saoutchik

I wasn't sure where to post this but since it is not about one individual I thought I would post here.

Recently I have read a lot of interviews with some famous people (all men by the way, not sure if that is significant).

In these interviews said person claimed in the past to be drinking 2, 3 or even 4 (the record) bottles of proof spirit - so vodka, whiskey, brandy etc.

Now i'm 55 and I quit 5 months ago at 54 and was a full on alcoholic for some years so I must have some idea what i'm talking about and to me these amounts just don't seem possible.

Incidently a UK "bottle" is 70 centilitres or 24.6 fluid ounces in US size

When I was drinking I guess I weighed 240 pounds so no lightweight and would drink more than half a bottle most nights and my worst couple of weekends it was maybe a bit more than a litre (34 oz).

I'm pretty sure I couldn't have drunk 3 bottles even as fit 23 year old

l would be interested to get some feedback because if they have not been drinking at those levels and claiming they are well, it seems irresponsible to me

Ruby2

I am 5'3" and weighed 116 pounds soaking wet when I was still drinking and I could polish off a 12 pack of beer and a bottle of wine in a day. Maybe they did, and maybe they didn't. People sometimes exaggerate the truth to get attention. Some do it to glamorize their "bad boy" image. Even one bottle in a sitting is irresponsible drinking.

Anna

My drinking was definitely affecting my health, so I'm very glad that I stopped when I did.

brynn

Were they saying they had a drinking problem at those levels? Or just stating a fact of how much they could drink?

I don't think size has much to do with it after a certain point.

I weigh 90 lbs and actually weighed less than that in my drinking days (85lbs) and could easily out drink guys twice my size on a regular basis....upwards of 15-20 beers a night. I could drink the majority (4/5) of a bottle of vodka in a day which makes me think this guys claims it might not be all that far-fetched ?!?! Yikes!

saoutchik

The way I read it was that this was their daily intake not a one off binge.

I understand boasting but I think it is pretty irresponsible as impressionable people might think they can do the same.

As i said before I just don't believe those amount are possible

Soberween

Yea, I read a story about Bruce Willis' 60th birthday and he said he was abstinent for years and that he now can drink wine regularly. Didn't sound like a very good thing to put out there as it is rare that an alcohol abuser can go back to normal drinking. The old cucumber to pickle analogy comes to mind.

Ruby2

Maybe they are talking air line bottles on transatlantic flights?

I don't know if it's irresponsible or not, really. If I, as an alcoholic, heard someone saying that they drank that much, I'd be thinking "OMG, I'm not THAT bad." I don't think many people would wish to emulate the rock and roll consumption. Who was it that had blood transfusions? Can't remember. I think the celebrity excess is pretty recognizable and most of the time I think people secretly like watching the train wreck and shaking their heads tsk tsk, instead of saying "yah, man! Party!"

I also run across accounts of people's blood alcohol levels and you have people who by rights, should be dead with the readings but are still walking and talking.

Ruby2

What soberween said. The whole "I had a drinking problem, I've been abstinent for X number of years, now I can moderate" is, in my opinion, far more dangerous than the 2, 3, 4 bottles of spirits. Kind of like Drew Barrymore. I remember the infamous photos of her passed out at Studio 54 as a kid and hearing of her substance abuse/alcoholism and now she has her own wine label? What's that all about?

saoutchik

Yeah - Michael Caine scores on both amounts and on subsequent moderation. I wouldn't have thought he was the type of guy that made things up but 3 bottles of vodka a day - I just can't accept that's possible

Kevin78

I've never known me to drink more than 1 litre of spirits in any day. I am a fast drinker tho, and usually drank to black out.

IfYouCanDream

Maybe they were doing other stuff at the same time. That certainly raises the threshold.

Soberween

Oh let's not forget Gerard Depardieu who said he drinks up to 14 bottles of wine a day. Is that even possible? Like Ruby2 suggested, I thought "heck, what am I worrying about drinking one bottle of wine a day?" Of course, I know my life is better without, but yea some people may see that as a green light to continue drinking.

saoutchik

14! I know he is a big lad but even so...

It definitely seems to be a guy thing

Thepatman

The amount other people drink does not concern me much. It's not like one can win a Nobel or go in the Guinness book of records for drinking large quantities of poison.

In my situation, even one beer is way too much.

BlissWithin

When I did AA meetings there was a guy who told me he drank 3 liters of spirits a day, he was a young guy, but I could see his face was cooked due to the amount he drank, so this type of people exist, but I dont believe a person can drink like that for too long before the liver shuts down.

Behan

Males do have a higher rate of alcoholism than females. One theory is that for males, alcohol is about risk taking behaviour, sensation seeking, etc,. I know this is a sweeping generalisation of course. Perhaps male celebrity's, if pressured to disclose abuse problems, feel driven to exaggerate ammount, fitting with either gender specific or social expectations.

B

bigsombrero

It could be a defense mechanism. When you are in the public eye and a non-drinker or even a moderated drinker, you will have people asking you why you don't drink.

A male celeb might say: "I drank too much in the past" and then will be asked inevitably, "how much?"

If that celeb replies "Four beers per night", he is bound to be called a sissy and much worse. If that celeb were to exaggerate and say "two bottles of vodka before breakfast", people will make a face like this: and he will be left alone and no further pressure will be applied.

saoutchik

BlissWithin 3 litres - that's so sad. I'm sure I would be dead in under a month at that rate, a fortnight even

Behan there might be something in that - male celebrities eggagerating the level of drinking in order to maximise the extent of the recovery

saoutchik

I feel sure you are right BigSomb, it has to be ego related doesn't it

Venecia

Celebrities are rather rare where I live. A few years ago, location shots were being filmed here, with big-time actors in town. Some friends were at a bar when a very well-known actor came in with his entourage.

According to my friends, who aren't the type to exaggerate, he was pathetically intoxicated. Sloppily hitting on any human with two X chromosomes. (He's married.) As so often seems to be the case with celebs, his entourage apparently functioned as his professional enablers. When he'd peed his pants and fell, narrowly avoiding hitting his head on a table, they finally left with him.

Whatever image or bravado some celebs try to create, the reality is that their alcoholism looks like everyone else's. Perhaps worse since those they pay to surround them often don't have their best interests at heart. (Or are paid not to ... who knows?) We can only hope they find sobriety and live up to their full potential as artists.