# What kind of alcoholic are you? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 18, 2014, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-alcoholic-are-you/693476 "2014-07-18T18:59:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2014, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-alcoholic-are-you/693476/61 "2014-07-21T13:19:52Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > I also don’t see the problem with drinking alone. (Come to the dark side **Dung Beetle!** ) Come to the dark side, we have [del]cookies[/del] liquor? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2014, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-alcoholic-are-you/693476/62 "2014-07-21T14:06:09Z")
I’m not into all this “fifty shades of alcoholism” talk. I’m an old-fashioned drunkard. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2014, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-alcoholic-are-you/693476/63 "2014-07-21T14:12:02Z")
I drink 3 to 8 beers every day, give or take. It affects my life primarily in positive ways. (and I’m a drunk; alcoholics go to meetings.) ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2014, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-alcoholic-are-you/693476/64 "2014-07-21T15:08:39Z")
I was a serous binge drinker, but gave it up after I damn near died of alcohol poisoning. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2014, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-alcoholic-are-you/693476/65 "2014-07-21T15:12:37Z")
Extremely moderate drinker. Drink maybe twice a month on average, and it’s a big night for me when I have a second drink. Can’t remember when the last time was that I had a third. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2014, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-alcoholic-are-you/693476/66 "2014-07-21T15:42:04Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Can’t remember when the last time was that I had a third. Whoa. I’m bad, but I’ve never suffered loss of memory. ---
**Author:** ![stui\_magpie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stui_magpie/32/11010_2.png) [@stui\_magpie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stui_magpie)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2014, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-alcoholic-are-you/693476/67 "2014-07-21T22:42:00Z")
[http://cl.jroo.me/z3/c/Z/s/e/a.baa-Just-One-Glass-Of-Wine-A-Nig.jpg](http://cl.jroo.me/z3/c/Z/s/e/a.baa-Just-One-Glass-Of-Wine-A-Nig.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![RingsOfPylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3da27b/32.png) [@RingsOfPylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RingsOfPylon)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2014, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-alcoholic-are-you/693476/68 "2014-07-22T01:42:19Z")
Drink extremely moderately. Not an alcoholic by any stretch of the imagination. I have one or two drinks when I go out to dinner, which is maybe once every month or two. I like mixed drinks that go down like kool-aid. Even though I rarely finish the second drink, I immediately go home and go to sleep. See ya tomorrow. I have no tolerance for alcohol. Occasionally I crave a beer, mostly in the summer. Then I buy a six pack, drink one, and the rest sit in the refrigerator for a good year until I finally empty them down the drain to make room for things that will actually get consumed. Don’t like wine much, but will have a glass once in a great while. We have bottles of various types of alcohol in a cabinet that were mostly gifts. Most haven’t been opened and they’ve been there for several years. Even if I occasionally get an urge to try a drink at home, they never taste as good as those made by someone else so I usually don’t bother to try. There have been times when I drank more (and more regularly) and had better tolerance for alcohol, but I was never a problem drinker. Never binged, never felt like I had to drink. ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2014, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-alcoholic-are-you/693476/69 "2014-07-22T03:36:17Z")
I voted “I don’t drink at all” but would have voted “I don’t drink at all because my father was an alcoholic and I think I probably have an addictive personality and wouldn’t want to be an alcoholic as well”, had that option been available to me. ---
**Author:** ![seodoa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@seodoa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seodoa)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2014, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-alcoholic-are-you/693476/70 "2014-07-22T04:47:08Z")
I used to drink almost daily, usually two or three drinks. Beer mostly, but sometimes stronger stuff like shochu or sake. Weekends often included binge drinking. Several years of that and I ended up gaining 10kg and started feeling like crap about myself, so I stopped. I now only drink on Friday nights (usually two or three drinks out with friends) and for the occasional work party. I’m doing a lot better now, but sometimes I still end up binge drinking, especially at work parties. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2014, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-alcoholic-are-you/693476/71 "2014-07-22T04:52:16Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > I’m virtually 68 years sober. > > I drink so infrequently, sometimes years go by between drinks. My parents were the same way. I have a liquor cabinet full of unopened liquor that was given to my father on several occasions. If my brother doesn’t want it, I’m giving it away. Some years back when I was married, we were gifted with a bottle of some sort of expensive nutty liquor. It smelled fantastic but tasted gross. Being a frugal sort, I hate to see stuff go to waste so I dumped the entire bottle in the humidifier. The house smelled lovely for a few days. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![JustinC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justinc/32/8083_2.png) [@JustinC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustinC)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2014, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-alcoholic-are-you/693476/72 "2014-07-22T08:14:03Z")
