8 Drinks! Are You Kidding Me???

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  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    It's all relative. In France, if you had a glass of wine with lunch and another with dinner each night, you'd be considered a light drinker.
    It's all relative everywhere. There's a huge difference between 8 glasses of wine spread over 7 days, and 8 glasses of wine in one night.
  • MSeel1984
    MSeel1984 Posts: 2,297 Member
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    I drink a glass of wine just about every day...sometimes more on the weekends.

    I don't know. I've never considered myself to be a heavy drinker.
  • Slacker16
    Slacker16 Posts: 1,184 Member
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    To me, it seems disturbing, how many people are defending those 8+ servings of drinks...
    What I find disturbing is that a six-pack of cider is 1200 calories.

    How can I fit that - and Doritos, of course - into my day?

    ETA : I really disagree with trying to "justify" vices as being healthy. Not throwing any stones here : I drink, smoke various things, eat a lot of junk food and occasionally... other stuff.

    Is any of that good for me? No, and I'm not kidding myself about it either. Is it going to kill me? Maybe, but I take steps to ensure it won't do so too quickly... and when all is said and done, I'd rather die at 70 looking back on many drunken parties, chill weekends on the couch and trips than live to be 120 and reminisce about that one wild weekend when I had a beer and smoked a joint...
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
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    I'm intrigued by the replies. Obviously.

    I consider myself a moderate drinker. I have wine with dinner most nights. I enjoy wine. I rarely over indulge. But the extremes on this thread (as they often do on a FOOD site.... about BOOZE) fascinate me.

    Again, folks. The recommendations for a woman are HAVE A GLASS OF WINE a day. But suddenly, have TWO just once a week and you've gone over. Think of all the cultures we supposedly emulate "the french paradox" etc. Does this not seem odd?

    In france they serve wine by the carafe at university cafeterias I've been too. FOR LUNCH. Now imagine saying to a woman: one wine a day. YES. two...cancer. "heavy drinker".

    Seems odd.

    Signed: sometimes has two. sometimes even has THREE.

    That is why I was saying I think it is a cultural thing! The US is very uptight about drinking, and likes to label people by the number of drinks they have. Maybe we like to put boxes around things?? Like you said, a glass a night is good, but suddenly 1 extra glass a week is a problem? :laugh:

    I enjoy wine and beer, and usually have one to two drinks a day. I log every one and my diary is open, so I'm certainly not trying to hide anything or feeling defensive about it. My grandmother lived to be 98 and when asked what her secret was, she said "Plenty of martinis and fooling around." I grew up in a drinking extended family (my own parents don't drink much) so it's pretty much a boozefest whenever we all get together.
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
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    If the CDC said it makes you a heavy drinker, then you are a heavy drinker, there's really no opinions involved here. The CDC is the final word on everything health related. Sorry if that makes you feel bad, drink less or accept that you are classified as a heavy drinker.

    Not sure if srs....:huh:
  • h7463
    h7463 Posts: 626 Member
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    ^^ And one more of this...

    To me, it seems disturbing, how many people are defending those 8+ servings of drinks... Looking at this as an average over the course of maybe one year, if I would have one glass per day, that would be a lot of booze... Even worse, if I would find out that I 'HAVE TO HAVE' one a day to make it through, or engage in a lengthy debate to JUSTIFY my average number of drinks......THAT is a problem in my book...
    Just my 1.5 oz on the topic....

    I find it much more disturbing that people come into the alcohol threads and jump to conclusions based on nothing more than some message board posts...

    Or people who find that having a discussion on a message board about the posted topic is a "lengthy debate"...

    Or people who make a message board post to weigh in on a discussion that they find disturbing....

    Hahaha...yeah...deeply disturbed, indeed....IMHO
    This is not the first debate on the subject that I have seen. I actually read the original article about it, and I also read the explanation behind the definition on the CDC website, well before posting, btw.... The comments on the news article were about the same as here...just a lot more people... So yes, the number of defenders on the subject, especially those that have clearly not read past the headlines of the piece, makes one wonder why they are so up in arms in the first place....people, get a clue and chill.....lol
  • jec285
    jec285 Posts: 145 Member
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    If the CDC said it makes you a heavy drinker, then you are a heavy drinker, there's really no opinions involved here. The CDC is the final word on everything health related. Sorry if that makes you feel bad, drink less or accept that you are classified as a heavy drinker.

    Not sure if srs....:huh:

    Dead serious.

    Arguing it is like arguing that Merriam-Webster got a word wrong in their dictionary.
  • ilikethisname
    ilikethisname Posts: 15
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    I think the proof is in how much weight you have lost. CNN definitely wants people to remember their segments and you did just that. Don't let a sensational news story worry you. You are working out and losing weight. You are fine.
  • tedrickp
    tedrickp Posts: 1,229 Member
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    Hahaha...yeah...deeply disturbed, indeed....IMHO
    This is not the first debate on the subject that I have seen. I actually read the original article about it, and I also read the explanation behind the definition on the CDC website, well before posting, btw.... The comments on the news article were about the same as here...just a lot more people... So yes, the number of defenders on the subject, especially those that have clearly not read past the headlines of the piece, makes one wonder why they are so up in arms in the first place....people, get a clue and chill.....lol

    I dunno why you were quoting me because I disagree with you.

    I for one - see no reason why discussing this is disturbing. I don't think there is anything wrong with the "defending". I actually think certain people on MFP are WAY too quick to try and imply people have an alcohol problem when they are discussing alcohol.

