Slate: 'How normal is your drinking?'

I think with the possible exception of playing centurion in college, or maybe that college trip to Mardi Gras that I've ever had 74 drinks in a week.

 

That's funny.

My brother has said before that he "can tell" when someone is an alcoholic because it seems like a guy who should be drinking, then turns down a drink.

The calories are a big reason I'm at pretty much no risk of ever becoming an alcoholic. I was fat once, largely on beer. Won't do it again.

 

I probably came close to 30 in grad school.
You have to be unemployed or not living in a real world to have 75 drinks a week.
Holy fuck is that a lot of alcohol.

 

I had major surgery in my late 20s and was on pain meds for awhile afterwards and was told I couldn't drink while on them. I followed that advice and found out I didn't miss it much.

The calorie issue is one for me as well. I could eat nothing but grapefruits and kale all day and if I have one drink I'll gain three pounds.

 

I usually have a glass of red with dinner and it isn't uncommon for me to have more than a couple on the weekend. But at my age (45), even 15 drinks in a week seems like an unthinkable amount.

 

Depending on which study you read, two glasses of red wine a night is supposed to be good for you.

 

False. I was gainfully employed through my whole alcoholic fog. Some were pretty good jobs, too.

 

Like RJ, I don't judge.
Everybody does too much of something. I just don't know where that kind of time comes from.
At >75 drinks per week with a good job, you're either drunk, on your way, pickled, working or asleep.
I suppose many lawyers could make that work, like the recent story of the one who bungled the murder trial because he was just not coherent enough to construct a viable defense.

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/04/alcoholic-lawyer-botched-robert-wayne-holsey-death-penalty-trial

 

Ten percent average 10 drinks a day for a week? Not buying' that, but if that IS accurate, it's little wonder we have all the problems we do.

 

That stat doesn't exactly make you want to get in the car and go for a drive this evening.

 

Yeah, I worked with a columnist who if I had to guess, probably drank 15-20 over the course of most days. He would start early and end late.

Everybody he works with is well aware and they'll never do anything about it.

He's a good writer who can be great when he wants to be, but phones it in more often than not.

 

Based on that study, and some of the stories here, I feel much better about my weekend drinking. I can't fathom 75 drinks in a week now, much less when I was in my 20s.