SubliminalHorn, I wish you all of the luck in the world man. It sounds like a tough situation. You don't want to be his mother, but you don't want to find himself in 10 years with accute liver failure and not realize what hit him. Hell, maybe you should go get a physical and tell him the doctor said you needed to cut back... and if you need to cut back then he definately needs to get someone to look at his liver. Good luck.
Hmm, I just thought of the movie "Leaving Las Vegas". There is only so much that you can do. And sometimes, it's nothing.
"Alcoholics are alcoholics before they take their first drink" Some yes. Just like people are allergic to shellfish. Their bodies process alcohol different than "normal" drinkers. For them it produces a kick. Being tipsy is a go sign. They drink mainly for the effect produced by alcohol. Others.... "If you put a cucumber in a bottle of Alcohol, the cucumber gets pickled like a drunk. That drunk can never go back to being a cucumber, because the drunk got pickled."
My guess is that people who drink like your buddy are doing it for a reason not just because they are bored. They may not be fully aware of why they are doing it.
Have I ever had a drink in the Morning? Damn near every year when I go fishing at the coast I end up popping a top about 7:30 or so. To get through a day fo work? never. On vacation do we drink a LOT more than at home? Usually, especially if the coast is involved. Skiing? Never until evening. I have a high tolerance (which is an indicator of potential alcoholic tendencies) but blacking out is something that never happens to me because..... I know when to say when... even if "when" is after I am ****-faced. I know people who "only drink beer" because of their inability to gauge (control) their intake with a higher alcohol content drink. Put some whiskey around these sorts and they end up passing out in most cases. Are they alcoholics? I don't know. I think if you are having blackouts then as was said before you are a ticking time bomb. For me having a drink is more of a wind down habit. I wish pot were legal then I woudl probably have smoke instead, or in all honestly probably a drink and a smoke. I enjoy being "altered" and that's the crux of it. For me the secret is to know why you are drinking and for me it's to catch a buzz, and enjoy social situations in bars and restuarants. I think for me the idea of having folks see me in a situation where I honestly can't control myself would be embarrassing to the point of making me quit. Probably the best advice is if you are questioning if you have a problem then to some degree you probably do.
