). So yeah, I’d say you do.

Another easy metric to go by, because particularly in Ireland our relationship and attitude towards alcohol can be way off-kilter, is that if you think you MIGHT have a problem at all, it’s probably worth dramatically cutting back or stopping immediately, at least until you’ve figured it out.

elstingeo

If you are asking yourself that question then there may be some truth behind it. Who knows. Only you.

Prolonged moderate consumption of alcohol is known to have effects on the kidneys and liver. Alcohol is a carcinogen and can also cause cirrhosis of the liver over time.

I am not lecturing you either. I also consume beer often. I am just stating some facts that can be found in the public domain. I am neither a Dr. or health professional.

Maybe the attitudes to alcohol consumption are different abroad. I would be of the belief that if one could go a number or days or weeks without it and not feel a true compulsion or requirement to consume then it may just be the sign of a bad routine.

We are all comprised of routines and habits. Some habits are better than others. It is based on time management.

Drinking a bottle of wine over x amount of time in the evening can be a way to spend time, relieve stress or be a source of enjoyment. With that said, going for a walk, to the gym or reading a book could also fill the time spent drinking and act as a hobby.

Try not to kid yourself with over consumption as it can happen very quickly and without any heed. I have personally seen this with some close friends and family.

Whichever conclusion you come to, I wish you luck.

sheesh

you can find out by doing a liver assay test ask you GP it will tell you if you are addicted and your liver function.

drinking everyday is bad as your liver never gets a chance to recover.

how are your hangovers? is it affecting you getting to work in the morning?

why are you drinking a bottle a night? why not one glass and leave the rest of it till tomorrow?

have you considered going out and doing something social and non drink related during the week instead?

99nsr125

jacksn wrote: »

I went on holiday to France last year, over there I enjoyed a lot of wine and since then I would have a bottle of wine every day, I feel like I can stop anytime but I do enjoy it.. am I a dipso?

UK NHS standard is more than 4 units and you have a problem

I'll find the assessment sheet if I can

joeguevara

CinemaGuy45 wrote: »

This a serious answer and the correct answer.

OP you posted here because you are worried and you have a dependence.
Nothing to be ashamed of alcohol is a very addictive substance.

Disagree and on the face of it a complete over reaction before the OP at least tries and sees whether they can moderate their alcohol intake. A bottle of wine is 4 glasses. It is definitely well above the recommended intake but that recommendation isn’t fool proof. Similar to the 5 a day fruit and veg myth the units is an arbitrary number which can vary considerably from person to person. The biggest test is can you try and stop for a certain amount of time (at least over a month). Also has it impacted your personal and profession life. These are more indicators of a problem rather than a label based on an arbitrary calculation.

Peregrinus

joeguevara wrote: »

Disagree and on the face of it a complete over reaction before the OP at least tries and sees whether they can moderate their alcohol intake. A bottle of wine is 4 glasses. It is definitely well above the recommended intake but that recommendation isn’t fool proof. Similar to the 5 a day fruit and veg myth the units is an arbitrary number which can vary considerably from person to person. The biggest test is can you try and stop for a certain amount of time (at least over a month). Also has it impacted your personal and profession life. These are more indicators of a problem rather than a label based on an arbitrary calculation.

Nitpick: A bottle of wine holds six standard glasses. As to how many units of alcohol, that depends on the alcoholic content of the wine, but 10 units is a nice round number and is correct for a wine which is 13.5% alcohol, which is pretty standard.

So, if you're taking a bottle of wine a day, you're probably getting around 70 units a week.

You're right to say that the recommended intake is just an average; that some people have more tolerance than others, etc, etc. But 70 units a week isn't off by 10% or 20% or even 50%; someone taking 70 units a week is getting 400% of the recommended intake. You'd have to be freak of nature for this not to present significant health risks in the long term.

Bigger issue: There's a distinction between the question "Am I an alcoholic?", which is the question asked in the OP, and "am I drinking too much?". If you're drinking too much it may be because you're an alcoholic, but the two questions are nevertheless distinct.

For alcoholism, the clinical test is whether the patient displays two or more of a list of behaviours. The OP already ticks the box for one behaviour - drinking large amounts over long periods of time - so the question is, does he tick any other box? They are:

- difficulty cutting down
- acquiring and drinking alcohol takes up a lot of time
- alcohol is strongly desired
- usage results in not fulfilling responsibilities
- usage results in social problems
- usage results in health problems
- usage results in risky situations (drink-driving, unsafe sex, accidents at home)
- withdrawal occurs when stopping
- alcohol tolerance has occurred with use

The OP doesn't suggest any of these problems and, if he doesn't, he would not be diagnosed as an alcoholic. But does that really matter, if he is drinking enough to harm himself?

