# What is your relationship to alcohol? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 12, 2018, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-relationship-to-alcohol/808692 "2018-02-12T16:19:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [February 12, 2018, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-relationship-to-alcohol/808692/21 "2018-02-12T17:31:27Z")
#2. I don’t drink because I became allergic to alcohol many years ago. I don’t miss it much. I don’t care if anyone else drinks as long as they don’t drive drunk and as long as they don’t become alcoholics and ruin their lives and those of others. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2018, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-relationship-to-alcohol/808692/22 "2018-02-12T17:37:23Z")
Are these the first 9 of the Twelve Steps? If they are in order, I don’t think it’s going to end well. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2018, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-relationship-to-alcohol/808692/23 "2018-02-12T17:48:23Z")
Closest to #4, I would say. I love a good cocktail, and I love a good buzz, and alcohol is a great social lubricant. _In Vino Verita_s, as they say. The “problem” is that I enjoy getting high _way_ more than getting hammered, and I can get high daily with less appreciable risk of addiction and much less harm to my body, both acute and long-term. So if I’m going to alter my mental state with chemistry, I’m just going to spark a bowl. About the only times I’ll drink now are family events on my Mom’s side - maybe twice per year (family events on Mrs. Homie’s side consisting entirely of people sitting around _talking_, for hours on end). ---
**Author:** ![MrLee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f8ce5/32.png) [@MrLee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrLee)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2018, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-relationship-to-alcohol/808692/24 "2018-02-12T17:51:21Z")
Thanks for the replies so far. It is interesting to see so many replies in the #2-#4 range, as in my social and familial circles #7 (and #9 in some cases…) has been the norm. For me, I find having a few drinks _on my own_ has its own particular therapeutic value; there is something about interrogating one’s own thoughts after 2/3 of a bottle of sauvignon blanc which can be idiosyncratically illuminating. In fact, the thesis of my doctoral degree had its embryonic origins while I was in a pub in Cambridge. Still, this isn’t me suggesting that ‘I am more clever when I am drunk’ (I most certainly am not), nor ‘Drunk people are more enlightened than teetotallers’ (see previous), rather that at certain stages of the inebriation process I have access to certain thought-processes and emotional self-realisations that I wouldn’t otherwise have. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2018, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-relationship-to-alcohol/808692/25 "2018-02-12T17:53:02Z")
In all seriousness, “recovering alcoholic” is an important omission from the list, with no real overlap to any of the descriptions. That’s probably a significant percentage of the population. ---
**Author:** ![velomont](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8491ac/32.png) [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2018, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-relationship-to-alcohol/808692/26 "2018-02-12T17:53:48Z")
I’m about a 4.5. I might have a few drinks during the week but no more than that, and possibly none at all. On weekends I’ll definitely have some Friday and Saturday night but rarely drunk, though it does happen on rare occasions. I love the refreshment of certain beers and I like scotches and gin martinis. Where I could have problems occasionally is with red wine. I love pizza, including gourmet thin crust pizza, and having that with wine serves some wonderful, ritualistic purpose for me that can occasionally lead me into a bit of trouble. If all alcohol was to disappear I would not have any problems with that except the thought that “it is such a beautiful evening out here on the terrace with the other patrons that it is a real shame that I can’t have a nice, full-bodied, dry red with this wonderful pizza.” Strange but true. ---
**Author:** ![MrLee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f8ce5/32.png) [@MrLee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrLee)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2018, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-relationship-to-alcohol/808692/27 "2018-02-12T17:55:45Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > In all seriousness, “recovering alcoholic” is a glaring omission from the list, with no real overlap to any of the descriptions. That’s probably a significant percentage of the population. Granted. Cite, though? ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2018, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-relationship-to-alcohol/808692/28 "2018-02-12T17:56:57Z")
> [@MrLee](#): > > Granted. Cite, though? You want a cite that there are a significant number of recovering alcoholics? > **[Estimated Worldwide A.A. Individual and Group Membership | Alcoholics Anonymous](https://www.aa.org/estimated-worldwide-aa-individual-and-group-membership)** > > Estimated of worldwide A.A. Groups and Members by year. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2018, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-relationship-to-alcohol/808692/29 "2018-02-12T17:57:10Z")
