Teetotal?

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12 May 2018, 11:15 am

I've been teetotal since September last year, after over a decade of occasional drinking. I decided to do it because I don't like the effect of being drunk. I got out of control and said things that were too personal, in inappropriate situations. So I decided to give up alcohol altogether and I only drink alcohol-free beers now.

I've been trying to find evidence of health benefits of teetotalism, having searched PubMed and other sources, but all I can find is the benefits of it compared to alcoholism. I never was an alcoholic because I only drank an average of about 3 units a week.

Can anyone help me out: are there any benefits of teetotalism compared to moderate drinking?

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drlaugh
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12 May 2018, 11:21 am

The answer probably depends on what is your definition of moderate and 3 units.

3 shots.
3 beers
3 liters
3/4 of a gallon

N.I. D. A. might have some data or the national Council on Alcoholism.

You also might consider calories if that is a concern.

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Dataunit
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12 May 2018, 11:27 am

drlaugh wrote:

These define a unit of alcohol:
https://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/alcohol/Pag ... units.aspx

https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/alcohol-fa ... ohol-unit/

Moderate is defined as drinking no more than 14 units weekly.

Would the National Council of Alcoholism be able to give me benefits of teetotalism generally instead of compared to alcoholism? I'm after research into the health of (lifelong) teetotallers vs. moderate drinkers.

Are the calories due to the alcohol itself, or the other stuff in the drink?

drlaugh
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12 May 2018, 11:40 am

Thanks.
Calories depends on what type of alcohol and what else is in the drink.

I’m in the states.

Your unit sounds like
1 shot
1 beer
Or 1 glass of wine
alcohol the same difference is added liquid

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Dataunit
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12 May 2018, 11:48 am

Apologies for that! I hadn't realised the term "alcohol unit" was a UK thing; I ignorantly assumed it was used worldwide.

drlaugh
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12 May 2018, 12:29 pm

It might be but sometimes the simplist word escapes me. People think I’m kidding because usually I have a large vocabulary.

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Kurgan
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12 May 2018, 1:29 pm

I am 100% abstinent when it comes to alcohol. Main reason is because it's extremely high in calories, and because I think the Norwegian binge drinking culture is stupid.

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Biscuitman
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13 May 2018, 10:10 am

Dataunit wrote:

Mental health benefits.

Booze can stop you sleeping well, makes you feel sluggish and is a depressant. I used to binge drink a lot, I think I was trying to deal with anxiety and it was a bit of escapism, I decided 4 years ago to go some time without a drink and it ended up being a year, I enjoyed not drinking so much that I probably drink 3-4 times a year now.

Manofthehour352
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23 Jun 2018, 3:35 am

I think it‘s the CDC that defines excessive drinking as more than 14 drinks a week and more than 4 in a day. So if you drink 3 every day in a week, it‘s excessive. And if you drink 5 in a day, it‘s excessive.

Alcoholism doesn‘t really deal with how much you drink. Alcoholism is just addiction.
A person can drink one cup of coffee every morning and then if they stop and develop headaches and maybe fatigue, they were addicted.
You could theoretically have a beer a day which isn‘t excessive and still be addicted.

NorwichGeorge
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23 Jun 2018, 12:28 pm

I've been considering it recently. I've cut down a lot after I found that I was grabbing a beer when I was feeling down and it was making the feelings worse. Now I'm not drinking if I feel down. After the World Cup has finished I'm going to try to not drink until I go on holiday in October. When I go on holiday I can decide if it's something I want to keep up or if it made no difference to me.

emilyjh75
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02 Aug 2018, 7:37 pm

I don't drink and never have. It seems like a waste of money to me. Also, I don't like being intoxicated, because I like being in my own mind. I can't speak to the health benefits of it, but I can tell you water is a hell of a lot cheaper.

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