# National Enquirer is right: Bush is drinking again! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 22, 2005, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-enquirer-is-right-bush-is-drinking-again/332236 "2005-11-22T14:04:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Spiff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiff/32/9852_2.png) [@Spiff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiff)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-enquirer-is-right-bush-is-drinking-again/332236/1 "2005-11-22T14:04:02Z")
From [this](http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/11/21/notimeforcamels.ap/index.html) CNN story on Dubya’s trip to Mongolia: > [@](#): > > He [Bush] drank fermented mare’s milk – sometimes likened to a mix of warm beer and buttermilk – sipped tea and nibbled cheese curd, a White House official said. Hey Laura, better get Dubya back to those AA meetings pronto! 😉 (I put this thread in MPSIMS … 'cause it’s meant to be a light-hearted poke at Bush. Please don’t turn this into a politcal flame war.) ---
**Author:** ![Balle\_M](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/13edae/32.png) [@Balle\_M](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balle_M)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-enquirer-is-right-bush-is-drinking-again/332236/2 "2005-11-22T14:07:38Z")
> [@Spiff](#): > > From [this](http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/asiapcf/11/21/notimeforcamels.ap/index.html) CNN story on Dubya’s trip to Mongolia:Hey Laura, better get Dubya back to those AA meetings pronto! 😉 > > (I put this thread in MPSIMS … 'cause it’s meant to be a light-hearted poke at Bush. Please don’t turn this into a politcal flame war.) Oh yea? Well, Clinton… ---
**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:** [November 22, 2005, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-enquirer-is-right-bush-is-drinking-again/332236/3 "2005-11-22T14:22:44Z")
According to statements he made, Bush never went to AA. IIRC, he’s a self-designated past alcohol abuser who stated he found his sobriety in religion, Jesus to be specific. If he were an AA member, his action of knowingly drinking a beverage with alcohol in it would be considered a relapse. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-enquirer-is-right-bush-is-drinking-again/332236/4 "2005-11-22T14:25:23Z")
Also not meant at a partisan jab, but a general question about alcoholism: Isn’t it a bad idea for a recovering alcoholic to drink fermented anything? Or can the fermenting process produce something other than alcohol? Or maybe this was O’Doul’s brand fermented mare’s milk, with the alcohol removed? Again, this is just about recovering alcoholics in general. Can something like this trigger a relapse? ---
**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:** [November 22, 2005, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-enquirer-is-right-bush-is-drinking-again/332236/5 "2005-11-22T14:46:44Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > Can something like this trigger a relapse? I would consider it a relapse, unless the alcohol content was 0.5% or less. Even then, it’s not wise behavior for someone with a history of alcohol abuse. I can see the political need to touch it to his lips and appear to drink a bit. But if he heartily quaffed it, it sounds like trouble to me. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-enquirer-is-right-bush-is-drinking-again/332236/6 "2005-11-22T14:52:04Z")
Eating and drinking that stuff should have made him follow in his dad’s footsteps and barf over his hosts. I still believe the Enquirer story and am confident that someday the truth will come out regarding Bush’s condition during the Katrina fiasco. ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-enquirer-is-right-bush-is-drinking-again/332236/7 "2005-11-22T14:55:14Z")
> [@Qadgop the Mercotan](#): > > I would consider it a relapse, unless the alcohol content was 0.5% or less. Even then, it’s not wise behavior for someone with a history of alcohol abuse. > > I can see the political need to touch it to his lips and appear to drink a bit. But if he heartily quaffed it, it sounds like trouble to me. Yeah. To me indulging in low-alcohol-content junk indicates that you aren’t yet quite ready to really quit. ---
**Author:** ![hawthorne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@hawthorne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hawthorne)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-enquirer-is-right-bush-is-drinking-again/332236/8 "2005-11-22T15:09:19Z")
“[F]ermented mare’s milk – sometimes likened to a mix of warm beer and buttermilk” doesn’t necessarily mean it has the alcohol content of such a mix. I drink kefir - a fermented sheep’s milk drink. It has no alcohol in it. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@John\_Carter\_of\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Carter_of_Mars)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-enquirer-is-right-bush-is-drinking-again/332236/9 "2005-11-22T15:14:30Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > Isn’t it a bad idea for a recovering alcoholic to drink fermented anything? There’s a big difference between someone who has abused alcohol in the past and an alcoholic. I abused alcohol a number of times in my teen years and early 20’s, but I’ve never been an alcoholic, because it’s never been an addiction for me. I’m someone who’s abused alcohol in the past. Saturday night we fixed some drinks to celebrate a big win over the hated-rival football team. Does that mean I’ve “suffered a relapse”? Of course not, because I never had an addiction to begin with. Next weekend I might go out to a bar and have some drinks… Relapse? Nah. I imagine The Prez falls into this same category of having done some excessive drinking on past Saturday nights, but never having been addicted to alcohol. Maybe he chooses to abstain entirely these days for political reasons, but sipping a little milk ferment ain’t gonna cause a relapse if there’s nothing to relapse from. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-enquirer-is-right-bush-is-drinking-again/332236/10 "2005-11-22T15:38:21Z")