DS86DS

There are plenty of people who enjoyed their drink, smoked like a chimney and didn't eat near enough vegetables....and lived well into their 90s.

vetinari

In beer terms, that's nearly 4 pints a day.
If it's really every day, then yeah you have a drinking problem.
You could get lucky and never suffer any long term ill effects.
Chances are though, that you will develop health issues from that level of drinking over the long term.

Peregrinus

DS86DS wrote: »

There are plenty of people who enjoyed their drink, smoked like a chimney and didn't eat near enough vegetables....and lived well into their 90s.

Yes, and there are plenty of people who electrocute themselves, and live to tell the tale.

So what? Unless we have some reason to think that the OP can take a bottle of wine a day and live to his 90s, the fact that some others may do so is not of much comfort.

IamtheWalrus

I think it's rare to want to drink a bottle of wine everyday. I'm guessing you are now starting to need it. If it's just a post holiday habit of European sophistication, then I'd drop it straight away. It's not worth the enjoyment.

kneemos

DS86DS wrote: »

There are plenty of people who enjoyed their drink, smoked like a chimney and didn't eat near enough vegetables....and lived well into their 90s.

Most ninety year olds you'll find didn't do those things .

Don't drink much but I'd be fairly well gone in a bottle of wine.

dense

jacksn wrote: »

I went on holiday to France last year, over there I enjoyed a lot of wine and since then I would have a bottle of wine every day, I feel like I can stop anytime but I do enjoy it.. am I a dipso?

Possibly.
You'll find out when you try to stop.

It's too much in my opinion, or, maybe I'm just a little envious....

Badly Drunk Boy

igCorcaigh wrote: »

I liked your use of the word dipso though

Me too (no hashtag). It literally means 'I thirst'.

sheesh wrote: »

you can find out by doing a liver assay test ask you GP it will tell you if you are addicted and your liver function.

It won't tell if you're addicted, just the state of your liver (although this might point to the fact that you might be addicted). Milk thistle is great for helping the liver to recover, or at least damage limitation. You can get it in various forms but personally, I like the Berocca-type pop-it-in-water version.

ToddyDoody

If I was to impose my own standards on everyone else, I'd say you're an alcoholic if you're drinking during the day and / or wake up hungover for work.

Fr_Dougal

igCorcaigh wrote: »

Stunts the growth, wine does.

bilbot79

Every day is very bad for your liver. Once every two days and you can recover. Cut down by doing once every two days.

I don't know how people drink on school nights. I couldn't do my job like that.

myshirt

More than 3 bottles of wine to yourself each week, consistently, yes you certainly are an alcoholic. No question about it. The issue is there is no social shame in wine, it's cans of Dutch Mould or bottles of Linden Village where we frown on people but without the doubt the highest volume of alcoholics is women in their early 40's drinking wine. They are such alcoholics that they will deny it to the ground.

I wouldn't class you as a roaring alcoholic however so hopefully you can cut it out. You'll never beat that Patrick Losty guy, the man who sank about 45 pints in the space of 2 hours. Pure disgrace. Went home and had a fry, and went at it again the following day. It's just not on that people laugh at that. That's a serious problem. The man didn't even take a toilet break, he just kept drinking.

facehugger99

If you're asking the question, you already know the answer.

OldMrBrennan83

jacksn wrote: »

I went on holiday to France last year, over there I enjoyed a lot of wine and since then I would have a bottle of wine every day, I feel like I can stop anytime but I do enjoy it.. am I a dipso?

You're not at all, though the Helen Lovejoy brigade would have you locked up.

2012paddy2012

jacksn wrote: »

I went on holiday to France last year, over there I enjoyed a lot of wine and since then I would have a bottle of wine every day, I feel like I can stop anytime but I do enjoy it.. am I a dipso?

I think the fact that you have put post up I think you know you may have a problem.
Be wary anyway , the problem unfortunately is that you are not having obvious issues , presently , but everything in moderation is the way to go ... I’d be more worried about psychological addiction also it may just be a crutch .. try a drink free day every second day .. and see how you go

nthclare

If it's effecting your thoughts and actions you could be an alcoholic.

A heavy drinker wouldn't even be worried about whether he has a drinking problem.

