How Much Were You Drinking
Member
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: NH
Posts: 35
Originally Posted by desertsong 
Aeo, I was hesitant to post what I drank because it's really different for everyone. Some of the "alkies" here drank way less than I ever did but it was still a problem for them that took over their lives. Others have drank way more than I ever did ... if I'd consumed what they had, I'd be dead by now. It's not really how much you drank ... it's what happens to you when you drink and whether or not it is causing your life to be out of control.
Member
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Posts: 645
Does it really matter how much I drank? That isn't what alcoholism is about. It is about what happened to me when I drank. And it is about what happened to me when I stopped drinking.
What happened to me when I drank is that I would lose control of how much I drank. Not every time. But the problem was that I could never predict when I drank that first drink whether it would be a couple of drinks or to excess (a binge).
What happened to me when I stopped drinking is that my life was pretty miserable and I couldn't get the thought of alcohol and drinking out of my head. An invisible screw would tighten, the misery would increase until the answer became obvious -- a drink.
Damned if I drank and damned miserable if I didn't. It was about loss of power, choice and control. Alcohol wasn't my problem; it was my solution. That is, it was my solution until I found a much better and much more effective solution in the twelve steps of AA.
I could easily "compare myself out" and "convince myself that I am not an alcoholic" if I were to look solely at how much I drank as compared to how much others drank. I do better to view alcoholism as being on a continuum of early, middle and late stage.
The first time I came to AA, I was a periodic binge drinker -- early stage of alcoholism. The second time I came to AA, I was a daily drinker with weekend binges -- middle stage of alcoholism. There can't be a third time because it would be 24/7.
So the answer to how much I drank is: less than some, more than others, but enough to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I am an alcoholic.
Susan
What happened to me when I drank is that I would lose control of how much I drank. Not every time. But the problem was that I could never predict when I drank that first drink whether it would be a couple of drinks or to excess (a binge).
What happened to me when I stopped drinking is that my life was pretty miserable and I couldn't get the thought of alcohol and drinking out of my head. An invisible screw would tighten, the misery would increase until the answer became obvious -- a drink.
Damned if I drank and damned miserable if I didn't. It was about loss of power, choice and control. Alcohol wasn't my problem; it was my solution. That is, it was my solution until I found a much better and much more effective solution in the twelve steps of AA.
I could easily "compare myself out" and "convince myself that I am not an alcoholic" if I were to look solely at how much I drank as compared to how much others drank. I do better to view alcoholism as being on a continuum of early, middle and late stage.
The first time I came to AA, I was a periodic binge drinker -- early stage of alcoholism. The second time I came to AA, I was a daily drinker with weekend binges -- middle stage of alcoholism. There can't be a third time because it would be 24/7.
So the answer to how much I drank is: less than some, more than others, but enough to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I am an alcoholic.
Susan
L'il fighter
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Mississauga, Ontario
Posts: 297
I think one has to be careful reading these posts, lest they begin to compare and contrast their amount to others. As long as everyone remembers that everyone reacts to alcohol differently and different amounts, and that all of us here have identified that alcohol became more trouble than it was was worth.
A typical drinking day for me would usually include a 6-pack of beer plus a couple of tall-can ciders or more beer. This would occur 3-5 days per week. Near the end of my drinking career this would often be enough to cause blackouts. When your tolerance begins to go DOWN, you know your body is beginning to give up on you...
A typical drinking day for me would usually include a 6-pack of beer plus a couple of tall-can ciders or more beer. This would occur 3-5 days per week. Near the end of my drinking career this would often be enough to cause blackouts. When your tolerance begins to go DOWN, you know your body is beginning to give up on you...
12-Step Recovered Alkie
Join Date: May 2010
Location: West Bloomfield, MI
Posts: 5,797
Originally Posted by aeo1313
These posts are confusing to me and make me wonder if I belong here and am making too much out of something. I drank 1-3 times a week almost every time till wasted- would vary on amount depending on what I was drinking. That amount was too much for me and was making my life and depression worse, plus causing a 15 pound weight gain in one year. That amount caused me to make stupid and dangerous decisions. For the past 7 months or so I have added some vicodin to the mix, but not huge amounts bc I only had a limited supply at any given time. My drinking is more than it was last year though, and the year before, so maybe in a few more years I would be even worse off. Rather not find out.
This thread and those like it ARE confusing. Susan's post above should clear things up and I see that you "liked" it, so that's a good thing.
Sometimes, we all like to feel important....sometimes, some of us can feel that way by bragging about how much we drank. I've done it too......most of us have done it. The kicker though is that alcoholism has nothing to do with quantity, frequency, what time of day, beer vs wine vs liquor, none of that stuff.
