Alcoholic is just a word. You may not fit the classic definition but I think you and I both know you have a problem. Drinking that much, alone, for no reason, that regularly is a problem. You can justify it by maintaining a steady job or compare yourself to others that have a bigger drinking problem to make yourself feel better but that won't make the truth go away - you have a drinking problem. And these things usually get worse. You need help - more help than you can get on a message board. You are not rock bottom yet, but you don't want to wait until then to turn around. You will feel better in the long run if you get help now.
BTW, this might be the worst idea to give to someone who might have a drinking problem, but trade in that 24 pack of natty light for a 6 pack (if they come in 6) of something good in this thread. Focus that drinking on becoming a good beer snob instead. Real beer is not chuggable for most. That tasty 6 pack will help you pace yourself better.
I was thinking the same thing earlier. Light beer and pilsners are so easy to continue to drink if you don't watch out. Seems like Miller/Bud/Coors light (and all of the budget beers of said companies) are designed for binge drinking. 3 or 4 bottles of Guinness, Newcastle, or any other darker beer will fill you up quick. I defy someone to drink more than a sixer of those on a regular basis.
I just recently decided to try drinking after 30+ years of avoiding it. The good news: it did not turn me into a different person or raging alcoholic. But I don't see what the big deal is about it either. It just makes me a little dizzy, which is mildly amusing. I can't get past that point (too much liquid to drink, rough on stomach) and honestly, why would I want to? I also don't understand why people would do it alone... kind of boring. Unless you're really bored. Still, you know, no one to talk to about it... unless you sit here and drink and post on clutchfans. Not that any of you ever do that now. Back to this thread: you said the second time that you weren't really trying to get out of a marriage. Only you know how your situation is and how you feel about it. But I've been in a bad marriage situation before, and tried other escape routes... if it's not going to get better or be what you can live with and grow in, the best escape route is the legal one, along with that of physically getting out of the house. Again, this is just for seriously bad situations that aren't getting better, but it's good to face something head on and do something about it than waste your life in some vague avoidance mode. In whatever case, hope things get better for you.
You should drink better quality beer. All that wasted calories and alcohol on nasty miller lite. Alcoholic or not, I mean you've got to at least enjoy the ride. If you want inoffensive lagers at least go German or something. Or even better, expand your horizons and drink other types of beer. I mean you can get a similar alcohol wallop (if that's what you're looking for, I actually don't need maximum hammerage these days and try to avoid) from a 6-pack of a German doublebock as you got from your 14 miller lites, more or less, and it takes you less time. Then you can just tell everybody you only had 6 beers, so effectively you cut down your drinking. Everybody's happy then. edit: what professorjay said
This quote seems to be getting overlooked. If you have a compulsive need to get drunk every week then yes, that is a problem. No, it is not normal. If there was a question before whether your were already an alcoholic or just on the path to being one, this statement confirms in my mind that you are already an addict.
There was a recent CNN article about how we tend to drink to the same extent as our friends. That makes sense, of course, you don't go to a wine and cheese party with a six pack. Even if you drink alone, if the people who are close to you don't drink 14 beers in a sitting you probably wouldn't either. http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/health/2010/04/06/roberts.social.networks.drinking.cnn?hpt=C2 I'm not quite sure why you would try to get drunk off beers, what was it, Miller Lite? A couple stiff cocktails are much faster and you wouldn't have to stay up until 2AM. Given that you seem to have a problem with alcohol I probably shouldn't tell you that As to the alcoholism question I think there is a sliding scale and you are sliding in the wrong direction. As many other people have pointed out, you should take some time to figure out what triggers a need to get drunk and find a healthier way to deal with that stress.
Hahaha.. Asking an Australian like myself that question, not too hard... Drinkin' 'American' beer i think honestly i would be able to drink a 6-pack a day and it would never affect my day...
You asked the question in an open forum, but you probably only wanted to hear, "Nah, you're cool, bro". Deal is I am a binge drinker too, I have been to AA a few times, but I haven't turned the corner yet. I have drunk to the point of almost passing out at least a couple times a week (when I can afford it). I don't blow off work, or school or play rehearsals. The last five years though, I have started to feel progressively worse. Some days after drinking a lot of beer, I will tell myself I am gonna have a couple tall boys so I will feel a little better...and usually that leads to another day long drunk. (Unless I have something I HAVE to do that day that I can't do buzzed). People can drink as we do for a couple years in our early 20's and still not be hurt by it, but lets not kid ourselves, it's not quite so much fun anymore (and the fact that you drink alone as I do means you have probably been burned some by saying horrible things to people you don't even remember...am I close.) Heck I have gotten to the point I even upset people via IM when I am drinking. I need one of those breathalyzer things for my computer that people put on their cars so it won't start if they are drinking. Anyway there are still a couple of things I am gonna try, and keep trying til something takes. Good luck.
