If someone's breath often smells of alcohol...

[RainCloude]

does it mean they could be an alcoholic? Or just that they had maybe one glass of wine the night before but their body reacts to it differently?

My neighbour often smells like this, and often in the morning, like 10am. I pass him in the hallway of our block of flats and have a chat, and I've really noticed this.

It can be a side effect of diabetes medication

Could be an alcoholic, could have used mouthwash containing a small amount of alcohol. Or possibly be diabetic which can cause certain smells on your breathe.

I didn't know that. Bit I'm pretty sure he's not diabetic. We are quite friendly and have lots of chats, I think it would have come out. I'm a bit worried for him but obviously can't really say anything.

I wonder this. I work with two people who smell of alcohol the next morning but others I know drink a bottle of wine a night and don’t smell at all.

Yes, and now I'm wondering if I smell of it when I've had a gin and tonic the night before. It's not like anyone is going to tell me if I do!

Could be lots of things tbh.

You only tend to smell of actual booze if you got extremely fucked the night before- still drunk in morning essentially.

Otherwise you just smell rank.

Is he strangely bubbly cheerful? Has he nearly fallen over? Has he got a police cone on his head?

My guess is it's something else. Or maybe he's an alcoholic poor sod.

I doubt you smell OP.

Does he crash around a bit when comes home? Pissed when you talk to him in the evening?

Does he look ill?

Have you seen or heard him clanking empty bottles out?

If drinking before 10 that's far gone and you'd have noticed something I'm sure.

No I've not noticed any of the things the last two PPs asked (including the police cone 😅)

I guess he's ok. And it's not like I can really do anything is it. He lives alone and is always friendly (not in a tipsy way) but I do notice the smell.

Well it's nice you're worried but in the end he's just an acquaintance iyswim. So not a lot you can do without seeming a bit intrusive!

Do you have any other reasons to worry?

I mean apart from dodgy breath and living alone.

Other point. He's your neighbour and in flats. From experience. It's best not to get too matey unless you really get on. Esp if he is a bit lonely. You can end up getting collared all the time etc and in flats it's so much harder to avoid.

One of our tradesmen always smells of alcohol and aftershave.

What ever time of day 8am/6pm the same smell. It's not stale or particularly unpleasant. It's like he's just come out of the pub after a quick lunchtime beer and then squirted a bit of lynx on. He's never done any shoddy work. It's weird

it's also not as bad as a different guy we have work here who reeks of bloody BO all the time

Does it really matter ?
He is a neighbor whom I assume you don't have much contact with other than being pleasent
My next door neighbour hides her bottles of cider in my bin ,she's otherwise pleasent enough we get on ok she doesn't fill my bin up so non of my business really ?

I used to work with a lady who constantly smelt of alcohol but she used a massive amount of hand sanitizer so I think it was that.

The obvious is ketosis breath which smells like nail polish remover but can also sometimes smell fruity and you did mention a wine smell?

My colleague comes in at 3am smelling like alcohol. She has confessed to me that she has an addiction though.

if he drinks every night does that make him an alcoholic?

Loads of food for thought, it's true best not to get too close living in flats etc.