Becoming an alcoholic

[Bayou-Ruler]

As being fairly new to this and talking to the wife about it ( I use her as a taste tester then she picks the best of the stuff for her friends and herself) I have been thinking how easy would it be for someone to become an alcoholic? You have so much spirits on hand, different types you've made and you need to taste test the stuff?

My Brother in law is an alcoholic but is a 1000 km away, if he was close by he would drink 18 hours a day if he could get into my shed.

What are your thoughts? Do you think you could slip over the abis?

I have about 18 ltrs of spirits ready to drink some really nice stuff but I keep running the still, have been thinking of getting bigger drums to ferment in.

When does it get out of hand?

I distill a lot of neutral, but I don't drink at all.

[kiwistiller]

If the desire to see how much better your spirit is in another 6 months is stronger than your desire for a whisky, it's very hard to ever drink anything!

[blind drunk]

What kiwi said plus I think that the abyss in you to start. bd.

[Dnderhead]

I thank if you are going to be a alcoholic ,your going to be one with or with out this site,
more then likely without.

[MuleKicker]

An alcoholic will not have the ambition to create something good to drink. An alcoholic will drink anything regardless of taste. I like to drink. But I could never be an alcoholic. I have a couple, and that is enough for me.

[bgrizzle]

I have a pantry full of food, and 2 refrigerator/freezers stock full of food... I am not fat, and I am not a glutten. If I'm hungry I'll grab a bite but I dont eat til my jeans pop. This hobby has nothing to do with alcoholism, it does however lead to obsessive behavior. I obsessively want to find the next bigger, better still to build! The juice is simply a fruit of the labor for me... I love chatting with folks, learning how to solder, mix recipes... Its been more fun to me when I mess up and have to figure out how to fix it!

[Samohon]

I have a friend who is an alcoholic, he does'nt know I make my own...
My wife does'nt allow him to come to the house, understandable...

Iam aware of how much of my shine I drink... My work, like most jobs, call for a clear head, so week days are out...
It's one thing having a glass of whisky, it's quite another wanting to finish the bottle...

I age the bulk of my stuff, but I do experiment with recipes on a much lower scale... After all, how much shine do you really want in the house...
Birthdays, Xmas, special occations, thats where the bulk of mine goes...

Nobody knows about the two dated barrels in the attic....

I'm with MK and grizzle, a couple is enough for me also and I do like refining my shine...

After all, thats what this hobby is about, making top notch shine... An we do it soooo well guy's...

[dag_nabberit]

If someone has no control over their own behavior, then blaming someone else is just an easy way to justify their own short comings. If someone is an alcoholic, there is plenty of cheap booze available off the shelf depending on what part of the world that person is in. I am fairly new to the board here so I can only speak for myself, but having been a long time lurker while developing my hobby I think that most members look at what we do as being an art. Its about building something functional and producing a product that we can be proud of that cannot be found on the shelf in some store.

Whew. I just reread what I wrote and it may sound a little harsh but I'm going to let it stand. What I do is an ART.

[still crazy]

Every little thing in moderation.
Those that have broken this rule should not be tempted by the fruits of our labors.

[blind drunk]

What I am trying to get at I suppose is when do you think it becomes a problem? Do you think you could become to comfortable?

Is this happening to you? bd.

[kiwistiller]

It's a problem if you need it. Could I become to comfortable? No. I love the craft too much, and I don't really appreciate things after the first couple of drinks. I hate the thought of all that work being unappreciated. That's one of the reasons I don't gift bottles very often - If I'm around the drinks are on me, but I won't enable someone else to binge drink; like the drive-through at macca's enabling obesity. That's not why I craft spirits.

[kiwistiller]

Got me thinking there would be people here who drink a lot every day.

There probably are. But I'd guess they'd be doing it anyway. An addict will always find a fix.

[Samohon]

Got me thinking there would be people here who drink a lot every day.

There probably are. But I'd guess they'd be doing it anyway. An addict will always find a fix.

+1 Kiwi...
I dont think that there are many alcoholics on HD stillin their own... As MK said, they just would not go to all that trouble...
Fermenting, distillin, polishin, just does'nt come into the, 'quick fix', category... All our motabolisms are different, our educations pertaining to alcoholism are quite different also.

I make shine for the love of the hobby... To list everything in order of priority...

1. Designing and Building (This is my favourite part of the hobby)
2. Design and Building Theory on HD (without HD, like most, I would not be at the level of competency I'am today)
3. Cutting with a New Still (running a new still for the first time is exciting, all the theory and cash building it pays off, most of the time.)
4. Altering a Recipe (bending a recipe a little to acheive something new)
5. Cutting the distillate (whisky calls for a very good stiller to get this just right, I'm allways experimenting)
6. Critique from Shinners (having other shinners taste my wares and giving a genuine critique enables a better product IMO)
7. Enjoying the Fruits (Sitting in the evening with a glass of your own, but remembering to place the cork on the bottle)

Man if I were an alcoholic I would only be interested on the last item on the list.
Most alcoholics don't think that they have a problem and only when something blows up in their face, do they realise that they do have one...
Moderation, thats the key... If you cannot be moderate, you should'nt drink....

