Do I have a drink problem?

Ernie7

Tonight, I've had several drinks. Around 1/3rd of a bottle of 40% whisky. Probably, a bit more, as I finished off the dregs of the previous bottle.

I didn't drink anything at all yesterday or the day before.

I don't feel drunk, just relaxed. And, I am able to type this accurately. 

Any thought? In a way, a concern is that I don't feel drunk.

To give an idea of my size, I weigh 90 Kgs. It used to be 85 Kgs, but I put on 5 Kgs during lockdown.

Rosa_Damascena

For a minute I thought DT was back!

The episode you have described is technically a binge and is not medically recommended. It is not enough to say you have a drink problem though, that can only be gauged after assessing your habits and behaviours over a longer period than 3 days. The safe amount of alcohol is no alcohol.

theoretica

Would a month without alcohol be hard for you?

Ernie7

theoretica said:

Would a month without alcohol be hard for you?

I'm not sure.

I've done a couple of dry months in the past, and I noticed for the first few days that I kind of itched to drink something at around 5PM. But, I had no problem not scratching that itch. Same in the last couple of days. 

I think it's more a habit than an addiction. 

Floss

1/3 of a bottle of 40% is approximately 10 units, which is a binge.

10 units in any 7 days is acceptable health-wise but 2, 3 or more days like that every week is not.

How often do you buy a bottle of whisky?

mark55man

I think if you are asking you might want to ease up - if when you have one you need another, then that's the start of a problem.

That said, I'm not a Dr, not any personal experience, just noting it seem a little addictive behaviour like I do with biscuits !!  ad I do have a problem with that which is why I have no biscuits in the house

Apintplease

If you are having to ask on a board of complete strangers, then I suggest that you yourself are thinking you may have a problem

I can sit here and say I drink 2litres of scotch a week  - which I do  - and there will be those who are up in hands, others who say good on you

No one but you know if you are drinking too much

Im a functioning alcoholic. I could drink all day and still do a days work. I dont get hang overs, Im up at 6am and in my work at 7am. Im happy and cheery all day

However I won't remember tomorrow what happened the day before from the time I start drinking - there for I have a serious drink problem

There are many sites online  - try AA - a few honest answers to a few probing questions may give you the answers you are looking for 

twopenny

My thoughts are when you can drink a fair amount on a regular basis and you don't get drunk then your body has got used to that amount.

That's not good for you. Your liver is dealing with the poison when it could be working better for your health.

They now say that your liver needs a break so that if it's only once a week you binge drink that's better than every day, not necessarily good for you.

The time of day is interesting. I've always had a time around 6pm when I've felt down and the lockdown saw me go from the nightcap to escalate my drinking like many others. The snacks that go with it don't help. They are unlikely to be fruit.

Thankfully with the long nights and better weather I've found other things to do but still have a single drink of beer or somesuch as an end to the day. Still miss the whisky and crisps but I find I do other things now.

I've also tried to replace that feeling early evening with a hot shower - used to be a long bath when I had one. Feel more relaxed with that.

If you're worried try and find something else pleasurable at your weakness time to replace it.  Surprising what can happen.

As I've friends, one had a liver transplant and just made it, her husband got ill too, another had continued ill health and couldn't even go a day without socialising in the afternoon at a pub - and he was a bar man - and ended up with serious issues that stopped him. Another went into rehab but the socialisation got him again.

Another question to ask yourself - was it good Scotch, single malt that was a joy to drink? Or was it the cheap stuff for the effect? When you're drinking to 'take the edge of' that's time to start to be cautious of what you're doing.

Rosa_Damascena

Apintplease said:

If you are having to ask on a board of complete strangers, then I suggest that you yourself are thinking you may have a problem

I can sit here and say I drink 2litres of scotch a week  - which I do  - and there will be those who are up in hands, others who say good on you

No one but you know if you are drinking too much

Im a functioning alcoholic. I could drink all day and still do a days work. I dont get hang overs, Im up at 6am and in my work at 7am. Im happy and cheery all day

However I won't remember tomorrow what happened the day before from the time I start drinking - there for I have a serious drink problem

There are many sites online  - try AA - a few honest answers to a few probing questions may give you the answers you are looking for 

Any fleeting envy I may have here - a single G&T can induce a headache - disappears when I think of the irreversible harm being done to your liver

Ernie7

Thanks for the insights. Very interesting. Since I wrote the above, I’ve had a couple of small glasses of wine, but nothing else. I think I’ll be able to cut back drastically and stick to that. 

I will report back in a couple of months.

maman

You might want to try this very supportive thread ernie. It's like a star chart for grown ups. It's essentially money saving but helps to keep drinking in check. Very few people want to give up completely on there, just keep track. 

Giving Up/Cutting Down Alcohol Thread Part 17 - Page 189 — MoneySavingExpert Forum