Do I Drink Too Much?
Alcohol is by far the most widely used drug - and a dangerous one at that. So why are so many of us drinking over the recommended limits? Why does alcohol have such a powerful grip on us? How much of our relationship with this drug is written in our genes?
What are the real dangers of our children drinking too young? Addiction expert John Marsden, who likes a drink, makes a professional and personal exploration of our relationship with alcohol.
He undergoes physical and neurological examinations to determine its impact, and finds out why some people will find it much harder than others to resist alcohol.
Even at the age of 14 there may be a way of determining which healthy children will turn into addicts.
John experiments with a designer drug being developed that hopes to replicate all the benefits of alcohol without the dangers. Could this drug replace alcohol in the future?
I had a girlfriend who is is an alcoholic, Ive known her for 13 years and back then she used to drink wine but a whole bottle in one sitting, nowadays is more like a litre of rum a day, It is a terrible thing, i've witnessed it all, The withdrawals, the cold sweats, The internal bleeding, passing out, urinating on herself, Hiding bottles all over the place, keeping water bottles full of liquor in her purse, No matter what we did, vacations or having a nice time out, she always thought of alcohol and always found a way to get it. I tried everything, rehab/detox, nothing worked. She couldnt work or do much of anything but drink everyday, it took over her life. To see someone you love fall that far down is devastating. after 8 months of this i had to end it, It is so hard to deal with someone of that calibre and try to balance your own life, alcohol is just like any other addicting drug, so dangerous and it will ruin your life, I dont even drink any type of alcohol because of my experience. It is horrible.
My first visit to this website and I want to thank you for your comments all but one of which I agree. It is that the "non-addict will never understand the addict". I am not an addict but, I would like to think that I do understand the addict. I have and do to this day love each one: from my co-workers, church members, friends,neighbors and relatives. I dont pretend to fully understand the addict or anyone else for that matter. I believe you can only understand as much as a person is willing or able to reveal. And, with the addict that is not a great deal. Their defense mechanism is on high alert 24/7/365 even long after they are sober. And, with good reason I may add. Whoever, addict or not wants to expose anything more than apsolutely necessary to such an unforgiving, hypocritical, stereo-typing etc...society? Untill we live in a trusting, forgiving and loving world we will ALL always have our secrets. And, untill that day will anyone truly be STRONG enough to reveal all to even one other human being?
One question: What does "Nobody ever died from giving up slowly!" mean?
I used to drink more than I do now, this is a very interesting documentary. I had never realized all the effects alcohol has on the human body. Really good film that I would suggest to anyone to watch.
Trust me, booze is the soul mate to the alcoholic. Your whole day...week…
year........LIFE! ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING in your life is centered and
and balanced around the poisonous liquid. There wasn't a day that went by
when I was drinking that whiskey didn't get my full loyalty. (even at work)
I've been sober for 3yrs now and can say I have no need for it anymore..
....but! I know me..I have an extremely addictive behavior and there's always
something to take it's place. Addicts can relate to what I'm saying. There
isn't a AA on this planet that can implant sobriety. You either wake up one
day and and say enough...wake up in jail and be forced to sweat out the DTs
or you don't.
PS. always remember just because an alcoholic has
refrained from booze it doesn't always meen their
sober......there's always something else to take it's
place. So be careful!
The fact that most of us came here to watch it and even question it? seriosuly everyone check out AA on the web - it's amazing what is the guidelines are now for being considered an alcoholic I didn't think i had a problem till i read and watched the video on aa - btw I am a 30 year old professional female - i binged drink every single weekend of my life , but it has now cost me regret , bad encounters and I am better then this
Was really enjoying this - then scene 5- 6 cuts out If i would of read below I would of known this - gutted
ok
The only reason most people go to AA is because the stinking court system makes them. Group therepy doesn't help the physical addiction to booze.
I LUV THIS SITE ITS SOOOOOOOO INSITEFUL!!!! <3
it's not the full movie. it's not complete.
If alcohol is costing you more than money then Alcoholics Anonomous can offer a way out.
Some people can have a few drinks but some people cannot. Alcohol is like a allergy. Maybe you can have 3 beers today and stop but there is a bender right around the corner. This is coming from a recovering alcoholic. Will power for an alcoholic is not enough to stop. This concept is hard for a non-alcoholic to grasp. God bless. If you think you may have a problem please reach out for help. A better life is also right around the corner.
By far the worst of all the drugs that I have ever tried & that is most of them.
Boo!! I drink one beer everyday.. at least. I'm already a college graduate. I have a great life and great friends, and two wonderful dogs. no kids yet, but I really don't think my drinking habits will have such a GREAT impact on my future years.
