# I've been drinking too much...but not the typical reason **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 9, 2009, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-drinking-too-much-but-not-the-typical-reason/520610 "2009-12-09T18:24:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![SecretaryofEvil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@SecretaryofEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SecretaryofEvil)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-drinking-too-much-but-not-the-typical-reason/520610/21 "2009-12-10T03:16:00Z")
Chessic Sense, I don’t think you have anything to be worried about. Your drinking habits are only a problem if, well, they cause some sort of problem. I used to drink even more than you for pretty much the exact same reasons. I liked being drunk, and I found that drinking made lots of social events much more fun. I still drink, but not nearly as much as I used to, partially because I’m busier and don’t have as much time to socialize, partially because for whatever reason I simply feel less like drinking lately. Using drugs isn’t always a bad thing. Advil can get rid of a headache, coffee can wake you up in the morning, booze can turn a gathering into a party, and there’s a certain plant that can turn Star Wars from a silly childrens movie into a magnificent space opera. Some people might even call your habits a zest for life. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-drinking-too-much-but-not-the-typical-reason/520610/22 "2009-12-10T14:53:14Z")
> [@manx](#): > > ‘The bar needs my money’ is an odd justification for not being able to drink less. If one of your mates decided to cut down on the amount he drank, and picked the pub quiz to do it, what would you think? Would it bother you? If you’re worried about the pub/bar losing out by you choosing Sprite over beer, tip the staff a couple of bucks. Or buy everyone a pack of crisps. > > I don’t, to be clear, think you’re drinking too much. If you’re worried, but not worried enough to cut down, then you either have a problem with alcohol or you actually aren’t that bothered. I’m betting on the latter. What I started doing on the pub night was skipping dinner, then eating there. Of course, now one meal out of the week is fat-laden, which also about 600 empty calories. I’m not sure it’s helping me. And you’re right. I don’t think it’s a problem. But then I think “Hmm…that’s exactly what an addict WOULD say.” > [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > Don’t use Tylenol. Where’d that comment come from? > [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > One thing to consider is whether it’s interfering with your sleep. Are you able to sleep through the night? Are you waking up in the middle of the night after the buzz wears off, having to pee and unable to fall back to sleep? I looooove drunk sleep. I can sleep for 6 hours and be fully rested. But yes, I can sleep through the night. > [@Ravenman](#): > > How much do you weigh? That’s like 600 empty calories per day, nearly every day. I’m 5’6", 150lbs, more muscle than fat. ---
**Author:** ![SecondJudith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5ac83/32.png) [@SecondJudith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SecondJudith)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-drinking-too-much-but-not-the-typical-reason/520610/23 "2009-12-10T16:12:54Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > Where’d that comment come from? I’m not sure where **Tom** is coming from, but painkillers and alcohol are a seriously dangerous combination for liver heath. Although I don’t think your intake is excessive in itself, I agree with the posters are worried by the phrasing “ **absolutely requires** 3 hours of drinking” and “ **absolutely wrong** to go enjoy free trivia games without purchasing any drinks”. If you’re feeling obligated to “pay your own way” at the pub, what about drinking lemonade or soda and making up the “difference” in tip? You’d be spending the same amount anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-drinking-too-much-but-not-the-typical-reason/520610/24 "2009-12-10T17:17:31Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > Where’d that comment come from? The Perfect Master [speaks](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2354/does-tylenol-alcohol-liver-failure-plus). ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2009, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-drinking-too-much-but-not-the-typical-reason/520610/25 "2009-12-10T19:35:30Z")
The profit on soft drinks at restaurants and pubs is outrageous, anyway (it costs like five cents for the coke, and they charge you $3 and up, and the overhead of having someone pour it and bring it to you is the same), so I wouldn’t worry about stiffing the pub if you drink soft drinks. They really hate people like me - I just drink water. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-drinking-too-much-but-not-the-typical-reason/520610/26 "2009-12-11T09:48:06Z")
