Ah. Gotta love folks who have that holier-than-thou attitude about their perceived superiority, which unfortunately tends to encompass many a topic besides drinking. I have a sister like that
I cut out booze for weight loss purposes a few years ago and went from drinking 4-5 nights a week to 1-2 nights. Despite what must have been thousands of calories I was no longer ingesting on the regular, it had absolutely zero impact on my weightā¦ but my GI issues all but disappeared
It was a great learning experience ā never had the patience to do an elimination diet to find out what was triggering my issues.
I just sleep a lot better sober nights; so, if I drink, itās the night before a day off. I donāt imbibe enough to make myself useless the day after; but I can sure tell a difference. Alcohol sleep is rarely a deep sleep. Iām usually a beer-only guy; but I like a charro negro from time to time. GnT when itās hot. The older I get, the less appetite for those things. I canāt drink the night before I work with kids, or inmates.
I often wonder what people mean by āalcoholismā. Medical references like DSM struggle to agree about what the labels mean.
FWIW I havenāt had a drink in 1 year 8 months 28 days and 16 hours () and I struggle more with my weight (not a major struggle, but a few annoying pounds) than I have since I lost it 8 years ago. Still well worth it.
From my old college days, when it was still DSM IV or V, alcoholism was something like anyone had more than X number of drinks (and it wasnāt that high) for more than 2 nights a week. This would have been about 80% of the college population back then. And while I get that they arenāt alcoholic in the traditional sense, I would disagree that most college students do have problematic drinking habits that do extend to post-graduation and into their first jobs. The amount of ādrinkingā oriented socials for our young (mostly male) work teams is crazy, and worries me - and not just as a non-drinking older female.
But I think anything to steer our culture away from the beer bro culture is a good thing. Not saying people canāt enjoy beers, but the constant statement by beer companies (and to a lesser degree other alcoholic beverage vendors) that a good time cannot be had without alcohol is tiresome.
Haha, Iām sensitive to any smoke - so cigarettes and cannabis - are on my prohibited list too. And quite frankly vaping isnāt any better. Iām all about the caffeine, my drug of choice! Bring me all your teas, coffees, lattes, and Iāll gladly drink ātil Iām shaking and ready to do backflips.
Our guidlines in Canada used to advise two drinks a day for women and three drinks a day for men. New guidelines were introduced in 2023 and they recommend two drinks per week regardless of gender but abstinence is best. I always knew we (and when I say āweā I mean North America) live in a drinking culture and ever since I gave up drinking last summer I realized how ingrained alcohol is in our culture. The woman that organizes my dinner club meetups will often polish off a bottle of wine with dinner finishing with a couple of martinis for dessert. (Mind you that group has some big drinkers among them.) A few years ago she asked me for restaurant recommendations in downtown Ottawa because she knew I live there and when I suggested a popular restaurant that serves pili pili chicken, she wouldnāt stay because they donāt serve alcohol. I personally couldnāt care less if a place has booze on the menu or not. Most of the organizers of the meetup groups Iām are the same - they wonāt dine out at a place unless there is alcohol.
Living in a state where BYOB is often possible or the only option, itās easier to abstain if one wants to.
That said, there are specific cuisines/dishes I find go better with a beer ā spicy Thai, or Turkish food. We have two Turkish places in Berlin we love: one serves alcohol, the other doesnāt. I just have ayran at the latter, but my PIC is always grumbling that the kebabs would be better with a cold one
DSM are criteria for mental health ādisordersā, and I donāt recall DSM being connected to medical health risk, but what is more personal to me is the connection between current recommendations and the connections (believing what each of us will) to breast cancer.
DSM is meant for diagnosis based on patterns of behavior. Whatās taught today may be different from my college psych days (this was in the 90s..). Mental health was still considered somewhat distinct from overall health, even if practitioners in both spaces understood there were often physical effects psychological disorders at the time. Addiction disorder being some of the most obvious - alcohol and the liver, physical symptoms of withdrawal, etc.
Today, weāve moved way beyond and link both overtly that mental health has direct impacts on physical health, and even more indirect impacts. I donāt mean this from a wellness guru perspective, but real view of our bodies as biochemical machines and how we process food in the body and its effects on our brain, behavior and physical health. DSM may not be able to show whatās happening in our cells or organs, but it plays a role in identifying destructive behaviors that could lead to āpoisoningā of our bodies when we know it is harmful. A doctor sees a lesion or a symptom and orders more testing; a psychiatrist/psychologist sees too many nights of drinking and encourages the patient to have testing or medical consultation on physical health impact. Different modalities, but they all converge at some point for treatment.
Yup. Very glad when my BF finally quit both cigarettes and, more recently, vaping. Fortunately, after we moved in together, they were things he did outside.
Weed smoke is a non starter under any circumstance. Never encountered a strain that didnāt smell anything other than straight up disgusting.
When out and about, Iām smelling more and more skunk weed nowadays in Texas. Why anyone would want to smoke something that smells like skunk is beyond me. Must be a certain kind of high. And what does it taste like I wonder. Skunk?
I live in a state where consumption, especially beer, is ingrained in the culture. I grew in the city in the state where itās abused much more frequently than any place Iāve ever gone. Though my parents were āmoderateā to the point of being almost non-drinkers, a side of my family would BYOB to a party with a case (24) and 12 pack backup. My aunt no problem polishing off 33-36 beers in four hours, then drive home. Another aunt would finish a 1.75 of gin. We thought that was cool growing up. Glad my parents were the role models. In the end, a kid turns adult and sees things more clearly. I like a clear mind.
THC, especially vapes and gummies, have really put a dent in some of the kids I work with. It is addictive and can cause major issues.
Not standing on a soapbox, but every vice has its dark side.
Iāve heard, mostly through social media and the bartenders at the bar I go to, that a lot of young people arenāt drinking alcohol much and alcohol doesnāt play a role int their life the way it did with people of my generation (parties at university, pub crawls, etc.). Apparently a lot of young people are becoming addicted to other things (designer drugs?). I donāt have any young people in my life so I donāt have specific examplesā¦
Even in the alcohol world, kids are rejecting beer for alcofizzywater. Good thing. THC and some of the synthetics are a growing concern. Nicotine, though not smoked, is still alive and well.
All kidding aside ā it helps with my chronic pain & other medical issues for which I was prescribed medical cannabis. Never been much of a pill popper myself, although of course the odor would be far more neutral.
How old are the kids you are referring to? Everybody is different, of course ā but I started smoking cannabis at the tender age of 13. Canāt say that my mental abilities, motivation, or anything else suffered from it, but it can obviously have detrimental effects on cognitive or emotional development in adolescents.
A lot of kids I smoked with did end up having trouble in school, or motivational issues. I guess Iām just an amazing/lucky exception
My father was a serious alcoholic. My sister barely drinks, and I am a social drinker. Itās difficult to make blank statements about anything or anyone.
) and I struggle more with my weight (not a major struggle, but a few annoying pounds) than I have since I lost it 8 years ago. Still well worth it.
Yup. Very glad when my BF finally quit both cigarettes and, more recently, vaping. Fortunately, after we moved in together, they were things he did outside.
