Just because it's socially acceptable..
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Posts: 42
Just because it's socially acceptable..
Just because it's socially acceptable does not make it normal.
I think this is one of the big problems with alcohol today. People may steer clear of drugs because of the social stigma and fear of being locked up.
But in society's eyes it's totally acceptable to be a drinker. Not an alcoholic, mind you, but a drinker.
But when you think about the cost of it all, this is not normal.
Say you spend at the very least $100 a week on alcohol. For hardcore drinkers, this is a low-ball estimate. Factor in your daily sixers or twelve packs, plus two or three nights a week at the bar, and you have well exceeded this amount.
And if you want to go ahead and throw in court costs, fines, lawyer fees, substance abuse classes, license reinstatement fees and money lost from work due to being in jail, well shoot we're talking tens of thousands of dollars here.
Not to mention the cost of all the emotional, physical and mental damage you have done to yourself and others through drinking.
I could have been rich!
But if I keep it up, I am well on my way to getting it all back.
Ten days of sobriety has gone by pretty smoothly.
The two-week marker is always when I start to feel in control enough to get back into it, so I just have to keep thoughts like these in my mind to remind myself that I am really not in control once alcohol enters the picture.
I think this is one of the big problems with alcohol today. People may steer clear of drugs because of the social stigma and fear of being locked up.
But in society's eyes it's totally acceptable to be a drinker. Not an alcoholic, mind you, but a drinker.
But when you think about the cost of it all, this is not normal.
Say you spend at the very least $100 a week on alcohol. For hardcore drinkers, this is a low-ball estimate. Factor in your daily sixers or twelve packs, plus two or three nights a week at the bar, and you have well exceeded this amount.
And if you want to go ahead and throw in court costs, fines, lawyer fees, substance abuse classes, license reinstatement fees and money lost from work due to being in jail, well shoot we're talking tens of thousands of dollars here.
Not to mention the cost of all the emotional, physical and mental damage you have done to yourself and others through drinking.
I could have been rich!
But if I keep it up, I am well on my way to getting it all back.
Ten days of sobriety has gone by pretty smoothly.
The two-week marker is always when I start to feel in control enough to get back into it, so I just have to keep thoughts like these in my mind to remind myself that I am really not in control once alcohol enters the picture.
Member
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Kennesaw, GA
Posts: 193
Keep it up!
I did a short stint in rehab in the beginning of 2010. One of the things we did was a cost analysis of our drinking careers. We listed an avg amount of drinks taken each year we were active. (Sounds tough to remember but you can get a general idea if you really look back.) Along with a host of other costs that were directly related.
For me, from age 18-24 my total came to $37,000. I did a lot of drinking in bars, etc. Some others who had been out much longer than I were close to $1,000,000.
By listing the average drinks taken per week in each year, you can really see the progression, not only of the cost, but of tolerances etc.
It really helped me to compare mine to older guys. The beginning of our lists looked eerily similar.... To which I ask myself. At which point on this elevator do I want to get off?
I did a short stint in rehab in the beginning of 2010. One of the things we did was a cost analysis of our drinking careers. We listed an avg amount of drinks taken each year we were active. (Sounds tough to remember but you can get a general idea if you really look back.) Along with a host of other costs that were directly related.
For me, from age 18-24 my total came to $37,000. I did a lot of drinking in bars, etc. Some others who had been out much longer than I were close to $1,000,000.
By listing the average drinks taken per week in each year, you can really see the progression, not only of the cost, but of tolerances etc.
It really helped me to compare mine to older guys. The beginning of our lists looked eerily similar.... To which I ask myself. At which point on this elevator do I want to get off?
Member
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 694
I once caulculated that if a person drank 1 beer (only one) everyday of their life, from the day they were born (hypothetically) to the day they died, they would have to live to be 200 years old to have drank as much as I have.
Costly? yea, but its simply crazy to even imagine that much alcohol going through anyones system.
Congrats on the 10 days!
Costly? yea, but its simply crazy to even imagine that much alcohol going through anyones system.
Congrats on the 10 days!
instant
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Australia
Posts: 5,711
Well done Stavros. I can see the excel spreadsheet before my eyes.
I also calculated that in Australia it is very cheap to be able to drink 2L of boxed wine daily for a cost of about $7 a day. Cost alone will not deter a seasoned drinker.
I also calculated that in Australia it is very cheap to be able to drink 2L of boxed wine daily for a cost of about $7 a day. Cost alone will not deter a seasoned drinker.
Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Northern Ireland
Posts: 413
Well said Stavros.
Drinkers are drug users just like snorters, mainliners, poppers are drug users. It's the drug not the method of ingestion that matters, but try telling that to anyone!
If ingesting a deadly poison is seen as an important part of society then it's inevitable that society doesn't have a future.
Drinkers are drug users just like snorters, mainliners, poppers are drug users. It's the drug not the method of ingestion that matters, but try telling that to anyone!
If ingesting a deadly poison is seen as an important part of society then it's inevitable that society doesn't have a future.
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