how many glasses of wine = alcoholism?
NormalSaneFLGuy
Posts: 1,344 Member
Most people like a good glass of wine (except me because I think it tastes terrible), but how much is too much? They say 1 glass a day(6oz) is good for the heart. If you are drinking wine every day, how many glasses a day (or ounces) would be excessive? When do you become an alcoholic?
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Replies
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Speaking as an alcoholic, it doesn't really depend on how much you drink. You become an alcoholic when alcohol becomes more of a priority than other things in your life, and sometimes everything. You become an alcoholic when drinking becomes your life.0
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alcoholism isn't a number of drinks per day, or per week. it is a dependency on alcohol. needing a few drinks to go to sleep, needed a few drinks to wake up, or a few drinks to get through the day or certain events are indicators of alcoholism.
the inability to stop drinking is another indicator of alcohol. lying about your consumption of alcohol is another. keeping your drinking a secret is another too.0 -
im sure i met the textbook definition of alcoholic during college and my 20's but i wasnt one.0
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alcoholism isn't a number of drinks per day, or per week. it is a dependency on alcohol. needing a few drinks to go to sleep, needed a few drinks to wake up, or a few drinks to get through the day or certain events are indicators of alcoholism.
the inability to stop drinking is another indicator of alcohol. lying about your consumption of alcohol is another. keeping your drinking a secret is another too.
so if I drink 20 oz of vodka every single day after work because I like it, but have the ability to stop if I want to, then I'm not an alcoholic?0 -
There is no rule that defines alcoholism. If you feel the 'need' for a drink, then I start to feel some concern. But a drink or two per day is not generally a problem. A drink is defined as one beer (I think the bottle is 10 oz), 5 oz of wine, or 1.5 oz of hard liquor. Alcohol adds calories that can get in the way of weight loss. Would you rather have a meal of 300-400 calories or 2 drinks and a bit? As well excess alcohol adds to the risks of other diseases later on, so the recommendations are for one drink for women and two for men.0
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vodka? lolllz0
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Why don't you try stopping for a week to make sure you can still stop?
20 oz. sounds like alot of vodka to me.0 -
If you want to know how it is to be an alcoholic, visit http://www.reddit.com/r/cripplingalcoholism0
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Lots and lots of different kinds of alcoholic. I should know I love with one! Don't drink myself. Odd 1 now and then. X0
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If you have the ability to stop because you want to then no you are not an alcoholic!0
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im sure i met the textbook definition of alcoholic during college and my 20's but i wasnt one.
Most college students fit into the "binge drinkers" category, not the alcoholic.0 -
Hm. Well this is surprising, but you all seem to agree.
So as long as I have the ability to stop, I can get black-out drunk every night for fun, every single day, and I'm not an alcoholic. Seems counterintuitive.0 -
I do not know the answer to your question but 3 or more glasses daily and you may have a seizure if you stop cold turkey0
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alcoholism isn't a number of drinks per day, or per week. it is a dependency on alcohol. needing a few drinks to go to sleep, needed a few drinks to wake up, or a few drinks to get through the day or certain events are indicators of alcoholism.
the inability to stop drinking is another indicator of alcohol. lying about your consumption of alcohol is another. keeping your drinking a secret is another too.
so if I drink 20 oz of vodka every single day after work because I like it, but have the ability to stop if I want to, then I'm not an alcoholic?
Do you even drink? Seriously?
In all likelihood, if you routinely consumed that much vodka on a daily basis, your body would become addicted.0 -
Hm. Well this is surprising, but you all seem to agree.
So a long as I have the ability to stop, I can get black-out drunk every night for fun, every single day, and I'm not an alcoholic. I like this definition.
If you get black-out drunk then you will not have the concious ability to stop.0 -
I've always thought an alcoholic is someone who drinks more than I do...
Seriously though, yes, its a dependence, and also if alcohol is effecting your life negatively, and the other points mentioned above. I've been told by alcoholics it is a self-diagnosed disease, though of course in some cases it is obvious to all, even if not to the alcoholic.
