# Can I stay moderately drunk for a week straight without any longer-term consequences? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 9, 2003, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-stay-moderately-drunk-for-a-week-straight-without-any-longer-term-consequences/206556 "2003-10-09T22:28:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2003, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-stay-moderately-drunk-for-a-week-straight-without-any-longer-term-consequences/206556/21 "2003-10-10T22:35:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Boyo Jim \* > \*\*Moriah, > > Your “rephrasing” makes it sound as if I’m asking whether I can slug down Liquid Plummr for a week. Or perhaps you somehow misinterpreted my meaning into, “Can I drink enough to severely damage my body in a week?” > > Well, no. I’m perfectly aware that I could kill myself in a few hours of constant drinking. Did you note the word “moderate” in the OP? I’m talking about preserving a pleasant buzz, not drinking myself into unconsciousness. \*\* At the Straight Dope, **Boyo Jim** , we don’t take too kindly to rationalizations. Have you forgotten that in your OP, you claimed that > [@](#): > > \*\* a Margarita at my side every waking moment\*\* was your intention? With that spirited accoutrement, you obviously plan to drink more than two drinks a day. By definition, that is **not** moderation. With more than two drinks in you, alcohol **is** a poison. It **does** overwork your liver. It **does** clot your blood making individual blood cells stick to each other and getting trapped in capillaries (the flushed look) leading to reduced oxygen to your brain. That’s where the ‘buzz’ comes from. Did you think that alchohol just magically buzzes you without a concurrent physiological effect? I mean, you did ask for what the physical effects would be. It’s just one huge rationalization to not see the oxymoronism of ‘moderate bingeing.’ In fact, your claim that > [@](#): > > \*\*Frankly, I’m pretty sure I’m in no danger of becoming an alcoholic \*\* shows a pretty high level of rationalization if you think a week’s bender doesn’t put you in some risk of developing an addiction. > [@](#): > > \*\*I’m gonna be at a resort. Reduced inhibitions are a benefit. I won’t have a car – there won’t even be cars around for me to walk in front of. \*\* There’s always rough surf, the tempting target of a pool below your third story balcony, and unsafe sex. Hopefully, in your depression, you’re not also suicidal. You don’t want reduced inhibitions in that state of mind. ## Peace. “Oh, leave the boy alone and let him have his fun. Besides, your dose of reality is hitting too close to home, I’ll have another beer now.” ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2003, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-stay-moderately-drunk-for-a-week-straight-without-any-longer-term-consequences/206556/22 "2003-10-11T01:30:03Z")
> [@](#): > > With more than two drinks in you, alcohol is a poison. If that is true, I will change my plans. It is the kind of information I was looking for in the OP. Cite? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2003, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-stay-moderately-drunk-for-a-week-straight-without-any-longer-term-consequences/206556/23 "2003-10-11T02:44:40Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by moriah \* > \*\* It **does** clot your blood making individual blood cells stick to each other and getting trapped in capillaries (the flushed look) leading to reduced oxygen to your brain. That’s where the ‘buzz’ comes from._\* Cite? The flush is due to capillary dilation, not an effect on clotting ability. Ethanol actually makes blood a little less likely to clot. But severe clotting problems are generally seen with middle to late stage cirrhosis. And there too, it’s a problem with decreased clotting, not increased. And alcohol’s intoxicating effects are not due to decreased oxygenation to the brain, either. Ethanol’s effects on the glutamate receptors seem to be the main culprit. Tissue oxygenation is not affected. There’s good reasons to be concerned about chronic ethanol ingestion. Staying drunk for a week will take its toll. But this is the GQ of the SDMB. Let’s deal with facts here. And while ethanol is indeed a CNS depressant and not a primary cause of clinical depression, ethanol is well-known for exacerbating existing depressions, which the OP’er did mention he/she has. Will staying in a steady state of intoxication for a week kill one? Probably not. Or I’d have died a dozen times over. But it will put one at risk for problems, and it will have few if any beneficial effects. Tolerance will go up as the microsomal enzyme oxidative system in the liver kicks in to deal with more alcohol to burn off. If one is taking prescription medications, these will be metabolized more rapidly, so they may be less effective. Increased tolerance means more alcohol will be needed to achieve the same effect. But the increased doses of alcohol will impact the liver and other organs more strongly. Someone said earlier that “with more than two drinks in you, alcohol is a poison”. Newsflash: With less than two drinks in you, alcohol is a poison too. Its toxicity is dose related, and the small beneficial effects low-dose alcohol has vanish after two drinks a day, but one drink a day or less kills liver cells too. So what’s your week-long binge worth to you? Small but real increased risk of damage to health, probably reversible but maybe not? Vs. The perceived benefits of partying hearty for a week? It’s your call. Only you can decide, **Boyo Jim**. QtM, MD ---
