Drinking in the UK is very much on a downward trend.
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That seems relevant for a friend of mine who seems to be cycling into alcoholism.
I think he was drinking heavily last year. He ended up getting a DUI and an interlock in his vehicle. I’d have thought that was a wakeup call, but doesn’t seem to be.
Now his spouse has left, and she doesn’t seem to be coming back. His kids are trying sever ties as well.
I visited him on the weekend and he was sitting in his workshop. I’m pretty sure he was hammered.
Beyond that I don’t follow his daily behavior so I don’t know, but I suspect, he’s got some issues. He doesn’t drink around me since he got the interlock so he’s got some amount of self awareness. But it seems to me he’s treating alcohol as a treatment for his problems instead of the cause.
I think it’s more accurate to say that he’s aware of what is the “reward” for NOT drinking in that context . . . rather than that he’s aware of the problem itself. But I totally agree with your last sentence.
Had a close friend die a few months back after a life time of knocking back 5-10 beers every day. Quite a bit older than me but definitely shook me as he seemed fine a few weeks before.
Decided to have a break for the last 7 weeks. Very pleased with how it’s going. It’s been easier to lose weight and my study is going much better. Eventually I aim to start having red wine once or twice a week if we’re having roast lamb or steak.
In the meantime, while in Vermont I found an NA beer that I really like and reminds me a lot of Vermont IPAs (my favorite style beer). I just had my last one that I brought back and thought “I wonder if they deliver?”.
Great news, they do - although it costs twice as much to buy if you include delivery. These beers are so good that not once have I thought “I wish this was a real beer”.
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These stories really started to bother me, along with a lot of the statistics we saw during COVID. I knew I was having more than the doctor was happy with, but far from amounts that put people at real risk, or so I told myself at least. It was an evening and weekend thing, but way too easy to put them back any time you start with one at dinner, then another, and maybe a few more while watching whatever game happens to show up on TV that night. Where does that end up on the risk spectrum? Certainly not 0. And the more stories you hear, the more you realize that a lot of people go from normal one week to the ICU the next - no warning signs from the annual checkup.
Anyway, I realized that I hit 1000 days AF last week. Not that I have been counting days - it was a dry January after a few months of moderation that quickly revealed a much improved lifestyle. The mental freedom from all of it has been a real reward. I rarely think about it at all anymore.
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There are some great NA beers out there now - here is a favorite of mine - all their stuff has been great.
My sister’s ex husband is an alcoholic. He’s about my age. I saw him at a wedding last month and he’s a shell. frail, using a cane, fell over. I imagine I’ll.be at a funeral for him in the next 5-10. in fairness, this is full on alcoholism,.not just being needing to slow down a bit. It was shocking to see him.
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I don’t need to go on and on about my in-laws in this thread, but our 70-y/o FIL is clearly losing his mind… he’s been a moderately heavy drinker his whole life and still is. But he’s getting less and less connected to reality the past few years.
Very possibly something that would have occurred without drinking, but almost surely not as soon or badly.
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