That said...sometimes I think I should cut down, even though I rarely drink excessively, I do drink frequently. I'll often think of it as a 'treat' at the end of the day. If I did well with my calories, I still have enough for a glass of wine... if not, then I should skip it, though of course I know if I"m trying to lose weight I should always skip it. Best I can manage with my mediocre will power, is to reduce it, like everything else I'm doing to lose. I can't cut out red meat either, I like it.. .but I can have less, less often, so thats what I do.
Everything in moderation should be okay, its a matter of reaching and sticking with 'moderation' that is the thing.0 -
im sure i met the textbook definition of alcoholic during college and my 20's but i wasnt one.
Most college students fit into the "binge drinkers" category, not the alcoholic.
not sure if the definition is the same now as it was then but according to this i had all the conditions except for the withdrawal.
Alcoholism
Definition
Alcoholism or alcohol dependence is defined by the American Medical Association (AMA) as "a primary, chronic disease with genetic, psychosocial, and environmental factors influencing its development and manifestations."
Description
Alcoholism is characterized by:
a prolonged period of frequent, heavy alcohol use.
the inability to control drinking once it has begun.
physical dependence manifested by withdrawal symptoms when the individual stops using alcohol.
tolerance, or the need to use more and more alcohol to achieve the same effects.
a variety of social and/or legal problems arising from alcohol use.0 -
If you do not depend on alcohol and it does not affect your daily life, functioning and health then in my opinion you aren't an alcoholic.0
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edited.0
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If you do not depend on alcohol and it does not affect your daily life, functioning and health then in my opinion you aren't an alcoholic.
wouldn't drinking large quanities of alcohol eventually affect your health? I mean, your liver isn't getting better from it.0 -
I've always seen that people who dislike alcohol are very quick to label people who do like it, "alcoholics."
I had a friend with an "alcoholic" husband and I swear I couldn't be married to her without alcohol but he was also a complete *kitten*. And I think that was a separate issue. In the end, and there was an end, alcohol was what killed him.
Having a glass or 2 of wine, even a few times a month, when you are happy and don't have responsibilities like driving or caring for children or working does not make you an alcoholic.
If you are drinking to make your life more "bearable," you are on a dangerous path.0 -
Hm. Well this is surprising, but you all seem to agree.
So as long as I have the ability to stop, I can get black-out drunk every night for fun, every single day, and I'm not an alcoholic. Seems counterintuitive.
I'm not an expert but I'm thinking if you get "black-out" drunk every night you probably won't find it that "easy" to stop and you probably have a drinking "problem" if not well on your way to alcoholism. I love drinking but I realize drinking NEVER makes anything better in your life and most often makes things worse. It certainly won't hurt you to stop for a couple of months and "dry" out.
I'm stopping until I reach my weight goal because I realize it is really hard for me to lose weight and enjoy my 1-2 glasses a night of wine at the same time. I will probably have something to drink on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas, and New Years Eve but I decided that's all I'm allowed until I reach my goal.
Do I miss my wine? Heck ya! Do I find myself less sleepy in the evening and able to get my homework done? Heck ya!
So you are a grown up and need to decide for yourself but if I were you, I would lay off "the sauce" for a while.
Good luck0 -
If you do not depend on alcohol and it does not affect your daily life, functioning and health then in my opinion you aren't an alcoholic.
wouldn't drinking large quanities of alcohol eventually affect your health? I mean, your liver isn't getting better from it.
Like I said, if it affects your health it's a different matter.0 -
When do you become an alcoholic?
When every moment of stress hits, and all you can think about it washing it away with alcohol.
When every bad thing imaginable happens and you choose to drink alcohol every time.
When you hit rock bottom and depression sets in and you choose to turn to alcohol...
When your only method of coping and dealing is turn to a bottle...
