7 ms·

5 nights a week half a bottle of wine isn't an alcoholic. It's drinking too much. If you're at a bottle of wine s night that's certainly too much. You've got

5 nights a week half a bottle of wine isn't an alcoholic. It's drinking too much. If you're at a bottle of wine s night that's certainly too much. You've got a poor habit that's all. Just put a system in of deferring first drink, going to bed s bit earlier i.e. Before the last drink, and ensure you have a glass of water and a cup of tea between each glass. That'll reduce the amount you drink by s glass or two. You're fine. My good friend, who IS an alcoholic, drinks a 750ml bottle of vodka in a night.

mamon 9y ago
Alcoholism isn't defined in terms of how much you drink, but how much control you have over your drinking. If OP thinks he has a problem with drinking too much then probably he does have a problem.
- dazc 9y ago
  It's possible but I have lived with an alcoholic and, from my experience, I'd say two things to this. One - voluntarily admitting he has a problem is a major clue that he isn't an alcoholic. Two - half to one bottle of wine wouldn't touch the sides with my ex who would easily do that amount before breakfast without anyone even knowing.
  - lloeki 9y ago
    What makes me react to your comment is that it has the potential to be damaging to people that are coming to terms with denial of their addiction. > voluntarily admitting he has a problem is a major clue that he isn't an alcoholic. Someone voluntarily admitting he has an addiction problem is the first step for him to fix this problem. Always. Ever. Being alcoholic is having an addiction to alcohol. Quantity only matters in the damage done. I can drink shitloads of alcohol myself but I'm not alcoholic because I couldn't care less when I don't (I know, because I'm addicted to nicotine, and boy is that fucked up, even though I don't smoke much it's such a battle to quit). Someone who drinks a single glass every single day but can't stop doing it is alcoholic. Quantity and behaviour (whether it is physically or psychologically induced) are completely orthogonal.
    - OJFord 9y ago
      OP had the self-control to stop drinking for a period to assess what impact it wae having on running though.
    - dazc 9y ago
      He said 'I'm drinking on average 5 evenings per week...' This, for me, doesn't sound like someone with an addiction issue. You make some fair points but I was trying to give the guy a bit of encouragement that his problem is not so great that he can't just snap out of it. Apologies for any offence.
- OJFord 9y ago
  OP was able to run an experiment, running when drinking or not drinking for a period. Half to a full bottle isn't even excessive quantity, it's more the frequency that makes it 'a lot'. OP sounds in perfect control to me. Perhaps use the running as motivation to cut back a bit - aim for doing a particular race that's a bit of a stretch.
  - robin_reala 9y ago
    Depends how you define excessive. For example, the current UK recommendation[1] is a maximum of 14 ‘units’ a week. An average bottle of wine is something like 9 units depending on ABV strength, so 5 evenings a week of 3/4s of a bottle of wine works out at 33.75 units, or 2.4 times the recommended maximum. [1] https://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/alcohol/Pages/alcohol-units.aspx https://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/alcohol/Pages/alcohol-units.aspx
    - OJFord 9y ago
      I did say that it was the frequency that made it 'a lot', not that it wasn't a lot. I only mean that if someone said to you 'I had half a bottle of wine or more last night', you'd hardly think Sheesh, this guy's an alcoholic. It's if they followed it up with 'and I have every night since I-can't-remember-when' that you'd think Okay that's a bit much.
- DanBC 9y ago
  Currently we try to avoid "alcoholic" and use "dependant", because it has a clearer definition. If someone has a tolerance for alcohol; is preoccupied by alcohol; seeks alcohol when they don't have it; and continues drinking even though they know it's causing harm then they are dependent on alcohol. It's important to realise that a drinker can be doing severe harm even if they're not dependent on alcohol. Current UK guidance for alcohol is no more than 14 units per week, and OP is drinking well over that.
dazc 9y ago
As someone who drank a bottle of wine every night for 2 years flat, I totally agree. There is a world of difference between having a drink habit and being alcoholic. Now I can go for months at a time without touching it. The trick for me is not having it in the house. Getting plenty of exercise helps a lot, if for no other reason than it gets me outdoors and breaks up the routine.
- jpambrun 9y ago
  If you need a 'trick' you are at least a bit dependent.. I don't think people realize how easy it is to become dependent.
  - dazc 9y ago
    I think you're dependent if you can't live without something? Not having alcohol in the house isn't much of a barrier to overcome for someone with a real drink problem.
    - softawre 9y ago
      a heroin addict will "live" without heroin
yabatopia 9y ago
It's not just the consumption and how it affects you. You also have to consider the effect of your alcohol consumption on others, especially your significant other, kids, family or friends. Maybe you're feeling fine with one bottle of wine every night, but I highly doubt your partner or kids feel the same way. You may not notice it (because your intoxicated, after all), but a bottle of wine does affect your behaviour. Forgetting things, repeating yourself, being annoyed more quickly, incoherent stories, some verbal aggression... all minor things you may not notice, but the people around you do. And they don't like it.
prawn 9y ago
Hopefully the central part of your comment isn't lost amidst the rest of the discussion as I think it's realistic and practical advice: "Just put a system in of deferring first drink, going to bed s bit earlier i.e. Before the last drink, and ensure you have a glass of water and a cup of tea between each glass. That'll reduce the amount you drink by s glass or two." Have less wine/alcohol easily accessible in the house. Make sure alternatives are readily at hand (e.g., large water glass and jug for refills on your desk). Try to get into the habit of drinking a full glass of water before you next top up your wine glass. Never fill your wine glass beyond a certain point. Maybe try to find half-bottles so it's less likely that you drink more than half a bottle in a night?
- matt_the_bass 9y ago
  One may also wish to consider the ritual of making a drink and try to replace that ritual with another. Perhaps try making a fancy tea complete with precise water temperature and steeping time. I’ve also recently become a fan of egg white based drinks. Even without alcohol I find it very rewarding to make the perfect egg white foam. Plus I can share those drinks with my kids and elderly grandmother.
Boothroid 9y ago
I try to steer clear of anything apart from average strength (~4%) beer. It's far harder to get through equivalent quantities to a bottle of wine and your margin of error between happy and drunk is that much greater. Also if you do homebrew you might develop a more holistic relationship to beer, although its certainly tempting when you have a 36 pint barrel sitting around at home.

