Alcoholism: How much is too much?

An excessive amount of alcohol can cause lots of problems, but lots of people drink fairly regularly without any of these problems. So, how do you know when you drink too much?

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Sources:

[MadeinHell]

As a son of an alcoholic it is really hard to understand how absolutely resolute they are to believing they're NOT alcoholics. Despite the fact that any kind of tension has them running for a bottle, despite the fact that their family openly states that this is a problem over and over and over. Despite the fact that they're having trouble keeping track of conversations because all the drunken ones are blurring together.

No one single thing in my life has made me lose as much faith in people and my parents as alcohol did.

[RunningInCircles]

I have been sober for a month and a half. I still want a drink everyday. It is tough.

[lminnott]

I’ve been sober since 15 b/c my addicted parents said I had a problem, then they found out they had a problem as well. They sent me to rehab and a recovery home and been sober since by the grace of God!

[denniselliott]

My dad was an alcoholic who died a few years ago from liver failure. I have never drank as much as a single beer in my life. I attribute this to his alcoholism having the reverse effect on me: instead of making me an alcoholic, it turned me off of it completely.

[NathanielNow]

My mother watched her brother drink himself to death. Now, she'll still most likely drink herself to death as well.
My father, my sister, and I have all decided not to drink. I can't stand the thought of losing control of myself to a substance.

[rjjr]

I'd love to never drink again but the temptation is overwhelming sometimes

[danielduncan]

I am an alcoholic. *ONE* is too much for me. And it is especially bad if I do one every day. Because that lead to two every day, then three, then four and so on and so forth. They key though is the habitual use. I can actually have a drink. But if I have to have one the next day there is a problem. If it ever becomes ritual, anything regular, any kind of pattern at all then it is time to seek help again. I have been a non-practicing alcoholic now for 18 years. I have actually come to like using the word "no".

[IceMetalPunk]

When I first started drinking in college, I hated the feeling of being drunk. I mostly only drank out of social expectation. These days, I still hate the feeling of drunkenness, and I only rarely drink (and when I do, it's usually rum, which I love). I will never understand the appeal of getting drunk, losing the ability to think. On some level maybe I do get it, seeing as I have an anxiety disorder and overthinking ruins a lot of my life, but... I'd still rather overthink things than be unable to think at all.

[thatoneguy_]

The moment you hear them or yourself say "I can stop at anytime" there's definitely a problem or it's reaching the point where it's a problem for you to recognize it

[wildhearses]

I'm 32 and it's interesting because like most drugs I think alcohol stopped having any positive relaxing effects. I "stress drank" a couple of years ago because of a job and it became a problem- I managed to cut back and now I'm cautious about drinking too much or too often because I feel like it just makes my anxiety much worse.

[ZeusTheIrritable]

I used to drink A LOT in my mid to late 20's, and while I wouldn't say I was an alcoholic, it got to the point where I started to feel weird being sober in the evenings. Now, in my mid to late 30's, I'll have a few drinks every week or two, but nothing like I used to. I'm very lucky since alcoholism and drug addiction is somewhat prominent in my family. My heart goes out to everyone who is going through or has gone through addiction.

[zacthesecretweapon]

My whole family on the side of my Father are alcoholic, my father included. I've seen what it does to people and I have no interest of drinking alcohol. I never drank, and I will probably never will. I'm 24.

[mikeymoughtin]

hi everyone, alcoholic here. to sort of give at least one recovering alcoholic's perspective on this, i'm gunna try to best describe what it's like to be addicted, at least for me.

it's not like being hungry. when you're hungry one part of your brain is giving you a strong and clear message. you understand what it's from and how to fix it. wanting to drink is more like different parts of your brain at different times pretending to solve hunger, but really it's just trying to get drunk.

like, if you're really anxious, part of your brain says "we'd be less anxious if we drank" and if that doesn't work, when you're really proud of doing well at school or work, it says "you deserve it" or when you feel a lot of self pity for how hard it can be not to drink, you guessed it, it suggests you drink that away too.

the thing is you can never really trust your own brain. it might seem reasonable, but it's not hunger. it's like having to admit you're crazy and no matter how good the reason seems to be, if drinking is part of the solution you know it's "that" part of your brain coming up with the idea. that's why group therapy like AA works at all. we all serve as a second opinion. that's what sponsors are for, to remind you it's "that" part of your brain talking when you think you have found a good excuse to drink.

[jumpierwolf]

I find it sad how such a shitty drug is society's drug of choice.

[VladSWG]

I'm not drunk... you're drunk.

[marylancelot]

Any other adult children of alcoholics here?

[kathleenl.]

The best advice I ever read: "If you think you have a problem, you do, and you should just stop." If you're not sure, do some reading. For me the key was understanding that my body and my mind were part of a cycle and i needed to understand both. I could not will or think my way out. I need to learn why I was immediately drawn to alcohol (social anxiety and depression) and that I needed to break a mental, emotional, and physical cycle. The following advice is not for people too sick to stop without medical assistance. For me: it helped to have a few days of vacation: fewer usual triggers marking out my day and night. I learned to "surf the urge": to feel the sensations that lead to using (drinking, smoking, whatever) and ride it out without acting. As soon as I stopped poisoning myself I felt so much better, I have never looked back. After years of regrets I was now not harming myself every day. I had known that I couldn't make progress in any other area until I fixed this. Again, get medical help if you are too sick to try not drinking for a few days. Read "Never Enough" and "The Willpower Instinct".

[randomUnhold]

My passion and hobby is trying and analysing malt whisky and other aged spirits. I have a booze cabinet greater than most medium-sized bars. Im on reflexion mode almost constantly, because my Grandpa and uncle were/are both alcoholics. I try to have a dram (2-3cl) irregularly and rarely more that 1 a session.

[drizzlingrose]

Just hit 25, never had an alcoholic drink that tasted nice. And I've been fed expensive drinks on ski holidays with my family, idk they just taste bad to me.
And the whole loss of control drunkenness gives sounds very unpleasant :o

[Honeybreee]

Cirrhosis or depression... Cirrhosis, _or_ depression... Hmm, why not both!