Alcoholism is about control when you're drinking (or lack thereof), the ability to "just say no" and stay stopped on your own power, and how life's going when you are "stopped." My AA sponsor (for the past 3.5 yrs) is a stone-cold alcoholic. He drank (in his last 5 yrs of drinking) maybe 3-6x per year. My best friend, my old drinking buddy..... he drank probably 3 half-gallons of Captain Morgans per week. Guess what, my sponsor's a real alcoholic whereas my buddy is not.
You'll notice (and this isn't a slam.......just an observation) that nobody with a Last Drink Date that they're public about has a couple years of more sobriety in this thread until you posted your question / made your statement. There's a reason for that..... because they know how threads like this can be misleading and someone might say, "gee, I don't drink like those folks......I MUST be OK."
Aeo, you wanna learn about alcoholism and how to overcome it......on a website like this..... keep an eye on who's posting (and who's not). Just because a thread goes up in the Alcoholism area doesn't mean what's being discussed has anything to do with real actual alcoholism.
sobriety date 5-2-12
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Midwest
Posts: 903
Daytrader- you are so right. These are triggering threads. When I was hospitalized for an eating disorder we all had "competitions" about who was the "sickest". Thank you for putting perspective on this for me and making me remember all I have to worry about and fix is myself.
1000 Post Club
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Midwest USA
Posts: 2,284
I do not believe that anyone on this planet loved booze more than myself. I drank daily but with horrible once or twice "benders" per month. These "benders" I would consume drugs also and staggering around the city in a blackout. I don't know exactly how much but at least a 1/5 of Vodka & many malt liquor type beers. These binges usually lasted from 2-4 days and usually ended me up in jail or the hospital.
Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Tennessee
Posts: 64
At my worst I was going through three cases of beer and two handles of vodka or whiskey a week. I remember always buying at two or three different liquor stores because I wondered if they noticed how much I was buying.
Grateful AA member
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: In the middle of the woods, NJ
Posts: 567
When I first read this thread I thought to myself I dont belong here I never drank a quarter as much as most here. But, then I thought to myself its not how much you drink its why you drink and how alcohol effects the individual.
My last blackout which put me in the psych unit I had half a bottle of Pinot Noir and a couple vodka and cokes. I was shocked I blacked out and my boyfriend told me I probably drank a lot more but when I came home from hospital I took a look at how much I drank because there was only a small amount of vodka left before I even started drinking. I was shocked I blacked out when I could usually drink a lot more.
It goes to show me that it didnt matter how much I drank it depended on the day bc some days I could tolerate more alcohol than others. My tolerance had increased.
I could easily drink a twelve pack on a binge day or a bottle of wine the major problem I had is when I mixed wine and beer or mixed it with vodka which I sometimes did to get drunk faster and I turned into Linda Blair from the Exocist. I became suicidal, verbally abusive and just a nasty person in general.
If I just stuck with beer Id feel great for the first few until the depression set in.
It doesnt matter how much I drank but its why I drank. There are non alcoholics who can pack more in than me in a night but it doesnt effect them like it did me.
My last blackout which put me in the psych unit I had half a bottle of Pinot Noir and a couple vodka and cokes. I was shocked I blacked out and my boyfriend told me I probably drank a lot more but when I came home from hospital I took a look at how much I drank because there was only a small amount of vodka left before I even started drinking. I was shocked I blacked out when I could usually drink a lot more.
It goes to show me that it didnt matter how much I drank it depended on the day bc some days I could tolerate more alcohol than others. My tolerance had increased.
I could easily drink a twelve pack on a binge day or a bottle of wine the major problem I had is when I mixed wine and beer or mixed it with vodka which I sometimes did to get drunk faster and I turned into Linda Blair from the Exocist. I became suicidal, verbally abusive and just a nasty person in general.
If I just stuck with beer Id feel great for the first few until the depression set in.
It doesnt matter how much I drank but its why I drank. There are non alcoholics who can pack more in than me in a night but it doesnt effect them like it did me.
Member
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Rhode Island
Posts: 443
I find these threads to be extremely helpful - TO ME. To those that find these threads to be triggers, or just plain negative, I say the very threads YOU find helpful, may in fact be triggers and negative to me. Actually, that IS a fact. So, like so many say here, I've learned to pick and choose which threads to read, that will help and support me, and skip those that do not.
Oh, at my worst: two to three 1.75 liters of vodka (sometimes rum), and anywhere between a 12 to 30 pack of beer (always Ultra - had to watch the carbs.