mamon 9y ago

Alcoholism isn't defined in terms of how much you drink, but how much control you have over your drinking. If OP thinks he has a problem with drinking too much then probably he does have a problem.

dazc 9y ago
It's possible but I have lived with an alcoholic and, from my experience, I'd say two things to this. One - voluntarily admitting he has a problem is a major clue that he isn't an alcoholic. Two - half to one bottle of wine wouldn't touch the sides with my ex who would easily do that amount before breakfast without anyone even knowing.
- lloeki 9y ago
  What makes me react to your comment is that it has the potential to be damaging to people that are coming to terms with denial of their addiction. > voluntarily admitting he has a problem is a major clue that he isn't an alcoholic. Someone voluntarily admitting he has an addiction problem is the first step for him to fix this problem. Always. Ever. Being alcoholic is having an addiction to alcohol. Quantity only matters in the damage done. I can drink shitloads of alcohol myself but I'm not alcoholic because I couldn't care less when I don't (I know, because I'm addicted to nicotine, and boy is that fucked up, even though I don't smoke much it's such a battle to quit). Someone who drinks a single glass every single day but can't stop doing it is alcoholic. Quantity and behaviour (whether it is physically or psychologically induced) are completely orthogonal.
  - OJFord 9y ago
    OP had the self-control to stop drinking for a period to assess what impact it wae having on running though.
  - dazc 9y ago
    He said 'I'm drinking on average 5 evenings per week...' This, for me, doesn't sound like someone with an addiction issue. You make some fair points but I was trying to give the guy a bit of encouragement that his problem is not so great that he can't just snap out of it. Apologies for any offence.
OJFord 9y ago
OP was able to run an experiment, running when drinking or not drinking for a period. Half to a full bottle isn't even excessive quantity, it's more the frequency that makes it 'a lot'. OP sounds in perfect control to me. Perhaps use the running as motivation to cut back a bit - aim for doing a particular race that's a bit of a stretch.
- robin_reala 9y ago
  Depends how you define excessive. For example, the current UK recommendation[1] is a maximum of 14 ‘units’ a week. An average bottle of wine is something like 9 units depending on ABV strength, so 5 evenings a week of 3/4s of a bottle of wine works out at 33.75 units, or 2.4 times the recommended maximum. [1] https://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/alcohol/Pages/alcohol-units.aspx https://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/alcohol/Pages/alcohol-units.aspx
  - OJFord 9y ago
    I did say that it was the frequency that made it 'a lot', not that it wasn't a lot. I only mean that if someone said to you 'I had half a bottle of wine or more last night', you'd hardly think Sheesh, this guy's an alcoholic. It's if they followed it up with 'and I have every night since I-can't-remember-when' that you'd think Okay that's a bit much.
DanBC 9y ago
Currently we try to avoid "alcoholic" and use "dependant", because it has a clearer definition. If someone has a tolerance for alcohol; is preoccupied by alcohol; seeks alcohol when they don't have it; and continues drinking even though they know it's causing harm then they are dependent on alcohol. It's important to realise that a drinker can be doing severe harm even if they're not dependent on alcohol. Current UK guidance for alcohol is no more than 14 units per week, and OP is drinking well over that.

