driftapart

Can you really say drinking 8 beers a night, every night - is not a problem?

It's great that you want to get healthy and lose weight, but you may want to take a deeper look here.

liv1ce

You've come to a site related to alcoholism and drug addiction to tell us that you are not an alcoholic? Virtually every alcoholic or drug addict here has said exactly the words you have said here so quite honestly your proof to yourself that you are not a drunk doesn't have an effect. The last thing an alcoholic loses generally is his job because it is the thing that he/she uses to prove to himself that he/she is not an alcoholic. The fact that you can't stop for more than a couple days and then have to drink an entire six pack should tell you something. Alcoholism is a progressive disease that starts somewhere for everyone who struggles with it. It starts with one beer not six. It starts as fun or relaxation and ends up an obsession.

Ranger05

Hmmm, in regards to the previous two comment's, I don't think I said any of that???? I did not say that I was NOT an alcoholic. I just said, I'm not sure. I took the AA survey on thier web site and did not meet the criteria. I was lead to believe that true alcoholism is not really about how much a person drinks, but how much a person NEEDS to drink. Also, yes drift I do indeed believe that drinking 8 beers a night IS a problem???? In fact, that's exactly why I started the thread???

Ranger05

That sounded like a dick reply. I'm sorry. You all are right, I drink far too much. I know that, and I will fix it. Denial is a powerful feeling ya now. So don't go telling me I drink too much *******!!! That was joke btw. Sorry, I'm stupidest when I try to be funny.

Thanks for the hard truth. I will argue and deny because that's my nature. But deep down, I get it. The words sink in even though I'm not likely to thank you for them often.

liv1ce

Denial is not just a river in Egypt is a saying I have carried with me for a long time. Denial is powerful and it shields us from the truth. Realizing that and seeing it for what it is has shown me a certain clarity in viewing my own thoughts and actions. I certainly do not know you personally and can only see your words and not hear your expression or see you face so all this is open to personal interpretation but there does seem to be a pattern. You are obviously worried that you are alcoholic. The fact that you are here shows that. The fact that you are seeking proof that you are not shows that. You took a survey that probably functioned as a test to prove you are not. You have looked at your life and viewed your relative successes as proof as well.

Recently there was a really interesting thread here that asked how many of us thought we were "high functioning alcoholics" before finally trying to change. Not only were there some really interesting stories but a demonstration of the fact that seemingly all of us had convinced ourselves that we were doing just fine - thank you very much.

As much as you would like it to be your story is not unique. It looks very much like where many of us started on the road to hell.

Fandy

So how manyWW points are you spending on beer?
if you're tracking, you can see that drinking is swimming upstream.
if you're an alcoholic, you are shaving points to include your precious beer.
can you stick with 2 beers 3x a week or do you obsess about that?

Ranger05

WW is what brought to light how much I was drinking. I generally set aside about 30 points a day for beer. That leaves me about 20 points for food which really ain't too bad. Plus, you get 49 free points each week to distribute as you want. Plus I exercise at least an hour a day and earn activity points. So all in all, WW has been a huge success for me EVEN with my beer. Once the weight starts to come off it becomes more addicting then beer. I used to struggle sometimes when I would drive by McDonalds or Five Guy's. Especially in the mornings. I wanted a bacon and cheese biscuit so bad it took all I had to keep driving lol. Now, you couldn't pay me a 100 dollars to eat that crap. So, perhaps once I stop drinking I will the same way about beer that I do about junk food. I dunno.

Fandy

you get 50 points a day???? that's quite a bit. most of us get 26-29, plus the 49 treat points.

30 points a day for BEER is excessive, not to mention you are using more points for BOOZE than FOOD? there is no logic in that and it's NOT what WW is promoting (at least in NJ). did you discuss this with the group in your meetings?

Ranger05

Men get more points. Yes, I've discussed it and they are of course do not approve. BUT, I do eat three square meals a day so I'm not starving myself which is important. Actually I don't even feel deprived. Plus I eat my full servings of veggies and fruits each day and drink about 4 bottles of water. So it has been a total change of lifestyle for me, but I feel much better.

They suggested that I just use my 49 extra points for beer and beer only. That would allow me to drink about a 12 pack a week which is well within moderation I would think. I did that when I first started and it worked well.

Oh, and I'm now at 46 points per day since I've lost weight. I started with 52.

Fandy

MEN and nursing moms!!! they get all the points,

Fandy

Ranger, one thing you have learned through WW that will help you with booze, is that you DO have control over what you both eat and drink. if you can do it with bacon cheese biscuits (a personal fav. next to lox/creamcheese/bagels) you can also do it with beer!

(i'm not AA and do not buy into the *powerless* train of throught)

Ranger05

Yeah, my g/f was not happy either. I got 52 points and she only got like 35 lol. Your right about WW. It really puts into perspective what kinda garbage was going into my body. Funny, I always worried that beer was going to end up causing me health problems. I never gave a second thought to all the Pepsi, fast food, bacon, sausage, sweets and all the other crap I was eating. It was humbling.

Nicka713

I know this is a very old thread but I came across it while looking for help and it fits my problem exactly. Drink 6-8 beers a night. Get buzzed at most, don't like to get "wasted", don't wanna lose weight, just want to have more energy, feel better and as you said, been lucky so far health wise, but how long can it last like this. Just wondering if you cut back or quit and how you did it. I tried to PM you ranger but I can't til I post 5 times? Kinda dumb lol but any help would be appreciated, thanks to any and all in advance.

August252015

I am sometimes in the minority here, but I quit cold turkey. It was the only solution for me. I was DONE.

Did I suffer in the short term? Oh yes. Immediate withdrawal and then PAWS. I thought of it as all of the effects of alcohol abuse over years rolling out of my body. In the scheme of a lifetime of sobriety, those weeks and months seem short.

Drs can help- I did see mine regularly those first few weeks and took (and developed a regimen) meds to assist in all of my needs.

Good luck - however you do it, stopping completely is the key.

ScottFromWI

Welcome to SR Nicka. Glad to see you are seeking help for your drinking issues. The main focus of SR is support those seeking to get sober and stay that way. "Cutting back" is not an option for the vast majority here because we are alcoholics, and that would be a form of moderation which is also not possible.

You'll need to decide if you are an alcoholic or not. It's a progressive thing, and you are correct that you never know when things might take a turn for the worse. Drinking 6-8 beers every night qualifies as binge drinking by almost any definition, and it's well more than enough to potentially cause serious damage.

Have you ever tried to quit before?

puddlejumper70

I would drink six just to feel a warm glow; 16 to fully "relax"... ugh!

Dee74

Welcome Nicka

I tried both over the years - sometimes I was OK, and sometimes both were pretty disastrous for me.

The best way is to see a Dr first - is that a possibility for you?

D