Stillin your own shine does not make, nor does it incite the person to become an alcoholic...
Guess its just another items on our governments Cons list against this great pastime being legalised...

Maybe I'll poll this list to get a look at the numbers...

Have fun guy's...

[goose eye]

mostly at first alcohol aint the problem but a symtom of a problem.

so im tole

[Austin Nichols]

Well everyone here says do your research so I am, honestly it's all in the name of science

Mr MacHolic.

[NCshineR]

Look heres the thing, as far as becoming an alcoholic or a drunk or whatever, If someone is an alcoholic number one they would not take the time to hand craft theyre likker, theyd go to the nearest ABC store or likker store or whatever and buy the cheapest rotgut shit on the lowest shelf they could find, its a whole lot easier. Number two theyd be too drunk all the time to operate the equipment properly to do this hobby of ours and eventually natural selection would take place. Can you become an alcoholic? yes! If someone dont have enough self control to say no to drinking everything they make, then this is probably not the right hobby for someone like that and not only that but the whole home stillin thing would kinda go to the way side and they would just start getting some cheap vodka or rotgut whiskey from the likker store. I have a friend of mine who is a MAJOR alcoholic, he wont get help in fact he enjoys it and wont listen no matter what, hes a great guy but has a drinking problem bigtime and its tearing his family apart kind of a nasty drunk when drinking likker, but, ya know it is what it is. This particular guy loved to come around and drink my likker when i was making it regularly, then i realized what what was going on and he was getting shitfaced and going home and starting trouble, i remember one time in particular i had some apple flavored likker and it was cut back to about 30% and we were drinking a few beers i was feeling good so brought out the jar and passed it around a few times well needless to say after all the beer he drank that day and the jar was about empty we decided to call it a night, well his wife got pretty pissed cause he was always coming home and starting trouble well that made me nervous cause i could see some shit comming eventually like the law getting called (its happened once before) and someone sayin yeah well he's been drinking all that MOONSHINE down the road over there... oh lord and then this ol boy is in a heap of shit.. another reason i decided to not make anymore likker.... for now... anyway, kinda getting off topic but just my .02.. something to think about..

[goinbroke2]

I'm on a number of boards, some about shine, some on fords, some on dragracing, some on...you get the idea.

As soon as I read the first line this clown wrote I knew I spotted a troll.


Gee, I'm one of you guys but...don't you think somebody could get killed dragracing? Isn't it dangerous?
I like fords too but, don't you think they're doing really bad even though they didn't go bankrupt and the other two did?
I like to make shine like you guys but couldn't you become an alcoholic?

Get a grip troll, If your an alchy then you won't take time to make your own, it's too much work. I've had several family members who were/are alcoholics and my uncle had my aunt make every type of wine known, another had his boys making it, he just drank it. Had a couple other relatives who just bought whatever was cheap.

Trolls like to come in and ask an innocent appearing question, then bait whoever bites. Argue until someone agrees somewhat with them then sits back and laughs as the board fights about nothing. Six threads, four pages each before people realise he's ashit disturber then bans him. He either logs in with a new name and starts again on moves on to a new site.
Oh look, a site for bicycle fans...gee guys, I bike too, but don't you think bikes are dangerous with all those guys tearing by at 70mph? I know a guy who was killed.....


Go away!

[LWTCS]

Easy GB. Don't think he meant any harm.

[ScottishBoy]

Im thinking maybe not so much troll as just wondering.

Its a GOOD thing that people ask this question. Im one of those people who will walk right into a room and go "Holy Shit...Look at that Elephant!"
Its not because Im trying to stir things up but rather that I value truth above all else. He is wondering if having that much liquor around could lower the usual social barriers that surround drinking. Probably not, but it is a legitimate question. You have to have the tendancy/conditioning to turn in that direction. I imagine that having and making shine is pretty much the same thing as crafting your own ammo: when you decide to do yourself in an take that leap...you will have some very well crafted tools at your disposal.

In the end, the shine is the bullet, not the gun.

[Barney Fife]

Having a lot of alcohol handy will not make a normal person into an alcoholic. An alcoholic is born, not made.

My Dad was alcoholic; he'd drink first thing in the morning, head to work, and return in the same shape he left, which was a quite "normal" state. He'd have a drink here and there the whole time he was home in the evening, yet never appeared drunk. Hell, even at weddings and such, he was never "drunk". But he hadn't been sober in 30 years by the time he died, either. He just kept himself at a certain level.