I love beer too!! I'm actually drinking one right now... while watching the doc XD Anything in excess is BAD, but when you can control yourself by saying "that's enough for me", then you can do whatever you want.
i love beer
To everyone in this thread, hope you are having a great 2011, just popped back to say hello, to those that have quit, bravo, to those that are struggling, hope you make it.
xxxx
Wine has been my best friend, worth enemy since my teens. A paradox I’ve been fighting for years. One of the very odd things about my drinking habit is that I am actually allergic to it. The more I drink the more I sneeze.
One thing is for certain, I do show signs of dependency. The preparation to that glass of wine, turned bottle is the aim most days, between excitement and regret. -Am I an alcoholic? Yes and know - Yes because like a junky I constantly deceit the true dependency I have to the rewards. Know because although I am dependent I am also manageable.
The older you get the more vulnerable you become. I would like to drink less.
Durin watchin this doc i was intreaged by the whole programe and relate to most of what was said!I myself have bean fighting my deamons since 14 to 15 years old and now at 24 with 2 kids am still into most drugs mostly drink!! I stopped drinking with graet difficalt for 10 to 12 month but started getting a herion habit then i knew i was going to loss everything so went to a doctor n that done shit sent me to rehab which is not the place to be!!! at this moment in time i love my life at full but am struggling to stop the addictive personallity !! i will try more help n addiction programs as b4 !! thnx for the documentry xx
i so much want to be normal for myself 1st my kids 2nd ??
@Randy:
However appealing your theory seems, It has some mayor flaws. First of all it would take considerably longer time then a couple of thousand years for evolution to make any difference like that. Second, as alcohol makes you dehydrated, drinking it against thirst it pointless, u also need clean water to even be able to make beer AND last, our livers are not strong and do not handle alcohol well. It differs from person to person and a lot of factors but there is nothing physically healthy about drinking alcohol so what ever. The only healthy aspects of drinking whine are the anti-oxidants in it and has NOTHING to do with the alcohol.
Getting pissed might be mentally and socially healthy and probably helps keeping us sane at times, but its hardly any good for our bodies.
interesting doc. you tards on this comment thread are a bunch of self-righteous, overly opinionated slops with some sort of entitlement to a hegemonic position on the behaviors and justified prejudices of others. survival is first. disappointing discourse here. get it together, fools.
SimonTheSorcerer,
You are interesting:)
Has anyone watched "Making A Killing: The Untold Story of Psychotropic Drugging"?That was a real eye opener also!I have a lot to think about.I love Documentaries!Like logic said...knowledge,we need knowledge.It's our most important weapon.
Logic,
"I gave up smoking and now I have cross addicted to alcohol. I don’t have one or two *insert addictive substance or process of choice*. One becomes two become four becomes eight. My brain is imbalanced and requires constant emotional stimulation. If I don’t get it one way , I will get it in another! It’s amazing that many of us addicts live a relatively normal life; we work, are intelligent people, have a family… We just know how to hide it well due to a lifetime of being in a depressed state when not partaking in our mood altering activity of choice."
You have it all so down Pat and say it in a way I understand all too much.great insight to say the least.I said my previous rude blurb because I thought you were just repeating over and over in your comments......then I actually read everything.You certainly have a handle on what it's like to be an alcoholic.I was wondering..how can you have a drink without smoking?That would drive me nuts!Again my apologies.I think I've killed a few brain cells in drinking career.
@JS
You are so right!It is a passionate subject.I have so much to say that I don't know where to begin or end.I appreciate your honesty.The strange things I often say to myself are"If I quit drinking,who will I be?"What will I do to fill my "drinking"time?How can I still have the same friends if they are still drinking?Can I handle all the things that I'll have to finally admit to(the things we don't like to think about).It seems like so much freakin work!Much easier just to stay on my liquid path.I'm so glad to have watched this DOC and found this comment forum.It feels good to let it all out.And here,trust isn't an issue.
All The Love,
Kelly D
P.s I have been sober five and a half years. (I am a female).
I completely understand what people have had to say about not being able stop once they start, and I didn't get sober in isolation - I went to others for the benefit of their experience and had to take actions my head fought, but that my body and then my head benefitted from.
I wish anyone with the compulsion to drink, and the obsession with drinking the very best of luck and hope you can get the release needed and support of others.
:D Its all good K-D x
Its a passionate subject isn't it?
My apologies people:)LOL @JS!I guess I was overwhelmed by all the words!Meanwhile I had quite a bit to say myself.Again.sorry!
Nicely put JS. :) I enjoyed reading what Logic Had to say.
For those that cannot cope with more than 145 characters in each contribution - there is always twitter...
@K-D
How does Logic discussing or commenting on a comments area stop other people speaking? When you click on this page do you get a pop-up that says "Sorry we are unable to accept your comment at this time because Logic is contributing"?