The OP is drinking in excess of 30 units of alcohol a week, almost 4 times the recommended level. Sustained over the long term, this will lead to chronic liver damage - the only problem is that _long term_ is undefined - it could take many years, or it could happen uncomfortably rapidly over a few years. And (because liver damage is largely asymptomatic) you won’t know about the problem until it is too late. Sorry to be a downer, but liver disease among the young is on the rise, fuelled by alcohol consumption. In the UK we recently had a 21y.o. die from liver failure, and several cases of under 30s. Liver disease under 30 used to be almost unknown, but is on the increase. Alcohol consumption at this level is not harmless fun - it is an eventual killer. Si ---
**Author:** ![SecondJudith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5ac83/32.png) [@SecondJudith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SecondJudith)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-drinking-too-much-but-not-the-typical-reason/520610/27 "2009-12-11T10:01:35Z")
Actually, **Cat Whisperer** makes a good point – the pub is probably making more of a profit on the soft drinks than the booze anyway. ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-drinking-too-much-but-not-the-typical-reason/520610/28 "2009-12-11T12:17:14Z")
I socialized and drank that way when I was a single chick in my 20s, I look back on it with fond nostalgia. It all seemed to naturally wind down in my early 30s (but you know, I can still pony up for a good time, it’s not like I’m completely out of it). And it didn’t immediately stop with marriage, either – I always hated that idea that marriage is this magic moment after which you can’t leave the house – but more of a combination of the natural changes that happen in a peer group around that time. As long as your socializing doesn’t interfere with the things you want to do with your life, then I don’t think this qualifies as a “problem.” ---
**Author:** ![Shmendrik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Shmendrik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shmendrik)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-drinking-too-much-but-not-the-typical-reason/520610/29 "2009-12-11T18:19:28Z")
> [@si\_blakely](#): > > The OP is drinking in excess of 30 units of alcohol a week, almost 4 times the recommended level. > Si Not quite. **Chessic** , you said you drink 44oz of beer per night, six nights a week. That’s 65 g of alcohol per day, 390 g per week. The US HHS recommendations are a maximum of 28 g/day, 196/week. You’re about double that. As far as Brits are concerned, their Department of Health recommends a maximum of 168 g per week, which you’re exceeding by 2.3 times. So in answer to your second question, it’s probably somewhat unhealthy. ---
**Author:** ![Taenia\_spp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5e925/32.png) [@Taenia\_spp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taenia_spp)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-drinking-too-much-but-not-the-typical-reason/520610/30 "2009-12-11T18:46:56Z")
Well I think my sentiments have pretty much been echoed by other posters, but you get my opinion anyway. I don’t think you have an addiction or dependency to alcohol; you function normally in that you go to work and doesn’t seem to be negatively impacting your relationships or other social interactions. However, I do think the amount that you are drinking is excessive. As said before, you really shouldn’t be drinking more than two standard drinks each night, but it sounds like you’re binging over half the days of the week. Getting drunk every so often isn’t going to do any long term damage, but at the rate you’re going it might. “See what I mean about tequila? You’re a bright young man, James, but you need to lay off the sauce.” ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-drinking-too-much-but-not-the-typical-reason/520610/31 "2009-12-11T20:04:40Z")
20 oz? That’s all I can have?! _Per day?!_ Good god. How am I supposed to get drunk on THAT? What am I supposed to do the other 2.5 hours I’m out? How have you alcoholics not keeled over by now? ---
**Author:** ![filling\_pages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b9bd4f/32.png) [@filling\_pages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filling_pages)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2009, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-drinking-too-much-but-not-the-typical-reason/520610/32 "2009-12-11T21:37:16Z")
Seriously. 20 ounces? That’s not even two cans of beer. What’s the point? I’ll be honest, I’m not generally out there drinking because I adore the flavor - though I certainly enjoy it - I’m drinking to get a buzz on. If all I have is two cans of beer, I’ll just drink water and wait for a day when I can afford enough to make it worth it. ---
**Author:** ![Blalron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@Blalron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blalron)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2009, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-drinking-too-much-but-not-the-typical-reason/520610/33 "2009-12-12T02:56:52Z")
I recommend going for a period of time without drinking. Anywhere from a few days or maybe even a month just to see how you react to sober life. Are you frustrated and irritable without alcohol? Are there perhaps psychological issues that you’ve been avoiding and covering up by turning to the bottle? You’ll have an easier time objectively examining your relationship with alcohol by taking a break from it for awhile. ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2009, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-drinking-too-much-but-not-the-typical-reason/520610/34 "2009-12-12T03:06:23Z")
