How much do you drink?

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Prolly more than I should...I think much alcohol was consumed during the lockdown, particularly for parents of little kids. There was even an SNL skit-- "Let kids drink".

I think the mich ultras/Bon & Viv/Truly's are dangerous as they're like drinking water...you can drink 5 or 6 easily...and the "spiked fizzy waters" are usually ~5% ABV too.

I think it's hard to tell genuine thresholds as there's a huge difference between persons, and one never really knows how much patient's actually consume. What's the rule of thumb clinicians have RE this question when answered by patients: whatever they say, double it?

I'm hoping I'm genetically protected...grandpa was of Irish descent and never missed an evening "yard arm" hour--3 fingers of Tanqueray, a lemon wedge, and a splash of tonic to keep up appearances (and he practiced medicine in the era of literally everyone smoking, indoors, while they drank); he died at 95, healthy aside from HTN and knee replacements.
 
Last edited:
Dave CX said:
During lockdown I got into the bad habit of drinking 5 or 6 Mich Ultras in the evenings. Is this enough to cause cirrhosis over time?
Click to expand...

Yes, unfortunately.
journals.lww.com

ACG Clinical Guideline: Alcoholic Liver Disease : Official journal of the American College of Gastroenterology | ACG

of ALD requires documentation of chronic heavy alcohol use and exclusion of other causes of liver disease. Prolonged abstinence is the most effective strategy to prevent disease progression. AH presents with rapid onset or worsening of jaundice, and in severe cases may transition to acute on...
journals.lww.com journals.lww.com
 
It's a risk factor, but only 10-20% of chronic heavy use develop ALD or cirrhosis, and the time frame for which one is "heavily consuming" does not directly correlate to predictable results.

  • NIAAA defines heavy alcohol use as more than 4 drinks on any day for men or more than 3 drinks for women.
  • SAMHSA defines heavy alcohol use as binge drinking on 5 or more days in the past month (binge=4f/5m drinks in 2 hr period).
 
Drinking is good for you. Thins the blood and will help prevent clots if you get covid.

One bottle of Early Times per week is getting me by. 9 dollars at your local CVS. Good cheap whiskey.
 
Life is too short to drink bad whiskey.

Eagle rare bourbon at around 30 a bottle is pretty good. Stagg Jr or elijah craig barrel proof if you can find them are great. Don't get me started on scotch. Springbank 12/15/21, laphroig carideas/10 cask strength, Bruchladdich anything...I can go on
 
I actually like Suntori Whiskey which is only around $20 - $25 for a bottle (last I got it). I wouldn't say that's overly expensive.
 
Eagle rare is good. I have been liking Blade and Bow lately. Hoping to get some Blantons from my BIL in a couple of weeks (I can't find it around where I live).
 
I love how every whiskey bottle has some history lesson on it with a picture of the founder in the 1800s dressed well sporting bizarre facial hair. I probably enjoy shopping for it more than drinking it.
 
Yukon Jack is a canadian honey whisky with an image of a rugged bearded fur trapper on the label. The label reads " Yukon Jack is a taste born of hoary nights, when lonely men struggled to keep their fires lit and cabins warm." The taste is truly offensive and it adheres to mucous membranes like a viscous cough syrup.
 
Pre-COVID maybe 1-2 drink every 2 weeks or so, always socially. Key drink: Elmer T Lee
COVID era: roughly 3L per week of Russian Standard Vodka, really really solid for its price. Definitely feel cirrhosis coming on now. Stopped drinking good bourbons and whiskeys altogether during COVID.


59db8577f31b0.jpg
 
Important education time:
gbwillner's Old Fashioned

2- oz Basil Hayden's Dark Rye
0.5-1 teaspoon of sugar
Orange wedge (1/16th) squeezed (twist), another for garnish
big ice cube if you got it, otherwise cubed ice
5-6 splashes of Fee Brothers Orange Bitters

Lightly stir.
 
Drinking around beer a day -- usually a pilsner -- to keep the Covid blues away. It varies, but right now I'm going through various Belgian ones. Life is too short to drink American beer.

Also sold some Chainlink to buy a few cases of vintage port. The only alcohol that can be considered an investment, since it only gets better with age. Thankfully the hipsters haven't figured this out yet, so there's still some great vintages that can be picked up for reasonable prices.

For holidays and special occasions, it's Slivovitz or bust.

EDIT: No matter the alcohol, 5 per day is excessive. But there is some data to suggest a negative correlation between moderate (1-2 drinks per day) alcohol intake and fatty liver disease. So, as with everything, moderation is key.
 
Last edited:
Dave CX said:
During lockdown I got into the bad habit of drinking 5 or 6 Mich Ultras in the evenings. Is this enough to cause cirrhosis over time?
Click to expand...

It definitely ups your chances and also adds a lot of empty calories. No one in the US likes to admit it, but this does meet the definition of "binge drinking":

Excessive Alcohol Use

Epilepsy, One of the Nation’s Most Common Neurological Conditions
www.cdc.gov www.cdc.gov
.

Take care of yourself, you only have one body. There are far too many physicians that have been lost to alcohol.
 
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