No one has to attend to their contributions, and they are not the only one saying things. If they were needing to "say it all" they would surely send themselves emails and not come to a public message board that others can contribute to.
They are using this page for what it is intended for. I don't get your problem, but enjoy... :)
@ myself, K-D, and anyone interested in the nature of addiction,
I hope that this message finds you well and I thank you @K-D for your sincere attempt to describe your addictive outlet of the current moment, alcohol. You hit the nail on the head when you talked about addicts in the family making you more predisposed to addiction and also about the addict having an imbalance in the emotional centres of the brain, more than likely genetically inherited. There is nothing the addict can do about it; the non-addict will never understand us and we will never understand them.
The choice of addictive outlet is pretty unimportant in the sense that you can give up drinking and cross addict to 'recreational drugs', give up drugs and start gambling, give up gambling and start obsessive sexual activity. The cycle and requirement of an addictive outlet is the main pleasure incentive for the addict. It is more than likely due to our base levels of brain chemical release being lower and as such not as effective as people who are 'normal'.
The 'solution'? As you mention is not an easy one! Due to the inbuilt genetic predisposition/requirement for an addictive outlet; be it substance or process, there is always a danger to cross addict when giving up the current drug of choice and a real possibility of multiple addictions when giving up fails. Another danger is societies tendency to consider nicotine as a safe substitute and prescribe other 'safer' drugs to counter-act the effect of the drug being given up; Methadone for heroin; patches for cigarettes; and so on. For an addict this type of 'help' is bizarre and not helpful. It's like giving a child a shotgun. The ONLY way to get the full emotional benefit is to give up ALL addictive substances and processes. To achieve this, help from a third party is absolutely essential.
I gave up smoking and now I have cross addicted to alcohol. I don't have one or two *insert addictive substance or process of choice*. One becomes two become four becomes eight. My brain is imbalanced and requires constant emotional stimulation. If I don't get it one way , I will get it in another! It's amazing that many of us addicts live a relatively normal life; we work, are intelligent people, have a family… We just know how to hide it well due to a lifetime of being in a depressed state when not partaking in our mood altering activity of choice.
The key is knowledge! All addictive processes and substances when used by addicts act as an emotional substitute; feeling good, have a cigarette/drink/...; feeling bad, have a cigarette/drink/…; just got laid, have a ciggy/drink/…. Didn't get laid, have a drink/ciggy /… For the addict, the full effect of emotional independence is gained by giving up ALL addictive substances and processes; only then, can we get the benefits of an emotionally balanced life, that others take for granted.
According to some sources 10% of people consume 50% of the drugs! So this is a good estimate for the number of addicts out there. It's not our fault that we are addicts ( having a genetically inherited imbalance in the emotional centres of the brain) but it is our fault when our addictive outlets negatively affect others. Incidentally, just because a condition is genetically inherited doesn't mean that nothing can be done about it. Many people have eye correction surgery or glasses to correct genetically inherited eye conditions.
If you are not an addict, enjoy your 'safe' use of drugs! For the addict, I'm afraid that complete abstinence is the only way to get the full benefits of an emotionally balanced life. Self realisation and understanding of the problem is needed and 3rd party help and support is essential. Remember. Nobody ever died from giving up slowly!
Quitting cigarettes/booze/... is easy, I have done it many times - Mark Twain.
This just made me feel like drinking!
I'm an alcoholic.I'm 43,female.What everyone seems to be forgetting about in the documentary is the differences shown in brain chemistry.The differences in the part of the brains reward systems and whether you have the variant gene.The brain that had the brightest reward area lit up had two alcoholic parents.I had two alcoholic parents which gives me a genetic predisposition to alcohol dependence,not to mention an environment where alcohol seemed to be involved in all aspects of my life.It pisses me off because I want to be "normal" and I'm not.I don't drink often but when I do,I drink a lot.This has caused immense problems in my life"the worst things that ever happened to me happened when I or someone else was drunk".Call me weak if you wish,I've tried to quit many times.Remember:
alcohol addiction — physical dependence on alcohol — occurs gradually. Over time, drinking too much changes the balance of chemicals in your brain associated with the pleasurable aspects of drinking alcohol. Excessive, long-term drinking can affect the balance of these chemicals, causing your body to crave alcohol to restore good feelings or to avoid negative feelings..........it sucks.
@JS
THanks :)
Simon, I wish you all the best.
Well I thought I write a follow up since I last commented I quit cold-turkey. It works out so far with occasional relapses but Im in control now 90% of the time and even a relapse binge is just 4-5 beers not the end of the world. It was the latest in a long line of addictions for me hope this was the last I luckily have no medical symptoms whatsoever apart from slightly high blood pressure.