Soon.. your choices become an automatic response... and the ability to choose not to drink lessens, and becomes numbed......you struggle to disconnect from alcohol, and ultimately, the struggle takes away your ability to focus on reality.... you lose focus consciously and in a subconcious manner, that is all you know....
Its a behavior that becomes a habit...
Personally speaking, I was an alcoholic at age 13 due to circumstances that I dont dare describe here... it was enough to make a Marital Master almost vomit in court - I will leave it at that.... I quit cold turkey and it was almost the hardest thing I ever had to overcome.
I have a different mindset about alcohol now... having alcoholics for parents, being an alcoholic at such a young age... as an adult now, I have an extreme personal limitation to allowing myself alcohol. Its very rare to be honest. It took ALOT of counseling to set me on the right path, but that path involved alot of treachery that I had to battle and work on. Was I successful.. yes... do I remember any of it? All of it. Do I ever want to dip back into the bottle when hell comes rushing in? I can honestly say.. Im at that point in my life, I dont want it. I dont have a desire for it... but the hard work really helped to make a difference in my life. Not many are able to do this... which is why its so important for a person to identify things early.. in its most earliest stages before a choice.. becomes a reflex.. if you know what I mean?0 -
what is the OP fishing for here?0
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Hm. Well this is surprising, but you all seem to agree.
So as long as I have the ability to stop, I can get black-out drunk every night for fun, every single day, and I'm not an alcoholic. Seems counterintuitive.
Alcoholism has both physical and psychiatric components. It isn't just drinking. It's when drinking becomes so important that it destroys your relationships, social life, health, work, etc.0 -
Most people like a good glass of wine (except me because I think it tastes terrible), but how much is too much? They say 1 glass a day(6oz) is good for the heart. If you are drinking wine every day, how many glasses a day (or ounces) would be excessive? When do you become an alcoholic?
Just interested why do you ask the question?0 -
what is the OP fishing for here?
My question as well. My guess would be a nondrinker trying to diagnose a drinker.0 -
If you are drinking to make your life more "bearable," you are on a dangerous path.
this being used as a diagnosis really confuses me. i'd think that the condition could be depression, not alcoholism and drinking is a symptom of that. so someone who just likes to drink but can stop whenever they want isn't an alcoholic, but someone who drinks due to depression is? i'd think that in both cases, the liver isn't gonna know the difference.0 -
When do you become an alcoholic?
When every moment of stress hits, and all you can think about it washing it away with alcohol.
When every bad thing imaginable happens and you choose to drink alcohol every time.
When you hit rock bottom and depression sets in and you choose to turn to alcohol...
When your only method of coping and dealing is turn to a bottle...
Soon.. your choices become an automatic response... and the ability to choose not to drink lessens, and becomes numbed......you struggle to disconnect from alcohol, and ultimately, the struggle takes away your ability to focus on reality.... you lose focus consciously and in a subconcious manner, that is all you know....
Its a behavior that becomes a habit...
Personally speaking, I was an alcoholic at age 13 due to circumstances that I dont dare describe here... it was enough to make a Marital Master almost vomit in court - I will leave it at that.... I quit cold turkey and it was almost the hardest thing I ever had to overcome.
I have a different mindset about alcohol now... having alcoholics for parents, being an alcoholic at such a young age... as an adult now, I have an extreme personal limitation to allowing myself alcohol. Its very rare to be honest. It took ALOT of counseling to set me on the right path, but that path involved alot of treachery that I had to battle and work on. Was I successful.. yes... do I remember any of it? All of it. Do I ever want to dip back into the bottle when hell comes rushing in? I can honestly say.. Im at that point in my life, I dont want it. I dont have a desire for it... but the hard work really helped to make a difference in my life. Not many are able to do this... which is why its so important for a person to identify things early.. in its most earliest stages before a choice.. becomes a reflex.. if you know what I mean?
I really liked your response and I admire your bravery and fortitude. It could not have been easy to recover and I applaud you.
God Bless!0
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