Do I drink too much?

[secondmonkey]

I turned 21 in October, and since then I've been drinking pretty much every day. I usually have between 2 and 8 beers a night, averaging around 4-5. It's not really that I'm addicted to it, I can stop for a day or two here and there, but my life sucks horribly, and it's the only way I can keep from being totally pissed off or upset every night. I don't usually start drinking until around 11:00 PM, and I only drink beer - no hard liquor. Do you guys really think that's too much? Am I damaging my body other than the 20lbs I've gained?

 

[cbtfan]

If you need to ask, then - yes, you're drinking too much. (and you know you do)

Get professional help.

 

[gewhite3]

CBTFAN is right secondmonkey. Look inside yourself and look for what the true root of the problem is, then work to rectify the situation. That will do more good for you than drinking your life away. I had a brother that drank himself to death, he had a massive heart attack at age 42. However, he drank hard liquor and did drugs as well, but still, it is not a good thing, no matter what type of alcohol you are using.

 

[Brijan]

It is worth re-reading the posts by Cbtfan and Adidasluvr.

 

[TomahawkEagle]

It's not good drinking so much, it could affect your life in many ways eg work, study etc.

 

[biravatch]

but my life sucks horribly, and it's the only way I can keep from being totally pissed off or upset every night.

There's your answer...

The frequency and quantity of your alcohol consumption habits are totally irrelevant. What matters is your motivations for drinking and the consequences you have faced, or will face in the future.

 

[MadeUpName27]

Do you drink too much???
Probably.
You wouldn't be asking otherwise.

Do you need a trip to rehab, a 12 step program and a lifetime of abstinence???
I don't know.
Probably not.
I do know that Alcohol and Depression are a lousy combination.

My advice: Ease off on the drinking for a few months and concentrate on changing those parts of your life that "Suck Horribly."
Once you are feeling better about yourself, you probably won't feel the need to over-do things.
Good luck

 

[luminum]

Think about it:

You're drinking because your life sucks and it's the only way you can keep from going nuts.

Does that seem like a good reason to drink?

 

[weasley]

and u don't want a beer belly, not until you're settled with someone at least

 

[drhladnjak]

Beyond gaining weight and getting a beer belly, drinking as much as you drink (approx. 30 drinks per week) for an extended period of time can lead to all sorts of other more serious health problems like liver failure. So it's not just a matter of gaining a few extra pounds and the impact on your ability to hold down a job, go to school, etc.

 

[SilverRRCloud]

dude,

drop the beers right away. Grab the bull by the horns and sort out your life which sucks.

You are 21. You have got a life to live. Get going and get doing.

SC

 

[hermanding]

2nd monkey, you already know the answer to that question. the reasons may be complicated and difficult, but you aren't doing your body - at the least - any favores
ding

 

[1st love ron]

Alcohol is a depressant so it's no wonder you feel like hell. Ditch it and you will feel so much better.

 

[lanicor]

i have been visiting this site for some time now and have been waiting to make my first post. i found myself in a somewhat similar situation as secondmonkey earlier this year, so i figured it would be a good time to chime in. so hello everyone. back to the topic at hand--while i am not a doctor, i think that at our age and weight (i am 21 and about 165 lbs, as well) an average of 5 drinks per night shouldn't be particularly taxing on your health in the short term. what i think is more alarming are the symptoms you display when you stop drinking. this to me indicates that your drinking is continuing as a means of self medication. i suggest that you limit your drinking to the weekends at most and only in social situations. if you are indeed self-medicating (remember this may be something you don't even realize) you will likely notice the quantity you drink increasing a lot as your tolerance to alcohol's effects does too. in my case i was drinking far more than you, even during the daytime. my drinking was initially brought on by a new medication i was taking, in retrospect, i was most definitely self medicating. thankfully i was able to cut my drinking down to only in social situations on the weekends without any professional help. all that was necessary was for me to step back and evaluate the negative consequences my drinking was having. your realization that you may be drinking too much is already a step in the right direction . anyway this is just my 2 cents and your drinking may be no problem at all to you. well so much for a short first post. lol

 

[NickCole]

You're drinking too much and you're drinking for the wrong reason.

If your life sucks horribly then that's the time to stop drinking, not drink more.

 

[dw8038r2]

Here's another point--when you do quit drinking, the fact that you had the strength to do it makes you feel proud of yourself, and that helps the depression. After a lifetime of heavy closeted drinking, I quit five and a half years ago. It wasn't easy, but it gave me some confidence that I really can control some aspects of my own life.

My guess is even if you cut back to just social drinking now and then, you'll feel good about yourself. Hey, it's worth a try.