I think the best answer might be “if it’s interfering with your life in ways that bother you, you have a problem.”
I am what my doctor would term a “heavy drinker” since I probably average 20 units (10g by weight) per week.
That’s two cocktails, or half a bottle of wine, or three beers, every night.
I would say maybe once every two months I will have an additional drink, so I am very consistent at that level. The last time I recall being drunk is probably 18 years ago. I’ve never enjoyed having an excess of alcohol in my system.
Some doctors respond to this level of drinking with shock and horror. Others act as if it’s slightly too much and suggest maybe two nights a week without drinking would solve the problem. Others seem to think that problem drinking is when you get most of your calories from alcohol. I literally had a doctor tell me that this is the definition of alcoholism, and that it always goes hand-in-hand with malnutrition.
The only thing I am certain about from what I have read is that the healthiest quantity of alcohol you can drink is zero. That’s right. The studies that say one glass a wine a day improves your health and longevity - well, they all seem to be flawed in one way or another.
Here’s the thing - I really don’t like feeling very tipsy - that’s why it’s so rare I have more than two cocktails. What I do like is the taste. Of beer, wine, cocktails, straight whisky. I only drink when I eat, and I find it hard to eat dinner without a drink because I like the bitter or sweet taste of the alcohol with the food.
If I need to stop for some reason, eg because of oral surgery, etc, I don’t find it difficult.
But I still wonder whether I am slowly pickling my liver and just need to cut back.
Can anyone relate?