How “Normal” Is Your Drinking?

[See the Light]

Some depressing stats here for me...I've spent way too much time here in the past in this top decile, but that doesn't really make feel like a champion....I'd rather take my drive and passion to compete and win and apply it something more beneficial and worthwhile...I bet you do too..:victorious:


How “Normal” Is Your Drinking?


STORY:

http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/medical_examiner/2014/10/how_much_alcohol_do_americans_drink_consumption_predicts_alcoholism_and.html

CHART:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/09/25/think-you-drink-a-lot-this-chart-will-tell-you/

[frances]

This is interesting. I was somewhere between the top 2 deciles. I am always surprised by how many people do not drink. It always seemed to me that so many people drink, and a lot. The vast majority of me and my husband's friends (sure, that's probably what drew us to each other to begin with). But since I stopped I have noticed more how many people don't drink at all or just a little.

The ones that always amaze me the most are those that can have just one or two and then nothing for days/weeks. For me it's way too much or nothing at all. Period.

[NoSugar]

That graph seems to reflect what is pretty well established: alcohol is addictive to a subset of the population and those people drink WAY TOO MUCH. Some people for whatever reason may have never consumed it but for most people, the effect of alcohol isn't as seemingly "positive" and they aren't driven to overdrink. It is pretty amazing that those in the eighth decile only drink ~ 1/day. I bet most people in the 9th decile (> 2/day) don't even think they have a problem -- I sure didn't when I was there. How crazy that that kind of sounds like "normal drinking" when 80% of the adult population drinks less! It would be interesting to see a breakdown of the top 2 deciles into more discrete units - there is a pretty big difference between 2/day (9th decile) and 10/day (10th)! Thanks for posting this, NS

[Pinecone]

Good point, NS. I would like to see how people move from decile to decile over the course of their lives. I.e. how many people make it out. Those are some very thought provoking statistics. It is a pretty common experience for us to notice how few people at a party seem to truly care about drinking the way we did. If you hang out here for a while you'll read it a hundred times; how we are dumbfounded that someone will have a sip and then not touch their drink for a half hour. I was never like that!

[KENSHO]

I'm breakin' out of the nest!! What a helpful chart NS. I told myself I wasn't drinking that much, but holy cow - I was above 9! Much needed perspective here. I always thought there weren't many people who didn't drink, but I think it's more that I just don't hang out with them. Food for thought.

[MossRose]

Thanks for posting this. My score was no surprise to me. I agree with NS - there is a small percentage of us that consume the most alcohol. I just read a study on that recently, but can't find it again.

Kensho - I get what you are saying. I know lots of people who are "normal" drinkers or non-drinkers, but until this past 1-1/2 years, I didn't spend a whole lot of time with them. Well, at least not after 5:00 pm!! Wow - I sure missed a lot, because now some of these people have become very close friends. I still observe them closely though. I'm still amazed at how easily they can have just one or pass on the AL altogether. My brain just doesn't fire that way. I'm definitely in the subset that NS mentioned.

[Roadside]

I am between 8th and 9th docile, probably in 9th docile if I had to really keep tabs on it. AL lies; it doesn't keep accurate count, it says 'you need more', it promises things and delivers another...

I wonder where the 'one to two drinks a day is healthy' came from anyway. I think pickles (i.e. Vinegar) would do just as well cleaning out your arteries.