There's a huge difference between a heavy drinker and an alcoholic.

The heavy drinker can go out drink away and there's no drama, abusive or self destructive behaviour.

The alcoholic drinks and there's chaos, emotional meltdowns, feelings of disgust,shame and regret.

Edgware

jacksn wrote: »

I went on holiday to France last year, over there I enjoyed a lot of wine and since then I would have a bottle of wine every day, I feel like I can stop anytime but I do enjoy it.. am I a dipso?

If you go to the meetings you're an alcoholic otherwise you're just a dipso

Pinch Flat

Depends. Do you have it at 8am before you go to work?

Edgware

Pinch Flat wrote: »

Depends. Do you have it at 8am before you go to work?

Of course. It really adds to the breakfast roll in the car on the way to work. I usually dont start surgery until 9.30

nthclare

Edgware wrote: »

Of course. It really adds to the breakfast roll in the car on the way to work. I usually dont start surgery until 9.30

Do you get a labotomy every morning

iamtony

Your an alcoholic, just like me. Only difference between us and the stereotype alcoholic is we can consume drink and not get aggressive or rowdy or slur your words or fall. Basically you can probably handle the effects well.
When I read the Russel brand recovery book he said he almost envied the people using heroin or some as extreme as that because that was more obvious they had a problem and they got help faster.
P. S some great stuff on YouTube to assess yourself and get a bit of help stopping. This year I've managed to give up smoking and reduce my drinking to more reasonable levels by becoming aware of the basic instincts that cause addiction issues. Were all addicted to something, you just have to make your addiction a healthy one. Only takes about 6weeks to change your brain.

Edgware

nthclare wrote: »

Do you get a labotomy every morning

I'd rather a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy

Chancer3001

I've slowly become an alcoholic too.

Slippery slope.

Started off the same as the op

Bottle of wine chilling in the evening.

Now I could drink 3 and a bottle of whiskey over the weekend as well as heading out one or two nights for 6 or 7 pints .

Very highly functioning but it'll only end in disaster.

seamus

Forget the connotations of the word "alcoholic" for a second. Most people in their heads picture someone who stinks of drink all day (even when sober), and is a slurring mess in the evening. And the label implies an illness that will stay with you for the rest of your life, and you need to cry off drink and never drink again.

But all of that is obviously the extreme end. It might be more appropriate to say that at the moment that you're engaging in alcohol abuse. You're drinking too much and you can't stop. You say you can, but rather than actually stop, you posted here for advice.

It's really easy to fall into the pattern. Day done, jobs done, grand, glass of wine to relax while watching the telly before bed. Oh, that went quick, I'll have another nip. And another. Aaaaand... the bottle is gone.

The next night, the same thing. And before you know it you've had a few glasses or a bottle every night for the last two weeks.

Stop the habitual drinking for two weeks. Have a cuppa instead. If someone invites you to go to the pub, fire away. But the habit of a glass of wine in front of the telly is what's catching you. Two weeks, is what it takes to shake it. It won't be as easy as you probably think it would. Tonight you can change your routine, cuppa tea no bother. Tomorrow night you'll be itching for a glass and telling yourself, "Ah sure I'll just have the one, that's no big deal", and the thought of a cup of tea is like salad for breakfast.

After your dry two weeks, just have more awareness of what you're doing. If you realise you've been sitting in front of the telly with wine for 3 nights in a row again, then stop yourself, take a few days off.

Danzy

Drinking is a problem for you but you may not be impaired in life, ie your functioning away.

So maybe your not what we would view as an alcho but you have a problem.

I drink too much as well.

EdgeCase

If you're drinking a bottle of wine a day, please get your liver function monitored and consider reducing to about a glass a day and then maybe a glass every other day.

That's far, far too much wine to be drinking. If you can stop, do. If you can't stop you're probably an alcoholic and need to seek help to reduce that intake.

Liver disease is not pleasant and can be fatal.

That's the kind of alcoholism you see in France more than in Ireland but it's still very damaging. It's just not binge drinking.

nthclare

From Park Avenue to Park Bench was one of the best descriptions of alcoholism I heard...

Alcoholism doesn't discriminate....

TerrorFirmer

Nobody can say if you're an alcoholic or not just based on that but you're definitely problem drinking.

If you find it difficult to cut down from such regular heavy drinking, perhaps you are....or perhaps you've just fallen into a bad habit you can get of just as easy.

But there is a distinction between being a problem drinker and an alcoholic.