If it's hard liquor by the bottle I guess that makes sense.

Yeah, going all out like that never appealed to me, lol.

You'd be amazed how long someone can skate on the thin ice while consuming "Intervention" levels, and appear perfectly normal to colleagues and healthy. I can think of three petite female corporate lawyers (one ex) that appeared to be on top of the world for those on the outside, they all died and were consuming heroic amounts for years. My ex was 125 lbs, about 5'9", drank close to 1.25 liters (standard fifth and 1/2 of a second bottle, or 70% of a handle) on average per day, but could easily polish off a handle (about 40 drinks) plus beers, and routinely did. If she started at 9 am on a sunday she would finish most of a handle by 2pm with intermittent pass outs, and then by 6 pm would be walking to the store. She did this from 24-30. Dead at 30. She also mixed in a bit of pills she got hooked on from her nfl RB ex-bf which contributed to the earlier death, but she was headed that way regardless.

One day she woke up with stomach pain, her fiance took her to the hospital, she never left and was dead a month later. Total organ shutdown as healthier organs had to take on higher loads as heavily damaged organs shut down first, the healthier organs followed suit. Similar stories for the other two, but mid 30's when the final hospitalization occurred.

9/10 times it's vodka towards the end. I'm sure they exist, but never met a near-death alcoholic that was about beer. It's inefficient to relieve intense withdrawal.

damn I been drinking everyday for like 10 + years now but not on that level of quantity

Yeah, I got plenty of friends that are heavy drinkers, will probably always be, and will never develop alcoholism. Loads of people finish off a 6-pack nightly plus hard liquor nightcaps, the empty calories aren't great, and there is some internal damage (fatty liver, etc.), but its business as usual in all other respects of their lives.

Thats why I stick to beer. Hard liquor is when chit starts going sideways quickly

thats why i just but the airplane shots to limit hard liquor intake

I always find the term alcoholism weird…like I'd say Iam? but what is it?

I drink really heavy on the weekends, and then work M-F, but isn't that like 80% of the population now? lol.

I've never woke up like oh man I really need a drink right now!, but if I'm drinking im going hard.

3 to 5 drams of peated Scotch per week crew (srs)

i dont think you know what the word alcoholism means

Heavy drinking does not equate to alcoholism necessarily.

There are plenty of people that get notified they have developed fatty liver deposits (different than fatty liver disease), take it as a wakeup call, and cut back or enter into a pre-determined medically advised period of abstinence for several weeks or months.

There are plenty of people that are heavier drinkers and continue to drink, however it does not have a meaningful impact on their lives. Someone that drinks a bit too heavy on the weekend and isn't the best employee on Monday morning but gets the job done is not necessarily an alcoholic. Nightly drinking also does not make someone an alcoholic by default. Many people that are in a nightly habit of drinking can take or leave drinking if they choose to do so. A generally unhealthy or unadvisable habit is not alcoholism.

These are however warning signs that a person's condition could progress to alcoholism or may already be alcoholic, but they also may not be. I've seen loads of people go either direction. I understand your perspective as an alcoholic and concerns, as an alcoholic myself it does pain me to see others that drink too heavily knowing the potential risks they face and wish they knew how dangerous it could be for them, and that it's safer not to tempt fate. I can think of a bunch of rugby buddies that are older boys now in their 50's and 60's that got a warning message from the doc, abstained for longer than the doctor recommended, it's 15 years down the line and they have what would be generally considered a healthy relationship with alcohol. There's also a few that were alcoholic and have passed or have progressed to alcoholism and either continue to struggle today or are successfully in sobriety.

And yes, there is a difference between a so called "functional alcoholic" that is already an alcoholic versus someone that should probably cut back but does not have a substance abuse disorder.

If someone has significant problems that impact their work, family, health, or social life, this is an indicator of potential active alcoholism.

Two people can drink the exact same amount for their bodyweight and gender, and one can be alcoholic while the other is not. Of course if someone is slamming a fifth every night there's a 99% chance they're headed down the dark rabbit hole of alcoholism or already there. But a construction worker that's 55 and enjoys a six pack of Budweiser every night to unwind and takes a shot of whiskey before bed is not necessarily an alcoholic. Not advisable, but not definitively alcoholism.

Congratulations on your week+ of sobriety (srs), but with 20 years presumably of meetings, AA, perhaps rehab or detox, you can't tell me you seriously can't distinguish between someone who should pull back and has potential risk factors versus someone that can't help but pick up the bottle regardless of it's effects on their lives. Nor does someone have to lose everything or anything to be an alcoholic.