I love a beer or glass of wine, nice whiskey, G&T. Definitely life would be diminished without it. Luckily, though I love alcoholic drinks I hate the feeling of being drunk or even tipsy. So I’ll have a drink, 95% of the time with food and I bet I have a drink most days, but that’s it. I got drunk a couple of times when I was a teenager and hated it so I just don’t it. And I don’t understand the mindset that some people have where they have one drink and have to have another. I like the taste but not the feeling so it is trivially easy to have one and go no further. So I don’t know where I fit on your chart. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2018, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-relationship-to-alcohol/808692/30 "2018-02-12T18:03:14Z")
About a 5. I have a beer or glass of wine almost every day, and have for years. On weekends it often goes up to two drinks a day. Sometimes even three, but not often. On vacations, 4 a day is not unheard of, starting at lunch, and a drink every couple of hours until dinner. But I don’t like being more than tipsy, and I almost never drink more than one drink per two hours. ---
**Author:** ![Grumbacher\_Red](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85e7bf/32.png) [@Grumbacher\_Red](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumbacher_Red)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2018, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-relationship-to-alcohol/808692/31 "2018-02-12T18:05:24Z")
Another 2.5 here. Alcohol makes me sleepy and I am too much of a talker at social functions to spend the whole time dozing off on the couch. I realized very early on in my life that this tendency could possibly lead to me being taken advantage of, so it was best to keep talking and just nurse that one one wine cooler all evening. It also tastes really nasty to me so I have to mask the alcohol with so much fruity sweetness that…why bother? ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2018, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-relationship-to-alcohol/808692/32 "2018-02-12T18:11:36Z")
Probably somewhere between a 3 and a 4. I love getting a good buzz on occasion but I rarely drink at home and I often go multiple weeks without even thinking about having a drink. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2018, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-relationship-to-alcohol/808692/33 "2018-02-12T18:18:51Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > You want a cite that there are a significant number of recovering alcoholics? > > [https://www.aa.org/assets/en\_US/smf-132\_en.pdf](https://www.aa.org/assets/en_US/smf-132_en.pdf) Small note at the bottom of that page: > [@](#): > > Because A.A. has never attempted to keep formal membership lists, it is extremely difficult to obtain completely accurate figures on total membership at any given time. The information shown here is based on reports given by > groups listed with general service offices (G.S.O.s) around the world and does not represent an actual count of those who consider themselves A.A. members. ---
**Author:** ![Lamoral](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lamoral/32/16078_2.png) [@Lamoral](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamoral)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2018, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-relationship-to-alcohol/808692/34 "2018-02-12T18:20:13Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > In all seriousness, “recovering alcoholic” is an important omission from the list, with no real overlap to any of the descriptions. That’s probably a significant percentage of the population. This is a crucial distinction to make. There are recovering alcoholics who might go on a horrible bender, and they’re not doing it because they “fucking hate alcohol”…but their attitude towards “fucking hate alcohol” might depend on whether they’re drunk or sober, and how successful that sobriety is being…and any number of things they might _tell themselves_ about their situation to justify it. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2018, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-relationship-to-alcohol/808692/35 "2018-02-12T18:24:35Z")
I’m a big ol’ 7. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2018, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-relationship-to-alcohol/808692/36 "2018-02-12T18:29:12Z")
#2 ([I can’t … I’m Mormon](http://images.fanpop.com/images/image_uploads/I-can-t--I-m-mormon-mormons-332318_400_400.jpg)). Shouldn’t this be a proper poll? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2018, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-relationship-to-alcohol/808692/37 "2018-02-12T18:30:22Z")
My relationship with alcohol? Halfway between “kissin’ cousins” and “friends with benefits”. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2018, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-relationship-to-alcohol/808692/38 "2018-02-12T18:31:07Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Small note at the bottom of that page: Sure, tbh I was a bit bemused about why I was being asked for a cite for (essentially) the fact that alcoholism is a widespread problem. That was what my 5 seconds of research came up with. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2018, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-relationship-to-alcohol/808692/39 "2018-02-12T18:32:13Z")
#3. I never drink when I’m out if I’m driving, not even one. We have wine, so I have a glass before dinner a couple of times a week, but beer bought for company stays in the fridge for months without me being interested. If I were living by myself I wouldn’t drink at all. Most alcohol does nothing for me at all, I’d much prefer a Coke. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2018, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-relationship-to-alcohol/808692/40 "2018-02-12T18:38:56Z")
I’d say I’m a #3. I drink a little wine in the evening a couple of times a week. Usually Port or Sherry. GaryM [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-relationship-to-alcohol/808692.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-relationship-to-alcohol/808692.md?page=3)