8 Drinks! Are You Kidding Me???

SarahxApple · June 2014

Drinks is a very vague measurement, it's best to measure in units and in the UK at least they advise this:

The government advises that people should not regularly drink more than the lower risk guidelines of 3-4 units of alcohol for men (equivalent to a pint and a half of 4% beer) and 2-3 units of alcohol for women (equivalent to a 13% ABV 175 ml glass of wine). ‘Regularly’ means drinking every day or most days of the week.

8 drinks could be 8 large glasses of wine (250ml) or 8 smaller glasses of wine (175ml) that's a pretty big difference.

BinaryPulsar · June 2014

I just want to say that sometimes conversations can be helpful. And if one person doesn't like to drink a lot or often, or has a negative experience of the effects, no one else should feel threatened by that. I think we can all agree that drinking is a personal choice. It is not quite the same as food choices. Many of us have many different factors impacting our own personal experiences and choices with alcohol. And one person may be able to drink more than another person and be healthy.

So, anyway, my main concern about alcohol is if it leads to aesthetic aging. That is something that matters to me enough to be a priority for me on this issue. And no I don't drink soda (as mentioned in the thread).

But, I have many other more important reasons why drinking regularly is not beneficial in my own personal life. And I didn't drink at all for a decade. I could get into the reasons, but it would be a boring overshare.

xmichaelyx · June 2014

They are trying to put you in a "box" and label you. It is meaningless.

8 drinks a week, even if not in one night, IS considered heavy by the medical community.

Wanna know how I know you're not a doctor, and know absolutely nothing about the medical community?

Many doctors have been recommending -- backed by actual science -- a glass of red wine per day for decades. That's 7 drinks.

Also, this comes from the CDC, one of the most alarmist of Federal agencies. These are the same people who will tell you that smoking cigars is as dangerous as smoking cigarettes, but then when you see the study their statement is based on, it consisted of people smoking 3 or more cigars per day (when the real life average cigar smoker only smokes 2-3 per week) and inhaling the smoke, something almost zero cigar smokers actually do.

And finally, there is no monolithic "medical community." Consensus on most issues -- particularly ones like alcohol consumption (and cigar smoking!) where there is little data, and much of it is conflicting -- is rare. This latest CDC press release is no exception.

Barry0611 · June 2014

Have to chime in here. Years ago I was diagnosed with low HDL (Good) Cholesterol. This is very different from the typical High LDL (Bad) cholesterol problem many people have. Low HDL has been shown to increase the risk of heart disease.

So my doctor said there are two things I can do to correct this problem. One was to start running two miles a day, the other was to have one alcoholic drink a day (one not three) as long as it was low carb. Guess which option I chose? :-)

That was at least 15 years ago, my drink of choice is a gin martini (zero carbs) and my cholesterol has been spot on perfect ever since.

I'm not a doctor so speak to yours to see what he says. But one drink a day X 7 days is 7 drinks a week and he had no issues with it at all, in fact he recommended it.

PRMinx · June 2014

^^ 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....

This is why we are friends :drinker:

AllOutof_Bubblegum · June 2014

Who cares? I personally don't drink at all for religious reasons, but if you want to enjoy a drink and it doesn't affect your relationships, home life or work in any negative way, go ahead and drink. Don't worry if the CDC or whoever labels you a "heavy drinker".

If I got my panties in a bunch every time someone said something about me that I didn't like/wasn't true, I'd be dead twice over from atomic wedgie.

Sabine_Stroehm · June 2014

Drinks is a very vague measurement, it's best to measure in units and in the UK at least they advise this:

The government advises that people should not regularly drink more than the lower risk guidelines of 3-4 units of alcohol for men (equivalent to a pint and a half of 4% beer) and 2-3 units of alcohol for women (equivalent to a 13% ABV 175 ml glass of wine). ‘Regularly’ means drinking every day or most days of the week.

8 drinks could be 8 large glasses of wine (250ml) or 8 smaller glasses of wine (175ml) that's a pretty big difference.