I like a small sherry on Christmas Day, that is all. Nah, I could probably go toe-to-toe with Lemmy Kilmister. ---
**Author:** ![stui\_magpie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stui_magpie/32/11010_2.png) [@stui\_magpie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stui_magpie)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2014, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-alcoholic-are-you/693476/73 "2014-07-22T09:33:00Z")
> [@JustinC](#): > > I like a small sherry on Christmas Day, that is all. > > Nah, I could probably go toe-to-toe with Lemmy Kilmister. Invite me to that party, I’ll bring the absinthe.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2014, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-alcoholic-are-you/693476/74 "2014-07-22T11:42:28Z")
The poll should have included, “damn fine” as an option. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2014, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-alcoholic-are-you/693476/75 "2014-07-22T12:21:01Z")
Averaged across time, I drink probably less than one unit a week. This weekend, I had a couple of beers and half a bottle of wine on a trip to France, but that’s exceptional. My wife doesn’t drink at all, partly because she is severely allergic to sulphites, which are now ubiquitous in wine - so we don’t often have a lot of alcohol in stock in the house. ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2014, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-alcoholic-are-you/693476/76 "2014-07-22T13:27:57Z")
I don’t think I’ve ever been more than moderate, and these days I only drink when it’s expected in social situations. (The change was mostly because of my healthy eating priorities; I’d rather indulge in a little junk food than drink extra calories.) ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2014, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-alcoholic-are-you/693476/77 "2014-07-22T15:27:43Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I drink 3 to 8 beers every day, give or take. It affects my life primarily in positive ways. (and I’m a drunk; alcoholics go to meetings.) Two to five here, typically, or the equivalent in wine or martini. The only negatives, as far as I can tell, are the cost and the need to carry my empty bottles to the recycling bin every morning before I leave for work. I do worry a bit about having some mild withdrawal effects (insomnia/irritability) if I’m forced to abstain for a while, but with the Lord’s blessing that will never happen. ---
**Author:** ![Neidhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Neidhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neidhart)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2014, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-alcoholic-are-you/693476/78 "2014-07-22T20:23:19Z")
I drink 3 to 4 per day, four days a week - except when the beer I buy is over 8% ABV, in which case I limit myself to two per day. ---
**Author:** ![hyden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/35a633/32.png) [@hyden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hyden)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2014, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-alcoholic-are-you/693476/79 "2014-07-22T20:27:26Z")
I find the ‘binge’ chart as unrealistic as the BMI chart. That being said. Fri-Sun I drink about 4-6 beers during a window of 3PM - 12AM. Mon-Thur I typically dont drink. I occasionally will have 1-2 midweek (lets say a Wed) if my week is dragging ass. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2014, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-alcoholic-are-you/693476/80 "2014-07-22T21:38:57Z")
I said “extremely moderate” as well. I will go weeks / months without drinking anything. Sometimes I decide to treat myself to a bottle of hard cider or hard lemonade and get distracted and 4 hours later realize I’ve had about 4 sips. On the other hand, on those rare occasions where it’s a safe situation and there’s something I _like_ to drink, I might have roughly 3-4 “drinks” over the course of an evening (in quotes because it’s often something weak - like sangria cut with ginger ale). So this weekend when over 5 hours I had a very small glass of shandy, a half glass of wine, a small “mule” (something involving vodka and ginger beer), and one or two glasses of sangria cut with Sprite, that was highly unusual for me. Of course in hindsight that sounds like a LOT - while I never felt even slightly tipsy maybe that qualifies as a binge? It might be another month before I have any alcohol at all. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-alcoholic-are-you/693476.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-alcoholic-are-you/693476.md?page=5)