Alcohol

[thebaboun]

Hi,

I have a general question.

I am an university student and I am getting more & more into parties....I am now 23.

I was wondering if it is BAD for my health (by saying that, I mean getting a disease eventually because of it) if I get drunk one night every two weeks.

To get drunk means for me to drink 4 bottles of beer (591ml)...maybe five...it does not take a lot for me to be drunk.

I guess that the obvious answer is NO, but I just want some confirmation on that. I guess I am lucky that it takes so few bottles!

[D.A.L.U.I.]

Are you pulling our leg?   Is this a joke? Have you had a lot to drink today?

[thebaboun]

No, I am not...

I guess I wanted to know at what point it gets bad for your health also...in general of course.

[The Noggin]

Check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-term_effects_of_alcohol for some information.

Basically, it should not be your goal to get drunk ...

[wpruitt]

Basically, it should not be your goal to get drunk ...

Well said.  If you are questioning your drinking habits, perhaps it is good you are doing some research.

[thebaboun]

No, I don't have a drinking problem.....I am just cirous...Because I am getting more and more into parties and I am wondering if getting drunk with 4 bottles of beer every two week (average) is really bad for my health and could lead to future lethal diseases....

[buddha]

really bad for my health and could lead to future lethal diseases....

First off, I have to go along with SlyOne on this. Anywhere you go for whatever type of gathering it should NOT be your goal to get drunk. If I were a substance abuse counselor that statement alone would be the start of a field day for me. You would be sitting in a puddle of your own sweat after a 50 minute session. I say this as someone who drank to get drunk almost every day for nearly 20 years.

As far as lethal diseases go, however, we all have one. It's called being human. On a long enough time line the survival rate for everyone drops to zero. In other words, no matter what you do to take care of yourself, no matter how great your diet is, no matter how good shape you're in.....someday you're gonna die. The fear of (potential) death while doing something you enjoy should not be a reason to not do it. If, however, you're engaged in behaviors/activities which by their very nature virtually guarantee death or disease maybe you need to talk to someone about your choices.

[Rob]

I personally don't understand why you would want to get drunk twice a month, but it's your life and as an adult you have to decide what YOU want to do and what YOU think is safe.  No one else is responsible for your own actions but YOU.

[Ming the Merciless]

Well, alcohol can be really seductive, and if dope were legal, I'd have another habit.  Everyone will say, "Be careful," but I sometimes recall a cartoon in an old issue of the New Yorker of two guys sitting in a bar, cigarettes in hand, one saying, "The trouble with looking after your health is that all the extra years come at the end when you're old."  Hmm.

Be careful.

[GASlick]

Everything in moderation.

I enjoy a good party as much if not more than anyone I know.  I went to college too, you know.  Even Tylenol will kill you if you take enough of it long enough.  I agree though, you probably shouldn't drink for the goal of getting drunk.

[slyck85]

Well, alcohol can be really seductive, and if dope were legal, I'd have another habit.  Everyone will say, "Be careful," but I sometimes recall a cartoon in an old issue of the New Yorker of two guys sitting in a bar, cigarettes in hand, one saying, "The trouble with looking after your health is that all the extra years come at the end when you're old."  Hmm.

Be careful.

Well said Ming, you read my mind........alcohol is a poison, just not as bad as something like ethylene glycol or methanol and the damage it causes is cumulative meaning those brain and liver cells you kill are not going to regenerate.

[warhawk]

Everything in moderation.

I enjoy a good party as much if not more than anyone I know.  I went to college too, you know.  Even Tylenol will kill you if you take enough of it long enough.  I agree though, you probably shouldn't drink for the goal of getting drunk.

totally agree with ya on that one...  m o d e r a t i o n.

WARHAWK