A glass of wine as measured by the report was 5oz.

mygnsac · June 2014

I think the only reason to get upset by any report is if it will affect you personally (like higher insurance costs or a stigma that concerns you). There are so many variables when it comes to alcohol consumption, such as height, weight, health, family history, etc., that it's difficult for me to understand how they determine 8 drinks per week for all females falls into a heavy drinker category. Personally, I gave up regular drinking in my 30s. These days I may have a drink or 2 every year, usually at some holiday event. I come from a long line of truly heavy drinkers (6-pack a night and more on the weekends) and I found myself falling into that pattern in my 20s and early 30s.

JoRocka · June 2014

8 drinks in one week is just one beer (or whatever) and just two one night. That's barely a heavy drinker. Eight drinks a night is a lot, but in week? Meh.

I drink maybe 2 beers once a week. MAYBE- there are weeks i do not have anything to drink.

There are weeks when I have a beer- and maybe a glass of wine.

So to me- even the idea of having a beer a night EVERY night is a lot.

But- I know I have no issues with it- and a drink a night isn't THAT much- at this point everyone is eager to prove a point or try to "fix" health issues.

Just take are of yourself- listen to your body and eat to meet your goals. Ignore the rest of the drivel.

VeryKatie · June 2014

Medically, it has to do with the line between the drinks being "good for your heart" and "bad for your liver". It's a medical distinction, not based on alcoholism but based on body function. A liver is a liver. Most women will have similarly sized livers.

Sabine_Stroehm · June 2014

8 drinks in one week is just one beer (or whatever) and just two one night. That's barely a heavy drinker. Eight drinks a night is a lot, but in week? Meh.

I drink maybe 2 beers once a week. MAYBE- there are weeks i do not have anything to drink.

There are weeks when I have a beer- and maybe a glass of wine.

So to me- even the idea of having a beer a night EVERY night is a lot.

But- I know I have no issues with it- and a drink a night isn't THAT much- at this point everyone is eager to prove a point or try to "fix" health issues.

Just take are of yourself- listen to your body and eat to meet your goals. Ignore the rest of the drivel.

To me, a glass of wine a day isn't a lot. But, then, to me, a soda a day is a lot.

BinaryPulsar · June 2014

Medically, it has to do with the line between the drinks being "good for your heart" and "bad for your liver". It's a medical distinction, not based on alcoholism but based on body function. A liver is a liver. Most women will have similarly sized livers.

Actually organ size is variable. Most women do not have the same sized internal organs. I found this out because a friend needed a kidney. And my kidney was too small. I am petite and my rib cage is only 26 inches, waist 23 inches, so my internal organs are smaller than average. In addition to that I had a very bad case of mono when I was 13, and since then have periodically had issues with my liver (on mri scans and blood tests), but it's doing great now.

md523083 · June 2014

I think we drink less now than at any other point in human history (or maybe I'm just used to Mad Men and G.O.T.... lol). Didn't they drink wine daily in Jesus' time?

Anyway, the more of us that can be labeled with having a 'disorder' or 'problem', the more they can sell solutions to us, or force us to get treatment in order to meet life insurance standards, etc. It's all about money and control. 8 drinks a week is not a lot... but I'm thinking about wine/beer. If I had 8 hard drinks a week, I'd feel that maybe is a problem. But eight 5-oz glasses of wine, that's really nothing!

stevee290 · June 2014

It's just words if 7 is the average than 8 is heavy and 6 is light. I do consider people who drink every single day to be heavy drinkers.

kbmnurse · June 2014

Poppy ****!!!!!

Veil5577 · June 2014

I drink maybe 3-4 drinks a year when I go to my brother's. Lately though I'd been thinking it would be kind of nice to relax with a drink after work every day...

UsedToBeHusky · June 2014

Heavy drinking doesn't necessarily imply alcoholism. Your pattern of drinking really couldn't be considered alcoholism because your need to drink does not interfere with your ability to function daily. However, that being said, patterns lead to habits and habits lead to addiction so you might want to be mindful of your drinking, but I don't think that you have a problem at this point.