# What kind of alcoholic are you?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-alcoholic-are-you/693476>\
**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:** 5\
**Page:** 5

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**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\
**Post date:** [July 22, 2014, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-alcoholic-are-you/693476/81 "2014-07-22T22:03:42Z")

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Well thanks everybody for holding your collective noses about the “moderate” and “binge” issues and chiming in anyway.

I do wonder what kind or how much selection bias is in play. I have to admit I expected more than 6 rock bottoms, and fewer total abstainers. Apart from that, not that surprising.

ETA My suspicion is that abstainers or former drinkers are more likely to participate in order to say “I don’t drink,” and problem drinkers are likely to describe themselves as moderate or functional. Don’t suppose there’s anything groundbreaking about that tho.

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**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\
**Post date:** [July 22, 2014, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-alcoholic-are-you/693476/82 "2014-07-22T22:19:51Z")

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You didn’t include “dry drunks” either … those who ARE alcoholics, but are not actively drinking.

Me: One or two beers a night, habitually … and major binges when I meet up with my sister in Vegas.

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**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\
**Post date:** [July 22, 2014, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-alcoholic-are-you/693476/83 "2014-07-22T22:23:41Z")

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> [@watchwolf49](#):
>
> You didn’t include “dry drunks” either … those who ARE alcoholics, but are not actively drinking.
> 
> Me: One or two beers a night, habitually … and major binges when I meet up with my sister in Vegas.

Yes, I did. That option is “Don’t drink at all.”

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**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\
**Post date:** [July 22, 2014, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-alcoholic-are-you/693476/84 "2014-07-22T22:31:57Z")

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Ah … see … drinking’s bad for you [grin]

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**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 23, 2014, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-alcoholic-are-you/693476/85 "2014-07-23T11:59:06Z")

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> [@Sicks\_Ate](#):
>
> problem drinkers are likely to describe themselves as moderate or functional.

Problem for who?

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