How much drink is too much

I have not had that much to drink tonight, I have been to a gig, I have had 5 pints of strongbow and still feel quite sobour, I would normaly have 5-7 pints on a large night out. However the government say that the average male should not exceed 4 units a day. A pint of strongbow is 2 units, so 2*5=10 i.e I am have had more than twice the amount I should have.

I am not at all drunk though, I would need 10 pints of the stuff to get properly drunk to point of not being able to walk or see properly (I have only once been that drunk and its not nice or clever, its pointless).

So is there any real health problems in drinking this amount about 3 times a month as I do?

 

Alcohol can damage the brain, amazingtrade.

 

I know but how much do you need to drink before that happens? What I mean is how much do you believe what the government tell you? I know plenty of medical students who would have 6 pints on a night out and think nothing of it. I just think 4 units maximum is over the top, you can't even get tipsey on that so you may as well not drink alchohol at all.

Don't get me wrong I never get drunk but I certainly like more than what the government tells me I can have.

Certainly since drinking alchohol I am much more relaxed than I used to be, so if its killed of those brain cells thats a good thing, it gives my heart a rest.

I know it damages the liver as well, but I also know from experience that you need to drink a lot for this to happen.

 

If we could avoid long term health problems by following our intuition, we wouldn't need a whole bunch of doctors - but we do. By all means don't follow the government's advice for your health, but accept that, if anything, they are under rather than over the top since they tend to bend over backwards a bit to be acceptable to as many people as possible while still having a societal benefit.

 

Tolerance to alchohol is built over time. If you stop drinking for a few months and the start up again, a couple of drinks will have a noticable affect. Someone more used to drinking will require more alchohol for the same affect.

The government probably base their numbers on a 'new' drinker, and then cut it in half to CYA. Leading to lower numbers than anyone would believe, leading to everyone ignoring the numbers, leading to people driving whilst drunk

And no, I suspect there's not a significant health hazard. But as everyone else has pointed out, not drinking at all reduces the low risk to zero.

 

at,
getting pissed and stupid is part of growing up. as nepherim says you do build up a tolerance over time so watch yourself but if you need to get leathered to have a good time and don;t do it too often you *SHOULD* be ok.
however as bub says (and i'd listen to him in this instance as it's his stock in trade) alcohol damages your brain (and other parts of the body too i'm sure) so it's technically a poison.
personally i gave up drinking 4 years ago as i have the ability to have fun and act like a tit without it's help.
cheers


julian

 

How much is too much is a personal thing. What is happening is that you are worried you are drinking to much.

So lay off it for a week.

After that drink less.

 

The "tolerance" you build up, or limited ability to process alcohol, is not evidence that it's ok for you in the long term, it's only evidence that a substance called alcohol dehydrogenase is made in your body as a short-term measure to deal with the poison you are consuming. If you stop consuming it for a while, so levels of the enzyme drop.

It's a personal thing how much long-term health you want to risk, but its objectively true what it does to your health and society.

 

I'll tell you how much is too much.

Take my situation. None stop drinking for 5 weeks since I moved out my parents. Feel like absolute crap now (without having a drink). I didnt have a drink yesterday (because I felt like crap) and this morning I still feel like crap.

Your body will tell you when enough is enough

 

Of course I'll probably get something else...

 

Out binge drinking last night (midweek ) and got happy if not pissed. Alcohol creates a bi product in our bodies related to femaldeheide (spelling??) used in enbalming, so no alcohol is a good thing, but I enjoy it too much.

Might kick it for a month after my birthday next week

 

5 pints of Strongbow...were you sitting on a park bench...you need to work on your choice of tipple.

 

Strongbow is a lot more expensive and better quality than the cheaper cider I just find it easier to drink than beer, I some times feel ill after drinking beer but I always feel fine with cider, I woke up this morning feeling fine.

This week I have just drank too much becuase I have left university so have the time. I am out on a big piss up tomorrow (hopefully) but after that I will stop until mid June when I go to London.

 

One other little thing: it's no longer a safe assumption that 1pint = 2 units.

A unit of alcohol is 10ml of 100% alcohol. So a pint of strongbow at 5% is actually (568ml x 5%)/10 = 2.8 units, and your large night out is actually 20units, 50% more than the 14units you expected.

The problem of expectation is that drinks have become a lot stronger in the last 10 years. For example, 1pint = 2units is true ony for a pint at 3.5% ABV. Just try buying one of those! Worse, a large pub glass of wine (250ml at 13.5%) is (250x 13.5%)/10 = 3.4units(!), not the 1 unit people expect of a 'glass of wine' (based on a 125ml glass at 8%). Incidentally, now you see why it's not safe to think '2 pints and I'm OK to drive'. Whilst 4 units will (typically) put a 13st. man on or over the limit, you can make no assumptions about how much alcohol you are really taking onboard - nor how it will affect *you*, *right now*.

 

Good points, well made Felix.

 

No offence, but strongbow is horrible, evil, cheap rubbish.

It gives me heartburn that I simply cannot even begin to describe. It tastes like acid.

If you want proper cider, try Scrumpy Jack. Its stronger, higher quality and much nicer than Strongbow. Preferably the flat stuff, but some pubs will sell the fizzy stuff, not as nice though. Still better than Strongbow though...

Having said that, at least you dont drink Woodpecker or White Lightning.!

 

yup, strongbow = cheap pretend cider.
Try stowford press, or thatchers.

 

Thanks, I don't normaly drink that stuff, its just some times I find beer hard to drink, other times I find beer is fine. I used to drink vodka but the problem is that is its fine if its the good quality stuff, but the cheap stuff is nasty and I no longer touch it.

 

Amazing
The cost of 5 pints of Strongbow a night is eating away at your house deposit innit?

Bob

 

Pretty much yes I have no money anyway so as the old saying goes if you have no money you might as well spend what you have got. I do have savings though when I get a job I will be going out less and saving more anyway.

Not having a car will save a few grand a year. Its not 5 pints a night either, its 5 pints every two weeks on average I'm still spending £1k a year on going out though, though much of this is gig tickets.