> [@John Carter of Mars](#): > > I imagine The Prez falls into this same category of having done some excessive drinking on past Saturday nights, **but never having been addicted to alcohol.** Maybe he chooses to abstain entirely these days for political reasons, but sipping a little milk ferment ain’t gonna cause a relapse if there’s nothing to relapse from. I get a different impression – IIRC, his wife told him to quit drinking or she’d leave him, which brought him to religion. That doesn’t sound like someone who could have quit any time he wanted to. President Bush has talked a lot about how his battle with booze led to his religious conversion. So I can’t believe it wouldn’t be a big deal if he were to _really_ start drinking again. FWIW, I don’t think this incident indicates anything – do you really think he’d take his first drink in front of the whole world? ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-enquirer-is-right-bush-is-drinking-again/332236/11 "2005-11-22T15:40:18Z")
Also, if the president had quit drinking in his early 20’s, I would be more inclined to agree with you. But he was around 40. ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-enquirer-is-right-bush-is-drinking-again/332236/12 "2005-11-22T16:39:28Z")
Did he slam it down, scream _WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!_ and then demand the Secret Service make him a beer bong? No? Too bad, that would have been awesome! ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-enquirer-is-right-bush-is-drinking-again/332236/13 "2005-11-22T17:18:50Z")
My concern is that the fermented mare’s milk will be a gateway substance. Next he’ll move on to that bloody milkshake the Masai drink, and then to camel’s milk with Franjelica, and then to elephant cream with vodka and a goat milk and Jim Beam chaser, and soon while Osama’s pulling his next master stroke Bush is unable to do anything because he’s too plastered and his DHS experts are out milking walruses because he heard fermented sea mammal milk goes really good with Sprite. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-enquirer-is-right-bush-is-drinking-again/332236/14 "2005-11-22T17:27:59Z")
> [@Qadgop the Mercotan](#): > > I can see the political need to touch it to his lips and appear to drink a bit. But if he heartily quaffed it, it sounds like trouble to me. I’m trying to fit “heartily quaffed” and “kumiss” into the same sentence, and this is about the only way I can figure out how to do it. ---
**Author:** ![xbuckeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9e8a1a/32.png) [@xbuckeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xbuckeye)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-enquirer-is-right-bush-is-drinking-again/332236/15 "2005-11-22T17:43:18Z")
My guess is that it is closer to buttermilk than beer. Milk fermenting into alcohol in large quantities is doubtful at best. Most milk fermentations are from lactic acid bacteria, which, ironically, ferment lactose into lactic acid. You can also get acetic acid, propionic acid, and a bunch of other acids, some carbon dioxide from bacteria. Alcohol fermentation relies on yeast. I’m not saying it isn’t alcoholic, but that I would doubt it is in any biologically active level. Maybe Dubya is addicted to lactic acid. That would explain all the running and biking _and_ the fermented mares milk. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-enquirer-is-right-bush-is-drinking-again/332236/16 "2005-11-22T17:46:15Z")
> [@John Carter of Mars](#): > > I abused alcohol a number of times in my teen years and early 20’s, but I’ve never been an alcoholic, because it’s never been an addiction for me. So…you deny that you have a drinking problem? You know, denial of the problem is one of the signs of alcoholism. You need to seek help pronto! **Sampiro** , that was just gross. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-enquirer-is-right-bush-is-drinking-again/332236/17 "2005-11-22T17:57:28Z")
The prominent wisdom has been that if you’ve been an (addicted) alcoholic in the past, then quit, then one sip of beer will send you into a full-blown tailspin. Is there any truth to that? It sounds a little puritanical to me. I can see if someone was getting blotto on whiskey every night, then giving it up, and still having half a glass of wine with dinner every now and then. Is there any medical evidence to back this up, or is it just folk wisdom (possibly of a very sound nature)? ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-enquirer-is-right-bush-is-drinking-again/332236/18 "2005-11-22T18:14:03Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > I can see if someone was getting blotto on whiskey every night, then giving it up, and still having half a glass of wine with dinner every now and then. Then, what’s the harm in a second glass after dinner? Or one before bed? If it’s a big meal, maybe another one thrown in there somewhere. Of course, nothing washes a big lunch down as well as a cold beer. And whiskey goes better with some things than wine… Someone who was a real alcoholic _cannot_ touch alcohol again in most cases. It almost always leads down the same path. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-enquirer-is-right-bush-is-drinking-again/332236/19 "2005-11-22T18:16:43Z")
I think it’s more of a temptation thing. If you know you cannot control your addiction to alcohol, you don’t want to risk it with a sip here and there. Because if you can handle a sip, you can handle a gulp. If you can handle a gulp, you can handle half a glass. If you can handle half a glass…etc etc. I don’t think an accidental sip of fermented mare’s milk is going to send anyone back to the bottle. Unless, of course, you allow yourself to. ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2005, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-enquirer-is-right-bush-is-drinking-again/332236/20 "2005-11-22T18:16:46Z")
We’ve secretly replaced president Bush’s fermented mare’s milk with fermented stallion’s ‘milk’. Let’s see if he notices. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/national-enquirer-is-right-bush-is-drinking-again/332236.md?page=2)