**Author:** ![scott\_evil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/91b2a8/32.png) [@scott\_evil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scott_evil)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2003, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-stay-moderately-drunk-for-a-week-straight-without-any-longer-term-consequences/206556/24 "2003-10-11T02:50:42Z")
And it’s very possible you’ll end up with the shakes after you stop. These don’t only happen to alcoholics. I’ve seen my boss come back from an “all-inclusive” (read: drunk the whole time) vacation with the shakes. And when you stop, it’s very possible that you’ll feel too nauseated to eat properly for a day or two. And excessive alcohol consumption can lead to diarrhea, and general lack of bowel control. Have fun. ---
**Author:** ![Sofa\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2003, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-stay-moderately-drunk-for-a-week-straight-without-any-longer-term-consequences/206556/25 "2003-10-11T03:59:25Z")
Yes! Finally a question I can answer! First allow me to establish my credentials: I’ve been drunk since 1985, more or less. Second, let me qualify what I’m going to tell you. As you can likely guess, I’m a flat-out alcoholic. I know people of my ilk are only supposed to admit this once they start going to meetings, but reading the Straight Dope for a few years tends to make one honest about one’s self. And I’m not a doctor, so all I intend to tell you is how to survive the week. Our friends like **Qadgop** and others are encouraged to snipe at my advice for any long term effects. Third, and I’m saying this in all seriousness, as an apparent non-drinker, the chances are you’re going to find the experience somewhat unpleasant if you’re not careful. This is why I am advising you. Okay, now for the good part. Staying buzzed for a week without drowning in your own vomit is a hard thing to do. It requires commitment, iron discipline, and perseverence. The first thing you’re gonna want to do when you get there is dive straight into that margarita. _Don’t do it_. Get your shit together first, and then get to vacating. The first day of the vacation is the day that you lay down the safety network you’re gonna need down the line; it’s a day of _work_, not rest, and although it’s a helluva lot easier than your day job, it’s still a job. From the moment you walk into your resort or hotel you need to establish personal contact with key people who will help you down the line: someone is going to be “managing” your vacation; get close to that person right away by chiming in at the “any questions?” part of that person’s speech with the question a White House reporter would say, “damn, that’s good” about. If you’re shy, just move as close as you can to that person before the tutorial begins. The people at the information desk are important, too. Be charming and polite. Toss a little money around to your caretakers that first day if tipping is permitted, and seal the deal with the statement, “I’m not gonna forget you at the end of the week.” If you’ve found that you’ve had violence or obnoxiousness issues in your poorly charted drunken past, I suggest you make a point to chat up the security guard as an _equal_ before you’re wrecked; that guy is working for you, so you can intimidate him a little simply by engaging in affable conversation. The guy’s not going to put you in jail; he’s going to put you to bed when you fuck up. Make sure he doesn’t want to liberate you of your wallet when he does. And of course, your most important ally in your mission, the very patron saint of your cause, is the bartender and his holy minions. These peoples’ loyalty is indispensable. Charm, interest, appreciation, and above all money is required to keep you in the forefront of your mind for the best of reasons. (Oddly enough, if you engage in these practices, I’ve found that you’re also likely to attract women, upon whom you can use the same tactics to establish a reliable–but fleeting–set of fringe benefits.) Remember everyone’s names, if you can. If not, try to remember the more interesting things they said to you, and use them in later conversation. Say “thank you” for the information they’ve given you the next time you see them. That’s the hardest thing to do. After that, it’s all downhill. Ahem. Don’t get wasted the first night; avoid confrontations. Make a point of moving far away from the Welsh rugby team members when they try to drown out the New Zealand rugby team’s fight song with their own. These are the people your handlers are trying to identify right off the bat. Do yourself a favor and save any hijinks you have in store for them until later in the week. If you’re an American, chances are YOU’RE TALKING TOO LOUD! We’re a loud people from loud places, and we stand out even if you have trouble talking into the mike on the “What Do You Know?” show. We get louder when we’re drunk. That’s why the rest of the world thinks we’re a bunch of idiots, I am convinced; we let everyone hear our most drunken, incoherent utterances. And that’s the key to establishing your drunken vacation experience: