Alcohol - who really needs it?

I drink once or twice per week and I drink -- just forward, whatever comes into view. I enjoy it. But, you're right - could I have a dry july? I'm still wondering.

I drink once per week, only on weekends and only if there's nothing else planned.. but I also read up alot on the effects of alcohol, what it depletes from the body and what kind of actions you can take to counter those effects..

I used to drink 3-4 times a week and my health was definitely suffering for it but the main reason was that it was causing all sorts of deficiencies and once I identified that and corrected them, my craving for alcohol also faded off.. the once a week thing is purely a choice .. I've easily gone 2-3 months without even thinking about it.

The list of things alcohol depletes your body of is pretty lengthy.. I'd seriously recommend anyone to read up, and look into Taurine supplementation.. that is actually one of the earliest things that helped me curb the actual "crave" and it's also been shown in test to prevent, and possibly even reverse liver damage caused by alcohol.

The end result for me is that I feel completely healthy, my alertness has gone back to what it was even prior to my party days and I don't have that annoying "urge" to drink..

I've been drinking for years but non stop for about two years now without a nights rest from it but i haven't fallen down drunk in about three years so i guess thats something and trust me,i always used to fall down drunk...............embarrassing really.

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Ahhhh stupid juice.....so many peoples favorite way of relaxing. Yum yum a cocktail of chemicals in your tum tum

I rarely drink, i dont enjoy the taste nor the feeling so i avoid it.

It makes me laugh when people work all week just to get totally smashed at the weekend on booze. What a waste of a life? Always chasing the weekend so you can forget how [snip] life really is.

Booze is one of....no let me change that....booze/alcohol IS the most dangerous drug on the planet.

Id love to see a world without this mind numbing substance in it. Life would be so much better for everyone.

reply to post by loves a conspiricy


Hahaha

You do know that as a social species, humans have always sought things that alter the mind.

From pre-historical times to now.

All that changes is attitude. And currently, we're in the dark ages. Literally, so much ignorance about the things we play with.

If alcohol were removed from history, it would be something else, rest assured. And attitudes would remain the same.

Bloody nora, people jump out of perfectly working planes for a thrill... humans. we're just human.

reply to post by SlapTheGinkels


Thats an extremely ignorant post.

Alcohol is a drug and as such is abused by millions of people. It is absolutely an additive substance and there are many forms of addiction and it has nothing to do with intelligence, weakness nor the character of a person.

People who are chronic alcoholics have what is akin to an allergic reaction to alcohol. It produces affects on them that they can not do with out. They drink as soon as they get up, wake up at night to drink and can not function without drinking. You work with folks like this you know folks like this. They are often people who don't drink when out socially (at least not visibly) but are drinking outside, in the rest room. I know folks who will drink an entire bottle of mouthwash if they are in a pinch because its 20% alcohol. That kind of alcoholism is without question a disease.

Others abuse alcohol. They don't have to drink but can not drink responsibly. That too, in many cases is a medical addiction. Alcohol effects them differently and it has been medically shown that the level of euphoria they receive from a single drink is far greater than it is with folks who can drink responsibily.

One of the primary factors to be considered with discussing alcohol is that it is the most commonly used drug used to self medicate. People with depression who tend to isolate themselves will turn to alcohol to loosen up and become more social. Ironic that they will turn to a depressant to tackle depression but it is extremely common. People with mania will also turn to alcohol to calm down. Someone who can not calm their minds down will often drink to excess to do so.

Don't demean folks who have a legitimate and serious problem with alcohol. They are not weak nor are they trash. They are just like you with some biochemical differences.

In both of the situations above, there are obviously more healthy ways to deal with the issues such as diet, exercise, meditation and perscription drugs as a last resort. All of those are better than abusive drinking.

I personally don't drink but used to drink heavily. I just got in the habit of drinking on a daily basis and tired of feeling like crap and having a belly so I quit. Fortunately I did not have an issue where quitting was difficult, but there are millions who are simply unable to quit without support and an significant lifestyle change. There are tons of folks who go to AA who go to two or three meetings a day and have been sober for years. There are not winos who were living on the streets although some of them were. These are folks with an addiction to alcohol and need a constant reminder of that addiction.

As far as social situations go, I love to go to social situations where folks are drinking heavily. I find someone who is opinionated and engage them in debates and see how angry and frustrated I can make them - often arguing sides of an issue I don't personally agree with. Mature? no. Fun? I find it so. What I also enjoy is when I get up at 5:00 and go for a walk or run feeling great and think about the folks who will have a terrible day feeling like crap and remember that I used to wake up hung over just about every day.

It's time for me to stop. Hmmm... Sounds easy doesn't it.

For the very stubborn and willful person I am? Stopping has humbled me to my knees.

Very hard to do, very.

I'd like help, but, really, who can do it but me? No one.

So, here's to trying! *ching ching*

Oh hell, there I go again...

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/15c38f17202d.jpg[/atsimg]

peace

reply to post by ExCommando


I have had my years of drinking, I have been blackout drunk a few times. I never drank daily, but I did drink every couple of days, that qualified me as an alcoholic (self assessment made). One day over 10-12 years ago I stopped drinking. On my birthday if I am with a group i will have 1-2 dinks per year
my husband cannot quit. Alcohol has harmed his bones, he know has osteoporosis, he is 57 and got layes off in Feb, personally I think it happened because he is always cranky and he shakes real bad until he has the 1st drink of the day
But he will tell you he is not an alcoholic
I HATE alcohol, it will be the demise of our marriage,oh ya did I mention, alcoholics can't get it up?

reply to post by SlapTheGinkels


No, its from some graffiti I saw.

.

