<p>what’s wrong is this: u are too weak to face reality.</p>
<p>as for me, i am so determined to show my incredible strength and awesomeness that i can’t even imagine doing such a horrid act of drinking. </p>
<p>i would NEVER drink beer or whistky, they are for un-artistic fool. but i would occasionally drink wine (if it is high quality) to amuse other LORDS and intellectual giants</p>
<p>“Ussually” implies 50%+. Please substantiate your claim"</p>
<p>If the purpose of consumption (food, booze, dope,etc.) is to escape, there’s a problem that none of the above can solve. Each is a form of self medication.</p>
<p>It’s the word escape that bothers me, not the alcohol consumption, but the reasoning of using it to get somewhere.</p>
<p>Smurf - one sign does not make a diagnosis. If you’d like, I could run the OP through the Audit-C and the CAGE questionnaires and give you a more definitive answer through validated means of alcoholism screening. But of course, you don’t seem to believe that I’m in medical school judging by your snide alterations of my screen name. </p>
<p>Alcoholism is a severe disease, one with very defined criteria and is not a term to be thrown around lightly. People here, especially those with no formal education on identifying alcoholism, shouldn’t be so quick to judge.</p>
<p>If you don’t like these alcohol threads, don’t read them.</p>
<p>i can agree with you man ,mayby its not the best way to reduce your frustration (try hand ;))) but … , its ok if wont go crazy or sth , regards form Poland</p>
<p>sorry for mistakes but ive already done 3xbeers and 1 bootle of vodka so … peace heh</p>
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<p><em>Bigredmed</em>, I know that one sign does not equal a diagnosis. But don’t tell me that there’s nothing wrong if a person drinks in order to escape reality. </p>
<p>When did I deny that alcoholism was a serious disease? I’ve done extensive research on this by the way, so stop making assumptions about me. You have no idea what I know about it or what I’ve been through. Also, I never claimed I was an expert on this, however, again, if someone is trying to justify the fact that there’s nothing wrong with drinking to escape problems to a bunch of college students, that raises a red flag, don’t you think?</p>
<p>Also, I didn’t look back at my post, however, if I altered your screename, it was not intended. (Lack of sleep from studying for finals). You’ve given me good advice about going to med school, so I have no reason to make snide alterations of your screenname. I guess you never paid attention to my screenname when I asked you questions (I do hang around on SDN though). I have nothing to gain from intentionally altering your screenname and since you now know this, I would like an apology for that remark.</p>
<p>Instead of flaunting the fact that you’re in medical school (you have a right to flaunt it but not to the point of acting holier than thou because you possess an M.D.) and attacking those who look up to you, why don’t you tell people such as the OP to consult a physician or a professional about something like this instead of seeking advice from 18-21 year olds? </p>
<p>For the alcohol threads: I don’t need to read them, I just see the thread line and ignore them. But this is the first thread I actually responded to about college students trying to justify drinking as an escape from reality.</p>
<p>Because you CAN’T say that you won’t hurt anyone unless you are literally locked behind an unbreakable door without the key. And when you hurt yourself, these fine people responding to you (or their parents) will be footing at least part of the bill, even if you have the best insurance company in the world.</p>
<p>to OP:</p>
<p>Nothing, works for me all the time :D</p>
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</p>
<p>im not asking for sympathy. im just asking whats wrong with drinking as an escape. im looking for all the good points and all the bad points for a deeper understanding.</p>
<p>now give me a hug.</p>
<p>I forgot to add this but the reason why I’m annoyed with these threads is that I’m sick of people feeling sorry for themselves when people are actually <em>suffering</em> in the world. </p>
<p>When you look at all the things going on in the world: Darfur, our military getting blown up by IEDs, AIDS in Africa, you have absolutely no right to say that you are “suffering” because your girlfriend broke up with you. That problem is miniscule and is not a long term problem.</p>
<p>Also, I realized that I posted after you proton. This wasn’t directed towards you, but rather an explanation as to why these threads drive me up a wall.</p>
<p>Also just google Timothy Treadwell and you’ll know the reason why drinking shouldn’t be an escape for your problems. He was a “recovered” alcoholic because he saw grizzly bears and decided to live with them for 13 summers. If he wouldn’t have started drinking to escape his problems (in this case losing the role of the bartender on Cheers to Woody Harrelson), he wouldn’t have been consumed by bears. If he would’ve sought help (possibly psychiatric, but there is no proof that he was mentally ill), he’d still be alive.</p>
<p>I have an alcoholic uncle, and I can see the toll that alcohol has taken on his mental health. Drinking damages your brain little by little. so if you do not want to become dull and stupid, by all means, stop/moderate your drinking habits.</p>
<p>because “escape” is wimpy in the first place.</p>
<p>Alcoholism is a serious disease.
That said, I get wasted all the time. Sometimes to escape my problems. Physically, I’m alright. Mentally, I could be better and would certainly have an easier time dealing with my depression if I didn’t ingest a depressant. </p>
<p>To Bigredmed-you’re missing the point. The spiritual and emotional consequences of drinking to escape one’s problems can act as a catalyst to slip into full-blown physical dependence to alcohol. Alcoholism isn’t like catching a cold. Doctors in the western world can be pretty stupid despite being so smart; they’re too clinical sometimes to see the bigger picture.</p>
<p>If you drink to escape your problems, you are too weak and irresponsible to deal with them. People like that end up drinking so much that they end up working at mcdonalds for the rest of their lives or sit on our necks sucking welfare money. Life is full of problems. Learn to solve, not escape, them.</p>
<p>I’m amazed people are trying to justify drinking as an escape. </p>
<p>“For you to really damage your liver, it’s usually like 30-35 years of hard, continuous heavy drinking, we’re talking at least a 6 pack or more 5 nights a week. Trust me, I’m in medical school. And yes, of course there are people who do that (usually it’s a lot more than a 6 pack though), but 4 years of hard partying in undergrad does not end up causing any real long term effects.”</p>
<p>bigredpremed, just because you’re in med. school doesn’t mean that you’re right about all health-related matters. My dad’s a doctor, and through him, I’ve met many other qualified doctors who are useless at what they do. So don’t expect me to be impressed by the fact that you’re in med. school. Do you think those people who drink heavily for 4 years stop just like that when they finish their course? And how productive were they during that time? They probably barely scraped by in their classes, if at all. </p>
<p>To me, that’s just a waste of time and money. I don’t think that anyone should drink to ‘escape’, no matter how bad their problems are. It doesn’t solve their difficulties - it just makes everything worse.</p>
<p>i think these guys are in serious need of a beer… or two</p>
<p>Guyomar-</p>
<p>It’s bigredmed. I accidentally slaughtered his screenname. That’s what happens the day after drinking about 4 or 5 cups of Starbucks venti’s. (It’s finals week here).</p>
<p>And I don’t need to drink beer. I don’t need the extra calories and I prefer men without a beer belly. (Drinking in moderation is key.)</p>
<p>Ah…my mistake 
I don’t drink alcohol at all smurfgirl.</p>
<p>“I prefer men without a beer belly. (Drinking in moderation is key.) ,”</p>
<p>I drink a lot of beer and dont have one 
,but in my case escape is a wrong word , i think that chill will do the trick .</p>
<p>To all the nay sayers:</p>
<p>I come from two alcoholic parents and drink on occasion and I’m not addicted. I really really like wine and dark beer and don’t have a problem with it.</p>
<p>Alcohol isn’t the “evil” monster people make it out to be. You just have to respect it when drinking large quantities.</p>