walk in like Cary Grant and get carted out like Sam Kinnison. Do the opposite and you’ll be… well, I don’t really know what they do with those people, but just like Survivor, some of 'em just don’t show up the next day. Now on to maintaining a good buzz. First things first, and I’m sure you know this but it needs to be said anyway because some people don’t: if you’re in Mexico and several other places, even at a Club Med, _ice is your enemy_. Ice is water, and if the water is bad, you’re still drinking bad water. If they’re sending in ice made from good water, they’re likely to run out. If you want to stick to the 'ritas, well, you have to use your previously established connections to discern what day and what time you have to switch to tequila sunrises, or whatever. Next you have to quickly discern your habits and the habits of your caretakers. If you’ve plied them with your charms, chances are you’re gonna get the real thing when it comes to drinks, and those drinks are going to ruin your mildly buzzed plan if you fail to treat them as the glorious dynamite which they are. If, on the other hand, they are measuring their drinks or watering them down, you must be persistent and wave your assistant down at every opportunity for a refresh. Again, if you have established your sterling reputation, you will be the first and most often served. Finally, I’ve found the formula which was spit out to you by your gym teacher when he was muddling through that alcohol awareness class you took in high school is remarkably good. Once you’ve hit your stride, one drink an hour does fine by me. Your results will vary, which is why you must pay careful attention. This is another fine reason to stay away from ice. Your iced drink is gonna be toast in fifteen minutes in direct sunlight, while all those little microbes revive and get themselves good and ready to ravage your intestinal tract. You’re going to subconsciously try to finish that drink before it melts. And you’re going to be a comatose lobster with an open fireplug for a butthole by day two of your vacation if you continue that line of thought. Don’t do that. Instead, ask for the closest thing you can get to a high-test (to kill the bugs), little-or no water drink and a bucket of ice. Be sure to mention that you’re a slow drinker, so you want to keep it cold, to avoid offending your friend’s nation. Place your drink in the ice bath. Crushed ice in nice weather and in your lap will last you fifteen minutes; a bucket of ice will last you hours, and it won’t be much of a pain in the ass for your server so long as they’re not calling in an emergency delivery of frozen sewage. The best option is obviously beer, but this works only for beer drinkers. And now for the pain. By day three, you’re gonna wake up and feel like shit if you’re not careful. I think that the doctors will agree with me that ibuprofen and acetaminophen are both unacceptable palliatives when attempting to stay drunk. [Aspirin](http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/NEW00659.html) alone appears to be a fair-weather friend, although when I take aspirin I either think or I actually do realize far greater returns from my alcohol intake than otherwise. That might be for you, but you should carefully monitor the intake and results when you do it. (Oh, and since you mention it, be careful with the reefer. I find that the combination of both can cause serious impairments of judgment, which in turn can lead to excessive and unecessary pain. When you have the choice, pick one and stick with it for the duration of that evening. You’ll thank yourself for it the next day, especially if you stick with the less liquid alternative, eh?) Take aspirin if you must, but even better, take _more booze!_ Mimosas are an excellent breakfast accompaniment. Soon you will begin to forget that you’re suffering. I don’t know exactly why, but massive amounts of grease and protein seems to fit the bill nicely as a food additive to your alcoholic diet. Beef and well-cooked pork are the _only_ drunk-meats for me (except for that excellent venison I had on that extended drunk–I mean vacation–I had in New Zealand). But dehydration, especially in a place where you’re sweating and you can’t trust the water, is a serious problem. I’m gonna ask a doctor to confirm this next statement, because it’s bound to be controversial: moderate your moderate drinking by frequently interspersing your heavy-load drinks with beer if you don’t trust other alternatives. Why? Beer is a diuretic, as any hung-over frat-boy can tell you, but _only if you stop drinking it_. And beer is relatively sanitary, as five hundred generations of monks and much of Western Europe will tell you–that’s why they drank it. You’re not going to piss out more water than you take in if you’re drinking something that’s only 5% alcohol, tops. You’re going to fall over, piss your pants, and stop drinking beer, or die, and that’s what dehydrates you–death in particular. If you’re in a place where you trust the water–and you have to _really trust_ it–then you’re jake. Have a water with every drink. You’re full? Well stop drinking, fool! Keep in mind that booze is kind of like a paging service: you take the sip, the booze gets processed (or more accurately, doesn’t get processed), and only then do you get the call, minutes later. Drink when you want to increase the buzz. Stop doing this when you’re already