Me, I tried, honestly tried, to become alcoholic, while going through a nasty separation and divorce about 15 years back. I drank until I blacked out or passed out each night for a couple of years. Yet each morning, I'd get up and go back to work or resume my day to day routine, without a drink or a thought of a drink until late that next evening. I got good at hiding hangovers, but really, I've never had a problem with hangovers; I was one of those guys who at 16, could drink a 40 pounder and get up the next morning and feel just fine. Yet I never became addicted. I never became an alcoholic. At one point in the above ordeal, I got tired of it all, and just quite liking everything I liked, including my rum. I went over a year without a drink, not because I wanted to, but because I was bored with it. Then, when things started getting better, and I met my current wife, I again learned to like a drink once in a while again. She, being cautious, complained a bit about my "drinking", so I would go months without a drink at all at times. Her thought was that if i kept on drinking, I'd eventually become alcoholic. But she's now realized that if it hasn't become an issue by now, it never will <lol>. In other words, I can take it or leave it at will; there's never a mental of physical "need' for me to drink.

I still go stretches of weeks at a time without a drink, yet there are gallons and gallons of ooh ooh good rum and excellent whisky waiting for the tasting in my basement. As someone has already mentioned, most of us have access to plenty of food, yet not everyone is obese.

Son, an alcoholic is born, not made. If you had to ask, I suspect you're feeling a "need" for a drink, and I suggest you seek help now; it's best that you recognize that you're one of those that are at risk right now, and avoid "going down" the wrong path.

[Centar]

Some members here don't even drink period- Like myself (maybe 1 at XMAS when pushed at me)

I do all this for the love of designing , building, and knowing that I can make a superior product compared to what you can buy and for a fraction of the cost! I do it because I have had a fascination with brewing alcohol since I was a child and have always wanted the make my own "ethyl hydrate" for other experiments.

What I am going to do with all this "ethyl hydrate" I'm not sure, I give alot to family and close friends, always have something to offer company (you can hide the fact that it is home made by using regular booze bottles and MOST people cannot tell the difference) wonderful as gifts, etc

Maybe some day I'll take up drinking (at least I'll be all set!)

I have always wondered why "alcoholics" don't practice this hobby , they could save a fortune!!!!!!

[Austin Nichols]

Hey Spud,

Dont worry about the negative comment, it sounds like you hit a raw nerve

I thought the same as you when I seen my stock building, couldnt believe how much one can end up with in a short amount of time, I was always used to just having a bottle or two laying around before I found this hobby.

My thoughts on this are that if a stiller was an alco they probably wouldnt be too interested in it as a craft, but more so as a cheap way to make strong booze, and they would proberly not be bothered with tried n true but more likely to use the easy route of turbo's.

I reckon at times I've been an alco and proberly always will be going by what non drinkers class as one, one drink a day is enough to put you in this catagory apparently.

Weather or not I could be classed as one I dont care, I drink most nights in small to moderate amounts but dont enjoy getting shit faced and have learnt my limit over the years.

Once my long service leave is up and I go back to working in the mines I wont drink at all until I'm home for my breaks, the company I work for has a zero tolerance on alcahol, if you blow .001 in the morning your on the next flight home.... tough but fair I reckon.

Good topic mate, glad you posted it.

Cheers.

[goinbroke2]

I was pm'd directly by spud. Trolls do not do that, they hide and cause shit without facing their accusers.
I pm'd him back the following message;

Why? As I've said, I'm on many boards and a moderator on a few. I've seen posts worded exactly like yours many times. Perhaps you weren't trying to stir the pot, if that's the case I oppologise.
I do take offense to inferred problems though. Yes making shine is illegal, adding to that, a broad far reaching statements like alcoholism or going blind (which you never mentioned) etc, only leads to lines being drawn and two previous friends fighting.

I am very involved in dragracing, I am also a tech inspector for Stock/SuperStock drag cars. When I see a post about "dragracing" on a street or people getting killed "dragracing" down a crowded highway I get very upset due to the inflamitory nature of the post. (especially since dragracing is a legal on-track form of motorsports)

So, with your post, what were you hoping to find out?
Was there any alcoholic's here? (probably the same as national average)
Was any alcoholism attributed to owning a still? (no for reasons cited)
Just curious?

Again, if it was just curiosity, then I oppologise. It would appear others here didn't see it as I saw it, perhaps I was wrong.

As I said to him, others didn't see it as I saw it. (perhaps my troll spideysense is turned up too high)?
Regardless I oppologise to him for calling it as I saw it, wrongly.

(this don't mean we'll be swappin' spit in the shower though)

[Centar]

This has got to be one of the most interesting (non technical) threads I have seen here...
I have always had an interest in human psychology and this particular thread on this particular site is most intriguing.

