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Ask HN: High functioning alcoholism – anyone?

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Re: Ask HN: High functioning alcoholism – anyone?

#121

Post by dontJudge »

Only drink a reasonable amount (not enough to impair) during special occasions. Never drink on the regular. Small amounts can be evil too if taken regularly.

I know a guy who drank a 6 pack of beer every night. Never drunk. Just drinking on the regular. Until his liver gave out, and he couldn't work. Died at age 34 while waiting for a liver transplant. Left wife and kids behind.

My friend's mom died in her 50's from liver failure. Heavy drinker for decades.

Drinking less is better than drinking lots, but don't think it can't kill you.

Re: Ask HN: High functioning alcoholism – anyone?

#122

Post by chrstphrhrt »

phugoid wrote: post #37

I was in a similar situation for years, and alcohol was the lesser of my intake problems. I was drinking mostly to stave off boredom; let's call it being comfortably numb. What eventually helped was getting serious about playing music - practicing every night. I can't practice if I drink. I was excited enough about music that gave me an escape from boredom. A few years later, I decided to start a part-time online Mas…

This is the best method.

Re: Ask HN: High functioning alcoholism – anyone?

#123

Post by davidandgoliath »

beizhia wrote: post #86

I used to drink a lot, but I eventually came to realize that I wasnt drinking for the alcohol, I was just drinking because I wanted something to drink. I remember back in high school I'd drink soda all the time, and lots of it, which I think was for the same reasons. I started drinking LaCroix, and its to the point where I'm going through a 12 pack every couple days. I had to start buying the generic brands to save m…

Seconded!

Recently swapped to sparkling water myself, realized that I was just in pursuit of something to sip on while staring at computers during the evenings when my frontal lobe was exhausted. I even wield various sparkling waters with soda (3/4ths sparkling water, 1/4th coke) to swap up the flavors a bit.

Re: Ask HN: High functioning alcoholism – anyone?

#124

Post by Boothroid »

hguhghuff wrote: post #3

5 nights a week half a bottle of wine isn't an alcoholic. It's drinking too much. If you're at a bottle of wine s night that's certainly too much. You've got a poor habit that's all. Just put a system in of deferring first drink, going to bed s bit earlier i.e. Before the last drink, and ensure you have a glass of water and a cup of tea between each glass. That'll reduce the amount you drink by s glass or two. You're…

I try to steer clear of anything apart from average strength (~4%) beer. It's far harder to get through equivalent quantities to a bottle of wine and your margin of error between happy and drunk is that much greater. Also if you do homebrew you might develop a more holistic relationship to beer, although its certainly tempting when you have a 36 pint barrel sitting around at home.

Re: Ask HN: High functioning alcoholism – anyone?

#126

Post by glennonymous »

I had a drinking habit very similar to yours, and greatly reduced my drinking with the help of marijuana. Marijuana has the distinct advantage of not destroying my body in the same way alcohol does, and I find that it doesn't reduce my inhibitions as much as alcohol does. I regard this as a harm reduction strategy.

Re: Ask HN: High functioning alcoholism – anyone?

#128

Post by [deleted] »

makemoniesonlin wrote: post #107
lomnakkus wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hang on, I recall reading somewhere that the national guidelines for "acceptable" alcohol consumption are mostly made up and arbitrary? Or have they suddenly found a more scientific basis for them within the last few years? Don't they vary widely for nations with similar demographics? I should say that I obviously agree that drinking alcohol is probably never the solution to any problems and may cause further (health…

Yes, the guidelines for safe amount of units per week are basically arbitrary and not based on anything scientific, and vary a lot by country. [1] For example, where I am from, Canada, the Canada Low Risk Alcohol Drinking Guidelines state that men should limit their intake to 15 drinks per week, where a drink is defined as 12 oz of 5% beer, 5 oz of 12% wine, or 1.5 oz of 40% spirit. OP would hardly be exceeding the g…

[deleted]

Re: Ask HN: High functioning alcoholism – anyone?

#129

Post by nikdaheratik »

supahfly_remix wrote: post #97
voodooranger wrote: post #88

I was a high functioning alcoholic, drinking a six pack of beer per weeknight (programming by day for a successful company). On weekends, I would keep an eye on the clock and wouldn’t start drinking until noon. Looking back, I realize that I could hardly function without it. I was hiding scotch in the closet and taking occasional swigs in secret just to “get by”. One day, I went to a new doctor for one thing and ende…

Isn't alcohol a depressant? Was drinking worsening or alleviating the problem?

The effects of alcohol are interesting in that it slows down your central nervous system which makes it a depressant but it also can reduce anxiety and trigger the release of dopamine and other chemicals in the brain that make you feel good. So, it's not a simple question since depending on the brain chemistry of the person, it does both.

Re: Ask HN: High functioning alcoholism – anyone?

#130

Post by kbart »

Steeeve wrote: post #54

I know several high functioning alcoholics in the tech industry. I honestly don't have a clue how anybody does it. None of them are on upward trajectories or even seem to care about work in a real sense. They care enough to get the work done, but not ... well, the simply care enough to do the work. I grew up in a household with a drug addict, and I've helped several people through their problems with both drug and al…

This might not work if OP is an introvert. I'm an introvert myself and group therapies are the worst as it only makes me stressed out that in turn makes any problem even worse

"I've never known an alcoholic who actually stopped for any length of time who did not go through AA."

I do, quite many in fact, because AA is not very popular outside USA. What matters most is to always have somebody by your side who cares about you and can help whenever needed -- the form of it (AA, friends, family, therapist etc.) doesn't matter that much.

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