drunk, unless you have something non-alcoholic before you; you’ve already won, and there’re plenty of good reasons not to run up the score. Drunks are thirsty because the dehydration is sending signals to them that they need to drink more water, not alcohol; do yourself a favor and recognize your thirst as a thirst for something other than booze–as Cecil indirectly implied this week on another subject, sports drinks appear to be better than water alone. But _maintain_ the buzz through dilligence and an accurate accounting of time and your now-known ingestion time and tolerance. And if you’ve yet to notice, **Boyo Jim** , I’m trying to steer you in the direction of those things which come from a bottle or a tap rather than from a spigot. That’s because I’ve heard a lot of personal accounts of disasterous, diahrreal vacation experiences which will only serve to deepen your depression and leave you with less than an excellent experience. I myself have never had such an experience, because I’m a professional drunk, especially on vacation. ---
**Author:** ![Sofa\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2003, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-stay-moderately-drunk-for-a-week-straight-without-any-longer-term-consequences/206556/26 "2003-10-11T04:21:14Z")
Oh, hell. I wrote a thousand words of tripe without underscoring the central message: Your intention now may be to stay drunk, but your _objective_ is to have a good time. If you can do both, then that’s great. But if you find yourself in a situation where you’re having a good time without drinking, why screw it up by getting drunk? If your experiment fails, ditch the damned thing and do what makes you happy. Some people, like me, need alcohol to feign happiness, but you obviously don’t, **Boyo Jim**. Don’t look that gift horse in the mouth, eh? ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2003, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-stay-moderately-drunk-for-a-week-straight-without-any-longer-term-consequences/206556/27 "2003-10-12T02:50:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Qadgop the Mercotan \* > **Cite? The flush is due to capillary dilation, not an effect on clotting ability. Ethanol actually makes blood a little less likely to clot.** [According to this](http://www.betterhealthforyou.net/NewsFolder/viewjun2000.htm) blood cells do stick together. And why to you suppose the capillaries dilate? It’s because of the clogging of the passageways caused by the sticking-toghertherness of the red blood cells. Do you have a cite for ethanol being an anticlogger? > [@](#): > > \*\*And alcohol’s intoxicating effects are not due to decreased oxygenation to the brain, either. Ethanol’s effects on the glutamate receptors seem to be the main culprit. Tissue oxygenation is not affected. \*\* Ah, but [this](http://www.womenfitness.net/beauty/skin/coping_with_waterloss.htm) says… > [@](#): > > ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION > Problem - Alcohol dries out the facial skin and it is diuretic, causing rapid water loss. Red blood cells stick together and capillaries gum up so that they can rupture and result in thread veins. Alcohol also ages the skin by robbing the body of oxygen and vitamin C. However, in my web searches, I’ll grant you that the recent medical literature is that interference with glutamate receptors is the real culprit behind the buzz. So much for the state of the science of my health class some several decades ago. I stand corrected. But I couldn’t find any reversal of the ‘common knowledge’ that red blood cells clump with alcohol creating reduced oxygen in tissues (to add insult to glutamate injury). ## Peace. Doctor, it hurts every time I post. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2003, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-stay-moderately-drunk-for-a-week-straight-without-any-longer-term-consequences/206556/28 "2003-10-12T04:02:57Z")
Ah, **Qadgop** , I love it when you talk like that! **moriah** , do you have any cites from real medical sites? Your first link is to an “interpretive health newsletter” that is riddled with typos, and the second is a women’s fitness website, neither of which I would visit for “hard” medical facts. Also, I tried to find any information, articles, etc, about the author of the newsletter, a Jackson Saxon MD, (or written by him) but no luck. At all. PS- I understand that although the first sentence of the article in the first link quotes a study in a 1999 British medical journal, the article that follows does not appear to be quoted material at all, but an interpretation. ---
