Are you an alcoholic?

[Lucy]

Have you done the AA thing Jog on? I know it isn't for everyone.

[Churchill]

I’ve got better recently but I have a complicated situation. My other half is a dry alcoholic who hasn’t touched a drop for over 10 years now. She’s very conscious of when I do drink and how much to the point where she puts a lot of pressure on me not to which makes me do it more.

When faced with all the pressure not to I tend to have large binges although lately I just haven’t been that into it out of my choice and not hers. I have drunk huge amounts and had blackouts and shakes etc, kind of drinking like a student.

I’ve mellowed a lot lately which I feel better for and it has made things at home a lot better as well. Cutting back because I just don’t feel like getting hammered instead of her tugging on my arm saying ‘don’t you think you’ve had enough now?’ is much better.

I have had CBT counselling for this and am considering it again. I do think about it a lot but I think if my relationship situation were different I wouldn’t as much.

I quite enjoy being sober now and I seem to have developed a stopping point as well, it’s not fun being too drunk, falling about the place and talking rubbish, not at the time or the next morning. I’ve managed to take that on board and remind myself of it when I’m drinking.

I can’t remember the last time I got ‘steaming’ drunk – which makes a change!

I hope to <Insert Deity> that you're joking about your other half and the pressure.

FFS, get rid. It won't stop there!

[PAH]

I find I drink a lot more when I'm contracting away from home, especially if there are also other fellow contractors around in a similar position.

Worst example was when I was staying in a b&b in a small village. Nothing much else there apart from the pub opposite, so me and another contractor would invariably end up in the pub most nights. Good food and fit barmaids made it a very pleasant environment to get drunk in.


Otherwise I only drink socially, such as when at friends for a meal or out at the weekend. Rarely have a drink at home if alone as I see that as the start of a slippery slope.

[Bagpuss]

Someone who drinks every night at home, that's my definition of an alcoholic

I admit to a bit of binge drinking myself, several pints and several whiskey chasers on a Friday night,and not usually in the pub before 9:45

[Moscow Mule]

I find I drink a lot more when I'm contracting away from home, especially if there are also other fellow contractors around in a similar position.

Definitely true - Banks Mansion hotel in Amsterdam is the worst for this - free bar downstairs & decanters + free mixers in the room. It's just a recipe for disaster...

[PAH]

My dad made his own wine growing up, so I see drinking as very much the norm...

My dad used to make his own 'something' in demi-jons. Could never tell if it was supposed to be wine or beer! Certainly put me off boozing till I left school, so not all bad.

[SallyAnne]

Someone who drinks every night at home, that's my definition of an alcoholic

Do you even think about what you say?

What you've desribed could be someone drinking one glass of wine every night.

What you've described is also the complete opposite of binge drinking..which is a good thing surely!

[Charles Foster Kane]

Are you worried that you are?

It's not really about how much you drink, it's why - to suppress feelings etc and it's also about how much of a personality change you have when you do, and if you think about it lots.

No, not at all. As for reasoning, I enjoy drinking wine and am interested in different types and tastes, my Grandad who passed away recently had a vineyard in the Mediterranean that the family now own and I grew up learning about wine making. The thread title was an afterthought, I was just curious as to what people's habits were. I often have periods where I stop for a week or longer should I feel the need, not to mention that research shows a glass or two of red a day is better for you than not drinking at all (I only drink red), maybe you should take it up for health reasons?

[oracleslave]

Do you even think about what you say?

What you've desribed could be someone drinking one glass of wine every night.

What you've described is also the complete opposite of binge drinking..which is a good thing surely!

However the implication of someone drinking every day is that they cannot get through the day without it. This dependence and use of alcohol as a crutch is definitely a pointer towards alcoholism imho.

[Bagpuss]

Do you even think about what you say?

What you've desribed could be someone drinking one glass of wine every night.

Someone who drinks every day has an alcohol problem, most people drink socially or to watch sport and don't need a drink every night.