1st a little info:
I grew up in a family of "flaming" alcoholics, not the bum kind, the business kind. My family owned (and still does) local night clubs. What better way to support your habit! (Owning a night club I used to think was the only way until I discovered this hobby.)
As such I have experienced the whole gamut of alcoholism (maybe that's why I don't drink myself, yet you'd think that would be why I would...)

And one thing I have noticed is that not 1 of my family has had any interest in home brewing of any kind which I always found perplexing. So it seems that no matter what the circumstance, that "alcoholics" don't have the mindset to be interested in such a hobby.

So here we have a hobby that produces an addictive substance run by people (hobbyists) and the very fact that they are "into" such a thing, curbs them from being "addicts" themselves.

I wonder if the cocaine producers aren't "coke heads", if the "grow op" operators aren't "pot heads", and are all the tobacco producers "nicotine addicts"?

A most interesting subject to say the least!
( hey I just noticed I have graduated from "novice" to "rumrunner"! )

[Ayay]

Careful with that 90%+ stuff. No matter what it's diluted in while drinkin you'll fail to accurately measure each shot and quickly lose count. Never keep anything over 66% for ageing and for drinkin with trusted friends. Max 45% when takin it to a party. Keeping 90%+ opens you to all kinds of liabilities to others eg kids or thieves chuggin a glassfull and not wakin up.

A good test to see if you have a problem is to not drink any alc for a week...or one day at a time if necessary. Making-up with a bender afterwards is a sure sign.

[Centar]

90%, if kept around, definably needs to be in a child proof container marked POISON and FLAMMABLE! (in my opinion)

It's crossed my mind that this hobby could almost be used as an educational "therapy" for alcoholics...

AYAY: You for sure have the ultimate "alcoholic" test figured out. Couldn't imagine it being said any better.

[rad14701]

I come from a family of alcoholics to borderline alcoholics... But my parents were only ever casual drinkers and my father is pretty much alcohol intolerant, in that he gets sick after just a few mixed drinks...

I spent many a year self-medicating what I discovered after many years was depression... I could go for long periods without drinking without any problem... I could also go out night after night and drink until closing and then work the next day without issue... I wasn't "addicted", I just liked being around people but due to anxiety had to get "loosened up" in order to tolerate being around people...

These days I miss both the drinking and the people because I no longer go out... Most of my drinking is done either when camping or at family events... Every so often I'll have a beer or a mixed drink here at home on a Saturday night while watching a movie... And on rare occasions I'll test my spirits for my own private happy hour...

I don't consider myself an alcoholic or a binge drinker (pick your definition of binge drinker)...

[madmonk]

Interesting thread; I'm new here,but I reckon I'll leave my thots on it. I don't know if it's always true that alcoholics are born, not made. I know several examples where one member of a family is a "problem drinker" and all his family and cousins for 2 or 3 generations never tasted any alcohol. Having said that, I think it is possible to haul yourself along to the brink of the abyss, and not end up going over. There was a time in my life where I did do a lot of heavy drinking, and yes, it was often 100-proof cheap vodka. I was self-medicating my depression without realizing what was happening. I had to suddenly stop and bring myself up short, and went for over a year with nothing stronger than coffee and med for depression. Since then I am able to enjoy life again, and savor the occasional drink without having to keep on til I am plastered. (lets me enjoy a better grade of whisky, too ). I can speak from experience to say that not only will this hobby not turn you into an alcoholic, but as others have said, is a hobby that could be good therapy. There are so many aspects to it, from the building to the infinite tweaking that can be done, that sliding down that slide to oblivion doesn't look attractive. For me, my problems with feeling shafted by life were what drove my drinking during that time; Since I started enjoying life again it has never been a problem. It sounds crazy, but making good quality stuff and putting it to bed is going to help keep me from just wigging out and guzzling my stash til it's gone Sure, I am anticipating some good likker, but anyone who's been to the edge knows to not go that far again. (Sorry for the long-windedness.)

[Manback]

I agree with the 'born, not made' comments - maybe not 100% of the time but I reckon it's a vast majority..

I'm a typical New Zealand 'binge drinker' (it's not the drinking, it's how we're drinking ), and I have an addictive personality to boot. If I'm drinking then I'm doing it to get drunk. Usually drink about half a litre of whatever spirit I'm drinking in an evening. I know this is not really regarded as sensible by most of the members here, nor even by me really - but that's my decision, so let's not get into that. The point is - I get maggot as pretty often, but I never wake up wanting to drink the next day - which, according to the alcoholics I've met, is the big give-away. The idea is just.. not pleasant, at all!

My flatmate is another case - gets drunk probably 3 times a week, and I mean drunk.. but she never has any problems with stopping, when she needs to!

[Ayay]

Who said...'One drink is OK, two drinks is too much, and three drinks are not enough' ? I have proved it by personal xperience and it's true! Too-much is barery enough. No, I do have a problem