)
Oh, at my worst: two to three 1.75 liters of vodka (sometimes rum), and anywhere between a 12 to 30 pack of beer (always Ultra - had to watch the carbs.
)
Member
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 22
Originally Posted by Sapling
I got a guy that goes to my meeting that was exactly like this...Good guy too....He had the same routine...To the T. For myself...Daily drank for 35 years...Managed to have and hold many jobs...Restaurants...Lost em all do to drinking. Last 2 years...A case plus of beer daily...Morning to night...Smoked whatever pot I ran across...But had to have my beer...It made me sick if I ran out of it.
Member
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan
Posts: 38
I'd usually drink a 1.5 liter (2 bottles) of Merlot or Cabernet coupled with a few 22 ounce beers and some "shooters" thrown in... Nowadays if I drink, there is a 3/4 chance that I'll go on a wicked bender, sometimes lasting up to 3-4 days, depending on circumstances. Besides from all the crazy social things I do, I'd usually wake up to red wine stains all over the floor, ciggarette burns in various places, and 5-6 days of near DTs to follow. Money is meaningless to the drunk me also. Pretty grotesque! Being back in school has been helping me keep my obsessive thoughts about my last relapse and drinking in general under control. Even starting to laugh again
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 452
Originally Posted by wheresthefun
I find these threads to be extremely helpful - TO ME. To those that find these threads to be triggers, or just plain negative, I say the very threads YOU find helpful, may in fact be triggers and negative to me. Actually, that IS a fact. So, like so many say here, I've learned to pick and choose which threads to read, that will help and support me, and skip those that do not.
Oh, at my worst: two to three 1.75 liters of vodka (sometimes rum), and anywhere between a 12 to 30 pack of beer (always Ultra - had to watch the carbs.)
Oh, at my worst: two to three 1.75 liters of vodka (sometimes rum), and anywhere between a 12 to 30 pack of beer (always Ultra - had to watch the carbs.
)A bit of explanation. I in no way posed my question to falsely conclude that I do not have a problem with alcohol. I honestly wanted to hear how much people were drinking, that's it. I know some people regularly consumed much or less than I did and they each had either a more or less severe addiction to alcohol. That was not my motive. I didn't want to determine the severity of my (or anyone else's) alcohol problem utilizing the quantity of alcohol consumed as the sole metric.
I think some people in here need to take it down a couple notches. Some discussions/threads can be discussions for discussion sake. That's all.
Member
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Posts: 645
I once would listen to speakers in AA tell their stories and I would think to myself: I didn't do that or that or that. I didn't drink like they did. I didn't drink as much as they did. I didn't have the same consequences as they did. Consequently, I am different than these folks. I am NOT THAT BAD in COMPARISON. Maybe I am not alcoholic after all. If I ever get THAT BAD (as bad as they are), then I will quit. There is one word: YET. If I had continued to drink, I would have become THAT BAD. I had to ask myself, "How bad did I want to become?" and "How bad was BAD ENOUGH?" Susan
Member
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: United States
Posts: 184
For 3 days out of the week, I wouldn't have alcohol. I worked 12 hour shifts at the time and had 4 days off. On those days I drank and could easily drink a fifth of rum by myself. If we were having a party, I've been known to have more than that. I am amazed that my liver enzymes are normal.
Towards the end, I started blacking out quicker than I had in the beginning of my alcoholism and with less alcohol. Scary.
Towards the end, I started blacking out quicker than I had in the beginning of my alcoholism and with less alcohol. Scary.
Member
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Texas, a state of mind
Posts: 380
At an AA meeting I was at, a man referred to 'war stories' as dangerous. He said, "I could tell you how I worshiped the porcelain god on my knees (meaning toilet, I later figured out), and lay me down in my vomit, but some of you drunks might want to go out and try it just to see if it was really that bad."
Member
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Tacoma, WA
Posts: 9
when I drank beer it was 30+ coronas a day, when I drank vodka it was 30+ shots a day at its peak, I would start off drinking less until I would gain a tolerance for it after a couple of days and then I would be in so deep I either had to keep drinking or go to the hospital to dry out......ah good times, kidding of course.
Guest
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Canada
Posts: 128
It varies for me, like some others said. Sometimes I kinda binge drink - or at least I go a week without drinking at all then reward myself on the weekend. When its been bad I drink a bottle of wine a night with a couple of shots and a few beers. Nothing like having barely (and sometimes not enough) time to sober up then get up at 6 am and shove off to work with the paranoia that the people you work with know what you've been up to. Plus I'm dumb as a doornail for the better part of the day. Around 7 PM I'm ready to do it all again. Why.
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