Would you consider this alcoholism?

[Locut0s]

I drink a bottle of vodka a week. A fifth. Now spaced out over 7 days that's not THAT much. But I usually drink it quickly in 2 days (on the weekend when I don't have to work). I don't drink anything on the week days when I do work. I drink about 1/2 - 3/4 on SAT in a few hours ( :) ) then the rest on Sun. This is not social drinking I just like to get a little smashed on the weekend and browse the web. I've had social anxiety for years and have basically 0 social life but the truth is that I socialize far more at work when I don't drink than at home on the weekends than when I do drink.

[Chan790]

1. Do you, is the real question.

If you feel bad or concerned about your drinking...then you probably should consider that you might have a problem.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

2. Are you happy with your life?

If so, who cares how much you drink and when?

But, if it troubles you or isn't fun for you, then you should really try something else. Being anxious in social situations is normal, and if yours is a very powerful case, well, maybe there are groups - isn't that strange? - that can lend you a hand with this.

Don't worry about labels. But, consider the quality of your life.....................

[RagAss]

3. You have plenty of company.

[MrSlayer]

4. No.

Sounds to me like you enjoy tipping a few back on the weekends.

[nomorenomore08]

5. If you're not harming anyone else in the process, then it's totally your call.

I know I made a very nasty comment the other night about AA and similar programs (which I still kind of feel bad about :(), but I recognize that they exist for a reason. Not saying you need 12 steps, or any steps for that matter, but there are always options if you feel yourself losing control.

Although it's easier said than done, my only real advice would be to make some friends, then share your vodka with *them*. Drinking, IMHO, is always more fun when there's two or more. :)

[Forkboy]

6. Sounds more like binge drinking.

But it can still be bad news eventually. As someone else said though, it's really a question of whether or not it bothers you. Lord knows I'm not in any position to judge a person's vices. :)

[nomorenomore08]

7. As I see it, most alcoholics are binge drinkers, but not all binge drinkers are alcoholics.

If it doesn't seriously affect your everyday life, I don't see how the amount consumed really matters. :shrug:

[Forkboy]

8. Well, a fifth of vodka a week is hardly good for the liver.

And that was why I said it might cause problems down the line. Other than that I don't really disagree with you.

[nomorenomore08]

9. Probably not doctor-recommended, but that's still only like an average 3 shots a day.

I have plenty of weeks of drinking 3 beers a day (e.g. 5 beers one day, only 1 the next), and I don't know if the equivalent amount of hard liquor is really that much worse for you.

[no name no slogan]

12. Two drinks a day is what doctors recommend

Anything more than that can cause health problems, depending on your weight, age, and tolerance.

[nomorenomore08]

13. Well, I'm only 24, and weigh about 220 pounds, with a decent tolerance level.

Make of that what you will. :shrug:

[Forkboy]

14. Hey, I'm not judging. I've had plenty of weeks where I put away an 18 pack per night.

Hardly ever drink now, but I did my share. :)

[nomorenomore08]

20. Whoa! How could you even fit that much liquid in your stomach?

That's why beer is kind of a self-limiting thing for me - I get too bloated, and then drinking more starts to make me queasy. If I really wanna get trashed, I go for the hard stuff. :P

[Forkboy]

22. Lots of pissing.

:D

[Left Is Write]

38. Hmmmm....

I can fit a two-pack in my stomach.

I love good beer, but yeah, I can drink about two good beers in a four-hour period. :D

[960]

10. The fact that you ask tells me it probably is.

[no name no slogan]

11. I had an uncle who never drank during the week, but pounded 1.5 cases of beer a day on weekends

He managed to keep a job, but his drinking alienated his family and he never had a steady home his adult life. His whole life revolved around the weekend, and getting ruinously drunk.

He died in his sleep a few years back from complications from alcohol abuse. He was 54 years old.

Nobody can say whether you are an alcoholic, but if you think you have a problem with drinking than you should probably do something about it.

[Lars39]

15. Yes,

http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:hpl2NhDqvXAJ:www.aca-usa.org/faq.htm+alcoholism+weekend+only&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=firefox-a

[timtom]

30. Excellent link!

Thanks for posting it.

[liberaltrucker]

16. Like any substance addiction, alcoholism is an individual affliction

May I PM?

[bluesbassman]

17. It's not the quanity, it's the desire.

I've known people who would only drink one beer or cocktail on a regular basis that came to consider themselves alchoholics. The key was that they obsessed about that one drink, and it came to control their lives.

It really boils down to how drinking affects your life, good or bad. Only you can answer that question.

[MajorChode]

18. Not necessarily

For whatever reason, people in the US get hung up over alcohol more so than in other places and yet we seem to have more problems with it. I know plenty of people in Europe that have several glasses of wine every night and if friends come over on the weekend, they will throw back their usual quantity of wine, plus perhaps champagne and cognac. I certainly wouldn't consider them alcoholics.

If the alcohol is keeping your from having a social life, or it's creating problems with your work, neighbors, or other people you know, then you should start thinking about doing something else.

[Shell Beau]

19. I don't know. Do you?

It seems like you need to explain what you drink and why, so that makes me feel like you think there is a problem.

[trackfan]

21. No.

Thats about 17 drinks total. Yeah, 9 or 10 on Saturday is a lot, but if getting smashed on Saturday is what you like to do, I don't see a problem.

