Alcohol

[downer]

Back on the old CHE we had the "posting while plastered" forum which basically celebrated inebriation.

Occasionally, back in the day, some posters got accused of posting while plastered, and the accusations seemed plausible.

It all seemed a bit uncritical. Presumable most people here are OK with alcohol but don't use it a lot. Some may have had problems with it. Others might object to it, on principle.

I did a sort-of dry-January which was instructive. I became clear on how much I use alcohol to cope with life's difficulties. Turns out -- a fair amount. That doesn't mean being drunk, but pleasantly buzzed is a nice place to be.

So I've been working on cutting back. Alcohol is not great for the body or the brain except in rather small amounts. Presumably, pandemics are not the easiest times to choose to be sober.

I'm wondering if others are thinking about their use of alcohol. I'm definitely not going to any 12-step meetings and don't need them. I've known others who use alcohol a lot more than I do. I've got relatives who have definitely been heavy drinkers. Now they are dead. As one friend of mine said, we all have our own drugs. Mine is certainly alcohol, but I don't want it to have too much control over me. What are your thoughts?

So I'm wondering

[dismalist]

Totally understand.

The stuff is only mildly physically addictive, but psychologically very much so.

Stay away from alcohol for a few days per week, say Sunday through Wednesday or Thursday. That will cure physical dependency virtually immediately. And you will subsequently get your buzz with much less alcohol.

[mahagonny]

Totally understand.

The stuff is only mildly physically addictive, but psychologically very much so.

Stay away from alcohol for a few days per week, say Sunday through Wednesday or Thursday. That will cure physical dependency virtually immediately. And you will subsequently get your buzz with much less alcohol.

Just to nitpick a little: it's not as readily addictive as for example  cocaine is, that is, you may lose control totally after only one experience with it. That's happened, but not as common as with cocaine, which seems to seduce more people into the path to oblivion (and hopefully recovery) quicker.  But once you are truly physically addicted, alcohol is as bad a demon as there is. Withdrawal can even cause death.
I'm in no position to be holier than thou about it. I've done some reading though.
My current situation is I don't watch any television and I have no social life. So while I drink regularly, it tends to be while I'm working. For some reason that makes me feel OK about it. Of course, that could be another slippery slope. But I do find moderate amounts of it seem to enhance imagination.
Good advice from dismalist.

[PScientist]

I'll admit it: I really like red wine, and I kinda like decent beer.  I had been in the habit of having a couple of servings of one or the other every evening...putting me right at the line between moderate and heavy drinking the way it is medically defined.

When the pandemic started, my consumption of both started to slowly creep up, to the point where it was undoubtedly heavy drinking.  By early December, I realized that I was going to slowly kill myself this way.  Plus, I was spending way too much money on alcohol. 

So, I took a few weeks completely away from it in December, and since then I have limited consumption to Friday through Sunday...none during the work week.  This is going to be the new routine, and it is working well.  I have even started to lose some of the weight that I gained since last April.

You are definitely not alone here; there are plenty of people who are not totally out-of-control alcoholics who would nevertheless do well to cut back.

[Liquidambar]

Downer and PScientist, good for you for cutting back.  That sounds like a healthy decision.

Since I have an alcoholic parent, I was always disturbed by the "Posting while plastered" thread and avoided reading it.  I've certainly been drinking more during the pandemic than previously.  That's because our board gaming bubble is a couple who drinks socially, so I have a drink or two with them a couple times a month.  It makes me nervous because of my family background, but I don't think it's a problem.  A few times I then spent the rest of the week finishing an open bottle of wine, but I decided to draw the line at that.  No drinking alone.  (A tablespoon of liqueur in my hot chocolate doesn't count.  That's just flavoring.)

As one friend of mine said, we all have our own drugs.

Mine is sugar--probably more socially acceptable than alcohol, but arguably no better for my health.

[cathwen]

When the pandemic started, my husband began making cocktails before dinner (with a small bowl of Goldfish), in addition to the usual wine with dinner--one or two glasses.  We never got drunk, but as you say, pleasantly buzzed. 

We also (predictably) put on some weight.  My husband, who has always been heavy, was finally ordered in the strongest of terms to lose weight.

So, around mid-December, in addition to being more mindful about what we ate, we stopped the cocktails and Goldfish.  We stopped drinking wine.  Except for a glass of Prosecco on New Year's Eve, we've been dry ever since.  I missed it at first, but no longer do. He's lost about fifteen pounds, while I've lost a measly five--but I'll take it.

Mine is sugar--probably more socially acceptable than alcohol, but arguably no better for my health.

This is my drug of choice, too.  And we haven't had much of anything sweet since Christmas (a few cookies).  This is harder for me than the alcohol, because baking is one of my passions!  I do bake all the bread we consume, though (whole wheat, rye, bagels, baguettes, you name it, I bake it).  But desserts, cookies, etc.?  No.  And I miss that very much.

[Sun_Worshiper]

My wife and I tend to drink a lot when there is alcohol around the house: If there is a bottle of liquor in the kitchen, then we will drink every day till it is gone. This got a little out of hand during the pandemic, and especially at one point after we hosted a patio party with lots of booze and had a ton of leftovers.

Lately we haven't been keeping alcohol in the house, so only times we drink are when out for dinner or out with friends. This has kept us in check - most weeks we keep it to two or three drinks on one weekend afternoon/evening.

[ciao_yall]

I do WW and so have had a chance to really see my drinking and be more aware of it.

Yes, nothing like that slight buzz while watching TV.

[sprout]

I've actually been drinking less since the pandemic.  Since I'm working from home 100% of the time, there's less of that sense of wanting a drink to unwind and transition to home at the end of a day.  I also have two or three special occasions during the year where I allow myself (and plan) to drink a lot, but these are associated with social gatherings that, of course, didn't happen in 2020.  I do still  have a beer or glass of wine with dinner once or twice a week, but usually just one. And a splash of Bailey's if I'm having coffee on a weekend.

[eigen]

My drinking has stopped almost entirely since the pandemic. I like beer and liquor but am almost entirely a social drinker. So with no social occasions with which to drink, my consumption is at an all time low.

[wareagle]

My alcohol consumption has stayed pretty much the same throughout the pandemic.  I made a resolution in January 2019 that there would always be booze in the house.  Usually just beer, but there would always be something.  Having it on hand actually made me less likely to indulge.  Just knowing that I could somehow lessened the need. 

[sprout]

Having it on hand actually made me less likely to indulge.  Just knowing that I could somehow lessened the need.

I've toyed off and on with this idea around chocolate, with somewhat mixed results.

[eigen]

Having it on hand actually made me less likely to indulge.  Just knowing that I could somehow lessened the need.

I've toyed off and on with this idea around chocolate, with somewhat mixed results.

In my experience, it does not work with chocolate. Or cheese.....