notgonnastoptry

I've read stuff on here and on the net. Many claim that the hard stuff is worse than beer and does more damage. I believe that was even mentioned in the hospital. I know beer doesn't have the same "proof" or potency, but is it true that spirits will do more damage more quickly, or is just related to the fact that one is consuming a higher alcohol content?

I've also heard the same and read things like, "well, I just drink wine, not the hard stuff".

Anyway, was wondering.

Ariesagain

Alcohol is alcohol. The only possible difference is that if you're drinking beer or wine the toxic chemical is watered down a little more and maybe it's less immediately destructive to your digestive tract and organs because it's diluted....and maybe, maybe some people are slowed down a bit because it's harder to process a lot of volume at once.

But there are plenty of people who can down 18 beers in an evening, so...

Over the long haul...same stuff, same catastrophe in the making. Your body still has to process it all.

REsoberALITY

Well if I drink 20 beers or 15 shots, the end result is the same. I'm wasted and damaging my brain on the way. Although I know this isn't an answer to your question, but my point is this..... If you can't do either in moderation the answer is to stop. If we are wondering which may be "worse" for us.... We're probably taking it too far. Just my perspective. Have a Great Holiday weekend everyone!

Delilah1

I never really drank hard alcohol (well, there were some shots in college...) but I did drink plenty of wine.

Alcohol is alcohol, and the negative consequences are the same. There is nothing wrong with having a glass of wine during dinner, however, that was never how I drank.

Anna

Yes, alcohol is alcohol and I think that myth is the disease trying to maintain control.

IvanMike

Try "don't drink" on for size.

ScottFromWI

Definitely a myth. I drank beer exclusively ( and alcoholically ) for decades. Never a drop of wine or liquor, just beer and all the consequences were exactly the same.

MesaMan

.
Alcohol Units equivalence, and discussion, is here...

- Thinking About Drinking ~ Michigan State University -
.

NoelleR

Oh yeah, I get to show off my (alcohol) math (actually arithmetic) again.......!

Like the article said, alcohol content can vary, but for now I'll use the norm (average)........: 5% for beer (12 ounce can or bottle); 12% (usual 5 ounce wine glass) for wine; and 40% (80 proof) for mixed drinks (1.5 ounce shot).............................:

Beer: 12 x .05=.6 ounce alcohol;
Wine: 5 x .12=.6 ounce alcohol; and
Mixed Drink: 1.5 x .5=.6 ounce alcohol.

So, there you go........ six tenth of an ounce of pure (sic) alcohol in each.

(o:

Jim1958

I also was a beer drinker. I would buy 12 pack tall boys. That equaled 18 regular beers. I could drink that in a night. Same effect as wine or shots, just took a bit longer to drink.

Zebra1275

Alcohol is alcohol, it doesn't matter what type of beverage it comes in.

Now many of us, during our denial phase (which might last forever) might mix up the beverage combination trying to finding the elusive mix that let's us drink like a normal person.

For an alcoholic, that elusive combination of beverage doesn't exist, it's like searching for the fountain of youth.

August252015

MYTHS:
Only real alcoholics drink in the morning.
I only drink beer so I am not an alcoholic.
I only drink wine so I am not an alcoholic.
Only real alcoholics drink every day, so I'm ok just drinking on the weekends.

I only....
Only real...

Myths, all.

Soberwolf

Alcohol is alcohol totally agree with Anna & Scott

least

I only drank wine (a lot of wine) and was a raging alcoholic all the same. It's all toxic.

notgonnastoptry

Thanks, all.

I've quit drinking. I drank vodka. I'll be three weeks sober tomorrow (well, I don't know if the stay in the hospital counts). I'm certainly not thinking of changing to beer. It always made me feel bloated. There's no way I could down 18 a night. I'd feel so full. It was easier and quicker to do the vodka.

BlissWithin

As said above I believe hard liquor is more aggressive on the organs. I only drank vodka but I would also drink water afterwards to dilute it. Besides that there was no difference for me, I drank beer, wine and hard liquor in excess, all the time.

justbrowsing

How much wine a day?

chrcarlson

I rarely drank hard liquor or did shots- I'd get too drunk too fast. I couldn't control it very well. With beer I could drink for hours before I was a staggering drunk. Wine is somewhere in between. For me whiskey is worst but but it just a timing thing.

jchaz

as it was once explained to me, gasoline and kerosene have different potency, but they'll both burn the house down just the same.

newman23

My liver enzymes, ALT and AST, both elevated 5 times then the normal range when I binged on beer. They went back to normal with abstinence but went back to the same level when I switched to liquor(vodka mainly).

In the end, the hangovers seemed the exact same regardless of the type of drink, absolute hell. Always blacked out on both...