There are people that on the outside seem to have everything going cherry in their lives (I was once there) and can maintain that for years before it catches up to them, and they were alcoholic the entire time. I was a full blown alcoholic at 22 and got interviewed for the "30 under 30" in my state in my late 20's, received promotions, had a job that required a PhD despite not having one, presented at national conferences, was on panels, and contributed significantly to research publications and studies in my field. But I was going home and drinking myself into oblivion every night to escape from underlying issues I didn't at the time have the tools to deal with in a healthy way while my personal relationships were significantly damaged. The issues with work, my health, etc., didn't manifest until years later. When I was 26 I knew I was an alcoholic and had suspicions since I was 20. The wheels started falling off in early 30's with 33-34 being where the seizures and DT's started. Happily 6 months sober, and have recovered many of the meaningful things I lost (family trust, self-respect, my health, and finances, I still got one of those nice cars too lol), but some of the other things that aren't as meaningful I never got back and I'm at peace for that and excited for the next 20+ years.

I wish you the best in your sobriety, but telling others they "don't know what alcoholism means" when they do, is not a productive use of your sobriety. If you want to spread the message get involved with AA and sponsor, become a public speaker at highschools and universities, or share your experience with others that are beginning to have concerns about their drinking patterns or the impact it has on their life.

I dont care what anybody says.If your drinking heavey every single day your an alcoholic.no two ways about it

Get yourself a DSM V if you care to, and get to an AA meeting. Very srs on the second part, and I suggest doing so this morning at 8am if you don't have a traditional 8-5.

Directory of online meetings happening 24 hours a day with new meetings every 15-30 mins: https://aa-intergroup.org/meetings/

Resource for anyone interested, not just Akd. Open meetings are open to anyone, including people that aren't sure if they're alcoholics, but have concerns.

Same here . I usually drink once every two months, as that’s when I get a craving and it tastes fantastic.
But I drink a lot when I do typically, and as good as the buzz is at the time , I find I get anxiety afterwards till the hangover goes away , which unfortunately is a week .



I don’t drink often and am classified as an alcoholic regardless. If you drink more than two beers in one evening they consider you an alcoholic .
My doctor ripped me a new one when I mentioned my father drank himself to death .
He assumed I’m the same ,but I’m no where near . I can only tolerate it a few times a month at the most .
My dad woke up and drank till he passed out again 7 days a week , just something I could never do even if I wanted to

Alcohol is a depressant, so it's the opposite.

im actually going on 9 days sober.In 20 years of drinking everyday i cant remember if ive ever gone this long not counting jail>Didnt go to detox nothing>Naltrexone has helped a lot. I went to AA ounce and decided it wasnt for me.If it helps someone else than great. Do what you gotta do.'gonna see how long i can go.nobody thought i could do it most of all me

yeah i drink when i wake up till i go to sleep.every single day.im on day 9 sober.gonna see how far i can go.the money and getting in shape is worth it alone. already lost around 5 pounds i think.never thought id get this far

Congrats, srs. Naltrexone and Vivitrol can be life savers, and for me antabuse was also helpful in the preliminary stages of recovery (I DO NOT RECOMMEND antabuse for the average alcoholic without serious conversations with a very knowledgeable doctor that has experience with alcoholism).

And yeah, AA isn't for everyone. Cheers for trying it though, and it's the lowest hanging fruit to offer the interested masses. Some AA meetings just suck, you can't vibe with, have toxic people, so I usually throw it out there for people to try a couple meetings at different places just to make sure it really isn't their style. For me, I stick to Mens Only, or Speaker meetings. Plenty of other recovery styles whether formal or informal if AA isn't their speed. I take what I want from AA and leave the rest while incorporating some elements of SMART, and Dharma, and a substantial level of medical knowledge about the neurology and brain chemistry of alcohol and GABA. I had a couple neurological episodes where my legs didn't work for short periods of time and I'd collapse and bonk my head, not pleasant and very disturbing for anyone to observe. Learning about the neurology and GABA depletion helped me understand the gravity of what was occurring and why.

If you're insured, I'd talk to your doctor about vivitrol. Same chemical compound as naltrexone, but lasts a monthish, requires a monthly checkup for the shot. Some do better with the daily ritual of naltrexone however or prefer the oral administration.

PSA the seizures and DTs often take place 3 days or so after a sudden drinking cessation when many people think they're in the clear. I was 3 days sober and supposed to spar at the gym before a friend talked me out of it, I began hallucinating later that evening and subsequently had a seizure less than a few hours after I was trying to glove up, lol. Never quit cold turkey without medical assistance and medication.

I saw a guy in my group have an atonic seizure in rehab after he had been sober for 5 days and had refused the benzo step-down. I witnessed a guy in his 60's have a complex focal seizure in the middle of an AA meeting which was wild.

