Originally Posted by 
solmanic
				
			 
			Don't drink, never have. I have been around drug & alcohol prison counselors all my life and am pretty much convinced that without alcohol most of society's ills would disappear overnight. There are actually very few full-on career criminals. All the others started with a beer, then just kept going for harder and harder stuff. Some then fell into crime because they got addicted to something they couldn't afford while others just got violent or stupid the more they were intoxicated. Either way you can place alcohol at the root of most inmates' criminal behaviour.
As far as I'm concerned, you have a drinking problem if you drink for effect, not taste. And before people jump all over this saying things like "oh I just like to have a drink at parties to loosen up"... well therein lies the problem. If you weren't suitably functional before you had a drink (even one) then you sure as hell won't be better afterwards.
Glass of wine with dinner = tasty, that's fine.
Bottle of wine with dinner = WTF! How much are you eating?
Cold one after work = refreshing, also fine.
Second cold one after work = really, why? You've already had one and unless you're still thirsty the second is just going to turn into urine and attitude.