What constitutes a drinking problem?

[GreenLantern2814]

I get drunk maybe once a month, once every six weeks. Rare is the time that I'll even drink to the point where there's a chance I'm unsafe to drive (Walking distance to my bar, let's get that sorted straightaway). Yet I do enjoy beer a tremendous amount. There's probably only one or two days a week that I don't have at least one, be it with dinner or whatever. It's also rare I'd ever have more than three in a night.

So I'm occasionally curious as to whether or not this constitutes a drinking problem. I know if I cut back, I'd have more money, I'd be in better shape. Maybe I would enjoy life more.

But is it reasonable to say that I just enjoy beer, that this isn't a real issue, and that overanalyzing is perhaps a bigger compulsive disorder than booze?

How much do you usually drink, and do you think that amount has any negative consequences to your life? (Setting aside that anything that is enjoyable probably does something to diminish life expectancy; fun costs you)

[KelVarnsen]

Do you need to drink? If you need to drink, then you have a problem.

[polak]

I'm the opposite of you.

I drink to get drunk usually once or twice a week but then never drink anything outside of those days.

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by KelVarnsen

Do you need to drink? If you need to drink, then you have a problem.

Nah. Just find it preferable to a coke at the end of the day. Easier on teeth.

[CubicleGeek]

I only have problems when I don't drink.

[Dion]

I like a cold beer or two on a hot summers day. Other than that I don't really drink unless i'm out for dinner with friends.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by polak

I'm the opposite of you.

I drink to get drunk usually once or twice a week but then never drink anything outside of those days.

Nothing personal.... I'm curious as to why you like to get once or twice a week? I did it a few times in my youth and the hangovers and the stories of what I did turned me off from ever getting drunk again.

[PeteLFan]

I don't think that's a problem unless you need it. I like to have drinks daily in the summer and maybe get smashed every other week or so.

[Young-Sneezy]

if it has an impact on your daily life, i.e., getting to work on time, being at class, performing in either of those situations, or you are putting you or your friends/loved ones in a compromising or dangerous situation, then yes.

otherwise, bottoms up.

[getbak]

12 questions from AA: http://www.aa.org/lang/en/subpage.cfm?page=71

20 questions: http://alcoholism.about.com/od/problem/a/blquiz1.htm

[MissAvery16]

i drink a mickey a day with my coffee

[polak]

Originally Posted by Dion

Nothing personal.... I'm curious as to why you like to get once or twice a week? I did it a few times in my youth and the hangovers and the stories of what I did turned me off from ever getting drunk again.

I don't know, it just kind of happens. I usually don't go crazy unless I'm going out or to a party or if I'm on vacation so the hangovers don't tend to be too bad and I usually don't have any "bad stories", sometimes there's the occasional embarrassing heart to heart which you regret the next day but outside of that, I don't tend to regret much.

[CaptainCrunch]

The original poster dosen't sound like a problem. if you need to drink to sleep, function, feel somewhat normal. if you wake up with a transexual amputee crack ho and don't remember how you got there, then drinking is just ok

[kirant]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

if you wake up with a transexual amputee crack ho and don't remember how you got there, then drinking is just ok

That settles it. I'm just going to find and pay transsexual amputee crack hos to break into houses and lie in the first bed they see.

[Daradon]

It has nothing to do with frequency or amount. Everyones bodies are different, everyones mind are different, everyones heads are different.

It's when it starts disturbing your life. For some it's 2 for some it's 12.

When you behave differently or bad. When your job suffers, or your reationships do.

I would suspec t the answer is yes. Cause no one starts a thread if it isn't.

[TurdFerguson]

I'd say when 'like' turns into 'need'.

[DuffMan]

I seem to drink beer every single day in the summer months, but I haven't gotten really drunk for a long time. I miss getting drunk, enjoy it while you're young, with little responsibility.

[undercoverbrother]

[GGG]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern2814

I get drunk maybe once a month, once every six weeks. Rare is the time that I'll even drink to the point where there's a chance I'm unsafe to drive (Walking distance to my bar, let's get that sorted straightaway). Yet I do enjoy beer a tremendous amount. There's probably only one or two days a week that I don't have at least one, be it with dinner or whatever. It's also rare I'd ever have more than three in a night.

So I'm occasionally curious as to whether or not this constitutes a drinking problem. I know if I cut back, I'd have more money, I'd be in better shape. Maybe I would enjoy life more.

But is it reasonable to say that I just enjoy beer, that this isn't a real issue, and that overanalyzing is perhaps a bigger compulsive disorder than booze?

How much do you usually drink, and do you think that amount has any negative consequences to your life? (Setting aside that anything that is enjoyable probably does something to diminish life expectancy; fun costs you)

To me this statement may indicate some kind of issue. Why would you enjoy life more if you didnt drink?

Usually people start this kind of thread because a girlfriend has asked them to cut back or some other incident triggered it.

[DoubleK]

Originally Posted by GGG

Usually people start this kind of thread because a girlfriend has asked them to cut back or some other incident triggered it.

Agreed. This totally sounds like booze blues to me.