Does drinking a bottle of wine every night make you an alcoholic?

[LyraSilvertongue]

I ask because I was having a conversation about drink with a (male) colleague and he says he drinks a bottle a night. I was a bit . He's quite small, shorter than me, so the men can drink more thing doesn't really apply. Do you think he's addicted?

Monkey - that is nonsense. I can drink every night for weeks, and then go for a week with no drink. I don't feel ill at all.

Drinking from dependency and drinking for pleasure are very different things, and should not be confused.

DSM that is a lot of booze

10 pints

I would be on the floor by 5

Are the British the only ones who do this silly 'count units' thing?

I've never heard of it anyplace eles in teh world.

What an unhealthy attitude to have!

A bit like the whole counting calories/fat grams thing.

Have you tried to find a 12% bottle of wine in the supermarket DSM? I have and they are few and far between, so much that IO gave up and went homme empty handed. 13-14% are the norm.

A 175ml glass is usually classed as 3 units for this reason - you can see that on the most recent giovernment ad about female drinking.

But even a very conservaticve estimate like yours puts him 56 units a week - over double the recommended for men and a serious issue for his liver.

What's ill got to do with it?

George Best didn;t feel ill till his liver gave out

The Italian wine I'm drinking now is 12%. Came from Sainsbury's.

Oh right - who is in denial here?

Yeah, expat, that's why scotland has the worse stats of alchoholism in the uk

Some people can drink a lot. Its not good. its very expensive being a heavyweight

And monkey - I have about 220 bottles of wine in my wine cellar (how posh do I sound its not) and the majority are 12% or less. Actually, cheaper wines tend to be of a higher percentage, which has a lot do to with the different fermentation processes.

mt i spend hours in the supermarket looking for 12pc that don't cost £7 because i do like to have more than one glass without falling off chair. am evolving to white wine instead.

That not to you LST

I wonder how much Best was actually drinking, though?

And what it mostly was - beer, spirits, ale, etc?

Also, imagine how much £££ he's spending on booze!

yada ya DSM. Drink yourself to death for all I care. The NHS is dying under the weight of it all too.

By the time you feel ill with liver disease it's probably waayyy too late.

Re the OP. Drinking a bottle of wine every night doesn't make you an alcoholic. Not being able to stop does.

DSM, I'd love to have a wine cellar. Can I share yours?

Expat
It is something that I wonder about too, the unit thing.
That and the whole "ooh, it is 12% proof". What is that about anyway?

I lived in a wine growning area for 10 years and NEVER heard anyone talking about %

And I agree that the amount of alcohol consumed is less important than the question of whether he needs a drink.

I agree - if he's dependent on it and it's affecting his life then he's an alcoholic. Otherwise he's just drinking above the recommended levels.

Units has not much to do with the problem with alcohol in Scotland, MT.

It's the culture and the economy and the socialisation of young people.

Counting units isn't going to help, especially when it comes to youth who think they're invincible.

They're hardly going to think, 'Oh, I'm going over the recommended government guidlines for 12-year-olds. I'd better put down the White Lightning now.'

DSM - I am prepared to wager that you have a bit of a dependence thing going on

With what you've listed as a typical night's consumption, I believe you are on your way to some serious health issues. Honestly. Heavyweight or not.

Or else you like to spin a yarn or two

The government guidelines are rank bullshit though. They have admitted it. They MADE THEM UP: there is no scientific evidence for those particular amounts being the maxiumum you can drink in a week without your liver falling out, whatsoever.

Lyra - yes you can

Monkey - I am not drinking myself to death far from it. What a strange thing to say?

I have never been ill and, god willing, I will continue to stay healthy. I eat well, I am fit and healthy, and I have a few vices, but obesity is a bigger problem and thankfully, not one of mine.
However, I pay my tax and NI like everyone else, and I pay my membership for private healthcare, so fret ye not, my government contributions are going solely to others.

Really madamez? No scientific basis to it at all? where did you read this?

hmm wine is very much stronger in the past few years. i have seen 15%, that is sherry not a pleasant claret.

I had my liver tested recently. Scanned and liver function as I was so worried.
am luckily perfectly fine.
now over the last 7 years between pregnancy and breastfeeding... 3 cans of Stella 5 nights 4 on another then maybe 1-2 on another
thats weekly 21 cans @ 2.6 units a can....
55 units almost...
I do worry about health implications and drink much less now but I do not worry about alcoholism as I feel in control of my drinking.

Fishie, things have moved on since the days of Blue Nun and Le Piat D'or