dazc 9y ago

As someone who drank a bottle of wine every night for 2 years flat, I totally agree. There is a world of difference between having a drink habit and being alcoholic. Now I can go for months at a time without touching it. The trick for me is not having it in the house. Getting plenty of exercise helps a lot, if for no other reason than it gets me outdoors and breaks up the routine.

jpambrun 9y ago
If you need a 'trick' you are at least a bit dependent.. I don't think people realize how easy it is to become dependent.
- dazc 9y ago
  I think you're dependent if you can't live without something? Not having alcohol in the house isn't much of a barrier to overcome for someone with a real drink problem.
  - softawre 9y ago
    a heroin addict will "live" without heroin

yabatopia 9y ago

It's not just the consumption and how it affects you. You also have to consider the effect of your alcohol consumption on others, especially your significant other, kids, family or friends. Maybe you're feeling fine with one bottle of wine every night, but I highly doubt your partner or kids feel the same way. You may not notice it (because your intoxicated, after all), but a bottle of wine does affect your behaviour. Forgetting things, repeating yourself, being annoyed more quickly, incoherent stories, some verbal aggression... all minor things you may not notice, but the people around you do. And they don't like it.

prawn 9y ago

Hopefully the central part of your comment isn't lost amidst the rest of the discussion as I think it's realistic and practical advice: "Just put a system in of deferring first drink, going to bed s bit earlier i.e. Before the last drink, and ensure you have a glass of water and a cup of tea between each glass. That'll reduce the amount you drink by s glass or two." Have less wine/alcohol easily accessible in the house. Make sure alternatives are readily at hand (e.g., large water glass and jug for refills on your desk). Try to get into the habit of drinking a full glass of water before you next top up your wine glass. Never fill your wine glass beyond a certain point. Maybe try to find half-bottles so it's less likely that you drink more than half a bottle in a night?

matt_the_bass 9y ago
One may also wish to consider the ritual of making a drink and try to replace that ritual with another. Perhaps try making a fancy tea complete with precise water temperature and steeping time. I’ve also recently become a fan of egg white based drinks. Even without alcohol I find it very rewarding to make the perfect egg white foam. Plus I can share those drinks with my kids and elderly grandmother.

Boothroid 9y ago

I try to steer clear of anything apart from average strength (~4%) beer. It's far harder to get through equivalent quantities to a bottle of wine and your margin of error between happy and drunk is that much greater. Also if you do homebrew you might develop a more holistic relationship to beer, although its certainly tempting when you have a 36 pint barrel sitting around at home.