I didn’t read the intervening posts, but basically yes, it does get harder the more you drink. Contrary to popular belief, you actually get weaker the more you drink because of liver damage. My advice is to just not drink alcohol some days. The sports trivia day is a perfect example. If you need an excuse, tell them you’re driving, and you can give other people rides too. The bar doesn’t care if you drink soda or not, so that will be how they earn their money from you. The first step is to be able to say “No,” and the rest is easy. In my personal opinion, if you ever feel like you have no choice or can’t refuse to drink (peer pressure, habit, guilt, etc.) you’re drinking too much and for the wrong reasons. If you ever feel like you can’t stop drinking, then it’s a serious issue. If you can’t drink something else besides alcohol when offered, that’s a sign of maturity. At every bar I’ve been to, they’ve never made a single comment when I ordered something else besides alcohol, and all my bar buddies were very understanding when I told them I didn’t want to drink today. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2009, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-drinking-too-much-but-not-the-typical-reason/520610/35 "2009-12-12T19:06:07Z")
“Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son.” – Dean Wormer, _Animal House_ ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2009, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-drinking-too-much-but-not-the-typical-reason/520610/36 "2009-12-12T20:11:54Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > 20 oz? That’s all I can have?! _Per day?!_ Good god. How am I supposed to get drunk on THAT? Ah, youth :). My first thought when reading that was “why in the world would you want to get drunk?” But of course I know the answer, because when I was 21 I occasionally enjoyed getting drunk as well. I was a binge drinker rather than than a regular one, but I could binge pretty hard ( I’m actually still a binge drinker but now it is more a couple of glasses of wine every other week 😉 ) Now at 41 I simply can’t see the attraction - I enjoy an alcoholic buzz, but getting full-on stumbling-around drunk has far too many negative impacts at my age to make it enjoyable. I agree this is very likely something you will grow out of - most folks I know my age that aren’t alcoholics ( or even a few that have passed the magic threshold of 30 ) just smile and shake their heads at twenty-somethings going out boozing every night after work. After a certain point you just don’t have the energy to do that _night after night_. That said, some folks do get into a alcoholic rut and while I won’t scream “slippery slope” here, 6 nights a week sounds just a little too regular. Just cut back a couple nights a week if the number is bothering you. You don’t owe a pub or bar jackshit - drink what you want, when you want. > [@](#): > > What am I supposed to do the other 2.5 hours I’m out? Nurse your drink? Drink soda? Good lord, man - it’s not as if you’ll spontaneously combust. Beer will impair your poker skills anyway. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2009, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-drinking-too-much-but-not-the-typical-reason/520610/37 "2009-12-12T20:20:27Z")
Kinda-sorta tangentially related thread [I’m 50 and drinking more than ever. Is there a potential problem?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=470159) In the end several of us from work realized we were overdoing it, and we all kind of stepped back. We still drink at parties, but getting together to drink as a specific goal is much less frequent now. As a separate casual observation it appears to me that people who drink heavily and often socially (starting young) tend to have a lot more significant overall health problems as they age. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2009, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-drinking-too-much-but-not-the-typical-reason/520610/38 "2009-12-12T20:22:44Z")
> [@NinetyWt](#): > > undulged If you don’t enter that the next time the Style Invitational does add/remove/change-a-letter neologisms, I’m gonna. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2009, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-drinking-too-much-but-not-the-typical-reason/520610/39 "2009-12-12T21:10:10Z")
Sometimes it is not the booze but the action. A single guy can wind up spending a lot of time drinking because that is where his friends and activities are. Get in pool leagues, dart leagues, bowling leagues and stop after softball and you wind up in bars a lot. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ive-been-drinking-too-much-but-not-the-typical-reason/520610.md?page=1)