If anyone ever wants to discuss their concerns over their drinking, has questions about alcoholism related to someone they know and wants resources, or whatever, I'm more than happy to respond to PMs. I have some direct or indirect knowledge about specific rehabilitation or detox programs in a few states.

yeah you know what your talking about cause i know all that too.really wish i had some benzos the first few days.Ive been through this so many times i know what im doing and its working.for the average person yes.go to detox.better safe than sorry

im not gonna take vivitrol cause i might have a relapse and get sick.when i get mad i dont give a fuk and go for the whiskey. Ive got tons of Naltrexone so im gonna keep taking it. Bought some kratom too.Stuff is expensive but it will help me out a little bit

If it's just alcohol and not opiate, there isn't a specific negative interaction in the same way that antabuse does. There is substantial misinformation online about vivitrol. A doctor is not going to be happy however if you drink on vivitrol, because it's really reserved for people that are 100% ready for abstinence. It's called liquid gold for a reason, not because its golden, but because of the cost.

It can result in people drinking heavier than they would otherwise if they relapse if they're trying to "beat" the vivitrol, same goes for naltrexone. Naltrexone can be damaging to the liver however, so that's not great.

I've drank on vivitrol, naltrexone, and antabuse. My knowledge of vivitrol however is not based on my anecdotal experience but rather medical publications. You can end up hospitalized very easily on antabuse if there is a relapse. Sometimes people, even medical professionals mistakenly conflate the negative effects of antabuse and vivitrol.

One thing to note about naltrexone is that it can result in some mild enzyme increase, so for someone using TSM (Sinclair Method) or has severe organ scarring, it's a consideration, whereas vivitrol does not impact enzyme values negatively. Presumably naltrexone is taken under medical supervision with labs so unless the doc sucks it's not a significant risk for most alcoholics.

I believe antabuse also results in enzyme elevation.

Regarding the bolded part in the quote, find a gym with a boxing bag! Sprint until you collapse, go for a walk, watch p*rn, do whatever coping mechanisms help get that energy out! I have that same immediate reaction risk with romantic relationships if things go south. We all got those triggers. And bro, throwing it out there, but with the money saved, treat yourself once and awhile. Get an ice cream cone, or a massage, whatever it is that helps with self care. Something generally frivolous but rewarding that you wouldn't be able to enjoy but for the saved money and sobriety.

thats exactly why i wont take it.if i relapse on Naltrexone its not the end of the world.im just trying not to think about it.if i think about it all day im gonna want to drink.just taking it one day at a time.thats all i can do.its amazing i got this far

You say that until it starts fuking up your health or interfering with your life in general. Then, all it does it make everything 100x worse

Keep it up buddy, we got this. I'll throw you some information on B-12 and B-complex injections (totally legal, cheap, and safe) that can really help over pm when I get up in a few hours. There are really well established dosing protocols that work.

Sorry to everyone for semi hijacking the thread.

To anyone in this thread with concerns about their drinking, begin an oral dose of B-vitamin complex today at the recommended dosage, srs. It isn't as bio-available to the body for serious alcoholics hence injections, but it can prevent or stave off some of the nastiest chronic conditions that result from alcoholism. I suspect based on some of the comments that others have made that they may be compounding the negative impacts of alcohol misuse with a vitamin b deficiency. Not a doctor.

herb wins

This, and it's not even close. Why are some of you guys still choosing to destroying yourselves with booze when weed is so readily available, and totally legal in so many places now? It really makes zero sense to me. If you'd be a daily drinker, you'd be better off having weed daily in similar amounts (in terms of how it impacts your psychological state).

being drunk is fun but it's just not worth the day after imo, unless you're properly on it and drinking loads of water a long with alcohol but then that kinda defers from the fun of a night out drinking etc

It stops being fun when you're pounding gatorades all the time and still usually feel like chit physically and are tired all the time.

People would be surprised at how long many severely physically unhealthy alcoholics can function fairly normally and seem healthy enough on the outside for years, until they suddenly aren't. Usually starts hitting most true alchies sometime in their 30's or 40's depending on how much they drink.

went to one of the dozen smokeshops in the area and got this.cost almost $80.waste of money but will get my mind off drinking.i can say that Delta8 vape oil will get you high.for being legal its not bad.havent tried the edibles yet.thhey are basically big pieces of cereal with Delta9.i dont know how to properly do pics here.this place sucks for this stuff
https://i.imgur.com/KVPcCj2_d.webp?m...8&shape=square

thanks.ive been wanting B vitamin injections for a while but the doctors suck out here.i keep forgetting to ask but im sure they will come up with an excuse why they dont wanna give them to me. In detox sometimes they give you something they call a banana bag.really it looks like a piss bag.its a bag full of vitamins they hook an IV up to

mate this really blows me away how the body can seemingly function as normal but probably isn't

in your opinion, is smoking weed during the day the equivalent of drinking during the day?

absolutely not.not even close.