Psychologically it is another thing constant chronic fatigue, depression, insomnia , panic attacks feeling s@#$ overall and being extremely bored with the world so called "real life". But that was the reason behind all of my addictions to begin with. Well I can't complain my situation is better than most ex-alcoholics so there is no complaining for me and I will always have the Internet as a refuge for me. Have you noticed how beautiful the film American Beauty is when you have depression especially the ending.....
9 times out of 10 its because i've drunk to much, fallen asleep early, woke up in the middle of the night, that i spend the hours til sun rise reading the posts on this site.
Great reading everyone's thoughts on booze though. I have a friend who always says 'reality is an illusion caused by lack of alchol', he is Irish as well.. has many saying come to think of it, mmm.
AA is not a cult. It is not a christian cult. Christians are not banned from it, nor are athiests. It neither fits into the criteria of a cult - nor is it Christian. See basic literature for clarification. This is stated at the beginning of every meeting. So to he individual that claimed it was, you are no more an authority on AA, than the christian persons that upset you. xx
Okay...is it just me or is the filmmaker quite a pretentious, self-absorbed kinda guy? The point of his film is well taken but he's tough to like. Hard to believe that while he refers to himself over and over as "an addictions specialist", he lacks even a basic knowledge of alcohol. Amazing!
me too guys
...There is an old Irish saying, "The liver is a muscle... you have to work it!"
LOL!
I humbly thank you, trevor.
Incidently, did you read the recent news story, (I make no claims to its veracity, as I read it on the internet), that a University is studying Ozzy Osbornes epi-genome?
They are trying to understand why, after 60+ years of hard drinking and drug abuse, that he has no liver, kidney, prostate, or heart problems of any note...
There have been studies that seem to show Western Europeans being more tolerant to alcohol than other human tribes with no early adoption to fermented beverages... but...
This could prove interesting, eh?
@Randy:
"Absolutely. You know why? Because, geniuses and great artists, (usually one in the same), see the world differently and speak a different language than the rest of the mediocrity with they are surrounded.
They have no one with which they can relate, they feel straight-jacketed and bound by conventions… *sigh*"
This pretty much sum up exactly how I feel, and that's not to say that I am any kind of genius or artist. I feel like I'm at a loss as to why people do the things they do and there is a perpetual feeling of disconnectedness from modern society. Drinking gives me a chance to feel normal and connect with people on some level; for me this is difficult to do while sober. I do drink too much but, luckily for me, it has not gotten in the way of my academics or career.
On a side note: Randy, your posts are insightful and funny to boot. The documentaries are always interesting and the conversations which follow provide great feedback, thank you!
I feel so lucky to have embraced the Baha'i Faith. As Baha'is we are not allowed to drink alcohol and I feel that this has served to protect me from myself. If there were not a red light on alcohol consumption for me then I could see that I might also have over-indulged and be living with the consequences.
I have seen those consequences with friends who drink, my grandparents who died of alcohol-related diseases further to prolonged consumption and friends of friends who have died further to alcohol-related road traffic accidents.
In the Baha'i writings we are told that:
"It is forbidden for an intelligent person to drink that which depriveth him of his intelligence; it behoveth him to engage in that which is worthy of man, not in the act of every heedless doubter."
"The drinking of wine is, according to the text of the Most Holy Book, forbidden; for it is the cause of chronic diseases, weakeneth the nerves, and consumeth the mind."
"I hope that thou mayest become inebriated with the wine of the love of God, find eternal bliss and receive inexhaustible joy and happiness. All wine hath depression as an after-effect, except the wine of the Love of God."
anyone have any idea what the drug is near the end of the documentary? they never give a name, or even a class for it.
@SimonTheSorcerer:
I "cannot" help you, you can help yourself though as I did, if you think it is to hard to do it yourself, than "do" contact AA in your area, see your doctor, or at least talk to your parents, and ask them for their help. That is as far as I go to give advice, am not qualified to go any further!
@Achems Razor
Hope you dont mind I would like to get in personal contact with you my drinking "habits" seems out of control and my parents threateaned me with eviction. Maybe you and your expereience could help me . Thank you a hopeless "maybe" alcoholic. Please help me if you can!
@ Randy
I spend every day surrounded by bolloxology and people trying to sound clever. I watch the docs in bed at night and read the posts. I dont think many get out much on here ha ha. Your posts are quality dude, your a funny man (even better when your cranky) keep up the good work!!
@rich miller
Thank you, sir...
But, I must admit, there have been times when I was in a cranky mood or someone really said something wildly insipid, that I have posted some pretty bone-head things that I regret...
However, again, thank you!
yet again randy kicks arse.. i couldnt even be bothered with the doc, to busy reading these lol
randy you freekin alien you rock!!!!!!!
(anyone who really wants to stop drinking should read the late evan tanners blogs 'believe in the power of the one' rip)