**Author:** ![mascaroni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dc4da7/32.png) [@mascaroni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mascaroni)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2003, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-stay-moderately-drunk-for-a-week-straight-without-any-longer-term-consequences/206556/29 "2003-10-12T12:52:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by moriah \* > \*\*Let’s rephrase the question: > > **Can I take a fluid poison in enough quantities continually for a week such that my liver is overworked, my blood is clotted up, and my brain deprived of oxygen for the entire time such that I have the combination of reduced inhibitions and no common sense, along with the reduced reaction time needed to deal with the situations that the reduced inhimbitions and no common sense will get me into?** > > If you don’t know the answer to that, then drink up my friend and let survival of the fittest thin out the genetically stupid. > > ## Peace. > > “Dude, and when I woke up in a Guatemalan slave labor camp, I found out that they also stole all my money!” \*\* Speaking purely from experience, I’ve found that alcohol has played a positive role in the potential spreading of my genes… ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2003, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-stay-moderately-drunk-for-a-week-straight-without-any-longer-term-consequences/206556/30 "2003-10-12T13:19:10Z")
I think that a significant portion of the populations of Ireland and Russia can testify to the fact that staying buzzed for _at least_ a week is not only possible, but regularly practiced. ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2003, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-stay-moderately-drunk-for-a-week-straight-without-any-longer-term-consequences/206556/31 "2003-10-12T14:08:01Z")
Well, **Boyo Jim** , I hope you have a great time. At least this thread has made it clear to you which people you manifestly _should not_ take with you! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2003, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-stay-moderately-drunk-for-a-week-straight-without-any-longer-term-consequences/206556/32 "2003-10-12T15:16:37Z")
Sorry, **moriah** , but I’m not buying it. Your cites don’t link to any reputable scientific journals. Here’s a cite from The Lancet: > [@](#): > > Renaud and de Lorgeril reviewed the literature to address the French paradox, the observation that the French have a high dietary intake of saturated fat (positively associated with CAD) and concentrations of serum cholesterol similar to those of the USA and UK, yet a low mortality from CAD similar to that of Japan or China. From their re-examination of previous study results, they hypothesized that moderate alcohol consumption protects from CAD through an anti-clotting mechanism rather than through an effect on atherosclerosis. For instance, they compared data from Wales to pilot studies conducted in France showing that platelet activity is lower in France. They concluded “it seems that consumption of alcohol is associated with inhibitory effects on atherosclerosis lesions in man and animals, but only at levels incompatible with a healthy life. **At the moderate intake associated with the prevention of CAD, the mechanism of protection seems to be, at least partly, an anti-clotting effect (possibly a decrease in platelet activity)**.” They argued that this effect would account for the apparent rapid loss in cardio-protection with cessation of drinking. > source Source:Renaud S & de Lorgeril M, Wine, alcohol, platelets and the French paradox for coronary artery disease., The Lancet 1992; 339:1523. I can find no cites in the medical literature stating that alcohol causes erthyrocyte aggregation. In fact, all the literature points to the opposite effect; a mild decrease in the blood’s ability to clot. I also find no cites in the medical literature linking alcohol and tissue hypoxia, other than the increased risk of more severe episodes of sleep apnea. I’m willing to be convinced, but you’ll have to provide credible evidence. ---
**Author:** ![Huerta88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/82dd89/32.png) [@Huerta88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Huerta88)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2003, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-stay-moderately-drunk-for-a-week-straight-without-any-longer-term-consequences/206556/33 "2003-10-12T18:26:17Z")
Yeah, exercise makes me flush, and therefore is clearly devestating my health. I’ll be avoiding it like the plague. Q.E.D. ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2003, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-stay-moderately-drunk-for-a-week-straight-without-any-longer-term-consequences/206556/34 "2003-10-12T18:42:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by An Arky \* > \*\*I think that a significant portion of the populations of Ireland and Russia can testify to the fact that staying buzzed for _at least_ a week is not only possible, but regularly practiced. \*\* Um, actually there isn’t a significant population of Ireland that regularly stays “buzzed” for over a week straight, apart from winos, who I assure you do suffer the same medical problems that winos of all nationalities suffer. But don’t let the facts get in the way of your stereotyping :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2003, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-stay-moderately-drunk-for-a-week-straight-without-any-longer-term-consequences/206556/35 "2003-10-12T20:03:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Qadgop the Mercotan \* > \*\*Sorry, **moriah** , but I’m not buying it. Your cites don’t link to any reputable scientific journals. … > > I can find no cites in the medical literature stating that alcohol causes erthyrocyte aggregation. In fact, all the literature points to the opposite effect; a mild decrease in the blood’s ability to clot. … > > I’m willing to be convinced, but you’ll have to provide credible evidence. \*\* Well, OK, I’m not claiming I know I’m right anymore, but it