Health - Drinking heavily. Should I stop, should I care?

[Abrad]

SWIM is drinking 7 nights/week at at least 10pts of cider a night.
Is this something to worry about?

Am I an alcoholic?

[bcubed]

That depends.

10 Pints (at 5%ABV?) works out to 240 or so ml of alcohol (unless they're Imperial Pints, in which case I can't help). Dunno SWIY's weight, but I'd imagine if he'd been keeping up this level of drinking for a month or more, he's most likely physically dependant. This is NOT the same thing as alcoholism, however (using a strict definition). So if he elects to quit, he might want to taper.

Some questions to help him know if he has a problem:

Does he intend to drink that much/often, or does he resolve to cut down but don't?

Is he engaging in behavior such as DWI?

Is his personal or professional life starting to come apart?

Basically, has he settled into a habit where all he does is work, drink, and sleep?

I'd suggest he avoids going to a doc, unless he needs meds to taper. They have a financial interest in producing as many "diseased" people as possible, and it's highly likely they'd call him an alkie based on consumption levels alone.

If it's fun, and not causing problems in his life, I see no problem, except that 240ml/day is probably not sustainable over the course of an average lifetime.

[Nature Boy]

Ten pints of cider every night of the week is something to be worried about, and this is advice coming from a fellow Irishman who often indulges in alcohol but not to those degrees usually. Last Christmas, SWIM drank very heavily for three weeks and was noticing some of the beginning stages of alcoholism such as a very high tolerance developing and even mild bouts of paranoia.

For the sake of SWIY's health, ten pints of cider a night must be doing real damage. Cider is sticky, acidic stuff. I hardly imagine SWIY's stomach is feeling great.

I'm not going to call you an alcoholic, I'm just gonna say you drink too much. Make a conscious decision to cut back if this is troubling you. If you fail, then you may have a problem.

[Abrad]

Shit, this is quite embarassing. I have no recollection of posting this.
SWIM does drink heavily, and has a high tolerance, but no more than his peers.

[Micklemouse]

Originally Posted by Abrad

Shit, this is quite embarassing. I have no recollection of posting this.
SWIM does drink heavily, and has a high tolerance, but no more than his peers.

That is enough to say to this Mouse that something needs to be sorted out here.

How long has SWiA been tippling at this level? If for a few months it is likely that he might need a Librium (chlordiazepoxide) detox (can be done at home with support) to safely avoid the nastier withdrawal symptoms (seizures, tremor, hallucinations, that sort of thing). Librium is a long-lasting benzo that rather effectively fools the cns into thinking it has alcohol in it - a 5 - 7 day taper usually gets people over the danger zone so far as physical problems with detox goes. Then comes dealing with what led to such a high intake in the first place. Counselling & CBT (Cognitive Behaviour Therapy) are both useful tools if there is a big issue at the heart of things, or even if it is simply a habit that is hard to break - CBT especially can help someone look at the patterns that make up such a routine, heightening awareness of the thought processes ( or lack of...) that lead to drinking instead of doing something a little less destructive (& potentially cheaper!).


I'd definitely recommend SWiA speak to his doc about this - despite Bcubed's assertion they are generally there to help people.

Btw, Bcubed - the use of the term "alkie" is not particularly helpful here, or anywhere else for that matter. Please stop using it.

Reputation Comments on this post:

	Thank you for your advice
	Excellent advice mate :)

[Nature Boy]

Peers aren't really much to go on if they all drink very heavily anyway. You don't need me to tell you that.

[Abrad]

unless they're Imperial Pints, in which case I can't help

Yes Imperial pints 568ml.

[Alfa]

5.6 liter cider a day?
Which brand? I'm buying stock market shares!

[Abrad]

Thank you all for your responses. SWIM has been drinking every night since just before Christmas. It was only a couple of weeks ago that his tolerance got high enough for him to drink 10 pints on a normal night out.
I will be taking SWIM to see a doctor ASAP and trying to cut down in the meantime.

[Nagognog2]

Don't believe the hype about needing to go confess in a church-basement while drinking shitty coffee. Put it down. Take a benzo ONLY if the withdrawl is severe. And ride the tiger for 2 to 3 days. You'll be fine.

B Vitamins and Black Licorice for restoring liver function. A little food every hour to calm the stomach.

[bcubed]

MM, consider me properly chastised.

The two points I was trying to make (and I still feel they're valid) were:

1. Despite what so many say, alcohol depedency does not necessarially imply that one is an (well, whatever term I ought to use for "a sick, sick, person who should NEVER ever do any drugs at all!") The qtys involved might give one pause, but there are WAY too many people who would say "consumption > N ml/day = alcoholism"

2. The medical situation might mot be as bad as in the U.S., where a G.P. is basically froced to come up with a diagnosis to justify getting paid by an ins. co., but I'd bet, if one were to see a doc, the "default setting" is that one has a problem (just based on the fact that they sought out attention) unlees one convinces the doc otherwise.

Rest assured that it was a typing shortcut and not intended as pejorative in any way; and since the O.P. specifically mentioned the word "alcoholic," I'm surprised that a shortened version of that word in response would get me in trouble.

[FrankenChrist]

Stay away from people and places that remind you of your habit, and find something else to spend your time with, preferably something constructive.

[Abrad]

Stay away from people and places that remind you of your habit, and find something else to spend your time with, preferably something constructive.

SWIM live in Ireland, doing this would effectively turn him into a hermit. There are 11 pubs within walking distance for SWIM. His entire social life revolved around drinking.

To be honest SWIM doesn't really want to stop, but is concious of financial and health issues.

[bcubed]

Originally Posted by Abrad

SWIM live in Ireland, doing this would effectively turn him into a hermit. There are 11 pubs within walking distance for SWIM. His entire social life revolved around drinking.

To be honest SWIM doesn't really want to stop, but is concious of financial and health issues.

Well if SWIY doesn't want to stop, then it's worse than useless to force himself to.

My suggestions:
1. Take milk thistle/multivitamins. These can help to extend the life of one's liver
2. Eat food, even if one prefers not to. Food consumption can ward off liver disease (even if it makes one fat).

I hope SWIM didn't come across as judegmental. SWIM can't be, without being a hypocrite. Just be aware that current consumption levels probably aren't sustainable over the course of a lifetime (if SWIY cares about that...)

[Bio-Cellular Enigma]

Originally Posted by Abrad

SWIM live in Ireland, doing this would effectively turn him into a hermit. There are 11 pubs within walking distance for SWIM. His entire social life revolved around drinking.

To be honest SWIM doesn't really want to stop, but is concious of financial and health issues.

Has SWIY made any honest attempts to cut back? Forget conventional wisdom, some people are able to do this if they can muster the required discipline and come up with creative angles to the problem.

SWIY's cultural situation sounds very real, so it would seem to make sense attempting to cut back first. It might take some real creativity and inventiveness to make it work (SWIM has no specific suggestions, sorry).

[desperado]

If you drink that much, make sure you get some sleep every day, eat food, relax, dont kill your boddy.

[upperdecker]

Originally Posted by Abrad

SWIM is drinking 7 nights/week at at least 10pts of cider a night.
Is this something to worry about?

Am I an alcoholic?

Yes SHIY is an alcoholic even though most people will say that the term alcoholic only referrs to a person that drinks all day constantly thats not true. Look up the characteristics of an alcoholic an I'm sure SWIY has them all. And yes SWIY should be worried because SWIY is killing yourself. SWIM suggest tapering down. SWIM drank a pint of vodka for about 2 months straight and just quit cold turkey with no problem....so far. SWIM would taper down if SWIM were SWIY.