    I don't see why people can't debate/defend (whatever) the CDC's description of heavy drinking is without having random people cast aspersions as to why they are "defending" it.

    This is a message board - it exists so people can discuss topics.
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
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    It's not an American thing. The unit measurements are larger in the States than in the UK. And most of the info I see comes from the UK. The tracking sites I use are UK sites. But, they say they are trying to raise awareness about the health effects of alcohol.
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
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    If the CDC said it makes you a heavy drinker, then you are a heavy drinker, there's really no opinions involved here. The CDC is the final word on everything health related. Sorry if that makes you feel bad, drink less or accept that you are classified as a heavy drinker.

    Not sure if srs....:huh:

    Dead serious.

    Arguing it is like arguing that Merriam-Webster got a word wrong in their dictionary.

    Good grief. The CDC is run by human beings and many of them are not scientists or familiar with the latest research. Personally I like to look at the evidence and make my own decisions rather than blindly following the guidelines of a public government organization.
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
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    When you look at it alcohol is actually a toxin, so I imagine that drinking 8 drinks a week on a regular basis would do damage to the body and over time that damage could be compounded. So I can understand why, within the medical community , 8 drinks a week would make someone a heavy drinker.

    Sure, straight ethanol is toxic in a large dose. But even 80 proof moonshine is still only 40% ethanol. It's all relative, and a drink a day has shown to be beneficial whether beer, wine or hard liquor. Not exactly something can say of something that is a 'toxin'.
  • Meerataila
    Meerataila Posts: 1,885 Member
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    I don't think it's about stigma or dependency or whether you FEEL like you're a heavy drinker or not - those are personal perception issues. Doctors should know if you're drinking every night. It could affect your diagnosis and/or treatment options. :flowerforyou:

    And risk health or life insurance costs going up by being formally classified as a heavy drinker in medical records? If I ever work my way up to eight or nine glasses of wine a week, I'll be damned if I'm telling my doctor about it.
  • SunofaBeach14
    SunofaBeach14 Posts: 4,899 Member
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    If it bothers you that much, it might be a good idea to ask yourself why.

    This

    lol - the "if you have an opinion about alcohol consumption that is north of abstinence then you must be an alcoholic" line of reasoning.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    If it bothers you that much, it might be a good idea to ask yourself why.

    This

    lol - the "if you have an opinion about alcohol consumption that is north of abstinence then you must be an alcoholic" line of reasoning.
    In every thread on the subject on this dieting board. It's quite stunning.
  • SunofaBeach14
    SunofaBeach14 Posts: 4,899 Member
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    To me, it seems disturbing, how many people are defending those 8+ servings of drinks...
    What I find disturbing is that a six-pack of cider is 1200 calories.

    How can I fit that - and Doritos, of course - into my day?

    ETA : I really disagree with trying to "justify" vices as being healthy. Not throwing any stones here : I drink, smoke various things, eat a lot of junk food and occasionally... other stuff.

    Is any of that good for me? No, and I'm not kidding myself about it either. Is it going to kill me? Maybe, but I take steps to ensure it won't do so too quickly... and when all is said and done, I'd rather die at 70 looking back on many drunken parties, chill weekends on the couch and trips than live to be 120 and reminisce about that one wild weekend when I had a beer and smoked a joint...

    I agree with this. And, what I want from government is honesty about science, not sensationalism. I tend to think that labeling 8 drinks a week as "heavy drinking" leans towards the latter.
  • SunofaBeach14
    SunofaBeach14 Posts: 4,899 Member
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    If it bothers you that much, it might be a good idea to ask yourself why.

    This

    lol - the "if you have an opinion about alcohol consumption that is north of abstinence then you must be an alcoholic" line of reasoning.
    In every thread on the subject on this dieting board. It's quite stunning.

    You're clearly in denial. As am I.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    If it bothers you that much, it might be a good idea to ask yourself why.

    This

    lol - the "if you have an opinion about alcohol consumption that is north of abstinence then you must be an alcoholic" line of reasoning.
    In every thread on the subject on this dieting board. It's quite stunning.

    You're clearly in denial. As am I.
    Clearly. I have maintained a weight loss for 12 years. I get A+ on my physical. I work out DAILY. My blood work is impeccable, and when I asked my doc if it was ok if i had wine with dinner most nights she said "no, what about the other nights. Have wine every night". The teetotalers on the board are a hoot. Again, I'm reminded of OTHER CDC initiatives...

    IIFYM...except for wine.
  • SunofaBeach14
    SunofaBeach14 Posts: 4,899 Member
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    If it bothers you that much, it might be a good idea to ask yourself why.

    This

    lol - the "if you have an opinion about alcohol consumption that is north of abstinence then you must be an alcoholic" line of reasoning.
    In every thread on the subject on this dieting board. It's quite stunning.

    You're clearly in denial. As am I.
    Clearly. I have maintained a weight loss for 12 years. I get A+ on my physical. My blood work is impeccable, and when I asked my doc if it was ok if i had wine with dinner most nights she said "no, what about the other nights. Have wine every night". The teetotalers on the board are a hoot.

    IMHO, there is a religious component to discussions about alcohol that is particularly prevalent in the U.S. and I think it clouds many people's perceptions of it. Also, heavy drinking has a certain connotation of drunkenness and poor behavior, and to redefine it as slightly more than 1 drink a day is a nothing short of a silly semantic game.

    ETA: And on that note, I think I'll have another beer. *waits for gasps of horror*
  • pythonsweb
    pythonsweb Posts: 49 Member
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    8 glasses a day maybe alot not a week

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