[Shell Beau]

23. Does age factor in? I see a problem with someone having

17 drinks a weekend every weekend. Unless, they are of the college age. I feel a lot of college age kids may binge drink. That sounds like binge drinking to me if it happens often.

[catnhatnh]

24. I don't know...

...but I suspect so. You have to get that being alcoholic is highly individual and not necessarily debilitating. I am an alcoholic and know that this is a disease and a morbid one (meaning you may die from it).You may choose whether to address it as such or not. If you want to find out the test is as follows-have a drink-or two, a day-if you can do so you are not an alcoholic. The trick is to pick your number and never vary. If you try this you will have your answer. If you are it is not the end of anything, you just have to make decisions from there. If you have any questions go for it or PM me....

[SPKrazy]

25. If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, its probably a duck.

do you feel it is a problem?
Is it interfering with your life and what you want to do?
does it cause you problems, yet you continue to do it despite that?

do others tell you it is a problem?

do you drink more than you plan?


key things with alcohol dependence are continued drinking despite adverse consequences and
tolerance, and the inability to determine how much you will drink (drink more than you plan sometimes)

other issues that are worrisome- amnestic episodes (blackouts, not passing out) awake but not remembering things

really it ultimately is up to you to determine if it is causing you a problem.

The fact that you ask it here is not a determining factor of saying you have a problem.

If wondering if it is a problem is something on your mind a lot, then there might be something to look at.

[Shell Beau]

26. I would also add if it hinders relationships with others.

Do others think your drinking is a problem?

[MrsBrady]

27. I always thought that if

you have to ask...and if you are thinking about it...
then there IS some kind of problem.

I'm not saying you are an alcoholic...but you might want to talk to a professional.

[Jamastiene]

28. I wouldn't.

If you can manage to keep it to only the weekends, then it's just drinking on occasion. :shrug:

[Jeep789]

29. Well, let's hope you don't get laid off

because then the answer would really become clear.

[Sky Masterson]

31. The question is

Could you stop if you wanted to.
I love getting my drink on but the older I get the more it goes to my midsection.
So It's thin and sober or fat and drunk.
Right now I am on a diet so it's 1-2 light beers a day(64 calorie Becks Premium light) or a glass of red wine.
I understand your deal though. I am home alone and bored often and booze sort of makes it a bit more tolerable.

[Pacifist Patriot]

32. When someone asks the question it's generally because they already perceive a problem.

[applegrove]

33. Is it causing serious problems in your life and you are not doing anything to fix them?

Like say if you need a social life but are too busy binging to go out and build your life. Couldn't you be out pursuing your passions (and meeting people with like passions)instead?

[graywarrior]

34. If you're questioning it, then you may have answered yourself

[surrealAmerican]

35. Try skipping the vodka for a few weeks.

That should make it a little clearer. If you do fine without, but you'd like to resume after that, you might consider drinking a bit less for health reasons.

[Inchworm]

36. Only you know the real answer

:D

Standardized testing is fickle ;)

:hug:

[Lydia Leftcoast]

37. Are you drinking to fill the hours on the weekend?

If you're drinking because you literally have nothing else to do, that could get problematic. (I was briefly in that situation when I had to spend a summer in a graduate dorm with very few other people.)

You need to find fun ways to keep yourself occupied on the weekends. Join a local recreational club or some community group so that you have an excuse to get out of the house and mingle with people.

[elleng]

39. YOU decide.

http://www.lakesidemilam.com/UnderTheInfluence.htm

Good luck!

[mnhtnbb]

40. It sounds to me like you already know the answer.

It also sounds like you are lonely on the weekend and drinking to numb the pain.

Maybe it's time to develop some new plans for the weekends?

:hug:

[MrPerson]

41. I'm not one to talk. I eat the wrong foods and that's no better.

[Obamanaut]

42. When you say things like "...that's not THAT much..." my personal

experience is that you are on the edge of having problems. BUT, someone on a keyboard far away cannot make that determination for you.

Good luck.

[Tuvok Obama]

43. Here's a good way to determine if you're an alcoholic (or addicted to anything)

1. If you have a good reason to quit (family, significant other, job, goals, any reason important to you)

2. and because of this self-determined reason, you try to quit

3. but for whatever reason, you are unable to quit, then it's time to get help.

You could "test the water" by giving it up for a predetermined length of time, and seeing if you're capable of following through. If you can leave it alone for awhile, and the lack of alcohol doesn't disrupt your thought process or your emotional state, you have your answer.

[TrogL]

44. Can you stop when you want to?

For example, if you need to go out or have some other sitation where you can't be under the influence, can you avoid drinking for that time period?

Can you have two drinks and stop?

Can you not drink for two days (obviously yes, 'cause you're only drinking weekends) so, can you not drink for two weekends if you want to?

If you can say yes to all 3 questions, you're probably not, but YMMV.

[Dappleganger]

45. No, but it sounds like you're self-medicating. nt

[crim son]

46. I agree, it's binge drinking.

That's how I drink, when I do, but if somebody told me I could never have another drink it would be irritating but I wouldn't suffer from withdrawal or anything. Still, I know I do it because I'm lonely and want to escape on weekend nights when it hits me that I am alone... the emotional isolation is the problem and the booze is just a symptom. My point is that maybe you shouldn't ignore the habit even if you aren't an alcoholic. Maybe there is a different approach to take (and when you figure out what that is, please let me know.)

:hug: I hear you.