does seem odd that those non-scientific sites have the same questionable data I have always had. Was this once the accepted scientific data that’s been revised? (And if so, how come no one told me?) I remember in high school health watching a film that showed red blood cells moving smartly through the capillaries. And then, with the introduction of alchohol, those red blood cells started sticking together and backing up in the capillaries (OK, it was probably a film of frog capillaries…) WRT the reduction of clotting factor: The scientific sites I’ve seen mentioned this as a result of long term alcohol use (along with many other disorders of blood cells resulting from overuse). But isn’t the clotting mechanism different from sticking of red cells together? And if the sticking together of red cells isn’t the cause of capillary dilation, then what is? Does alcohol stimulate a nerve in the capillary that tells it to open up? Looking… Peace. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2003, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-stay-moderately-drunk-for-a-week-straight-without-any-longer-term-consequences/206556/36 "2003-10-12T20:59:31Z")
I presume that the “moderate intake associated with the prevention of CAD” means at most two drinks a day. I gather that that’s the general medical opinion today, that at most two drinks a day is actually slightly better for you than complete teetotalism, but anything more is worse. Hold it down to two drinks a day, Boyo Jim, and you’ll be O.K. ---
**Author:** ![x-ray\_vision](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/x-ray_vision/32/351_2.png) [@x-ray\_vision](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x-ray_vision)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2003, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-stay-moderately-drunk-for-a-week-straight-without-any-longer-term-consequences/206556/37 "2003-10-12T21:16:03Z")
**Qadgop** states that one drink a day or less kills liver cells. Is that true? If so, is that true for everyone? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2003, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-stay-moderately-drunk-for-a-week-straight-without-any-longer-term-consequences/206556/38 "2003-10-12T21:20:44Z")
**x-ray** , any ethanol ingestion results in the death of some liver cells. Ethanol is hepato-toxic. But liver cells die every day, detoxing other things we ingest, too. The liver has an amazing capacity for self-repair and this low level loss is not a concern for the average individual. But if excessive ethanol (or other toxins) are consumed chronically, the liver becomes chronically inflamed, and does not function at 100%. Even this is not a problem if the person stops ingesting the toxin, as the liver does repair this too. The problem comes in for about 1 in 4 persons who consume ethanol in high amounts chronically. They get fibrosis (scarring) of the liver, which can lead to cirrhosis (horrible scarring with fatty infiltration) of the liver which leads to worse complications and death. ---
**Author:** ![YourOldBuddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/bc79bd/32.png) [@YourOldBuddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YourOldBuddy)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2003, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-stay-moderately-drunk-for-a-week-straight-without-any-longer-term-consequences/206556/39 "2003-10-12T21:25:45Z")
Sofa King, that was poetry. Dont forget to eat well as well as regulating your water intake. I also would like to recommend Fish Oil. I started taking Fish Oil on the advice of my doctor. I used to have relatively dry eyes, but Fish Oil fixed that. Google -“fish oil” alcohol- for reports on the benefits related to alcohol consumption. I think Fish Oil lessens hangovers for me and Im pretty sure it also helps stabilize my stomach. Maybie Im just experiencing placebo effects but who cares as long as it works. Placebo can work for you too my friend 🙂 I think most if not all decent Fish oil is free of mercury. And sleep. Try to get proper sleep. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2003, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-stay-moderately-drunk-for-a-week-straight-without-any-longer-term-consequences/206556/40 "2003-10-12T21:31:30Z")
**moriah** , the capillary dilatation is generally due to histamine release, triggered by alcohol ingestion. Red wine triggers even more flushing on average, as ingredients in it above and beyond the alcohol cause further histamine release. Antihistamine use often minimizes the flushing from this. It is also true that red blood cells sticking together (erythrocyte agglutination) is different from the mechanism which causes blood to clot. But I find no references in the literature indicating that ethanol causes erythrocyte agglutination. Consumption of ethanol carries definite liabilities, which I have babbled on in some length above and in other threads. But as far as I can ascertain, it does not cause the red blood cells to stick together, nor does it cause primary decreased oxygenation. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-stay-moderately-drunk-for-a-week-straight-without-any-longer-term-consequences/206556.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-stay-moderately-drunk-for-a-week-straight-without-any-longer-term-consequences/206556.md?page=3)