Originally posted by SlapTheGinkels
Come on.. All people with an high IQ had an drinking or drug problem. When I drink I know how far I can take it and know where to end it. Society makes people drink irresponsibly. Beer is great, I encourage all to drink. Broaden your mind, and drink. Just don't be a tool. It's the trash or weak minded individuals that have issues with substance.

Possibly one of the most short sighted & ignorant things I have ever read. You sir, know not of what you speak IMO.
If you've never suffered from an addiction you should hold your tongue...fingers, even

www.step12.com...

I haven't had a drink for over six years & my life is not what I imagined it would be. It's a definite change for the better.
I have a 20 year blur instead of a past, punctuated with some blank spaces that I don't think I even want to remember.
Most people who attempt to stop drinking fail (so a psychiatrist tells me) & I have succeeded (for today, which is all any of us have anyway). Oddly I don't feel like trash or weak minded.

reply to post by ExCommando


There was a writer in my country who said :

'Drinking alcohol and using drugs are not the ways to calm yourself down. They take you high and when the effect of using is gone , you have to come back to reality , which is so sad and so hard '.


regards

Originally posted by EnochRoot

Originally posted by SlapTheGinkels
Come on.. All people with an high IQ had an drinking or drug problem. When I drink I know how far I can take it and know where to end it. Society makes people drink irresponsibly. Beer is great, I encourage all to drink. Broaden your mind, and drink. Just don't be a tool. It's the trash or weak minded individuals that have issues with substance.

Possibly one of the most short sighted & ignorant things I have ever read. You sir, know not of what you speak IMO.
If you've never suffered from an addiction you should hold your tongue...fingers, even

www.step12.com...

I haven't had a drink for over six years & my life is not what I imagined it would be. It's a definite change for the better.
I have a 20 year blur instead of a past, punctuated with some blank spaces that I don't think I even want to remember.
Most people who attempt to stop drinking fail (so a psychiatrist tells me) & I have succeeded (for today, which is all any of us have anyway). Oddly I don't feel like trash or weak minded.
Congratulations on your sobriety. I know it was extremely difficult at first, that said,6 years is amazing. Thumbs up for a life altering decision.

this is a really interesting question. As a rule i don't allow anyone (and myself) to drink alcohol in my house. However due to my job which involves a lot of networking, clubbing, etc... i have to be careful as it could easily mean me drinking heavily 3-4 times a week (for free). I did do that for a period but i actually felt down most of the time and definitely didn't feel like myself. Nowadays i don't drink more than twice a month and nothing heavy.

i have a lot of friends who can't go home at night and not drink alcohol, people that drink 2/3 glasses of wine a day, then go clubbing on weekends and binge drink... yet they don't see anything wrong with it

reply to post by ExCommando


As someone who drinks far, far too much and has done for a far too long time(I'm still young however), I can happily offer my own personal thoughts on the subject.

Probably repeating what others have already said but here goes:

As the OP mentioned, alcohol is always there; through the good times and through the bad times. When you feel down your friends may suggest they take you for a drink to cheer you up, when your in a good mood you feel like having a good to celebrate the day (a success at work maybe, pulling a girl, sorting some aspect of your life out)

When your feeling positive and you drink then your creating a associated action of what to do when happy, vice versa when your feeling negative.

I'd say for most people who drink too much, it's simply become a learnt habit (through a variety of reasons) that becomes hard to shake, you don't feel like you drink too much; it's just a normal part of your life.

Personally, I know I drink too much and also know the reasons why. I did have a good stab a few months back and was down to a few cans a night, cut down on my smoking, started weight training again and my diet also improved massively.

However, recent circumstances including yet more family trouble, work stress and the death of my best friends mother can blown me back to my old ways.

Without wanting to blow my own trumpet but I used to be extremely physically healthy through weight training, martial arts/Boxing and cardio - it's a bit of a shame, in my own words, looking at how I am now in comparison to how I used to be then.

I'll improve and sort myself out eventually, anyone who drinks too much or abuses anything in life has the capacity to change their ways, you obviously need a strong will and a want to change but more importantly (in my opinion anyway) a strong support network around you and positive reinforcement for when your "being good"

Got plenty more to say on the subject, I haven't actually read this thread fully so will do tonight (probably after a few beers!) but if anyone wants my advice on the matter (not bigging myself up here, simply think I could help) then U2U me.

I made a similar thread questioning addictions in general, any reading this thread may find it interesting;

I Want More: The Addiction Conspiracy

S+F from me.

I used to drink, socially with my friends. Never got drunk or anything, and, actually, i've never liked any drinks that have alcohol in it. Then, one day, many years ago, i simply stopped drinking. And it was one of the best things that i have ever done. I still go to parties, bars, etc, and i have more fun now then ever before, even just drinking water or soda.

Sadly, most of my friends drinks heavily on parties, barbecues, etc. They seen to be surprised, to this day, that i don't drink and still have a very healthy social life. They can't understand that getting drunk is a horrible and pathetic thing, even after hours and hours of explanation that i gave to them.

One of my cousins, a very close friend, almost died in a car accident a few years ago. But he still continues to drink and drive, even after that horrible accident.

And people still think that beer, vodka, or any other alcoholic drink is a normal thing. Is a drug, that controls your life. The world should get rid off it, IMO.

reply to post by ExCommando


Only weak minded people have vises. Alcohol is fine, and consuming it is fine so long as you control it instead of it controlling you.

Originally posted by OptimusSubprime
reply to post by ExCommando

 

Only weak minded people have vises. Alcohol is fine, and consuming it is fine so long as you control it instead of it controlling you.

Completely untrue, nothing to do with having a weak mind at all...